40th Airlift Squadron The 40th Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force unit based at Dyess Air Force Base , Abilene , Texas . The unit currently flies the Lockheed C - 130 Hercules , but is transitioning to new Lockheed Martin C - 130J Super Hercules aircraft , with the first 2 of 14 delivered . . Nicknamed the Screaming Eagles , it is one of the most decorated airlift units in the U . S . Air Force . Origins . On 18 February 1942 , the squadron was activated as the 40th Transport Squadron at Duncan Field , San Antonio , Texas under the control of the 317th Troop Carrier Group . Beginning with only a second lieutenant squadron commander and eight enlisted men , the squadron slowly took shape , and in about four months was full - sized . At this time it transferred to Bowman Field , Kentucky where it began flying the Douglas C - 47 Skytrain . The pace of developments in World War II drove a rapid training and deployment schedule , and on 6 December 1942 , the 40th moved to Laurinburg - Maxton Army Airfield , North Carolina to begin staging for its move to the Pacific . A few days later , the Squadron left North Carolina for the Mobile Air Depot , Alabama where it received thirteen new C - 47s . After they checked out the airplanes , the squadron flew to California . World War II Operations . On 5 January 1943 , the Squadron left California for the Southwest Pacific Theater of operations . Two days later it landed at Brisbane , Australia where it came under the command of the Fifth Air Force . After a short time in Brisbane , the Squadron moved to Barbutt Field , Townsville , Australia , the Squadron ' s first permanent oversees home . Buna . In the Buna campaign , the 40th ferried food , ammunition , equipment , and reinforcements to Allied troops , then evacuated the wounded to hospitals on its return flights . As the battle of Buna neared its end , the fight for Wau was just beginning . Wau . At Wau , the Squadron supported Australian commandos known as the Kanga Force who were harassing the Japanese . Squadron pilots soon became accustomed to landing on the 3 , 000 - foot dirt strip at Wau with its 12 per cent grade heading directly at Kainde Mountain . The crews flew in reinforcements , ammunition , artillery pieces , food and other supplies . Wau saw the 40th ' s first combat casualties when a crew crashed while attempting to land on 18 January . On 29 January , the Japanese began a full scale assault on the airstrip . They managed to reach one end of the runway , which they placed under constant mortar fire . At times , planes circled as the Australians fought the Japanese far enough back into the jungle to allow the aircraft to land . Many of the reinforcements flown into the strip jumped from the planes straight into the battle with their guns firing . By the end of 30 January , most of the Japanese attacks had been repulsed , and the airstrip remained in Allied hands for the remainder of the war . The 40th Troop Carrier Squadron received its first Distinguished Unit Citation for its efforts at Wau . Consolidation . After these two battles , the 40th established and operated air routs across Australia , New Guinea , and the Solomon Islands . The pace of operations did not slacken and the squadron engaged in a wide variety of tactical airlift actions . Primarily , these included airlifting troops , reinforcements , supplies , and equipment into combat , and evacuating the wounded . It frequently dropped paratroopers during airborne assault operations , and delivered equipment and supplies by airdrop . Other secondary missions included carrying captured Japanese troops to rear areas , providing quick transportation for commanders to and from combat areas , and conducting training with airborne troops . Assault on Lae . The 40th ' s next major battle occurred on 5 September , when Allied Forces assaulted the island of Lae . The Squadron joined the rest of the 317th Troop Carrier Group in an air assault on the Nadzab plain . General Kenney , Fifth Air Force commander , later said , " I truly don ’ t believe that another air force in the world today could have put this over as perfectly as the Fifth Air Force did . Three hundred and two airplanes in all , taking off from eight different fields in the Moresby and Dobodura areas made a rendezvous right on the nose over Marilinan , flying through clouds , passes in the mountains , and over the top . Not a single squadron did any circling or stalling around but all slid into place like clockwork and proceeded on the final flight down the Watut Valley , turned to the right down the Markham River and went directly to the target . " Move across New Guinea . As Allied troops pressed westward across New Guinea , the Squadron moved to Ward Airdrome at Port Moresby . This move , accomplished on 6 October 1943 , placed the Squadron closer to combat , and eliminated many of the long flights back to Australia . The 317th Group soon became known as the " Jungle Skippers " . Heavily loaded and unarmed , the C - 47s were often flown unconventionally by their hard pressed crews . Counting on stealth and surprise to help even the odds , the pilots slipped their transports down river valleys and through mountain gaps literally skipping and skimming across the jungle and rainforests . Throughout the rest of 1943 , and into 1944 , the 40th continued its support of the Allied advance . On 21 April 1944 , the Squadron moved to Finschhafen , New Guinea , and again in May to Cyclops Field , Hollandia . Invasion of the Philippines . During Operation Table Tennis , the 40th airdropped troops on the island of Noemfoor during July 1944 . In November , the Squadron airdropped supplies to American troops on the island of Leyte in the Philippines . In January 1945 , the Squadron transferred to Leyte . From there it made covert airdrops to Filipino guerrillas and commandos operating throughout the island chain . The Squadron ' s last major action of World War II came on 16 February with the invasion of Luzon . The 317th Group was tasked with dropping the 503rd Paratroopers onto Corregidor . The only suitable drop zones were an old American parade ground and a golf course . At precisely 0830 , fifty - one C - 47s began wheeling over the two small drop zones in counter - rotating orbits dropping eight men per pass . With Colonel Jack Lackey , the 317th Group Commander in the lead aircraft , the 39th and 40th Squadrons dropped on the former golf course while the 41st and 46th Squadrons racetracked to drop on the parade ground . While most of the aircraft were hit by intense ground fire , none were lost . For its efforts in this assault , the Squadron won its second Distinguished Unit Citation . The Squadron also participated in the airdrop of the 11th Airborne Division on Mindaro Island , and the airdrop of the 511th Paratroop Infantry on Los Banos , on the Batanga Peninsula of Luzon . February 1945 , the Squadron carried the " most valuable cargo ever moved in the Southwest Pacific Theater . " It brought 120 doctors and nurses to Mabalacat to care for American prisoners liberated from Japanese prisoner of war camps after three years of imprisonment . In March , the Squadron moved to Clark Field , Philippines . While at Clark , the Squadron dealt with raids by fanatical Japanese who penetrated the security around Clark to make hit and run attacks against the barracks and flight line . On 15 April , the Squadron launched a short but distinguished career as a strategic bombing squadron . Japanese troops holed up on Carabao island were threatening Allied shipping . Conventional bombing failed to make an impact , so the 40th ' s C - 47s were loaded with 55 gallon drums filled with napalm . These were rolled out of the cargo doors and were credited with killing 2700 Japanese . Move to Okinawa . In August , the Squadron moved once again , this time to Naha Airfield , Okinawa . On 6 August , the first nuclear weapon was dropped on Hiroshima . Three days later , the United States dropped another on Nagasaki . On 14 August , the Japanese agreed to surrender . On 29 August , four 40th C - 47s flew from Naha to Tokyo carrying an advance party for the surrender ceremony . These were the first American aircraft to land on the Japanese homeland at the end of hostilities . However , the occasion was marred when the lead aircraft misinterpreted the direction of the wind while coming in to land . This caused the entire formation to land downwind much to the consternation of the Japanese commander who had assembled his staff at the ‘ correct ’ end of the runway to greet the arriving victors . Occupation of Japan . After the surrender of the Japanese , the 40th took part in the occupation of Japan . In 1947 , the Squadron received new Douglas C - 54s . The Squadron became the 40th Troop Carrier Squadron ( Heavy ) in May 1948 , and was assigned to the Far East Air Force . European operations . Berlin Airlift . In June 1948 , the Soviet Union attempted to force its wartime Allies , now cold war enemies , France , Great Britain , and the United States from the city of Berlin . The Allied powers immediately began an airlift into the city , but it soon became apparent that they needed more aircraft . In September , the 39th and 41st Squadrons from the 317th Troop Carrier Group were transferred to Germany . In November , the 40th followed . Soon after arriving in Germany , the 40th began flying into Berlin from Wiesbaden Air Base , Germany , before transferring to RAF Celle , Germany in December . From the time the 40th began operating at Wiesbaden until shortly after the Berlin blockade was lifted the following summer , the Squadron flew approximately 10 , 550 round trips to Berlin transporting a grand total of 100 , 000 tons of supplies into the besieged city . When the Berlin Airlift ended , the entire 317th Group , including the 39th , 40th , and 41st Squadrons , was inactivated at RAF Celle on 14 September 1949 . Supporting NATO . The Squadron was reactivated on 14 July 1952 as the 40th Troop Carrier Squadron ( Medium ) at Rhein - Main Air Base , Germany . After its reactivation , the 40th joined its reactivated sister squadrons , the 39th and 41st , under control of the 317th Troop Carrier Wing supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization while flying the C - 119 Boxcar . In May 1953 , the 40th transferred from Rhein - Main Air Base to Neubiberg Air Base , Germany . In October , the Squadron began operations as part of the Air Logistics Service , a regularly scheduled series of airlift flights throughout Europe , North Africa , and the Middle East which later became known as channel missions . In addition to its regular airlift schedule , the 40th airdropped 45 , 000 sandbags near the town of Regensburg , Germany , for emergency flood relief , transported supplies into India and Pakistan following floods , and stood alert during the 1956 Arab - Israeli War . During this crisis , the 40th staged to advanced fields with a United Nations Emergency Force . C - 130 and move to France . In October 1957 , the squadron received its first Lockheed C - 130 Hercules . Two months later , the Squadron transferred from Neubiberg Air Base to Évreux - Fauville Air Base , France . The 40th completed its transition into the C - 130 in June 1958 , just in time for the new plane to gain its first taste of action . Lebanese Civil War . When Lebanon exploded into civil war in July 1958 , the 40th both airlifted personnel , equipment , and supplies of the 24th Infantry Division into Beirut , and deployed aircraft to Incirlik Combined Defense Installation , Turkey . The Squadron continued to fly into Lebanon until October 1959 when the civil war ended and the troops moved out . Congo Crisis . On 1 July 1960 , Belgium granted the Congo its independence . Within a week , the country had descended into anarchy . The locals began slaughtering Europeans , and looting and burning all European built buildings , businesses and facilities . When Belgium sent in its Dragon Rouge Paratroopers , they responded with similar ferocity against the local population . The United Nations quickly moved to stop the carnage and restore order to the area . On July 8 , the 40th , as part of the 322nd Air Division , went on alert for action in Operation New Tape , the Congo airlift . From July , and well into the next year , the Squadron flew across most of Africa carrying troops and hundreds of tons of cargo into the Congo . From the very beginning , all 40th aircrews were involved in the airlift . The first UN aircraft to land in the Congo was a 40th C - 130 carrying Lt Col Francis E . Merritt , commander of the 40th . He was tasked as the combat Airlift Support Unit commander . Most of the airport facilities had been destroyed and the one forklift which Lt Col Merritt ' s crew brought with them soon broke . Despite the many problems and continuing unrest , including heavy gun battles around the airport , the ground crews under Lt Col Merritt continued to unload each arriving C - 130 , frequently by hand . As the airlift developed , missions spread to include landings at dirt strips and runways throughout the region . Crews from the 40th found themselves eating C rations cooked at tiny jungle airstrips . They carried thousands of refugees and troops from nations as far away as Algeria , South Africa , Morocco , and Somalia . The massive operation in support of the United Nations continued until the summer of 1961 . Iranian earthquake . The 40th continued its humanitarian efforts in 1962 , when an earthquake hit Iran . Within hours of the disaster , 40th aircraft were in the air loaded with supplies for the people of Iran . The 40th flew nearly a third of all missions flown into Iran , carrying rations , tents , blankets , a 100 - bed hospital , and several helicopters . Sino - Indian War . In 1962 , the 40th took part in another little publicized , but highly critical mission , airlift operations in the Sino - Indian War . On 21 November 1962 , twelve C - 130s departed France on a mass deployment to New Delhi , India . The deployed to support the Indian government in its defense against an invasion by Communist China . All of the aircraft arrived in New Delhi on 23 November , twenty - four hours ahead of schedule . When China invaded India , the Indian Air Force ' s Russian - built transports proved incapable of carrying troops and equipment into the high altitude Himalayan airfields . The 40th ' s A - model C - 130s easily handled the altitude , and quickly carried all of the Indian reinforcements and equipment into the area . During the first eleven days , the twelve crews carried over five hundred tons of supplies and over 5000 troops for a total of 203 sorties without an aborted launch . The mission was originally to last only a few months , but as usual , stretched out for over a year . The Indian government later stated that the efforts of the American C - 130s prevented the Chinese from gaining any advantage after their initial invasion . Skopje earthquake . As the Indian Airlift wound down in 1963 , the Squadron was again called upon for humanitarian assistance , this time to Belgrade , Yugoslavia . An earthquake had devastated the town of Skopje , killing and injuring thousands of people . Three crews from the 40th flew in the initial group of C - 130s carrying relief supplies into the area . United States . Move to Ohio . In November 1963 , the 317th Troop Carrier Groups began planning its move from Évreux - Fauville Air Base , France to its new home , Lockbourne Air Force Base , Columbus , Ohio . In June 1964 , the 40th returned to the United States for the first time since January 1943 . The 41st , however , did not move with the 317th , but continued west to spend several years in Southwest Asia . The 18th Troop Carrier Squadron joined the 39th and 40th as the third squadron in the 317th at Lockbourne AFB . During its many years away from the United States , the Squadron had flown combat operations stretching from the Far East to the Middle East , and humanitarian missions throughout Europe , the Middle East , and Africa . It was now time for the Squadron to relax . Or so it thought . Invasion of the Dominican Republic . In April 1965 , the Dominican Republic elected a socialist president . The United States encouraged the Dominican military to stage a coup which degenerated into a civil war between the army and supporters of the democratic system . President Johnson used this situation as an excuse for American intervention . The initial plan called for a massive airdrop invasion of the island by over one hundred C - 130s . Orders went out , and the 40th deployed all of its planes to Pope Air Force Base , North Carolina , where it joined the invasion force . After the formation became airborne , the president changed the invasion from an airdrop to an air land assault . The 40th diverted into Ramey Air Force Base , Puerto Rico to allow the crews to rerig the loads , then flew into the Dominican Republic to combat offload the cargo . For the remainder of the operation , the 40th flew from both Pope AFB as well as Ramey AFB . When the fighting ended in June , the 40th returned to Lockbourne . Beginning deployments . In 1964 , the 40th began Operation CROSS SWITCH Rotations to Europe . During these rotations , the entire Squadron deployed for two to four months each year from Ohio to Europe to augment the theater airlift forces . At first , the rotational base was located at Évreux - Fauville , France , but after the French left NATO in 1966 , the rotation was split between RAF Mildenhall , England , and Rhein - Main Air Base , Germany . At the same time that the Squadron began its regular rotation to Europe , it also began a regular rotation of crews and planes to Panama . The rotation to Panama continued into the 1980s when the Air National Guard assumed responsibility for it . In October 1965 , a C - 130 Replacement Training Unit was established at Lockbourne . The 40th devoted a portion of its training to the unit . The Sixties and Seventies . The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of intense social unrest in the United States . On several occasions , the 40th carried troops into cities ravaged by riots or massive anti - Vietnam War demonstrations . The airlift of riot control troops , known as Operation Garden Plot took the 40th from Detroit to Washington , D . C . , to New Haven , Connecticut . As the nation began to heal in the seventies these operations slowly dwindled , then faded away . The social changes that swept through American culture in the sixties impacted the Squadron in the seventies . In July 1970 , Lockbourne Air Force Base received its first women . The base integrated the women into existing squadrons because it lacked a female - only squadron , which many other bases had . At first the commander were unsure of the roles of these new recruits , but soon found positions for them in squadron administration . In 1973 , the All - Volunteer Force came into effect , and with higher pay , better living conditions , and improved facilities as the Air Force faced the fact that , if it did not improve the life style of its troops , they would leave . The seventies also saw an attempt to form " hard crews , " a dismal failure ; the flight system , a management nightmare ; and the removal of maintenance from the Squadron , then its return , then its removal again . The seventies also brought the move of all C - 130s into Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) , a reversal of the consolidation into Tactical Air Command which occurred in the sixties . Humanitarian operations . Through all of the changes , the mission of the 40th remained the same . Hurricane Camille , the worst hurricane in the history of the United States , hit the east coast in August 1969 . In the first of a series of hurricane relief efforts , the 40th launched aircraft full of supplies for the stricken area . Hurricanes continued to decimate the east coast of the United States , and the 40th continued to respond . Hurricanes David and Frederick in 1979 , Hurricane Hugo in 1989 , and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 all brought out the 40th on missions of mercy . From 1969 on , the 40th flew humanitarian mission for a litany of disasters . Mud slides in Bogotá , Colombia in September 1970 , an earthquake on the border between Peru and Ecuador a month later , floods in Bolivia , and a volcanic eruption in Nicaragua in 1971 , floods in Virginia and Pennsylvania in July 1972 , and an earthquake in Nicaragua six months later , in 1973 - Operation AUTHENTIC ASSISTANCE - a massive drought and famine relief operation in Mali , an earthquake in Turkey in 1976 , blizzards in New York in 1977 , and again in Massachusetts in 1979 all proved the Squadron ' s worth as an instrument of humanitarian relief as well as war . This is only a small handful of the many humanitarian relief operations throughout the history of the 40th . To name them all would take far too much space , but this short list illustrates the immeasurable service the Squadron has given representing the United States to the world . Pope Air Force Base . In June 1971 , the 40th began preparations for the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing ' s move - this time to Pope Air Force Base where it replaced the 778th Tactical Airlift Squadron , which inactivated and was replaced ( on paper ) by the 40th . At Pope , the Squadron met rejoined the 41st which had just returned from six years in the Far East . As part of the move from Lockbourne , the Squadron shed all of its personnel and aircraft , and moved only its flag and lineage to its new home , where it acquired the personnel and aircraft of the 778th TAS . The move to Pope AFB brought some mission changes as well . The Squadron lost its obligation as a Replacement Training Unit , but gained the Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System ( AWADS ) mission . Previously , C - 130 squadrons at several bases had AWADS , but it was gradually consolidated into the three squadrons at Pope . The 40th also gained a rotational commitment to Southeast Asia in addition to its regular rotations to Europe and Panama . It soon became common for crews to spend ninety days in Germany , come home for a few weeks , deploy to Panama for six weeks , come home again for a short rest , then depart for the Pacific . Vietnam deployments . The 40th crews were first based at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base , Taiwan , and came under the control of the 61st Tactical Airlift Squadron . In 1974 , they moved to Utapao Air Base , Thailand . From both bases , they flew high altitude AWADS drops in South Vietnam , as well as standard airlift missions . As many as eight 40th crews could be in the region at one time taking part in combat actions including the sieges of An Lộc and Phnom Penh , and Operations EASTER BUNNY and CONSTANT GUARD . The squadron received no official recognition for its involvement in the Vietnam War because many of its action in the war came after the United States officially ended its participation . At the end of 1974 , the 40th pulled its crews out of Southeast Asia , and turned over its responsibility for the adverse weather airdrop mission to the Thai Air Force and Bird Air - a regional civilian contract service flying C - 130s . Iranian Revolution . In 1979 , while the Squadron was on rotation in Europe , radical Muslims overthrew the Shah of Iran . The 40th flew into Iran rescuing American citizens working in the country . The Squadron flew from Incirlik Air Base , Turkey and Tehran , Iran into small dirt strips carrying in supplies and evacuating both civilian and military personnel . Invasion of Grenada . The Squadron gained its first combat experience in nearly a decade in 1983 . Fighting among various factions among the island of Grenada ' s communist government led to fear that American medical students on the island could be taken hostage . President Ronald Reagan responded with Operation Urgent Fury , an invasion of the island . The 40th provided two of the five crews for the initial airborne assault on Point Salines Airport . After the initial assault , the numerous Squadron crews flew follow on missions into the island carrying troops , supplies , food , and ammunition . On the return trips the crews carried out Cuban soldiers who had been working on several large military construction projects , and the American medical students who has been caught on the island by the unrest . Despite outrage on the part of Liberals Americans , the people of Grenada profusely thanked the United States from rescuing them from a government they did not want . Invasion of Panama . Relations between the United States and Panama , a former staunch ally of the U . S . , deteriorated in the late 1980s . By 1989 , the two countries were in nearing a state of undeclared war as American military personnel in the Canal Zone were constantly harassed by Panamanian Defense Forces . That winter , patience with Panama came to an end after Panamanian president Manuel Noriega refused to relinquish power after losing an election , and president George H . W . Bush launched a massive invasion - Operation JUST CAUSE - to remove Noriega . On 19 December 1989 , the 40th joined the other two Pope squadrons , and the 50 TAS from Little Rock Air Force Base , for a fifteen aircraft airborne assault on Rio Hato Airport , Panama . The aircraft launched for a late night assault of Army Rangers . After flying down the western Caribbean , across Panama , and out over the Pacific , the formation turned and began its run for Rio Hato . The first few aircraft flew unscathed across the drop zone , but Panamanian soldiers quickly found their range and poured a withering ground fire into the formation . Despite the intense fire , none of the crews deviated from their course , and every Ranger on target . After the drop , the formation flew to Howard Air Force Base , Panama where the aircraft received hasty repairs and fuel before launching back to the United States . Many of the planes managed to make it to the coast before landing at commercial airports because of severe battle damage . The Squadron continued to support JUST CAUSE into 1990 . As the last of the fighting wound down in Panama , the 40th deployed to England for its 60 - day rotation to RAF Mildenhall . The Squadron returned to Pope in June , and looked forward to some rest after a busy seven months . Desert Shield / Desert Storm . On 2 August 1990 , the 40th placed its crews on alert . Iraq had just invaded Kuwait , one of the United States ’ strongest allies in the Middle East . Six days later , the Squadron launched all sixteen airplanes , and every member of the Squadron to the Middle East . On 9 August , the Squadron landed at Masirah Air Base , Oman . Seventeen hours later the Squadron launched its first mission in support of the American build up . For the first few weeks the Squadron flew up to twenty hour days carrying cargo throughout the Arabian Peninsula , living out of tents on the barren island of Masirah , known to the squadron as Moon Island . While the living conditions were miserable , and the missions long and tiring , the Squadron never gave up . Everyone pulled together and achieved one great milestone after another making the C - 130 the backbone of the war effort . Without it , the war could never have happened . While cargo poured into the theater by way of strategic air and sealift , it took the C - 130 to distribute it to the troops . In January , the 40th took part in one of the great deceptions in military history . While the fighters and bombers distracted the Iraqis , the Squadron ' s C - 130s carried the 82nd Airborne Division from northeast Saudi Arabia across the Iraqi front line to land the soldiers in the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia . All of these mission were flown under strict radio silence , with no navigational aids . Aircraft flew along corridors , often with little or no visibility at the same altitude as other aircraft flying the return route . In the face of an apparently insurmountable task , the 40th succeeded beyond anyone ' s expectations . When the ground war began in February , the Iraqis were stunned to find a division on their western flank they thought was in front of them . If not for the 40th , and the other C - 130 squadrons , it could not have been done . Humanitarian operations . When the Squadron arrived home in March 1991 , it was to a well - deserved rest . But , as has been true for the life of the Squadron , that rest lasted only a few months before it was again back into action . This time to Turkey , where Operation PROVIDE COMFORT - a massive humanitarian relief effort to the Kurds in northern Iraq was taking place . Hard on the heels of that operation came Operation AUTHENTIC ASSISTANCE - aid to the Baltic Republics of Latvia and Lithuania , Operation PROVIDE TRANSITION - Angolan disarmament and election , the finally , Operation PROVIDE PROMISE - the United Nations ' relief operation to the former nation of Yugoslavia . The Squadron flew into the former Yugoslavia from the summer of 1992 until its inactivation in July 1993 . At first , the effort consisted of airland missions into Zagreb and the ravaged city of Sarajevo . After Serbian forces blocked relief convoys from entering U . N . safe areas , the Squadron resorted to airdrops . The intense fighting forced the crews to reintroduce high - altitude AWADS airdrops , a procedure not used since Vietnam , and one which the Air Force had allowed to lapse because it was considered an irrelevant capability . Irrelevant or not , the Squadron quickly relearned the techniques associated with the demanding mission and became a reliable deliverer of humanitarian aid . Dyess AFB . On 16 July 1993 , the 40th was inactivated at Pope AFB . With the United States ' victory in the Cold War , the military began to demobilize . As part of this process , the squadron and its parent organization , the 317th Airlift Wing , were inactivated . At first it appeared that the 40th would be inactive for an indeterminate time , but the Air Force ' s senior leadership decided to move the squadron ' s designation to Dyess Air Force Base , Texas . Unit awards and decorations . Military Airlift Command Outstanding Tactical Airlift Squadron of the Year : 1980 , 1984 , 1988 , 1990 Air Mobility Command Outstanding Airlift Squadron of the Year : 2004 , 2006 Air Force Outstanding Unit Award