34 Bomb Squadron (AFGSC)

Lineage.  Organized as 34 Aero Squadron on 11 Jun 1917.  Demobilized on 10 Jun 1919. Reconstituted, and redesignated as 34 Pursuit Squadron, on 24 Mar 1923.  Activated on 15 Jul 1931.  Redesignated as: 34 Attack Squadron on 1 Mar 1935; 34 Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 17 Oct 1939; 34 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 9 Oct 1944.  Inactivated on 26 Nov 1945.  Redesignated as 34 Bombardment Squadron, Light, on 29 Apr 1947. Activated on 19 May 1947.  Inactivated on 10 Sep 1948.  Redesignated as 34 Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder, on 8 May 1952.  Activated on 10 May 1952.  Redesignated as 34 Bombardment Squadron, Tactical, on 1 Oct 1955.  Inactivated on 25 Jun 1958.  Redesignated as 34 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, and activated, on 15 Nov 1962.  Organized on 1 Feb 1963.  Inactivated on 30 Sep 1976.   Redesignated as 34 Bomb Squadron, and activated, on 1 Jul 1992. 

Assignments.    Unkn, 11 Jun–Dec 1917; Second Aviation Instruction Center, Dec 1917–1919; unkn, 1919–10 Jun 1919.  17 Pursuit (later, 17 Attack; 17 Bombardment) Group, 15 Jul 1931–26 Nov 1945.  17 Bombardment Group, 19 May 1947–10 Sep 1948.  17 Bombardment Group, 10 May 1952–25 Jun 1958.  Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962; 17 Bombardment Wing, 1 Feb 1963–30 Sep 1976.  366 Operations Group, 1 Jul 1992; 28 Operations Group, 19 Sep 2002–.

 

Stations.  Camp Kelly, TX, 11 Jun–11 Aug 1917; England, 15 Sep–19 Dec 1917; Tours, France, 23 Dec 1917–1919; Mitchel Field, NY, c. 27 May–10 Jun 1919.  March Field, CA, 15 Jul 1931; McChord Field, WA, 24 Jun 1940; Pendleton, OR, 29 Jun 1941; Portland, OR, 28 Dec 1941; Pendleton, OR, 13 Jan 1942; Lexington County Aprt, SC, 16 Feb 1942; Barksdale Field, LA, 24 Jun–18 Nov 1942; Telergma, Algeria, 23 Dec 1942; Sedrata, Algeria, c. 13 May 1943; Djedeida, Tunisia, 25 Jun 1943; Villacidro, Sardinia, c. 6 Dec 1943; Poretta, Corsica, 21 Sep 1944; Dijon, France, 20 Nov 1944; Linz, Austria, c. 18 Jun 1945; Horsching, Austria, 8 Jul 1945; Marchtrenk, Austria, 10 Aug 1945; Clastres, France, c. 3 Oct–c. 17 Nov 1945; Camp Myles Standish, MA, 25–26 Nov 1945.  Langley Field (later, AFB), VA, 19 May 1947–10 Sep 1948.  Pusan AB, Korea, 10 May 1952; Miho AB, Japan, 10 Oct 1954–c. 19 Mar 1955; Eglin AF Aux Field No 9, FL, 1 Apr 1955; RAF Sculthorpe, England, 18 Jan–4 Mar 1958; Eglin AF Aux Field No 9, FL, 4 Mar–25 Jun 1958.  Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 1 Feb 1963; Beale AFB, CA, 30 Sep 1975–30 Sep 1976.  Castle AFB, CA, 1 Jul 1992; Ellsworth AFB, SD, 4 Apr 1994; Mountain Home AFB, ID, 1 Apr 1997; Ellsworth AFB, SD, 19 Sep 2002–.

 

Commanders.   Unkn, 11 Jun-14 Jul 1917; Capt H. B. S. Burwell, 15 Jul 1917; 1 Lt E. E. Weise, 7 Aug 1917; 1 Lt H. S. Armstrong, 5 Mar 1918; 1 Lt H. D. Hale, 6 Mar 1918; 1 Lt W. C. Repass, 8 Jul 1918; 2 Lt W. J. Lund, 4 Nov 1918-unkn.  Capt Charles Douglas, 15 Jul 1931; Capt Ira C. Eaker, 2 Sep 1933-31 Oct 1934; Maj Walter R. Peck, c. Nov 1934; Capt John F. Wadman, Jul 1935-1936; Capt Nathan B. Forrest, Jul 1936; Maj Albert C. Foulk, 12 Jan 1937; 1 Lt Robert H. Terrill, 8 Jun 1937; Maj Emil C. Kiel, 23 Aug 1937; Capt John J. O’Hara Jr., 1 Jul 1939; Maj Eugene L. Eubank, 1 Oct 1939; Maj John J. O’Hara Jr., 27 Mar 1940-2 May 1941; Maj Alvord Rutherford, c. May 1941; Capt Joseph A. Cunningham, Feb 1942; Maj Elwynn M. Quinn, Jun 1942; Maj Joseph R. Klein, 1 Aug 1942; Maj John E. Criswell, 13 Oct 1943; Maj Edward A. Durell, 24 Apr 1944; Maj Joseph Magdich, 24 Sep 1944; Capt James A. King Jr., 26 Dec 1944; Capt John Naymik, 17 Jan 1945; Maj Luther W. Gurkin Jr., 26 Mar 1945; Capt James D. Fahs, Sep 1945-unkn.  Unkn, 19 May 1947-10 Sep 1948.  Lt Col St Clair Thompson Jr., 10 May 1952; Maj Jacob C. James Jr., Oct 1952; Lt Col Adolph Kurek, Jan 1953; Lt Col William A. Hoy Jr., Jun 1953-1955; Lt Col Abraham E. Shook, by Jun 1955; unkn, Jan-25 Jun 1958.  Unkn, 1-14 Feb 1963; Lt Col Oran T. O’Conner, 15 Feb 1963; Lt Col Delmar L. Morgan, by 31 Dec 1963; Lt Col William N. McCullough, 27 Jul 1964; Lt Col Delmar L. Morgan, by 30 Sep 1965; Lt Col Malcolm L. Landess, 1 Mar 1967; Lt Col Coy Hendrix, 25 Sep 1968; Lt Col Robert E. Coleman, 10 Nov 1968; Lt Col Otis A. Sleep, 2 Jul 1969; Lt Col Richard J. Weigman Jr., 1 Apr 1970; Lt Col Lavern E. Williams, 13 Sep 1971; Lt Col Hendsley R. Conner, 26 Mar 1973; Lt Col Roger W. McCausland, 25 Mar 1974; Lt Col Ovidio Pugnale, 1 Sep 1974; Col William D. Staton, 30 Sep 1975-30 Sep 1976.  Lt Col Edward A. Rice, 29 Jun 1992; Lt Col Don M. Novak, 15 Jun 1993; Lt Col Timothy B. Hopper, 31 Mar 1994; Lt Col James E. Rowland, 14 Jun 1996; Lt Col Thomas E. Ritchie, 22 Jun 1998; Lt Col Thomas Arko, 24 Mar 2000; Lt Col John C. Valle, 19 Feb 2002; Lt Col Richard M. Clark, May 2002; Lt Col Thomas F. Curran, 7 May 2004; Lt Col James A. Pryor, 16 May 2006-3 Apr 2008; Lt Col Kevin B. Kennedy, 4 Apr 2008-Aug 2009; Lt Col Steven M. Beasley, Aug 2009-7 Apr 2011; Lt Col John D. Martin, 7 Apr 2011-23 Nov 2014; Lt Col Seth W. Graham, 7 Dec 2012-24 Nov 2014; Lt Col Joseph K. Kramer, 25 Nov 2014-9 Jun 2016 ; Lt Col Seth W. Spanier, 10 Jun 2016-.     

 

Aircraft.   P–12, 1931–1934, 1935–1936; P–26, 1934–1935; in addition to A–17 included YA–19 during period 1936–1940; B–18, 1939–1940; B–23, 1940–1941; B–25, 1941–1942; B–26, 1942–1945.  B–26, 1952–1956; B–57, 1955–1956; B–66, 1956–1958.  B–52, 1963–1976.  B–52, 1992–1994; B-1, 1994-.

 

Operations.   Ground training unit, 1918.  Antisubmarine patrols, 22 Dec 1941–c. Mar 1942. Contributed aircrews for the Apr 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo, Japan.  Combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO), 30 Dec 1942–1 May 1945.  German disarmament, Jun–Sep 1945.  Combat in Korea, c. 10 May 1952–Jul 1953.  Provided crews and aircraft to other SAC units conducting combat operations over Southeast Asia.  Beginning in 1994, equipped with B-1B aircraft for conducting long-range strike missions.  Deployed for Operation Southern Watch as part of Expeditionary Task Force Southwest Asia (ETFSWA), 1995-1996.  Deployed aircraft and aircrews to Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, for planned attacks on terrorist forces in Afghanistan, Sep 2001-Jan 2002.   Flew B-1 aircraft non-stop from US to strike military targets in Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, 27 Mar 2011.  

 

Service Streamers.  World War I Theater of Operations.

 

Campaign Streamers.  World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater.  Korea: Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Global War on Terrorism: GWOT-E.  Iraq: Liberation; Transition. 

 

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers.  None.

 

Decorations.   Distinguished Unit Citations: Italy, 13 Jan 1944; Schweinfurt, Germany,

10 Apr 1945; Korea, 1 Dec 1952–30 Apr 1953.  Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat “V” Device: 20 Sep-27 Dec 2001; 1 Jun 2001-31 May 2003.  Meritorious Unit Awards: 1 Jun 2009-31 May 2011; 1 Jun 2011-31 May 2013; 1 Jun 2013-31 May 2015.  Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1963–31 Mar 1964; 1 Jul 1971–30 Jun 1973; 1 Jan–31 Dec 1975; 29 Jun 1992-28 Feb 1994; 1 Jun 1996-31 May 1998; 1 Jun 1999-31 May 2001; 1 Jun 2003-31 May 2005; 1 Jun 2007-31 May 2009.   French Croix de Guerre with Palm: Apr, May, and Jun 1944.  Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 24 May 1952–31 Mar 1953.

 

Lineage, Assignments, Stations, and Honors through 5 Mar 2018.

 

Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through Jan 2008.

 

Supersedes statement prepared on 9 Oct 2015. 

 

Emblem.   Approved on 18 Jun 1932; latest rendering, 5 Sep 2019..

 

Prepared by James M. Musser