389th Fighter Squadron explained

Unit Name:389th Fighter Squadron
Dates:1943–1946; 1953–1959; 1962–1991; 1992–present
Role:Fighter
Command Structure:Air Combat Command
Current Commander:Lt Col Randy Webb
Garrison:Mountain Home Air Force Base
Nickname:Thunderbolts
Battles:European Theater of Operations of World War II
Vietnam War
War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)[1]
Decorations:Distinguished Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Belgian Fourragère
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Identification Symbol Label:389th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 15 September 1993)
Identification Symbol 2 Label:Original 389th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 13 February 1945)[2]

The 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support.

History

World War II

The 389th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations from 14 March 1943 to 3 May 1945.[1]

Lt. Col. John B. England, who was commander of the 389th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from Alexandria AFB, was killed when his F-86 crashed into the woods near Toul-Rosières Air Base. He was returning from gunnery practice near Tripoli, Libya. The fog was very thick and visibility was near zero. After several attempts to locate the runway his plane suffered fuel starvation. At this moment he sighted a portion of the runway and was in a glide with a high probability of a successful landing. But his glide path took him over the barracks where his men were housed. He calmly stated on the radio that this was not an acceptable risk. He turned and crashed into a wooded area outside the base perimeter. In his honor, Alexandria AFB was renamed England Air Force Base, and retained that name until its closure in 1993.

Vietnam War

The squadron flew combat operations in Southeast Asia from 14 March 1966 to 8 October 1971.[1]

Recent operations

The squadron trained F-111 Aardvark aircrews from 30 September 1979 to 26 June 1991. It rotated aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia throughout the 1990s in support of Operation Southern Watch. It furnished resources for units participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Pilots and aircraft deployed from unit conducted close air support mission after 2005, although the unit itself remained in the United States.[1]

Lineage

Activated on 1 June 1943

Redesignated 389th Fighter Squadron, Single-Engine on 20 August 1943

Inactivated on 20 August 1946

Activated on 1 January 1953

Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

Inactivated on 1 April 1959

Organized on 8 May 1962

Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 30 September 1979

Inactivated on 22 July 1991

Activated on 11 March 1992[1]

Assignments

Stations

Deployed to:

Toul-Rosières Air Base, France, 29 September–10 December 1954

Chaumont Air Base, France (11 December 1954 – 28 March 1955)

Aviano Air Base, Italy, 21 September–2 October 1956, 10 June–22 December 1957

Chaumont Air Base, France, 8 May 1962

Deployed to Taegu Air Base, South Korea, 16 September–5 October 1976

Aircraft

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Factsheet 389 Fighter Squadron (ACC). Dollman. TSG David. 4 October 2016. Air Force Historical Research Agency. 20 July 2017.
  2. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 477–478
  3. Station number in Anderson.
  4. Station number in Johnson.

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