The Vietnam War Years of

Korat Royal Thai Air Base

12th Fighter Squadron

 

Lineage

Constituted 12th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942; 12th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 26 Jan 1944; 12th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 6 May 1946; 12th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 23 Dec 1949; 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 Jan 1950; 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 Jul 1958; 12th Fighter Squadron on 1 Oct 1991.

Assignments

50th Pursuit (later, 50th Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941 (attached to 7th Interceptor [later, VII Fighter] Command, 10 Feb–17 Aug 1942); 15th Fighter Group, 18 Aug 1942; US Army Forces in South Pacific, 1 Dec 1942; XIII Fighter Command, 13 Jan 1943; 18th Fighter (later, 18th Fighter-Bomber) Group, 30 Mar 1943 (attached to Air Task Group 5, Provisional, 27 Jan–19 Feb 1955; Air Task Force 13, Provisional, c. 3 Sep–30 Nov 1955; 49th Fighter-Bomber Group, 7 Aug 1956–14 Mar 1957; 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 15 Mar–15 Aug 1957; Thirteenth Air Force, 16 Aug–1 Sep 1957); Thirteenth Air Force, 2 Sep 1957; 18th Fighter-Bomber (later, 18th Tactical Fighter) Wing, 25 Mar 1958 (attached to 2d Air Division, 1 Feb–15 Mar 1965 and 15 Jun–25 Aug 1965; 314th Air Division, 23–29 Jan 1968); 18th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 May 1978; 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 Feb 1981; 18th Operations Group, 1 Oct 1991–.

Stations

Selfridge Field, MI, 15 Jan 1941; Key Field, MS, 3 Oct 1941–c. 19 Jan 1942; Cassidy Field, Christmas Island, 10 Feb 1942, Palmyra Island, 22 Oct 1942; Efate Island, New Hebrides, 19 Nov 1942 (operated from Fighter Strip No. 2, Guadalcanal, 19 Dec 1942–6 Feb 1943); Fighter Strip No. 2 (later, Kukum Field), Guadalcanal, 7 Feb 1943 (operated from Treasury Island, Solomon Islands, 19 Feb–Aug 1944); Mar Drome, Sansapor, Dutch New Guinea, 23 Aug 1944 (air echelon operated from Guadalcanal, Aug 1944; a portion of the squadron operated from Morotai, 8 Nov 1944–10 Jan 1945); Lingayen, Luzon, 13 Jan 1945; Hill Strip, San Jose, Mindoro, 27 Feb 1945 (rear echelon operated from Lingayen, 28 Feb–4 Apr 1945 and became the advance echelon at Moret Field, Zamboanga, Mindanao, on 24 Apr 1945; an air echelon operated from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, 26 Apr–11 May 1945); Moret Field, Zamboanga, Mindanao, 4 May 1945 (a detachment operated from Sanga Sanga, Sulu Archipelago, 11 Jun–Aug 1945, and another detachment operated from Tacloban, Leyte, 25–c. 30 Jul 1945); Tacloban, Leyte, 5 Nov 1945; Puerto Princesa, Palawan, 15 Feb 1946 (a detachment operated from Florida Blanca AAB, Luzon, 24 Jun–16 Jul 1946); Florida Blanca AAB, Luzon, 17 Jul 1946; Clark Field (later, AFB), Luzon, 16 Sep 1947 (operated from Johnson Field, Japan, 28 Jun–c. 11 Jul 1949); Taegu AB, South Korea, 28 Jul 1950; Ashiya AB, Japan, 8 Aug 1950; Pusan–East AB, South Korea, 8 Sep 1950 (a detachment operated from Pyongyang–East, North Korea, c. 5–19 Nov 1950); Pyongyang–East, North Korea, 20 Nov 1950; Suwon AB, South Korea, 3 Dec 1950; Chinhae, South Korea, 22 Dec 1950 (a detachment operated from Suwon AB, 22 Dec 1950–4 Jan 1951; part of the squadron operated from Suwon AB, 24 Mar–8 May 1951, and another part from Pusan–West AB, South Korea, 24 Mar–23 Apr 1951; operated from Seoul AB, South Korea, 8 May–9 Aug 1951 and 19 Aug–30 Sep 1951; operated from Hoengsong, South Korea, 1 Oct 1951–1 Jun 1952); Hoengsong, South Korea, 2 Jun 1952; Osan–ni AB, South Korea, 11 Jan 1953; Kadena AB, Okinawa, 30 Oct 1954 (operated from Yonton Auxiliary AB, Okinawa, 10 Nov–11 Dec 1954; deployed at Tainan AB, Formosa, 27 Jan–19 Feb 1955 and c. 3 Sep–30 Nov 1955; detachment operated at Clark AB, Philippines, 1–14 Aug 1957); Clark AB, Philippines, 15 Aug 1957; Kadena AB, Okinawa (later, Japan), 25 Mar 1958– (deployed at Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, 1–19 Feb 1965; Korat RTAFB, Thailand, 8 Feb–15 Mar 1965 and 15 Jun–25 Aug 1965; Osan AB, South Korea, 23 Jan–13 Jun 1968).

Aircraft

P–35, 1941; P–36, 1941; BT–13, 1941; P–40, 1941–1942; P–39, 1942–1943, 1943, 1944; P–400, 1943; P–38, 1943–1946; P(later, F)–47, 1944, 1946, 1947–1948; P(later, F)–51, 1946–1947, 1948–1950, 1950–1953; P(later, F)–80, 1946, 1949–1950; F–86, 1953–1956; F–84, 1956–1957; F–100, 1957–1958, 1958–1963; F–105, 1962–1972; F–4, 1975–1980; F–15, 1980–.

Operations

Patrols over the Pacific from Christmas Island, Feb–Oct 1942. Combat in South and Southwest Pacific, 19 Nov 1942–14 Aug 1945. Combat in Korea, 1 Aug 1950–8 Jan 1953 and 25 Feb–27 Jul 1953. Combat in Vietnam, 1 Feb–15 Mar 1965 and 15 Jun–25 Aug 1965. Stood alert in South Korea, 23 Jan–13 Jun 1968, after seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korea.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Guadalcanal; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; New Guinea; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; Western Pacific; China Defensive; Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive: CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Vietnam: Vietnam Advisory; Vietnam Defensive.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Philippine Islands, 10–11 Nov 1944; Korea, 3 Nov 1950–24 Jan 1951; Korea, 22 Apr–8 Jul 1951. Presidential Unit Citation: Southeast Asia, 25 Jun–25 Aug 1965. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device: 1 Aug 1964–5 Jun 1965. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Dec 1959–30 Nov 1960; 1 Sep 1962–31 Aug 1963; 6 Jun 1965–31 Dec 1966; 1 Sep 1978–30 Sep 1979; 1 Oct 1979–31 May 1980; 1 Jun 1981–31 May 1983; 1 Jun 1983–31 May 1984; 1 Jun 1984–31 May 1986. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (WWII). Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations: [28] Jul 1950–31 Jan 1951; 1 Feb 1951–31 Mar 1953. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966–30 Jun 1970.

Emblem

On a disc, Light Yellow, outlined White, edged Black, an eagle, affronte, his head turned to the dexter, his body and under wings Black; his back, outer wings, legs, tail feathers and tips of head feathers Silver–Grey, highlights and head feathers White; his feet Light Brown all outlines Black; his left wing bent and placed over his breast, his right wing holding upward, a sword, point to base, blade Silver–Grey, hilt and pommel Red. Approved on 15 Apr 1957 (K 7729) and modified in 1994. MOTTO: IN OMINIA PARATUS— Prepared for All Things. Approved 15 Apr 1957 (K 7729) and modified in 1994.

 

 

Source: Organizational History Branch , maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra