The 65th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. It operates C-37 aircraft providing executive airlift in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Mission

The squadron's mission is to provide global airlift to Commander, US Pacific Command and Commander, Pacific Air Forces, as well as distinguished visitor missions.

History

World War II

Bulldozer arrives on plane at Kaiapit strip 1943

The 65th conducted aerial transportation and evacuation in the Pacific Theater of Operations from 26 July 1943-c. August 1945.

Reserve operation and Korean War mobilization

The 65th conducted aerial transportation and evacuation in Korea from 9 May 1952 – 31 December 1952.

Reactivation and Berlin crisis mobilization

Pacific airlift

Beginning in 1992, flew specially configured C-135s, and later C-37 and C-40 aircraft, to provide global airlift to Commander, US Pacific Command and Commander, Pacific Air Forces, as well as distinguished visitor missions.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 65th Troop Carrier Squadron on 7 December 1942 : Activated on 12 December 1942 : Inactivated on 27 January 1946 * Activated in the reserve on 9 August 1947 : Redesignated 65th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 27 June 1949 : Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951 : Inactivated on 1 January 1953 * Activated in the reserve on 1 January 1953 : Ordered to active service on 28 Oct 1962 : Relieved from active service on 28 Nov 1962 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 July 1966 * Redesignated 65th Airlift Squadron on 20 February 1992 : Activated on 10 March 1992

Assignments

403d Troop Carrier Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

, 12 Dec 1942 *

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...

, 26 July 1943 * 54th Troop Carrier Wing, 13 August 1943 * 433d Troop Carrier Group, 9 November 1943 * 403d Troop Carrier Group, 20 February 1945 – 27 January 1946 * 419th Troop Carrier Group, 9 August 1947 * 403 Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953 * 403 Troop Carrier Group, 1 January 1953 * 442d Troop Carrier Group, 16 November 1957 * 403d Troop Carrier Wing, 14 April 1959 * 929th Troop Carrier Group, 11 January 1963 – 1 July 1966 * 15th Air Base Wing, 10 March 1992 * 15th Operations Group, 13 April 1992 – present

Stations

* Bowman Field, Kentucky, 12 December 1942 * Alliance Army Air Field, Nebraska, 18 December 1942 *

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

, North Carolina, 3 May 1943 * Baer Field Indiana, 19 June–14 July 1943 *

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, New Guinea, 26 July 1943 (air echelon operated from Tsili Tsili, New Guinea after 18 September 1943) * Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 9 October 1943 (air echelon operated from Tsili Tsili, New Guinea until 31 October 1943 and from Tadji, Papua New Guinea, 3 May–2 June 1944) *

Biak Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The large ...

, 18 October 1944 (air echelon operated from Hill Field, Mindoro, after 24 January 1945) * Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 27 February 1945 * Dulag Airfield,

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

, Philippines, 15 July 1945 * Clark Field,

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, Philippines, 27 January 1946 * Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, 9 August 1947 *

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city l ...

, Oregon, 27 June 1949 – 29 March 1952 * Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 14 April 1952 – 1 January 1953 * Portland International Airport, Oregon, 1 January 1953 * Paine Air Force Base, Washington, 15 April 1955 * Davis Field, Oklahoma, 16 November 1957 – 1 July 1966 *

Hickam Air Force Base Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...

(later Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii, 10 Mar 1992 – present)

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...

(1943–1945) * Curtiss C-46 Commando (1944–1945, 1947–1952) *

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

(1952, 1953–1966) *

Boeing C-135 Stratolifter The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367-80 jet airliner (also the basis for the 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the i ...

(1992–2003) * Gulfstream C-37A Gulfstream V (2002–present) * Boeing C-40B Clipper (2003–2019)