Citation on 25 July when the 454th Group led the 304th Bombardment Wing through severe opposition in an attack on steel factories at Linz, Austria. The squadron returned to the United States after VE Day in May 1945. It began to reorganize as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron. It began training under Second Air Force in August 1945, but was inactivated in October after VJ Day. Air Force reserve The squadron was activated as a reserve unit under Air Defense Command (ADC) at McChord Field, Washington in July 1947, where its training was supervised by the 406th AAF Base Unit (later the 2345th Air Force Reserve Training Center). It was nominally a heavy bomber unit, but it is not clear whether it was fully manned or had any combat aircraft assigned. In 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC. The 737th was inactivated when ConAC reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system in June 1949. The squadron's personnel and equipment were transferred to elements of the 302d Troop Carrier Wing, which was simultaneously activated at McChord. This reorganization was also impacted by President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget, which required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force. The reserve mobilization for the Korean War had left the reserve without aircraft, and the reserves did not receive aircraft again until July 1952. In preparing for the receipt of aircraft, in June 1952, ConAC activated the 454th Troop Carrier Wing at Portland International Airport, Oregon to replace the 922d Reserve Training Wing, the non-flying headquarters for reserve units there. The 737th was redesignated the 737th Troop Carrier Squadron and activated with the 454th Wing. It began training with Curtiss C-46 Commando transports. It was inactivated on 1 January 1953 with its personnel and equipment being reassigned to the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron when the 403d Troop Carrier Wing was released from active duty and replaced the 454th Wing as Portland's air reserve unit. Expeditionary airlift The squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. It was activated as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules airlift squadron as part of the Global War on Terrorism and it made up of multiple detachments from airlift squadrons which constantly rotate. Lineage Constituted as the 737th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 May 1943 Activated on