2d Air Refueling Squadron

2d Air Refueling Squadron
2d Air Refueling Squadron KC-10 at RAF Fairford, England
Active	1 December 1915 – 18 November 1918 5 June 1919 – 2 April 1946 1 January 1949 – 1 April 1963 3 January 1989 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Aerial refueling
Part of	Air Mobility Command 18th Air Force 305th Air Mobility Wing 305th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Motto(s)	Second to None
Engagements	World War I World War II *Battle of the Philippines
Decorations	DUC AFOUA PPUC (Philippine Presidential Unit Citation)
Commanders
Current commander	LtCol Steven P. Wick
Insignia
2d Air Refueling Squadron emblem

The 2d Air Refueling Squadron (2 ARS) is a unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

The 2d ARS is the second-oldest squadron in the Air Force, having over 100 years of service to the nation. Deployed to the Philippines after World War I, during the 1941-1942 Battle of the Philippines, it was wiped out, with some of its personnel being forced by the Japanese to endure the Bataan Death March. It was re-formed as an air refueling squadron by Strategic Air Command in 1949. Today, it operates the KC-10 Extender aircraft, conducting aerial refueling missions.

The squadron was activated on 12 May 1915 by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps. It was the second to be organized in the United States Army, as noted by its numerical designation. It was organized at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, where the only Aviation School at that time was located, and it was from this school that most of its squadron members came from. Other members were taken from the 1st Aero Squadron, then the only completely equipped squadron in the Army.

It was the policy of the Aviation School to completely train and equip a squadron before sending it into the field. The squadron consisted of six flying officers and thirty-nine enlisted men, primarily mechanics. Two officers and ten men were transferred from the 1st Aero Squadron. It sailed from San Francisco for Manila on 5 January 1916. After two weeks of quarantine, the unit reached its station on Corregidor on 14 February without aircraft. It was the first complete aviation unit assigned outside of the United States.