16 Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACC)

Lineage.  Constituted as 380 Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 11 Feb 1943.  Activated on 1 Mar 1943.  Redesignated as: 380 Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 Aug 1943; 160 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 Aug 1944; 160 Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic, (Jet Propelled), on 29 Jul 1946; 160 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic-Jet, on 14 Jun 1948.  Inactivated on 26 Apr 1949.  Redesignated as 160 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic, on 8 Aug 1950.  Activated on 1 Sep 1950.  Redesignated as: 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic, on 10 Oct 1950; 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic-Jet, on 8 Nov 1955; 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic-Jet, on 1 Mar 1965; 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 8 Oct 1966; 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron on 1 Oct 1979; 16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 Jul 1982.  Inactivated on 15 Dec 1989.  Redesignated as 16 Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 15 Jan 1996.  Activated on 1 Oct 1996.  Allotted to the National Guard Bureau on 1 Oct 2002.  Relieved from allotment to the National Guard Bureau, and assigned to Air Combat Command, on 1 Oct 2011.   

Assignments.  363 Fighter (later, 363 Tactical Reconnaissance) Group, 1 Mar 1943 (air echelon attached to 10 Photographic Group, 24 Dec 1944-6 Feb 1945); 10 Reconnaissance Group, 15 Nov 1945; Tactical Air Command, 25 Jun 1947; 363 Reconnaissance (later, 363 Tactical Reconnaissance) Group, 24 Jul 1947-26 Apr 1949.  363 Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 1 Sep 1950; 363 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 Feb 1958; 2 Air Division (attached to 6250 Combat Support Group), 30 Oct 1965; 460 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 18 Feb 1966; 475 Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Mar 1970; 363 Tactical Reconnaissance (later, 363 Tactical Fighter) Wing, 15 Feb 1971-15 Dec 1989.  93 Operations Group, 1 Oct 1996; 116 Air Control Wing, 1 Oct 2002; 461 Operations Group, 1 Oct 2011-.

Stations.   Hamilton Field, CA, 1 Mar 1943; Santa Rosa AAFld, CA, 23 Aug 1943; Oakland Muni Aprt, CA, 8 Oct-2 Dec 1943; Keevil, England, 23 Dec 1943; Rivenhall, England, c. 3 Feb 1944; Staplehurst, England, 14 Apr 1944; Maupertus, France, c. 5 Jul 1944; Azeville, France, c. 22 Aug 1944; Montrevil, France, 9 Sep 1944; Sandweiler, Luxembourg, 11 Oct 1944; Le Culot, Belgium, 29 Oct 1944 (operated from Conflans, France, 24 Dec 1944-6 Feb 1945); Venlo, Holland, 11 Mar 1945; Gutersloh, Germany, 16 Apr 1945; Brunswick, Germany, 26 Apr 1945; Wiesbaden, Germany, 20 May 1945; Eschwege, Germany, 12 Jul 1945; Darmstadt, Germany, 22 Sep 1945; Furth, Germany, 24 Nov 1945; Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, 2 Mar 1947; Bad Kissengen, Germany, 14-25 Jun 1947; Langley Field (later, AFB), VA, 25 Jun 1947-26 Apr 1949.  Langley AFB, VA, 1 Sep 1950; Shaw AFB, SC, 2 Apr 1951-27 Oct 1965 (operated from MacDill AFB, FL, 22 Oct-30 Nov 1962); Tan Son Nhut Afld (later, AB), South Vietnam, 30 Oct 1965; Misawa AB, Japan, 15 Mar 1970-15 Feb 1971; Shaw AFB, SC, 15 Feb 1971-15 Dec 1989.  Robins AFB, GA, 1 Oct 1996-. 

Commanders.  Capt Evan M. McCall, 1 Mar 1943;  Maj Marshall Cloke, 30 Mar 1943; Capt Louis D. Morrison, Jun 1944; Maj John M. McNabb, Jul 1944; Maj James W. King, 22 Jun 1945; 1 Lt William Fisher, 26 Sep 1945; 1 Lt Howard Hakonen, 29 Sep 1945; 2 Lt John Dunham, 24 Oct 1945; Maj John H. Fox, 1 Dec 1945; Maj John O. Daniels, 21 Jan 1946; Lt Col Joseph C. Smith, Apr 1946; Capt Virgil G. Dietrick, 25 Jun 1947; Lt Col George T. Walker, 15 Aug 1947; Capt R. V. Prouty, 29 Sep 1947; Maj Merrit G. Garner, 14 Oct 1947; Lt Col John R. Hoover, 31 Oct 1947; Maj Merritt G. Garner, 16 Dec 1947; Lt Col William A. Trippett, 22 Dec 1947; Maj Edward H. Taylor, 19 Jan 1948; Lt Col John R. Hoover, May 1948; Lt Col Bert N. Smiley, Jul 1948; Maj Stanley W. Irons, 4 Jan 1949; Capt Roger K. Rhodarmer, 4 Mar-Apr 1949.  Maj W. J. Hearn, c. 1950; Maj Frederick W. Dyer, Mar 1951; Lt Col Robert R. Evans, 21 Jan 1952; Lt Col Richard O. Johnson, 1 Jun 1952; Maj John B. Anderson, 1952; Maj Clark M. Sykes, 1953; Maj Charles E. Scott, 16 May 1954; Lt Col Donald J. MacLellan, 14 Sep 1954; Maj William H. Allen, 6 Jun 1958; Lt Col Douglas F. Sanford, c. 1958; Maj Preston W. Easley, 12 Jun 1959; Lt Col Benjamin H. Cole, 1 Apr 1960; Lt Col Bernard F. Fox, 3 Jan 1961; Lt Col Robert J. Pickhardt, 1 Sep 1962; Lt Col Morgan R. Beamer, 23 Nov 1964; Lt Col Fred W. Wright, 1966; Lt Col Robert A. Schamber, 28 Aug 1966; Lt Col Delbert C. Hanley, 15 May 1967; Lt Col George A. Edwards Jr., May 1967; Lt Col Charles E. McGee, 5 Jul 1967; Lt Col Newell D. Mitchell, 19 May 1968; Lt Col James L. Mulligan, 12 Aug 1968; Lt Col James P. Mullins, 23 Jan 1969; Lt Col Robert S. Hubbard, 14 Feb1969; Maj George M. Sauls, 27 Jun 1969; Lt Col Charles E. Daly, 27 Sep 1969; Lt Col Martin G. Saunders, 12 Mar 1970; Lt Col Marc C. Reynolds, 1 Apr 1970; Lt Col Theodore C. Freitag, 20 Aug 1971; Lt Col Byron L. Marvin, 2 Jul 1973; Lt Col John M. Franklin, 15 Apr 1974; Lt Col Peter J. Haerle, 26 Dec 1975; Lt Col George L. Howard II, 9 Nov 1977; Lt Col James N. Bevis, 7 Jun 1979; Lt Col David W. Buermeyer, 8 Jun 1981; Lt Col Larry M. Ort, 22 Mar-16 Jun 1982; unkn, 17-30 Jun 1982; Lt Col Robert M. Penny, 1 Jul 1982; Lt Col Leonard L. Walls, 19 Aug 1983; Lt Col David L. Harrington, Jan 1985; Lt Col Leonard E. Witt III, Dec 1986; Lt Col Maurice L. McFann, Nov 1988-15 Dec 1989.   

Aircraft.  P-39, 1943; P-51, 1944-1945, 1946-1947; F-6, 1944-1945, 1946-1947; FP-80, 1947-1949.  RB-26, 1950-1955; RB-57, 1954-1956; RB-66, 1956-1965; RF-4, 1965-1971, 1971-1982, 1982-1989.  E-8, 1996-. 

Operations.  Air defense until Nov 1943.  Combat in Europe, 24 Feb 1944-5 May 1945.  Replacement training, 1950-1953 and again 1971-1982.  Reconnaissance over Cuba, Oct-Nov 1962.  Combat in Southeast Asia, Oct 1965-Mar 1970.  Tactical Reconnaissance, 1982-1989.  Air combat control, 1996-.  Squadron was not an Air National Guard (ANG) unit, but blended with active duty and ANG members, 2002-2011.  Operated E-8 Joint SRARS (Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) that located, classified, tracked and targeted ground movements on the battlefield and communicated real-time information to US forces command posts, 2002-. 

Service Streamers.  Global War on Terrorism-Service (GWOT-S)

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater.  Vietnam:  Vietnam Defensive; Vietnam Air; Vietnam Air Offensive; Vietnam Air Offensive Phase II; Vietnam Air/Ground; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV; Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Vietnam Summer-Fall, 1969; Vietnam Winter-Spring, 1970.  Global War on Terrorism: GWOT-E.  Iraq: Iraqi Liberation; Iraqi Transition; Iraqi Governance.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers.  None.

Decorations.  Presidential Unit Citations (Southeast Asia): 18 Feb 1966-30 Jun 1967; 1 Sep 1967-10 Jul 1968; 11 Jul 1968-31 Aug 1969. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat “V” Device:  1 Jul 1965-30 Jun 1966; 1 Jul 1966-30 Jun 1967; 1 Jul 1967-30 Jun 1968; 1 Jul 1969-[15 Mar] 1970.  Meritorious Unit Awards: 1 Oct 2010-31 Mar 2012; 1 Apr 2012-31 May 2013; 1 Jun 2014-31 May 2015; 1 Jun 2015-31 May 2016; 1 Jun 2016-31 May 2017.  Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 23 Oct-24 Nov 1962; 1 Jul 1974-1 Jul 1976; 2 Jul 1976-30 Jun 1978; 1 Oct 1981-1 Jun 1983; 15 Sep 1989-[15] Dec 1989; 31 Aug 2004-31 May 2006; 1 Jun 2006-31 May 2007; 1 Jun 2013-31 May 2014.  Cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian Army: 1 Oct-17 Dec 1944; 18 Dec 1944-15 Jan 1945.  Belgian Fourragere.  Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-15 Mar 1970. 

Lineage, Assignments, Aircraft, Operations, Stations, and Honors through 13 Jun 2019.

Commanders through 2002.

Supersedes statement prepared in 8 Aug 2016.

Emblem.   Approved on 31 Jul 1952; newest rendition approved 20 Oct 2016.

Prepared by James M. Musser.

Reviewed by Daniel L. Haulman.