page_title: 537th Airlift Squadron
section_title: Vietnam War
hierarchical_section_title: 537th Airlift Squadron / History / Vietnam War
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Air Force De Havilland C-7B Caribou (s/n 63-9725) of the 535th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 483d Tactical Airlift Wing, at Cam Ranh Air Base, South Vietnam, in October 1971. This aircraft was later transferred to the South Vietnamese VNAF 427th Transport Squadron.
context_page_description: The 537th Airlift Squadron is an inactive squadron of the United States Air Force. The unit was last active at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska, where it was inactivated on 13 September 2013.
  The squadron was first established during World War II as the 537th Fighter Squadron. It served as a Replacement Training Unit for Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots until it was disbanded in a major reorganization of the Army Air Forces in 1944 designed to streamline training organizations.
  In 1952, the squadron was redesignated as the 537th Troop Carrier Squadron, and activated at Atterbury Air Force Base to replace elements of the 923d Reserve Training Wing. The following year the squadron was inactivated and replaced at Atterbury by the 73d Troop Carrier Squadron.
  The unit was activated again in Viet Nam as a C-7 Caribou squadron assigned to the 483d Tactical Airlift Wing the squadron was awarded three Presidential Unit Citations for its actions during the Viet Nam War.
  In 2011, the unit was re-activated and designated the 537th Airlift Squadron.
context_section_description: The squadron was activated in 1967, and took over DeHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou aircraft that were formerly operated by the 17th Aviation Company of the U.S. Army in South Vietnam, adopting the tactical airlift mission. The squadron initially maintained a detachment at An Khe, which had been the 17th's base.  It operated from Phù Cát Air Base. The 537th earned a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, as well as an Air Force Presidential Unit Citation for airlift support of Khe Sanh and other forward bases from January to May 1968.  It earned a second Air Force Presidential Unit Citation for action between April and June 1970 when it participated in the aerial resupply of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp, evacuation of over 2000 refugees from Cambodia, and transportation of the Presidential Southeast Asia Investigation Team to various remote locations in South Vietnam.
caption: DeHavilland C-7A of the 483d Tactical Airlift Wing at Cam Rahn Bay in 1971
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