68th Fighter Squadron
Lineage
Constituted 68th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated: 68th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942; 68th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 Aug 1943; 68th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 24 May 1944; 68th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 8 Jan 1946; 68th Fighter Squadron (All Weather) on 20 Feb 1947; 68th Fighter Squadron, All Weather, on 10 Aug 1948; 68th Fighter-All Weather Squadron on 20 Jan 1950; 68th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 25 Apr 1951; 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 25 Jul 1964. Inactivated on 30 Jun 1971. Activated on 30 Sep 1973. Redesignated 68th Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991.
Assignments
58th Pursuit (later, 58th Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941; 347th Fighter Group, 3 Oct 1942; 18th Fighter Group, 1 Nov 1945; 8th Fighter Group, 15 Dec 1945; 347th Fighter Group, 20 Feb 1947 (attached to 315th Composite Wing, 10 Apr–24 Nov 1947; 8th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 Mar 1950–); Fifth Air Force, 24 Jun 1950 (remained attached to 8th Fighter-Bomber Group to 11 Aug 1950; attached to 49th Fighter-Bomber Group, 11 Aug–30 Sep 1950; 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 Oct–1 Dec 1950); 314th Air Division, 1 Dec 1950 (attached to 6160th Air Base Wing, 1 Dec 1950–); Japan Air Defense Force, 1 Mar 1952 (remained attached to 6160th Air Base Wing); Fifth Air Force, 1 Sep 1954 (remained attached to 6160th Air Base Wing to 20 Oct 1954; attached to 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 20 Oct 1954–1 Mar 1955); 43d Air Division, 1 Mar 1955; 41st Air Division, 1 Oct 1957 (attached to 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 Dec 1961–); Fifth Air Force, 1 Jun 1962 (remained attached to 8th Tactical Fighter Wing to 15 Jun 1964); 32d Tactical Fighter Wing, 16 Jun 1964; 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 Jul 1964 (attached to 6234th Tactical Fighter Wing, c. 27 Aug–6 Dec 1965); 831st Air Division, 6 Dec 1965 (attached to 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 6 Dec 1965–15 May 1968); 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 May 1968; 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 Oct 1968 (attached to 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, 20 Jun–9 Dec 1969); 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 Oct 1970; 4403d Tactical Fighter Wing, 30 Oct 1970–30 Jun 1971. 405th Fighter Wing, 30 Sep 1973; 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 16 Sep 1974; 347th Tactical Fighter Wing, 30 Sep 1975 (attached to86th Tactical Fighter Wing, 30 May–5 Jul 1990); 347th Operations Group, 1 May 1991–.
Stations
Selfridge Field, MI, 15 Jan 1941; Baton Rouge, LA, 6 Oct 1941; Oakland, CA, 22 Jan–17 Feb 1942; Camp Ascot, Brisbane, Australia, 8 Mar 1942; Amberly Field, Australia, 16 Mar 1942; Tongatabu, Tonga Islands, 16 May–28 Oct 1942; Noumea, New Caledonia, 2 Nov 1942; Guadalcanal, c. 12 Nov 1942; Fiji Islands, 12 Apr 1943 (operated from Guadalcanal, 12 Apr–Dec 1943); Bougainville, Solomon Islands, 4 Feb 1944 (operated from Ondonga, New Georgia, 27 Jan–10 Feb 1944); Middleburg Island, Dutch New Guinea, 17 Aug 1944; San Jose, Mindoro, 23 Feb 1945 (operated from Morotai, 12 Feb–25 Mar 1945); Puerto Princesa, Palawan, 6 Mar 1945; Fukuoka, Japan, 15 Dec 1945; Ashiya, Japan, 20 May 1946; Itazuke, Japan, Sep 1946 (deployed at Miyazaki, Japan, 10–24 Aug 1947, and Tsuiki, Japan, 29 May–9 Jun 1948); Bofu AFB, Japan, 19 Oct 1948; Ashiya AFB, (later, AB), Japan, 3 May 1949; Itazuke AB, Japan, 1 Apr 1950–15 Jun 1964 (detachments operated at Kimpo, South Korea, 30 Nov 1950–c. Mar 1951 and 27 Jun–24 Aug 1951; at Suwon, South Korea, c. Mar–19 Apr 1951, 23–27 Jun 1951 and 24 Aug 1951–23 Mar 1952; at Taegu, South Korea, 19 Apr–23 Jun 1951; and at Misawa AB, Japan, 9 Apr 1951–12 Feb 1952; entire squadron deployed at Osan AB, South Korea, 18 Jul–c. Aug 1960, 6–16 Mar 1961, 12–22 Jun 1961, 10–21 Sep 1961, and c. 8–18 Dec 1961); George AFB, CA, 16 Jun 1964 (deployed at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, 27 Aug–24 Nov 1965, and at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, c. 24 Nov–6 Dec 1965); Homestead AFB, FL, 1 Oct 1968 (deployed at Kunsan AB, South Korea, 20 Jun–9 Dec 1969); England AFB, LA, 30 Oct 1970–30 Jun 1971. Clark AB, Philippines, 30 Sep 1973–30 Sep 1975; Moody AFB, GA, 30 Sep 1975– (deployed at Ramstein AB, Germany, 30 May–5 Jul 1990).
Aircraft
P–35, P–36, and P–43, 1941; P–40, 1941–1942, 1942–1943; P–39, 1942–1944; O–47, 1942; P–400, 1942–1943; P–38, 1942–1945; P–51, 1946–1947; P–61, 1947–1950; F–82, 1949–1952; F–94, 1951–1954; F–80, 1953–1954; F–86, 1954–1960; F–102, 1959–1964; F–4, 1964–1968, 1968–1969, 1970; F–100, 1970–1971. F–4, 1975–1987; F–16, 1987–.
Operations
Air defense of Tongatabu, Jun–Oct 1942. Combat in South and Southwest Pacific, 12 Nov 1942–13 Aug 1945. Combat in Korea, 27 Jun 1950–23 Mar 1952. Air defense of southern Japan, Mar 1952–1 Jun 1964. Combat in Southeast Asia, Aug–Dec 1965. Unmanned, 30 Sep 1973–30 Sep 1975. Deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia, 26 Jun–22 Dec 1991.
Honors
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: China Defensive; Guadalcanal; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismark Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive; Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter. Vietnam: Vietnam Defensive.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citation: Netherlands East Indies, 7, 20 and 22 Nov 1944. Presidential Unit Citations: Pacific Theater, 7 Aug–9 Dec 1942; Southeast Asia, [25 Aug–22 Oct 1965]. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 12 May 1963–21 Mar 1964; 1 Dec 1965–31 Mar 1967; [1 Oct] 1968–30 Jun 1970; 1 Jan 1977–30 Apr 1978; 1 May 1978–31 May 1979; 23 Feb 1991–22 Feb 1993. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (WWII).
Emblem
On a disc Grayed Light Blue, border Black, a knight in Black armor, wearing Light Red gauntlets, boots, and plume, carrying a White lance, edged and trimmed Black, in the right hand, and holding a spade-typed shield of Light Red, marked with a White cross, in the left hand, while standing, affronte, on jogs in Yellow lightning bolts, pilewise, points toward base, between a Black cloud formation in dexter base and a like formation in sinister base. MOTTO: LIGHTNING LANCERS. Approved on 29 Nov 1944 (41595 A.C.).
Source: Organizational History Branch , maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra
