| Unit Name: | 389th Fighter Squadron |
| Dates: | 1943–1946; 1953–1959; 1962–1991; 1992–present |
| Role: | Fighter |
| Command Structure: | Air Combat Command |
| Current Commander: | Lt Col Randy Webb |
| Garrison: | Mountain Home Air Force Base |
| Nickname: | Thunderbolts |
| Battles: | European Theater of Operations of World War II Vietnam War War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)[1] |
| Decorations: | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Belgian Fourragère Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 389th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 15 September 1993) |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Original 389th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 13 February 1945)[2] |
The 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support.
The 389th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations from 14 March 1943 to 3 May 1945.[1]
An accident occurred on July 9th, 1943 at Rome Field, NY. A P-47D Thunderbolt of the 389th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, 1st Air Force was involved in a landing accident-Republic P-47D-5-RE ThunderboltUSAAF Serial 42-8583 (MSN 731)
89th Ferrying Squadron, 2nd Ferrying Group, New Castle Field, Wilmington, DE;
Accident 9Jul43 landing at Rome Field, NY; 389th FS, 366th FG, 1st AF, Bluethenthal Field, Wilmington, NC;
Crashed 19Sep43 after engine failure and destroyed by fire 15 miles N of Jacksonville, FL.
Lt. Col. John B. England, who was commander of the 389th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from Alexandria AFB, was killed when his F-86 crashed into the woods near Toul. He was returning from gunnery practice near Tripoli, Libya. The fog was very thick and visibility was near zero. After several attempts to locate the runway his plane suffered fuel starvation. At this moment he sighted a portion of the runway and was in a glide with a high probability of a successful landing. But his glide path took him over the barracks where his men were housed. He calmly stated on the radio that this was not an acceptable risk. He turned and crashed into a wooded area outside the base perimeter. In his honor, Alexandria AFB was renamed England Air Force Base, and retained that name until its closure in 1993.
The squadron flew combat operations in Southeast Asia from 14 March 1966 to 8 October 1971.[1]
The squadron trained F-111 Aardvark aircrews from 30 September 1979 to 26 June 1991. It rotated aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia throughout the 1990s in support of Operation Southern Watch. It furnished resources for units participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Pilots and aircraft deployed from unit conducted close air support mission after 2005, although the unit itself remained in the United States.[1]
Activated on 1 June 1943
Redesignated 389th Fighter Squadron, Single-Engine on 20 August 1943
Inactivated on 20 August 1946
Activated on 1 January 1953
Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1 July 1958
Inactivated on 1 April 1959
Organized on 8 May 1962
Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 30 September 1979
Inactivated on 22 July 1991
Activated on 11 March 1992[1]
Deployed to:
Toul-Rosières Air Base, France, 29 September–10 December 1954
Chaumont Air Base, France (11 December 1954 – 28 March 1955)
Aviano Air Base, Italy, 21 September–2 October 1956, 10 June–22 December 1957
Chaumont Air Base, France, 8 May 1962
Deployed to Taegu Air Base, South Korea, 16 September–5 October 1976