344 Air Refueling Squadron (AMC)

Lineage. Constituted 344 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 3 Feb 1942. Redesignated: 344 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 1 Jul 1943; 344 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 23 May 1945. Inactivated on 27 Mar 1946. Activated on 1 Jul 1947. Redesignated 344 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 28 May 1948. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1966. Redesignated 344 Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 7 May 1986. Activated on 1 Oct 1986. Redesignated 344 Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Jul 1992. 

Assignments. 98 Bombardment Group, 3 Feb 1942; 444 Bombardment Group, 10 Nov 1945-27 Mar 1946. 98 Bombardment Group, 1 Jul 1947 (attached to 98 Bombardment Wing, 1 Apr 1951-15 Jun 1952); 98 Bombardment (later, 98 Strategic Aerospace) Wing, 16 Jun 1952-25 Jun 1966. 68 Air Refueling Wing, 1 Oct 1986; 4 Operations Group, 22 Apr 1991; 22 Operations Group, 29 Apr 1994.

Stations. MacDill Field, FL, 3 Feb 1942; Barksdale Field, LA, c. 9 Feb 1942; Ft Myers, FL, 30 Mar 1942; Drane Field, FL, 17 May-3 Jul 1942; Ramat David, Palestine, 25 Jul 1942; St Jean, Palestine, 21 Aug 1942; Kabrit, Egypt, 11 Nov 1942; Lete, Libya, 4 Mar 1943; Hergla, Tunisia, 24 Sep 1943; Brindisi, Italy, 18 Nov 1943; Manduria, Italy, 19 Dec 1943; Lecce, Italy, 18 Jan 1944-19 Apr 1945; Fairmont AAFld, NE, 8 May 1945; McCook AAFld, NE, 25 Jun 1945; Merced AAFld, CA, 10 Nov 1945-27 Mar 1946. Andrews Field, MD, 1 Jul 1947; Spokane AAFld (later, Spokane AFB; Fairchild AFB), WA, 24 Sep 1947 (deployed at Kadena AB, Okinawa, 22 Aug-7 Dec 1948; Sculthorpe, England, 25 May-29 Aug 1949; and Yokota AB, Japan, c. 5 Aug 1950-14 Aug 1953);  Yokota AB, Japan, 15 Aug 1953-22 Jul 1954; Lincoln AFB, NE, 24 Jul 1954-25 Jun 1966 (deployed at Lakenheath RAF Station, England, 12 Nov 1955-28 Jan 1956). Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, 1 Oct 1986; McConnell AFB, KS, 29 Apr 1994-. 

Commanders. Lt Col John R. Kane, 18 Feb 1942; Capt Robert R. Sewell, 27 Dec 1942; Maj John E. Carmack, 9 Jan 1943; Maj William C. Bacon, 15 Mar 1943; Capt William D. Banks, 19 Sep 1943; Capt Charles D. Huckleberry, 22 Sep 1943; Lt Col John C. Osgood Jr., 27 Feb 1944; Maj Wendell M. Van Sickle, 11 May-2 Nov 1944; unkn, 2 Nov 1944-Jun 1945; Maj John A. Desportes, Jun 1945-unkn. Lt Col Richard D. Dick, c. 1947; Lt Col Roland A. Campbell, unkn; Lt Col Edward M. Nichols Jr., Apr 1951; Lt Col John P. Wolfe, Sep 1951; Maj James W. Welsh, Dec 1951; Lt Col Russell F. Ireland, Jan 1952; Lt Col Frederick W. Grindle Jr., 14 Mar 1952; Lt Col William F. Crowley, Oct 1952; Lt Col Keith A. Whitaker, Nov 1952; Lt Col Lowell B. Fisher, Aug 1954; Lt Col Frank J. Puerta, Feb 1955; Maj Valley J. Voyles, Oct 1956; Lt Col Robert M. Munson, 1 Feb 1958; Lt Col Lin Parker, Sep 1958; Lt Col Robert M. Murphy Jr., Nov 1958; Maj Walter J. Brown, 24 Feb 1959; Maj Dwight E. Carnahan, 25 Sep 1959; Lt Col Lyle F. Knight, Jul 1962; Capt Thomas C. Kuhn II, Mar 1966-unkn. Lt Col Gene C. Detwiler, 1 Oct 1986; Lt Col Gary D. Garland, 1 Jul 1988; Lt Col Daniel P. Ballard, 8 Jun 1990; Lt Col Paul Williams, 12 Jun 1992; Lt Col Joseph M. Drobezko, 29 Apr 1994; Lt Col Janet A. Therianos, 19 Jul 1995; Lt Col Cathy Clothier, 30 Jan 1997; Lt Col Richard M. Chavez, Jun 1998; Lt Col Scott A. Brumbaugh, 9 Jul 1999; Lt Col Mark A. Lane, 17 Aug 2001-. 

Aircraft. B-24, 1942-1945; B-29, 1945. B-29, 1947-1954; B-47, 1954-1966. KC-10, 1986-1993; KC-135, 1994-. 

Operations. Combat in Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO), Aug 1942-Apr 1945. Combat in Korea, Aug 1950-Jul 1953. Air refueling in support of operations in Panama, Dec 1989. Provided air refueling and airlift support to and in Southwest Asia Theater, Aug 1990-Mar 1991. Provided in-flight refueling services and airlift to American and allied forces globally, 1994-. 

Service Streamers. World War II American Theater. 

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Egypt-Libya; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Southwest Asia: Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. 

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None. 

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, Aug 1942-17 Aug 1943; Ploesti, Rumania, 1 Aug 1943; Korea, 1 Dec 1952-30 Apr 1953. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1964-1 Jun 1965; [1 Oct 1986]-30 Jun 1987; 2 Apr 1989-1 Apr 1991; 23 Apr 1991-31 Mar 1993; 1 Jun 1994-31 May 1996; 24 Mar-10 Jun 1999; 1 Aug 1999-31 Jul 2000; 1 Aug 2000-31 Jul 2001; 1 Aug 2002-31 Jul 2004; 1 Aug 2004-31 Jul 2005; 1 Aug 2005-31 Jul 2006. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: [7 Aug 1950]-27 Jul 1953. 

Lineage, Assignments, Stations, and Honors through 3 Dec 2007. 

Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through 31 Dec 2002. 

Supersedes published information contained in: Judy G. Endicott (ed.), USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (Washington: USPGO, 1999). 

Emblem. Approved on 17 Oct 1994. 

Prepared by Patsy Robertson. 

Reviewed by Daniel Haulman.