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6th Airlift Squadron
6th Airlift Squadron
6th Airlift Squadron Patch
Active 1 October 1933-present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Airlift
Part of Air Mobility Command
18th Air Force
305th Air Mobility Wing
305th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Nickname(s) Bully Beef Express
Decorations Presidential Unit Citation ribbon DCU
Outstanding Unit ribbon AFOUA
Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines) PPUC
Presidential Unit Citation (Korea) ROK PUC

The 6th Airlift Squadron (6 AS) is part of the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. It operates the C-17 Globemaster III supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide. The main base, along with the flying squadron, is located near the borough of Wrightstown, New Jersey.

Mission[]

Train and equip C-17 aircrews for global airland operations.

History[]

The 6th Airlift Squadron is the oldest airlift squadron in the Air Force, having served with distinction since 1 October 1933. The squadron made airlift history during World War II when, in October 1942, it was transferred to Port Moresby, New Guinea. Then flying C-47s, the 6th became the first personnel transport squadron to fly in the Pacific. It was during this assignment that the squadron earned the nickname Bully Beef Express, as it carried tons of boiled beef to allied combat troops in Australia and New Guinea. The French called it "boujili boef', and the Americanization of the term has continued to this day to be the squadron's emblem.

The 6th performed aerial transportation in the Pacific Theater and Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II and in the Far East during the Korean War and after until 1968.

It has performed worldwide airlift operations since April 1970. The 6th conducted resupply missions in support of scientific stations in the Antarctic during Operation Deep Freeze from, 1971–1974. It re-supplied Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It evacuated Vietnamese refugees during the fall of Saigon, April–June 1975. It has also supported U.S. forces in Grenada, October–December 1983, during the invasion of Panama, December 1989–January 1990, and during the liberation of Kuwait, August 1990–March 1991.

Operations[]

Previous designations[]

  • 6th Transport Squadron (1933–1942)
  • 6th Troop Carrier Squadron (1942–1948)
  • 6th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1948–1966)
  • 6th Military Airlift Squadron (1966–1991)
  • 6th Airlift Squadron (1991 – present)

Assignments[]

Bases stationed[]

Aircraft operated[]

References[]

PD-icon This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links[]



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