96th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
| 96th Flying Training Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942-1945; 1947-1949; 1952-1958; 1973-1992; 1998 - Present |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Role | Pilot Training |
| Part of |
Air Force Reserve Command 10th Air Force 340th Flying Training Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Laughlin Air Force Base |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Decorations |
Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 96th Flying Training Squadron Emblem (approved 18 August 1942) |  |
The 96th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 340th Flying Training Group and is the reserve associate to the 47th Flying Training Wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-1 Jayhawk, T-6 Texan II, and T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.
The 96th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations between 25 December 1942 and 3 May 1945.
It flew fighter escort and air defense from 1947 to 1949 and air defense from 1951 to 1957.
The squadron was redesignated as the 96th Flying Training Squadron and trained USAF pilots to fly supersonic jet aircraft from 1973 to 1993. Since 1998 it has trained Air Force Reserve instructor pilots.
The squadron was first activated in early 1942 at Harding Field, Louisiana as the 96th Pursuit Squadron, one of the original three squadrons of the 82d Pursuit Group. It soon moved to California where it equipped with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and began training with Fourth Air Force as the 96th Fighter Squadron. It left California in the fall and sailed for Northern Ireland, where it received additional combat training under Eighth Air Force. A month after the initial Operation Torch landings in North Africa the squadron deployed to Algeria, where it entered combat as an element of Twelfth Air Force.
In North Africa, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols, bomber escort missions and attacked enemy shipping and airfields, moving its base east through Algeria and Tunisia. As the North African campaign drew to a close, the unit began attacking targets in Italy, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions on 25 April 1943 during an attack on enemy airfields in Foggia.
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Wikipedia