| 7th Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
7th Airlift Squadron Shield |
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| Active | 1 October 1933-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Size | Squadron |
| Garrison/HQ | McChord AFB |
| Motto | Always Willing - Always Able |
| Mascot | Sword |
| Decorations | MUA AFOUA RVGC w/ Palm |
The 7th Airlift Squadron (7 AS) is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.
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Train and equip C-17 aircrews for global air-land and airdrop operations.
The 7th Airlift Squadron was constituted 1 October 1933, as the 7th Troop Carrier Squadron. Before World War II, the squadron provided airlift throughout the U.S., Panama, Canada, and Alaska. In 1942, it was among the first units to deploy into the war zone.
During the Korean War, the 7th flew long, over-water missions to Japan while temporarily assigned to McChord Air Force Base. It later received two Outstanding Unit Awards for support to the French in Vietnam and efforts during the Cuban Blockade.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the 7th provided humanitarian support after Hurricane Hugo, Andrew, and Iniki; flood relief to Bangladesh and evacuation support after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. In addition, the 7th provided critical airlift support during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, as well as delivering thousands of tons of relief supplies to the former Soviet Union.
In 1993, the 7th AS returned to McChord AFB and the 62d Airlift Wing from Travis Air Force Base, California.
The 7th AS was McChord AFB's first C-17 squadron in 1999 and throughout its history, continually accomplished many firsts, including landing the first C-17 on the ice sheet near McMurdo Station in Antarctica in 1999, and landing the first C-17 in North Korea a few weeks later.
Recently, the 7th Airlift Squadron created another Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) alongside the 17th Airlift Squadron out of Charleston Air Force Base. For the first time in history, two C-17 Squadrons became deployed in forward theater locations, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. On 1 June 2006, the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was created from half of the 817 EAS flying from "an undisclosed location in South West Asia". While the 817 EAS Flies from Incirlik Airbase, Turkey and Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. The 7th helped initiate the new 2 EAS concept in C-17 operations.
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