the Battle of Lorraine, Battle of St Michiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. For those, the unit earned their first battle streamers. After the war had drawn to a close, the unit was moved to Trier, Germany to serve as part of the occupation force under the Third Army on 5 December 1918. In June 1919, the unit was ordered back to the States where they were stationed at Mitchel Field, New York; Park Field, Tennessee; and at March Field, California. Inter-War period see also: United States Army Border Air Patrol While at March, the 9th was equipped with some surplus Dayton-Wright DH-4s and assigned to the Western Department in July 1919 flying border and fire patrols. With the establishment of a permanent Army Air Service, on 14 March 1921, the 9th was redesignated as the 9th Squadron (Observation). Funding shortages, however led to the squadron's inactivation on 29 June 1922. While inactive, the 9th was redesignated twice. First, as the 9th Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923 and secondly, as the 9th Bombardment Squadron on 24 March 1923. On 1 April 1931, the 9th was activated and assigned to the 7th Bombardment Group at Hamilton Field, California, and equipped with Keystone B-4 light bombers. While with the 7th Broup, the 9th flew numerous training flights in a variety of airplanes. In 1935 the unit participated in a mass bomber formation, cross-country flight from March Field, California, to MacDill Field, Florida. In the summer of 1939, the 9th received its first Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress. However the runway at Hamilton Field was not adequate for the B-17, and the larger planes forced the 7th Bombardment Group to move elsewhere. In 1939 the Group was designated as a heavy group and moved to Fort Douglas, Utah on 7 September 1940, to train with B-17s. In January 1941, the 9th moved along with the 7th Bombardment Group to Salt Lake City Airport, Utah. In February, the squadron was upgraded to the new B-17D Fortress, which had improved engines and a better armament. With tensions increasing in the Philippine Islands and the threat of war with the Japanese Empire growing daily, the Army wanted to send these aircraft to the Philippine Department where they would join the newly created US Army Forces in the Far East. The thinking in Washington was that if Japan attacked the Philippines, the forces there would hold out as