vTF-77 Command Posted May 2 Posted May 2 389th FS “Thunderbolts” In the spring of 1943, as the world burned in the fires of war, a new squadron rose from the fields of Richmond, Virginia. The 389th Fighter Squadron, christened the “Thunderbolts, ” took to the skies with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a hulking fighter that roared with the promise of power. Born into the 366th Fighter Group, these young pilots—barely men, some still dreaming of home—trained relentlessly, their eyes set on the European Theater. By March 1944, under Colonel Meyer’s steady hand, they flew their first combat mission, a sweep over France’s Bayeux-St Aubin area. Eighteen P-47s thundered into the dawn, meeting little flak and no enemy fighters, but it was a baptism nonetheless. Through the war’s final years, the Thunderbolts carved a path across Europe, escorting bombers, strafing ground targets, and dueling Luftwaffe aces until victory came in May 1945. Their P-47s, scarred but proud, stood silent as the squadron inactivated in 1946, their duty done. The Cold War’s chill stirred the Thunderbolts awake in 1953, reborn as a fighter-bomber squadron at Alexandria Air Force Base, Louisiana. Now wielding North American F-86 Sabres, they trained for a new kind of war, one of jet speeds and nuclear stakes. Tragedy struck in 1955 when their commander, Lt. Col. John B. England, faced a fog-choked return from gunnery practice near Tripoli, Libya. With fuel starving his Sabre, England glimpsed the runway but saw his men’s barracks in his glide path. “This is not an acceptable risk, ” he radioed calmly, turning his jet into the woods near Toul-Rosières Air Base. His sacrifice spared his men, and Alexandria was renamed England Air Force Base in his honor, a name it carried until 1993. The Thunderbolts’ saga continued to unfold, their mission ever-changing. In the 1960s, they traded Sabres for McDonnell F-4 Phantoms and roared into the Vietnam War. From 1966 to 1971, they flew combat missions over Southeast Asia, bombing enemy strongholds and dodging surface-to-air missiles in the sweltering jungles. The Phantoms, painted with the squadron’s lightning-streaked insignia, became a feared sight in the skies. Back home, the 1970s saw them shift to training, guiding aircrews on the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark from 1979 to 1991, a low-flying beast built for deep strikes. But the Thunderbolts’ restless spirit demanded more. In 1991, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, the squadron embraced the General Dynamics F-16C Viper, mastering the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role with AGM-88 HARM missiles. Their Block 52 Vipers, equipped with HARM Targeting Systems, hunted enemy radar, while LANTIRN pods and night vision goggles turned night into day for precision strikes. From 2001 to 2002, a Viper adorned with New York firefighter nose-art flew over Afghanistan, honoring the fallen of 9/11 during Operation Enduring Freedom. But change loomed again. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure axed the F-16s, and by 2006, the Thunderbolts welcomed the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, a twin-seat warhorse for close air support and deep strikes. Now at Mountain Home, the Thunderbolts, with 71 personnel and 21 Strike Eagles, are aorce of precision and power. They train in exercises like Red Flag and Combat Hammer, honing skills for global missions. In 2021, they thundered down Nellis runways for Green Flag West, weaving air support with Army ground forces. By 2022, under Lt. Col. Beacher “Magnus” Webb, they deployed to Southwest Asia, flying close air support and counter-air missions for U.S. Central Command, their F-15Es a shield against regional threats. President Biden later hailed them as “among the greatest mankind has ever known, ” a nod to their relentless spirit. The squadron’s culture is as vibrant as its history. New pilots, dubbed “Sparkies, ” earn the name for their fresh-faced zeal, a nod to a “baby” Thunderbolt. They’re the squadron’s lifeblood, tasked with morale-boosting duties like cooking popcorn, their innocence a counterpoint to war’s grim lessons. Once seasoned by combat or time, they shed the title, passing it to the next generation. Through it all, the Thunderbolts carry their legacy—P-47s over Normandy, Phantoms in Vietnam, Strike Eagles in the desert—a story of sacrifice, adaptability, and unyielding resolve, etched in the skies they still rule. Come and fly with 389th - Website: https://www.vtf77.com/?utm_source=discord&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=DCSF
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