9th Air Refueling Squadron

9th Air Refueling Squadron
9th Air Refueling Squadron emblem
Active	19 January 1942 – 4 December 1945 1 August 1951 – 15 December 1965 12 December 1969 – 27 January 1982 1 August 1982 –
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Size	over 120 combat-ready personnel
Part of	Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force 60th Air Mobility Wing 60th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Travis Air Force Base
Motto(s)	"UNIVERSAL"
Equipment	(12x) KC-10A Extender
Commanders
Current Commander	Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mollis
Current Operations Officer	Lieutenant Colonel Alex Fafinski
First Sergeant	MSgt Gary Dayton
Current Squadron Superintendent	CMSgt Robbie Wellbaum
Notable commanders	General Arthur J. Lichte General Paul Selva Lieutenant General Michelle D. Johnson
Aircraft flown
Tanker	KC-10 Extender

The 9th Air Refueling Squadron (9th ARS) was initially activated in 1951, although its history can be traced back to the 9th Photographic Squadron of World War II. The 9th ARS has been deployed worldwide, assisting in wartime, humanitarian, and peacekeeping efforts in often remote areas.

Established under the First Air Force as a photo-reconnaissance squadron at Mitchell Field, New York, it operated over the Northeast United States, flying reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic coast and Newfoundland shipping lanes, primarily deploying early-model F-4 (P-38) Lightning aircraft in those theatres.

The 9th was later deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations (CBI) during the summer of 1943; being assigned to Headquarters, Tenth Air Force. Flights of F-5 (P-38) photo-reconnaissance aircraft operated over a wide area of Burma, Thailand, and China until the Japanese Capitulation in August 1945, obtaining aerial photos and reconnaissance of enemy positions and targets for heavy bomber attacks in support of British and American forces.

After returning to the United States during the fall of 1945, the 9th ARS was thus inactivated in December of that year.

The unit transferred their mission to worldwide air refueling afterwards, becoming the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, and received KB-29M tanker aircraft. They then began refueling operations from August 1951 to December 1965, January 1970 to January 1982, and from August 1982 through today, including support during the rescue of US nationals from Grenada in 1983, support for deployments to Southwest Asia from 1990 to 1991, and humanitarian airlift missions to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope during 1992–1993.

On 19 September 1985 the 9th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, a unit that was last active 4 September, 1945. This action was directed by Department of the Air Force Letter DAF/MPM 662q Attachment 1 (Active Units), 19 September, 1985. The Consolidated Unit will retain the Designation of 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy".

Following the events of 9/11, the 9th supported Operation Noble Eagle. Starting in October 2001 and continuing to the present day, the unit has provided logistics support of Operation Enduring Freedom and undertaken support in Operation Iraqi Freedom of 2003.