page_title: 336th Air Refueling Squadron
section_title: Dispersed squadrons
hierarchical_section_title: 336th Air Refueling Squadron / History / Air Force Reserve / Dispersed squadrons
caption_attribution_description: English: A U.S. Air Force Fairchild C-119C-19-FA Flying Boxcar (s/n 50-138) in flight.Original description: An Air Force C-119 "Flying Boxcar," once considered the workhorse of the Air Force Reserve, was part of the Continental Air Command's first Airlift Rodeo on Oct. 5, 1956.
context_page_description: The 336th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 452d Operations Group, stationed at March Joint Air Reserve Base, California. The squadron shares its aircraft and facility with the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, a USAF Associate Unit assigned to the 92d Air Refueling Wing.
  The first predecessor of the squadron was active during World War II. It served as a training unit in the southwestern United States before being inactivated in 1944 during a reorganization of the Army Air Force's training units.
  The second predecessor of the squadron was organized in the reserves in 1949 as the 336th Troop Carrier Squadron.
context_section_description: In April 1959, the 514th Wing reorganized under the Dual Deputy system.  Its 514th Troop Carrier Group was inactivated and the squadron was assigned directly to the wing.  Starting in late 1955, Continental Air Command (ConAC) had begun to disperse some of its reserve flying squadrons to separate bases in order to improve recruiting and avoid public objection to entire wings of aircraft being stationed near large population centers under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept.  The 336th Squadron moved to Stewart Air Force Base, New York in March 1961 as part of this program.
  Although the dispersal of flying units was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult.  This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the Berlin Crisis of 1961  To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons.  This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for the Cuban Missile Crisis.  The formation of troop carrier groups was delayed until January for wings that had not been mobilized.  The 904th Troop Carrier Group became the squadron's headquarters on 17 January 1963.
  In the fall of 1966, the squadron transition into the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II and was redesignated the 336th Military Airlift Squadron.  The squadron, along with its parent 904th Group moved to Hamilton Air Force Base, California at the end of 1969 as reserve flying operations at Stewart ended.  1972 saw another name change to the 336th Tactical Airlift Squadron as the squadron transitioned into the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.  The 904th Group was inactivated in 1975 as Air Force Reserve eliminated its groups located on the same bases as their parent wings to avoid duplication.  The squadron was assigned directly to the 452d Tactical Airlift Wing at Hamilton.
caption: US Air Force reserve C-119
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