817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron

817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
Members of the 8th Airlift Squadron are welcomed home as they return from deployment to Southwest Asia[a]
Active	1943–1945; 1953–1970; c. 2011–2014
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift
Part of	Air Mobility Command
Motto(s)	Ad Astra et Ultra (Latin for 'To the Stars and Beyond')[1][b]
Engagements	Mediterranean Theater of Operations Korean War Vietnam War
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Korean Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Insignia
817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron emblem[c][2]
Unofficial 817th Troop Carrier Squadron emblem (Korean War era)
Unofficial 817th Bombardment Squadron emblem[3]

The 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed. It engaged in combat operations in Southwest Asia.

The squadron was first activated during World War II as the 817th Bombardment Squadron. It trained in the southeastern United States, then was one of the last Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber squadrons to deploy to Italy as part of the Fifteenth Air Force 483d Bombardment Group. It engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. Following V-E Day, the squadron's bombers acted as transports in the Green Project transporting American soldiers back to the United States until inactivating in Italy in September 1945.

In 1953, the squadron was redesignated the 817th Troop Carrier Squadron and activated in Japan to replace a reserve unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War and was reverting to reserve status. It supported combat operations in Korea before the signing of the armistice, adding a Korean Presidential Unit Citation award to its honors. The squadron continued to perform airlift operations in the Pacific area after the end of hostilities in Korea. In 1954, it flew airlift support for French forces fighting the Viet Minh in French Indochina. During the Vietnam War, the squadron deployed aircrews and aircraft to Southeast Asia until it was inactivated in 1970, earning a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.

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