In 1954 SAC and ADC leaders asked Headquarters USAF to perpetuate histories and honors of the World War II combat groups. The ad hoc committee that reviewed these requests rejected the idea of redesignating combat groups as wings. Instead, the committee recommended that combat groups and wings be maintained as separate and distinct organizations, and that the histories and honors of combat groups be bestowed upon the similarly designated combat wings.

Although the ad hoc committee's proposed bestowals ran counter to an Air Force longstanding policy which was against the transferring history and honors from one organization to another. Headquarters USAF accepted the recommendations. Beginning in November 1954 the Department of the Air Force in a series of letters bestowed upon each combat wing the history and honors of its similarly designated predecessor combat group; for example, 9th Bombardment Wing received by bestowal the history and honors of the 9th Bombardment Group.

In the years since its implementation, bestowal has generated much confusion. Many throughout the Air Force did not understand that the group and the wing remained two separate and distinct entities. To alleviate some of the confusion, the Air Force in the 1980s consolidated some combat wings with their predecessor combat groups. These consolidations were limited to wings and groups whose period of active service did not overlap, since consolidation of organizations with overlapping active service adds confusion, violates lineage principles, and contravenes Air Force policy.

By consolidation, the wing and group became one organization, eliminating the need for bestowal of group history and honors on the wing. Bestowal, however, continued to be the policy for the majority of active Air Force wings. In bestowing group histories and honors on wings, Department of the Air Force directives noted only that bestowals are temporary. Over the succeeding years, the Air Force formulated more specific rules governing temporary bestowals of histories and honors. Currently, the bestowal of a combat group's history and honors to a wing follows these guidelines.

Bestowal:

1. Will be made only from the group that has the same numerical designation as the recipient wing and that the Air Force regards as the primary-mission group and thus is an integral part of the wing.

2. May be made if the group is:
   • a) Inactive or.
   • b) Active and assigned to the similarly designated wing.

3. Will not be made if the group is active and assigned to any organization other than the similarly designated wing.

4. Will apply only to that portion of the group's history that the group accrued and to those honors that the group earned during a period when the wing was not active.

5. Is temporary and
   • a. Becomes effective upon activation of the wing or,
   • b. Terminates if
     • The group is assigned to any organization other than its similarly designated wing or,
     • The wing is inactivated.

Lineage

The arrangement of information, and the terms and format used in USAF Lineage Statements are as follows:

• Air Force Instruction 84-105, paragraph 2.1.1, states, "The lineages of permanent organizations are continuous.

• Neither inactivation nor disbandment terminates their lineage or heraldry." Lineage entails tracing the organizational actions affecting the history of an organization. The official USAF statement of lineage forms the foundation of the history of the organization and governs the inheritance of organizational emblems and honors. A basic policy of the Air Force is that each organization will have a unique lineage.

• This policy was in effect in the War Department when military aviation was under the Army and has been continued by the United States Air Force since its inception in 1947. No two organizations can have the same lineage, although at different times in their existence they may have possessed similar or even identical designations. A description of the lineage system may be found in Air Force Instruction 38-101 "Air Force Organization."

• The Air Force is composed of primary organizations called units and establishments. Units divide among three primary categories: squadrons (the numbered flight is considered a "small" squadron), miscellaneous (a category including such organizations as bands, infirmaries, hospitals, etc.), and headquarters. The headquarters organizations serve as headquarters for establishments.

• Establishments are Air Force organizations at group echelon or higher, having a headquarters organization as their primary component. The lineage of each organization unit or establishment is ultimately determined by the language employed in the War Department and Department of the Air Force letters and major command orders relating to organizational actions.

9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) Lineage
10 August 1942; Constituted as 9th Communications Squadron, Air Support. 21 August 1942; Activated at Mitchell Field, New York. 11 January 1943; Redesignated as 9th Air Support Communications Squadron. 20 August 1943; Redesignated as 9th Air Support Control Squadron. 01 April 1944; Redesignated as 9th Tactical Air Communications Squadron. 28 November 1945; Inactivated. 08 October 1948; Disbanded. 24 June 1994; Reconstituted and redesignated as 9th Air Support Operations Squadron. 01 July 1994; Activated at Fort Hood, Texas and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division.
9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) Assignments / Stations / Operations
Assignments 21 Aug 1942; I Ground Air Support Command (later, I Air Support Command; I Tactical Air Division). Nov 1943; Fifth Air Force. 25 Jul 1945; V Fighter Command,. 20 Oct to 28 Nov 1945; XIII Bomber Command. 01 Jul 1994; 3rd Air Support Operations Group. Stations 21 Aug 1942; Mitchel Field, NY. 07 Nov 1942; Morris Field, NC. 24 Jan 1943; Esler Field, LA. 02 Apr 1943; Northern Field, TN. 08 Apr 1943; Lebanon, TN. 10 Jun to 22 Oct 1943; Morris Fld, NC. 21 Nov 1943; Sydney, Australia. 27 Nov 1943; Brisbane, Australia. 17 Mar 1944;Nadzab, New Guinea. 01 Apr to 28 Nov 1945; Clark Field, Luzon. 01 Jul 1994; Ft Hood, TX,. Operations Mar 1944 to Apr 1945; Combat in Southwest Pacific, Air support parties served with US Army forces, directing air support missions for the forces they served. Participated in numerous assault landings. Needs Data

The history of the 9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) recorded the following significant events occurring on the dates listed.

9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) DateLine

1942 Constituted as 9th Communications Squadron, Air Support. (10 August) 1942 Activated at Mitchell Field, New York. (21 August) 1942 Stationed at Morris Field, North Carolina. (07 November) 1943 Redesignated as 9th Air Support Communications Squadron. (11 January) 1943 Stationed at Esler Field, Alexandria, Louisiana. (24 January) 1943 Stationed at Northwrn Field, Tennessee. (02 April) 1943 Stationed at Lebanon, Tennessee. (08 April) 1943 Stationed at Morris Field, North Carolina. (10 June) 1943 Redesignated as 9th Air Support Control Squadron. (20 August) 1943 Stationed at Sydney Australia. (21 November) 1943 Stationed at Brisbane, Austrailia. (27 November) 1944 Stationed at Nadzab, New Guinea. (17 March 1944) 1944 Redesignated as 9th Tactical Air Communications Squadron. (01 April) 1944 Stationed at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands. (01 April) 1945 Inactivated. (28 November) 1948 Disbanded. (08 October) 1994 Reconstituted and redesignated as 9th Air Support Operations Squadron. (24 June) 1994 Activated at Fort Hood, Texas and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. (01 July)