79th Fighter Squadron

The 79th Fighter Squadron was activated at Waco Field, Texas, on 22 February 1918. During World War I, it served at Taliaferro Field, Texas, providing base support. With the war over, the squadron was inactivated in late 1918.

As the Air Corps expanded, the squadron was reactivated on 1 April 1933 as part of the 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. After operating from numerous bases and flying several aircraft types, it moved to March Field, California, and converted to the P-38 in 1943. The squadron later deployed to King’s Cliffe, England, where it conducted combat operations over Europe in the P-38 and P-51.

Briefly inactivated after World War II, the squadron returned to service in 1946 at Biggs Field, Texas. It subsequently moved to Shaw Field, South Carolina, where it became part of the reactivated 20th Fighter Group and the newly created 20th Fighter Wing.

The squadron operated various versions of the F-84 at Shaw Air Force Base, Langley Air Force Base, and RAF Woodbridge. At Woodbridge, it assumed a nuclear mission with the F-84G—a mission that continued through its service with the F-100 and, later, the F-111E at RAF Upper Heyford.

During Operation Desert Storm, the 79th served as the lead squadron from the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, augmented by aircrew and aircraft from the 55th and 77th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. With the end of the Cold War, the squadron was inactivated in June 1993.

The squadron was reactivated on 1 January 1994 and assigned to the 20th Operations Group, 20th Fighter Wing, which transferred to Shaw Air Force Base that same day. At Shaw, the 79th assumed the Wild Weasel mission in the F-16.