336th Fighter Squadron The 336th Fighter Squadron ( 336 FS ) is a United States Air Force unit . It is assigned to the 4th Operations Group and stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base , North Carolina . The 336th was constituted on 22 August 1942 as an incorporation of the Royal Air Force 133 Squadron into the United States Army Air Forces ' VIII Fighter Command . 133 Squadron was one of three RAF Eagle Squadrons composed of American volunteer pilots who enlisted in the RAF and fought in World War II prior to the United States entry into the war . Overview . The " Rocketeers " fly the McDonnell - Douglas ( now Boeing ) F - 15E Strike Eagle . It was the first operational F - 15E squadron in the Air Force . Its aircraft are identified by the " SJ " tail code and yellow fin flash . Currently the squadron provides worldwide deployable aircraft and personnel capable of executing combat missions in support of worldwide Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployments to combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism . History . On 23 September 1942 the 4 FG moved to its initial airfield at RAF Debden ; however , the 336 FS moved to a satellite field at RAF Great Sampford . They conducted operations from there until rejoining the group at Debden on 30 October 1942 . Fighter aircraft escorted first bombing raid over Berlin , March 1944 . On 21 June 1944 , escorted bombers in the first shuttle bombing mission from England to Russia . Received Distinguished Unit Citation ( DUC ) for destroying enemy aircraft and attacking air bases in France , 5 March – 24 April 1944 . In 1946 trained in jet aircraft ; participated in air shows around the US ; began night flying in late 1947 . Combat in Korea , December 1950 - July 1953 . Received second and third DUCs for combat in Korean War , 22 April – 8 July 1951 and 9 July – 27 November 1951 . Deployed to Florida in October 1962 during Cuban missile crisis . From January – June 1968 , deployed to Korea ; tasked with operations associated with USS Pueblo incident . Combat in Southeast Asia , April – September 1972 and March 1973 . During the 1980s , trained in combat readiness in order to maintain worldwide commitment and air - to - air mission capability . Deployed to Europe under dual - based mission concept in support of NATO objectives , 1978 - 1985 . Participated in initial attack on Iraq , 17 January 1991 . During the action , 335th squadron F - 15E Strike Eagle tail # 89 - 0487 destroyed an airborne Iraqi MI - 24 helicopter by dropping a laser - guided GBU - 10 bomb on it . http : / / archive . is / 20121212202545 / http : / / www . af . mil / news / story . asp ? id = 123286330 During 1990 - 1994 , shared quarterly rotation duties to Southwest Asia with 334 and 335 FS . Since 1991 , trained as combat ready fighter squadron prepared for rapid world wide deployment of fighter aircraft to accomplish air - to - ground , air - to - air , strategic attack and deep interdiction missions . Deployed to combat areas in Middle East as part of Global War on Terrorism , 2001 – present . On 18 July 2009 , F - 15E tail # 90 - 0231 from the 336th Fighter Squadron crashed in eastern Afghanistan , killing the two - man crew , Captain Mark R . McDowell and Thomas J . Gramith . The US military reported that the jet was not downed by enemy action . 2013 Sequestration . Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts . The across - the board spending cuts , called sequestration , took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit - reduction plan . Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called “ basic mission capable ” for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013 . This affected the 336th Fighter Squadron with a stand - down grounding from 9 April - 30 September 2013 . iCasualties . org : Operation Enduring Freedom http : / / icasualties . org / OEF / ByNationality . aspx