36th Fighter Squadron The 36th Fighter Squadron ( 36 FS ) is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base , South Korea . It operates the F - 16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions . Mission . Conduct air interdiction , close air support and counter - air missions in both day and night conditions . History . During its 90 - year history , the 36 FS has flown 21 different types of aircraft , received 22 unit citations and accumulated 24 service and campaign streamers . The unit came into existence when a group of aviation pioneers , eager to prove the value of air power in World War I , formed the 36th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field , Texas , in June 1917 . First Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt , the son of President Theodore Roosevelt , was one of the squadron ' s first commanders , assuming command later that year . While the new squadron did not see combat as a unit when it moved to France , several of its members did while flying for other squadrons . After World War I , the 36th was inactivated , only to be resurrected in October 1930 at Selfridge Field , Michigan , to train pilots and develop new air tactics . In 1932 , the 36th relocated to Langley Field , Virginia , as part of the 8th Pursuit Group . While assigned to the 8th , the 36th flew airmail for the U . S . Postal Service , flying in all types of weather without instruments . During World War II , the squadron flew P - 40 Warhawk , P - 39 Airacobra , P - 47 Thunderbolt , and P - 38 Lightning fighters in a number of Pacific Theater campaigns . These included the defense of New Guinea and the battle for the Philippines . They moved to Fukuska , Japan at the end of the war . When the communist forces attacked the Republic of Korea in June 1950 , the 36th found itself in the fight from the beginning of the conflict . Flying F - 80 Shooting Star s , the squadron attacked advancing North Korean tank s , trucks , artillery , and troops . The unit later converted back to the piston - engined F - 51 Mustang , considered more suitable for operations in Korea . The 36th ended the war equipped with F - 86 Sabre s , flying bombing and strafing missions against enemy air fields . The 36th returned to Japan after the Korean War , operating out of Itazuke Air Base for the next 10 years . During the Vietnam War , the 36th flew combat missions into Southeast Asia from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base . 36th pilots flew F - 105 Thunderchief s , escorting rescue aircraft and suppressing anti - aircraft fire . The squadron was re - equipped with F - 4 Phantom II fighters in December 1967 and stationed at Yokota Air Base , Japan , with regular deployments to Kunsan Air Base beginning in March 1971 . The 36th moved to Kunsan in May 1971 , establishing a forward operating location at Osan Air Base . The squadron permanently moved to Osan and was assigned to the 51st Composite Wing ( Tactical ) in September 1974 . The 36th ushered in the era of the " Viper " on 10 August 1988 , when squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Al Spitzer landed the first F - 16 Fighting Falcon at Osan . The squadron ' s combat capabilities were transformed in 1990 when the squadron converted to the Block 40 Low Altitude Navigational and Targeting Infrared for Night ( LANTIRN ) F - 16C / D . The addition of LANTIRN gave the Fiends the current ability to fly at low levels and deliver precision guided munitions during nighttime conditions . Upgrades to the Block 40 in recent years have included GBU - 31 JDAM capability for all weather precision engagement .