61rst T.C.S.

61rst T.C.S.

The Green Hornets...

61st Airlift Squadron

Lineage

Constituted 61st Troop Carrier Squadron on 13 Oct 1942. Activated on 26 Oct 1942. Inactivated on 30 Sep 1946. Redesignated 61st Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 20 Sep 1949. Activated on 17 Oct 1949. Redesignated: 61st Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 Mar 1966; 61st Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 May 1967; 61st Airlift Squadron on 1 Dec 1991.

Assignments

315th Troop Carrier Group (attached to 314th Troop Carrier Group), 26 Oct 1942; 314th Troop Carrier Group, 15 Mar 1943; 441st Troop Carrier Group, attached in Oct 1945, assigned Dec 1945-30 Sep 1946. 314th Troop Carrier Group, 17 Oct 1949; 314th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 Oct 1957; 839th Air Division, 1 Dec 1965 (attached to Troop Carrier Wing Provisional, 4413, 1 Dec 1965- 30 Jun 1966); 64th Troop Carrier (later 64th Tactical Airlift) Wing, 1 Jul 1966 (attached to the 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 6 May-11 Aug 1967, 8 Apr- 29 Jun 1968, 27 May-6 Jul 1970; 322d Tactical Airlift Wing, 21 Oct-19 Dec 1970); 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 May 1971 (attached to the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing, 13 May-8 Sep 1972; 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 5 Jan-16 Mar 1973; 322d Tactical Airlift Wing, 5 Jun-11 Aug 1973, 16 Oct-16 Dec 1974, 15-30 Jun 1975; 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, 30 Jun-17 Aug 1975, 5 Mar- 17 May 1976, 3 Dec 1976-13 Feb 1977, 5 Jul-9 Sep 1977, 13 Jul-13 Sep 1978); 314th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 Nov 1978 (attached to 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, 5 Apr-12 Jun 1980); 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, 15 Jun 1980 (attached to the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, 4 Dec 1982-15 Feb 1983; 313th Tactical Airlift Group, 8 Aug-10 Oct 1984, 1 Dec 1985-12 Feb 1986, 1 Feb-15 Apr 1987, 3 Apr-15 Jun 1988, 27 Dec 1990-12 May 1991); 314th Operations Group, 1 Dec 1991-.

Stations

Bowman Field, KY, 26 Oct 1942; Knobnoster, MO, 5 Nov 1942; Lawson Field, GA, 20 Feb-3 May 1943; Berguent, French Morocco, May 1943; Kairouan, Tunisia, 26 Jun 1943; Castelvetrano, Sicily, 1 Sep 1943-16 Feb 1944; Saltby, England, 24 Feb 1944; Poix, France, Feb 1945; Frankfurt, Germany, 15 Oct 1945-30 Sep 1946. Smyrna AFB, TN, 17 Oct 1949-27 Aug 1950; Ashiya AB, Japan, 4 Sep 1950-15 Nov 1954; Sewart AFB, TN, 15 Nov 1954 (deployed at Clark AFB, Philippines, 1 Dec 1965-30 Jun 1966; RAF Mildenhall, England, 5 May-14 Aug 1967, 28 Mar-29 Jun 1968); Little Rock AFB, AR, 5 Mar 1970- (deployed at RAF Mildenhall, England, 28 May-7 Jul 1970, 3 Jan-17 Mar 1973, 5 Mar-17 May 1976, 3 Dec 1976-13 Feb 1977, 5 Jul-9 Sep 1977, 13 Jul-13 Sep 1978, 5 Apr-12 Jun 1980, 4 Dec 1982- 15 Feb 1983, 8 Aug-10 Oct 1984, 1 Dec 1985-12 Feb 1986, 1 Feb-15 Apr 1987, 3 Apr-15 Jun 1988, 27 Dec 1990-12 May 1991; Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 12 Oct-19 Dec 1970, 12 Jun-16 Aug 1973, 3 Oct-16 Dec 1974, 15 Jun-17 Aug 1975).

Aircraft

Principally C-47, 1942-1946. C-82, 1949-1950; C-119, 1950-1957; C-130, 1956-.

Operations

Airborne assaults on Sicily, Normandy, Holland, and Germany, as well as aerial transportation in MTO and ETO, during World War II. Airborne assaults on Sukchon/Sunchon and Munsan-ni, as well as aerial transportation between Japan and Korea during the Korean War. Transported supplies from the Philippines into Southeast Asia, Dec 1965-Jun 1966. Global tactical airlift, 1971-. Airdropped humanitarian relief supplies in northern Iraq, Apr-May 1991.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korean Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Vietnam: Vietnam Defensive; Vietnam Air.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. Panama, 1989-1990.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Sicily, 11 Jul 1943; France, [6-7] Jun 1944; Korea, 28 Nov-10 Dec 1950. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 6 May 1953-10 Sep 1954; 11 Jan-14 Feb 1955; 23 Mar-22 Aug 1959; 1 Jan 1960- 31 Dec 1961; 1 Sep 1962-15 Apr 1963; 1 Jun 1969-31 May 1971; 1 Jan 1975- 30 Jun 1976; 1 Jun 1985-31 May 1986; 1 Jul 1991-30 Jun 1993. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 1 Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-7 Jul 1968.

Emblem

On a disc quartered, Sky Blue and White, a caricatured Green hornet with Air Force Golden Yellow wings and glove-covered hands, wearing Black earphones and Green billed cap; carrying a White parachute with paratrooper attached, wearing Green uniform and helmet; the disc Black, all outlines and detail lines Black. Approved on 13 Jun 1956 (154653 A.C.).

THE LOCKHEED HERCULES C-130D

Prior to 1959, the United States Air Force requested Lockheed to modify

twelve of its C-130 "A" models (57-0484 through 57-0495) to C-130D's. These modified aircraft were delivered in February, March, and April, of 1959. The new "D" model 130's were then assigned to the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron which was based at Sewart AFB, Tennessee.

Air crews from the squadron were sent TDY to Bemidji, Minnesota in early 1959, to train on a frozen lake prior to being sent to Sondrestrom AB, Greenland. Each crew was required to complete five takeoffs and landings in order to be qualified. The airlift to build DYE II and DYE III was begun on April 1, 1959. By the end of December, 1960, the entire DYE site project was completed and the 61st TCS had returned to Sewart.

The C-130D model's main skis were twenty feet long by five feet six inches

wide. They had an eight degree nose-up and 15 degree nose down pitch which enabled them to move up and down and follow the uneven ice cap surfaces. The undersides were coated with Teflon to reduce surface friction and to resist adhesion to ice and snow.

The "D" model nose ski measured ten feet long by five feet six inches wide.

As with the main skis, the bottom of the nose ski was coated with Teflon in

order to reduce friction and surface adhesion.

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