562d Flying Training Squadron

562d Flying Training Squadron
562d Flying Training Squadron Patch
Active	24 December 1942 - 28 August 1945 12 June 1947 - 27 June 1949 23 November 1953 - 10 December 1957 1 May 1962 - 31 July 1972 31 October 1974 - 30 June 1992 14 May 1993 - September 2010
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Navigator Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command 19th Air Force 12th Flying Training Wing 12th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Randolph Air Force Base
Decorations	DUC AFOUA w/ V Device

The 562d Flying Training Squadron (562 FTS) was part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operated the T-43 conducting navigator training.

The 562d was first activated on 24 December 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho, on 24 December 1942, and moved to Wendover Field, Utah, on 5 February 1943, where it began training in B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. The squadron participated in approximately 300 combat missions in the European Theater of Operations from 17 July 1943 until its last World War II mission, flown to the Landsberg Aerodrome near Munich, on 21 April 1945. During the summer of 1945, the 562d airlifted food to starving people of the Netherlands.

From August 1945 until 1980, the squadron saw several periods of activation and inactivation. During this period, the 562d flew AT-6 Texan, AT-11 Kansan, C-46 Commando, C-47 Skytrain, B-26 Marauder, F-86 Sabre, F-100 Super Sabre, and F-105 Thunderchief aircraft at various bases. During 1965, while stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, the 562d deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, where it participated in five months of sustained combat operations in the Vietnam War.