355th Tactical Fighter Squadron Operations

355th Tactical Fighter Squadron Operations. . The 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron Operations (Fighting Falcons) were located in the area now occupied by the Myrtle Beach Police Department Office and Training Facility., The squadron was activated in November 1942 at Hamilton Field, California, where pilots flew the P-39 Air Cobra. The next year, the squadron deployed to England and transitioned into the P-51 Mustang. The unit achieved an impressive record flying both the P-51 and P-47 aircraft. The 355th gave close air support to the Army troops engaged in combat and in interdicting enemy ground forces. The unit played a key air support role in fighting the historic “Battle of the Bulge.”, The squadron returned to the United States in 1946 and was inactivated. As part of the nation’s build-up in response to the communist threat, the squadron was re-activated at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1956 and assigned to fly the F-100 Super Sabre., In 1968, the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron was sent to Vietnam in support of United States forces fighting in that theater. It returned to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1971 and transitioned into the A-7D., After returning from Southeast Asia and upon transfer of the A-7D aircraft to the Air National Guard, the squadron converted to the A-10 Thunderbolt II., Upon closure of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, the squadron transferred to Eielsen Air Force Base, Alaska, where it remains today.