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Incubation: The Delaware National Guard was reorganized after World War II war as separate battalions of anti aircraft artillery. But it had added a brand new element to the force which had never existed before. Mirroring the emergence of an independent Air Force from the Army Air Corps, the Delaware National Guard added an Air National Guard organization to the State of Delaware. The Air National Guard as we know it today -- a separate reserve component of the United States Air Force -- was a product of the politics of postwar planning and inter-service rivalry during World War II. The men who planned and maneuvered for an independent postwar Air Force during World War II didn't place much faith in the reserves, especially the state-dominated National Guard. On the contrary, they were determined to build the largest and most modern standing force possible. They assumed that future wars would be short and highly destructive affairs decided by the ability of one side to deliver massive aerial firepower on an enemy's heartland. They were convinced that reserves could not operate complex modern weapons without extensive post-mobilization training. Reserves did not play a prominent role in their vision of the postwar Air Force. For its part, the Guard had a well-established stake in aviation. It had formed 29 observation squadrons between World War I and World War II. But, domestic politics and American history forced them to significantly alter their plans. Determined not to be excluded from the post-war U.S. military establishment, the National Guard flexed its considerable political muscle during World War II. It forced the War Department (including the Army Air Forces) to retain it as the nation's primary reserve force once the war was over. Dramatic military budget cuts by President Harry S. Truman after V-J Day and his determination to split defense dollars evenly among the Army, Navy, and Air Force compelled the latter to plan for a far smaller active duty force than it had envisaged during World War II. The reserve components had to help fill the gap. Consequently, in the late 1940s, the Air Force found itself stuck with the Air Guard against its best professional judgment. The ANG would be manned by some 58,000 personnel. Its primary units would be 84 flying squadrons, mostly fighters. Air defense of the continental U.S. was its main mission. A separate National Guard aviation program began to emerge in 1946 as individual units obtained federal recognition. But, the Air Guard's official birth date was 18 September 1947, the same day the Air Force became a separate service. Delaware had a head start on this process. Organizational meetings were held as early as March of 1946 to recruit veterans for this new unit. General Order Number 9 dated 8 July 1946 outlined an organization that included: �� 142d Fighter Squadron , S.E. 32 Officers – 127 Enlisted Men 142d Utility Flight of 142nd Fighter Squadron – 6 Officers – 29 Enlisted Men Detachment “C” 208th Air Service Group (Fighter) 8 Officers – 1 Warrant Officer – 168 Enlisted Men 142d Weather Station (Type A) -3 Officers – 5 Enlisted Men The 142d was the heir of the lineage of the 342d Fighter Squadron which had flown P-47s and P-51s in New Guinea, the Philippines and Shima as part of the 348th Fighter Group , Fifth Air Force . On September 6, 1946, the formal federal recognition and activation of Delaware's first Air National Guard Unit (142d Fighter Squadron) took place at a ceremony in the Wilmington Armory. The ceremony was conducted by Brigadier General Paul R. Rinard, the Adjutant General and Colonel John B. Grier, U.S. Property and Disbursing Officer for Delaware. The unit would begin with 49 officers and 263 enlisted men authorized. Actual strength on our founding day was 14 Officers, One Warrant Officer, and 36 Enlisted Men. These original 51 “plank-owners” were commanded by Lt Col Wallace A. Cameron. Shortly afterwards the squadron received its first of 25 fighter planes, F-47N "Thunderbolts." In late 1946, two L-5s and two AT-6s training aircraft were received to assist in the training of new pilots. 1947 brought the addition of several more airplanes including C-47's and four B-26 target towing bombers. There was originally little trust and understanding between the active duty USAF and the ANG. Although it looked good on paper, one Air Force general referred to the ANG as "flyable storage." Other observers called its units state-sponsored flying clubs. The Air Force and the National Guard Bureau (NGB) spent the late 1940s fighting over who was in charge. Essentially, that question was resolved in 1950 when the Army and Air Force strengthened the power of the ANG and Army National Guard division chiefs to administer their organizations in response to the directives of their respective services. Delaware was given an opportunity to prove itself. KOREAN WAR Prior to being federalized for Korea on February 1, 1951, for 21 months, the Delaware ANG received their first jets; F-84C's. Although the unit was mobilized in place, and most DE ANG members served at New Castle, many individuals were reassigned to the combat theater. In February 1951, Colonel Spruance was assigned the task of reorganizing the air section of the state staff and establishing the Headquarters, Delaware Air National Guard. On May 17, 1951, the unit was redesignated the 142d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and in September 1951 the unit exchanged its F-84C (Thunder jet) for the F-94 "Starfire" aircraft to fit the unit's new mission. They stood five minute runway alert duty seven days a week for over a year guarding the Mid Atlantic states against surprise attack. The Korean War was a turning point for the U.S. military establishment including the Air Guard. Some 45,000 Air Guardsmen, 80 percent of the force, were mobilized. That call-up exposed the glaring weaknesses of the ANG. Units and individuals lacked specific wartime missions. Their equipment, especially aircraft, was obsolete. Their training was usually deplorable. Once mobilized, they proved to be almost totally unprepared for combat. Guard units were assigned almost at random to active duty, regardless of their previous training and equipment. Many key Air Guardsmen were stripped away from their units and used as fillers elsewhere in the Air Force. It took months and months for them to become combat ready. Some units never did. Eventually, the mess was sorted out. The recalled Guardsmen contributed substantially to the air war in Korea and to the USAF's global buildup for the expected military confrontation with the Soviet Union. However, the initial fiasco forced the Air Force to achieve an accommodation with the Air Guard and to thoroughly revamp its entire reserve system. Despite their poor initial showing, Air Guardsmen flew 39,530 combat sorties and destroyed 39 enemy aircraft during the Korean War. But, the ANG paid a high price in Korea as 101 of its members were either killed or declared missing in action during the conflict. COLD WAR On November 1, 1952, the 142d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was released from active duty in Korea and reorganized as the Delaware Air National Guard. On December 1, 1952 the unit was redesignated the 142d Fighter Bomber Squadron, and reverted to propeller-driven aircraft, the F-51H "Mustang." The unit suffered a high loss of personnel as the men mustered out after their activation. Some chose to remain on active duty and some chose to exit military service altogether. Only about a third of the unit’s original 400 men returned to service with the Delaware Air Guard. So the first priority was rebuilding the manpower base through increased recruiting efforts. In the 1950s, Congress played a key role in placing reserve programs on a sound footing because of the political uproar that the poorly managed reserve mobilizations during 1950-51 created. The Congress was much more willing than either the Department of Defense or the military services to fund the reserves properly. Moreover, beginning with the passage of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, a series of key laws eliminated most of the old inequities and fostered the development of more effective reserve components. It also permitted the use of Guard and Reserve volunteers to support the active duty forces. In 1954 a brand new T-33, the trainer version of the F-80 "Shooting Star," was received by the 142d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and later that year the unit received F-86 "Saberjets" replacing the F-51H "Mustang." The F-86 was the same plane the active Air Force flew at the Greater Wilmington Airport prior to activation for Korea. This airplane made the Delaware Air Guard a “first string” unit operating advanced equipment. The ANG led the way in developing new approaches to reserve training and management during the 1950s. Blessed with innovative national leaders like Maj Gen Winston P. "Wimpy" Wilson and a strong political base in the states, the ANG traded some of its autonomy as a state-federal force for closer integration with the active duty Air Force. Wilson was probably the single most important officer in the ANG's history. He was mobilized from Arkansas in 1950 for Korean War expecting to be in Washington, D.C. for 21 months. Instead, he remained for 21 years. Wilson served as head of ANG from 1954 to 1962 and then became the first Air Guardsmen to be Chief of the National Guard Bureau from 1963 to 1971. Wilson recognized that the Air Guard faced a dim future unless it acquired definite wartime missions, integrated into Air Force missions on a daily basis, and met the same tough training standards as the active force. The Air Guard also needed more full-time manning. It had to be ready for combat the moment it was called into federal service. Finally, Wilson and other Guard leaders fought hard to acquire modern aircraft and facilities. Wilson was able to sell these concepts to the ANG, the USAF, Congress and the states. Under his leadership, the ANG was transformed from a flying club to a valued reserve component of the USAF. Pushed by its reserve components and their political supporters, (primarily the ANG), the Air Force adopted several management and training innovations after the Korean War that promoted the evolution of combat-ready reserve forces. The four most significant policy innovations were:(1) including the air reserve forces in war plans, (2) the ANG's participation in the air defense runway alert program, (3) the gaining command concept of reserve forces management, and (4) the selected reserve force program. Beginning in 1951, the Air Force established specific mobilization requirements for the Air Guard in its war plans for the first time. The ANG would train against those requirements and plans for the first time. ANG leaders proposed the air defense runway alert program as a way to combine realistic training and support of a significant combat mission in peacetime. Beginning on an experimental basis in 1953, it involved two fighter squadrons at Hayward, California and Hancock Field at Syracuse, New York. They stood alert from one hour before daylight until one hour after sundown. Despite Air Staff doubts and initial resistance, the experiment was a great success. By 1961, it had expanded into a permanent, round-the-clock program that included 25 ANG fighter squadrons. Today, the ANG provides 100 percent of the Air Force's continental-United States-based air defense interceptor force. The runway alert program was the first broad effort to integrate reserve units into the regular peacetime operating structure of the American armed forces on a continuing basis. It was the precursor of the total force approach to reserve components training and utilization. The third major innovation -- the gaining command concept of reserve forces management -- meant that the major air command responsible for using a Guard or Reserve unit in wartime would actually train it during peacetime. ANG leaders had pressed for that arrangement for years. However, the active duty Air Force had strongly resisted the change. The concept was grudgingly adopted in 1960 because of budget cuts and public criticism of the air reserve programs by General Curtis E. LeMay, then Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. It improved the effectiveness of ANG units by giving Air Force commanders direct personal incentives for improving the performance of those reserve organizations. It also established firm precedents for the total force policy by integrating the Air Guard into the daily operations of the active force. The fourth major policy innovation -- the selected reserve force program -- reflected Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara's determination to build an elite force of highly capable reserve units to support the Kennedy administration's flexible response policy. He wanted America's military forces, including its reserve components, prepared to respond immediately to a spectrum of conflicts including guerilla and limited conventional war. To support flexible response and improve readiness, McNamara acted to shrink America's large reserve establishment and merge the National Guard with the purely federal reserve components. Efforts at merger had been tried several times since World War II, always failing. It failed again in the early 1960s. McNamara then created a selected reserve force in each of the military services. They had priority access to equipment, could recruit to full wartime strength, and were allowed to conduct additional training each year. They would provide most of the nation's strategic military reserve in the United States while a growing share of the active force was engaged in the Vietnam War. Evidence of this new improved Air National Guard was provided in July 1956, when Major David F. McCallister (142d Fighter Bomber Squadron Commander) set a fighter record by flying his F-86 Sabre jet 1,922 miles in three hours, 30 minutes, to win the Earl T. Ricks Memorial Trophy. On November 10, 1958 the unit was redesignated the 142d Tactical Fighter Squadron and was reassigned from the Air Force's Air Defense Command to the Tactical Air Command . Through the 1950s, the Air Guard evolved into a force that was increasingly integrated with the planning and operations of the Air Force. By the end of the decade, the Air Guard had become a larger, more capable, and increasingly diverse organization. By the end of Fiscal Year 1960, its personnel strength had grown to 71,000 including 13,200 technicians. The ANG's force structure included tactical fighter and reconnaissance, troop carrier, heavy airlift, and aeromedical evacuation units. But, while it continued to modernize its weapons systems, its aircraft were still obsolescent by active duty Air Force standards. For example, in 1960 its fighter inventory consisted entirely of jets including F-100s, F-104s, F-84s, and F-89Js. One result of flying outdated equipment of the single engine high performance variety was the high mortality rate due to aircraft accidents. On June 4, 1961, Colonel David F. McCallister (Commander, 142d Tactical Fighter Squadron) and Brigadier General William W. Spruance (Assistant Adjutant General for Air) were flying a T-33 jet trainer out of Scott AFB, when the aircraft exploded. Colonel McCallister died and General Spruance received serious injuries. A total of eight airmen were lost in aircraft accidents during the unit’s first fifteen years of operation. During the 1960s, the air reserve components began to demonstrate the fruits of those four policy innovations. In 1961, President Kennedy activated a limited number of Reserve and Guard units (but not the Delaware ANG) during the Berlin crisis. In a show of American resolve, the President dispatched eleven ANG fighter squadrons to Europe. Although they required significant additional training after they were ordered into federal service, all of those Guard units were in place overseas within one month of mobilization. By contrast, mobilization and overseas deployment during the Korean War had taken ANG units at least seven months. Some 21,000 Air Guardsmen were mobilized during the Berlin crisis. During the Berlin call-ups, reliance on second-rate equipment continued to plague the Air Guard. Although publicly lauded for their performance, the Berlin mobilization revealed serious shortcomings in the ANG. Basically, it had not been trained and equipped as a highly ready force capable of immediate deployment and integration with the active duty Air Force in a broad spectrum of scenarios ranging from a general war with the Soviet Union to low level counterinsurgencies or "brush fire wars" as they were called in the early 1960s. Instead, the Air Guard was still a "Mobilization Day" force that required substantial training, personnel augmentation, and additional equipment after it was called into federal service. Despite adoption of the gaining command concept of reserve forces management, the Air Force lacked plans and adequate stocks of spare parts to integrate Air Guard units in situations short of a general war with the Soviet Union. Guard units had been limited by DoD policy to 83 percent of their wartime organizational strength. The gap had to be filled by mobilizing approximately 3,000 AFRES individual "fillers." Air Guard pilots, although considered excellent individual flyers, had to be trained on a crash basis for transoceanic flight, crash landings at sea, and aerial refueling. During the summer and fall of 1961, the Air Guard had to respond to frequent changes in personnel manning documents by the Air Force. For all these and other reasons, Air Guard units mobilized in 1961, required extensive training, re-equipment, and reorganization once they were called into federal service. The United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) lacked spare parts needed to support their aging F-84s and F-86s. ANG units had been trained to deliver tactical nuclear weapons, not conventional bombs and bullets. They had to be retrained for conventional missions once they arrived on the continent. Altogether, it took an enormous effort to make those units operational in Europe, the majority of mobilized Air Guardsmen remained in the continental United States. Privately, the Air Force concluded that the Air Guard units sent to USAFE had achieved an extremely limited operational capability before they returned home in 1962 after the crisis abated. They were skeptical about the military value of the entire deployment. Senior officers noted that it had required a major diversion of USAFE's resources and doubted the effectiveness of ANG units in the opening stages of a general war. A vast gulf separated the conclusions of Air Force and Air Guard leaders about the lessons of the Berlin mobilization. The former failed to recognize immediately the constraints which obsolescent aircraft, inadequate funding and incomplete manning as well as poor planning had placed on the Air Guard's development. Many of them still viewed the Air Guard as amateurs who had not improved significantly since the Korean War. But, the Berlin mobilization stimulated the Air Force to make significant improvements in the air reserve components. Those changes were reflected in Air Force Regulation 45-60, published in February 1963. It shifted the objectives of its reserve programs away from providing mobilization-day units and individuals that required extensive post call-up preparations before they were ready for combat. Instead, the new goal was "to provide operationally ready units and trained individuals that are immediately ready to augment the active duty establishment.” A New Mission Driven by the Kennedy administration's adoption of the "flexible response" strategy and the large American military buildup during the 1960s, the Air Guard continued to modernize and diversify its aircraft inventory. In January 1960 the first F-86 units began converting to C-97s that the Air Force had been preparing to mothball. It had entered the tanker business in FY 1962 with the acquisition of KC-97s. In 1963, Air Guard tactical flying units began to routinely deploy outside the continental United States on their annual active duty training tours for the first time. The ANG's total aircraft inventory shrank from 2,269 in 1960 to 1,425 by 1965. In March 1962, Lt Colonel Clarence E. Atkinson was named Commander of the 142d Tactical Fighter Squadron. His first order of business was to preside over new growth. On April 7, 1962 the Delaware Air National Guard enlarged to "group status" as the 166th Air Transport Group and was reassigned from the Tactical Air Command to the Military Air Transport Service. The Delaware Air National Guard gave up its F-86 jets for the four engine C-97 Boeing "Stratofreighter" a long-distance strategic airlift plane. This first significant shift in mission from fighter to transport allowed enlisted members to participate in the flying mission as engineers, loadmaster, crew chiefs, and aeromedical technicians. It was a “crew” aircraft that helped the unit to build a “crew” spirit of teamwork. The organization soon became a regular at places like Lajes. Torrejon, Athens, Rhein Main, and other European destinations. On October 22, 1962 a new unit "142d Aeromedical Evacuation Flight," was added to the Delaware Air National Guard. This unit initially consisted of only four personnel but had an authorized strength of 12 flight nurses and 36 aeromedical evacuation technicians trained to fly many 142 AEF members augmented active duty crews flying live missions to the US from Europe and Japan, as well as intra-theater missions within Europe. In September 1965, only three years after receiving the C-97, the Delaware Air National Guard received the McCallister Trophy as the Air National Guard Outstanding Transport Unit. Dr. Harold Brown, Secretary of the Air Force, announced that effective January 1, 1966, the Military Air Transport Service would be redesignated as the Military Airlift Command. In addition to the name change certain Air National Guard units were also redesignated, including Delaware. We were named the 166th Military Airlift Group . In April 1966, the unit was awarded the Outstanding Unit Trophy by the Air Force Association based on our impressive collection of achievements and safety record. On June 16, 1966 another unit, 166th Communications Flight, was added to the Delaware Air National Guard. In July 1967 Garnell Purcell, a prior service Air Force veteran, became the first black man to enlist in the Delaware Air National Guard. Following the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, riots broke out in 19 major American cities. Some 68,000 National Guardsmen and 22,600 Army troops were called upon to suppress the outbreaks. In its first large-scale state activation, on April 9, 1968, the Delaware Air National Guard was called to state duty to quell civil disturbance and violence in the city of Wilmington, Delaware. The unit was released from state duty after several weeks. However, many individuals remained on state duty through 20 January 1969. January 1969, Colonel Atkinson became the Adjutant General for Delaware - the first Air National Guard member to do so. Lt Colonel Charles R. Skinner became the new base detachment commander and Lt Colonel Robert L. Fuller became the Group Commander. On November 8, 1969 the 166th Civil Engineering Flight organized as a separate unit in the Delaware Air National Guard. Following the end of active American military involvement in the Vietnam War in 1973, there was a substantial reduction in the active duty Air Force enabling the ANG to acquire another infusion of modern aircraft and equipment. These included A-7s, A-10As, F-105s, OA-37s and some brand new C-130Hs. But, its principal fighter aircraft such as F-4s had logged many flying hours including combat operations in Vietnam before they came to the Guard. The Air Guard's personnel strength stood at over 90,300 by the end of FY 1973 when active American military involvement in the Vietnam War ended. During the period from 1964-1974 the Delaware Air National Guard flew airlift missions to Vietnam with increasing tempo. The organization made an impact on the war effort, by voluntarily contributing a significant portion of the mission it would otherwise have been expected of, had it been fully activated. The Vietnam War illustrated a central paradox facing the USAF's reserve components. In January 1968, President Johnson mobilized naval and air reservists following the North Korean seizure of the USS Pueblo . More reservists were called into federal service following the February 1968 Tet offensive in Vietnam. Altogether, approximately 10,600 Air Guardsmen were called into federal service in 1968. Although most of the reservists were used to strengthen America's depleted strategic reserve force, four ANG fighter squadrons were dispatched to Vietnam. Vietnam revealed a negative aspect of relying on reservists. For largely domestic political reasons, President Johnson chose not to mobilize most of the nation's reserve forces. The 1968 call-ups were only token affairs. Johnson's decision to avoid a major reserve mobilization was opposed by the senior leadership of both the active duty military establishment and the reserve forces, but to no avail. The Reserves and the Guard acquired reputations as draft havens for relatively affluent young white men. Military leaders questioned the wisdom of depending on reserve forces that might not be available except in dire emergencies. As the war wound down Delaware got the benefit of an airplane the war had helped to make famous, as a “Jack of all trades” Airlifter. On May 12, 1971 the Delaware ANG changed its name from the 166th Military Airlift Group to the 166th Tactical Airlift Group and replaced its C-97s with the legendary C-130A "Hercules" prop-jet cargo plane, and began the transition from the Military Airlift Command to the Tactical Airlift Command. The C-130 can carry up to 74 litter patients and has a range of nearly 4000 miles. This was arguably our third major mission change, and third major aircraft system, and one that endures to this day (in updated form) and is expected to continue in the air for decades to come. Race had emerged as another major issue with flowering of the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. For over a decade after the active duty military establishment had begun to integrate its ranks during the Korean War, the National Guard had remained an almost exclusively white organization. Discrimination varied, but ten states with large black populations and understaffed Guard units still had no black Guardsmen in their ranks as late as 1961. Secretary of Defense McNamara had tried to encourage voluntary integration in the early 1960s, with little success. The NGB had disputed his legal authority to force integration while the Guard was under state control. It had also argued that integration would be political suicide for some governors and would hurt the military capabilities of their units. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited the use of federal funds to support discriminatory activities, dramatically altered the attitude of the Defense Department toward racial discrimination in the National Guard. It gave federal officials the power to force integration regardless of who controlled the Guard in peacetime. But, real progress in effectively integrating the Guard did not come until the 1970s. A New Age In September 1972 Colonel William F. Hutchison, Jr. was named Commander of the 166th Tactical Airlift Group, a position he held for 11 years. More change came to Delaware with the 1970’s than new airplanes and a new commander. In seeking new solutions to the lessons learned over Vietnam policymakers began to transform how the reserves would interact with the active components in the future. One answer to the future challenge was known as the Total Force Policy. Total Force was pioneered by the Air Force and its reserve components as early as 1953 with the runway alert programs. It was formally adopted in 1970 as the model for all DoD components. Its objective was to strengthen and rebuild public confidence in the reserves while saving money by reducing the size of the active forces. It was designed to insure that DoD concurrently considered all active and reserve forces for all budgeting, programming and policymaking decisions. In the future the ANG would be on a more equal footing with the Air Force for new equipment, training standards and resources. The Delaware ANG would benefit from this policy in many ways in the coming years. With the end of conscription and the onset of the all volunteer force. Delaware faced recruiting and retention challenges shared by the rest of America’s military as it downsized and licked its wounds over the Southeast Asian War and the rebuilding years to follow. For the first time, Delaware hired and employed full-time recruiters and later offered enlistment bonuses. The all-volunteer force was implemented in January 1973 by Secretary of Defense Laird, who terminated induction of draftees. Many were dubious of its success at first, in view of the shrinking pool of potential enlistees. It forced two major social transformations on the National Guard. First it became a racially integrated organization because of pressure to admit blacks and the need to secure additional manpower. Second, it included women on a significant scale for the first time. In March 1972, Captain Carolyn R. Doolittle became the first female to command a unit in the Delaware Air National Guard when she was appointed acting commander of the 142d Aeromedical Evacuation Flight. On February 10, 1973 Staff Sergeant Linda Van Vechten was the first enlisted female to enlist in the Delaware Air National Guard. These two milestones represented things to come as a result of the all-volunteer force and changing mores regarding military service. There had been a significant increase in female and minority representation in the Air Guard by the mid 1980’s. In 1974, the ANG had 1227 women, some 1.3% of the total force. By 1986 there were over 12,500 women in the Air Guard or 11.4% of its personnel strength. During the same year, minority representation had increased to 16,130 or 14.6% of the ANG. Beginning in the late 1970s, the 142 AEF embarked on many significant training exercises, the first being REFORGER in Germany - the first large-scale implementation of the wartime Tactical Aeromedical Evacuation System. In October 1977, “Exercise Volant Oak” was launched from Howard AFB, Panama with 15 day rotations of ANG and AFRES units providing military airlift by four to six C-130’s for United States Southern Command, replacing a former active component organization. Usually about 110 Air Guardsmen would participate in each rotation, often shared between two units. This groundbreaking Total Force mission would continue to be based in Panama under a different name (Coronet Oak) until December 1999. From February 6, through February 9, 1978 selected individuals from the Delaware Air National Guard were placed on state duty during a snow storm. These members assisted in removing snow from highways, transporting patients and staff to the local hospitals, and manning telephone lines for emergencies. On July 1, 1979 the 166th Resource Management Squadron was added to the unit. From 1980-85, the 142 AEF hosted SENTRY MEDIC, which involved other Air National Guard units and was one of the first field training exercises ever planned and executed by an aeromedical evacuation unit. Several training exercises took place at the Air National Guard Readiness Training Site at Savannah, GA and in May 1988, a crew participated in a large-scale test of the National Disaster Medical System at Philadelphia International Airport, flying two missions in response to a simulated civilian air disaster. In 1983, Col Hutchison retired and the 166 TAG gained a new Commander, Lt Colonel Judson E. Wooding. On July 1, 1985 the 166th Communications Flight was redesignated the 166th Information Systems Flight and took on the additional responsibility of data automation, and the 166th Civil Engineering Flight was redesignated the 166th Civil Engineering Squadron. After a vigorous effort by Delaware’s Congressional Delegation, on October 16, 1985, the Delaware Air National Guard began replacing its aging, antiquated C-130A's with the delivery of a brand new factory fresh C-130H. In January 1986 the unit received the last of eight C-130H aircraft. In September 1986 the Delaware Air National Guard celebrated its 40th Anniversary and published its first hardbound history. The organization began a flurry of re-organizations and changes. December 1, 1986 the 166th Information Systems Flight was redesignated the 166th Communications Flight. On July 1, 1987 the Quad-Deputy reorganization of support units was implemented in the Delaware Air National Guard. The 166th Combat Support Squadron was redesignated the 166th Mission Support Squadron. March 8, 1988 a new unit, the Mission Support Flight, consisting of Administration, Data Automation, Audio Visual, and Communications Maintenance was established. These sections were previously elements of the 166th Mission Support Squadron. December 3, 1988, Colonel James V. Dugar became Commander of the 166th Tactical Airlift Group. In March 1989, a crew deployed to Honduras to participate in a field demonstration of the aeromedical evacuation system and train with US Army units. In August of that year, five members traveled to the African nation of Gabon to assist with humanitarian efforts by providing medical care. In April 1990 and again in Spring 1992, the unit took part in PACIFIC MEDIC SENTRY, which involved medical skills training at Tripler Army Medical Center and a joint Air Force-Army field training exercise. The 166 Services Flight was formed on 6 April 1989, commanded by Capt David Deputy. From June 26, 1989 to June 28, 1989, selected unit members were placed on state duty to aid in the clean up of the Oil Spill in the Wilmington/Claymont, Delaware area. On November 22, 1989 the 166th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period covering March 1, 1987 through February 28, 1989. Operation Just Cause was mounted from 20 December 1989 to 11 January 1990 to expel Manuel Noriega the dictator of Panama and to install the democratically-elected president. ANG units participated in the operation because of their regularly scheduled presence in Panama for Operations CORONET COVE and VOLANT OAK. ANG VOLANT OAK C-130 aircrews flew 22 missions, completed 181 sorties, moved 3,107 passengers and 551.3 tons of cargo, which expended 140.1 flying hours. POST COLD WAR On 2 August 1990, Iraq seized its tiny oil-rich neighbor Kuwait. President George Bush rushed American military forces to the region and assembled a broad international coalition against the Iraqis. Altogether, 12,404 Air Guardsmen entered federal service during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Of that number, 5,240 deployed to Southwest Asia while another 6,264 served in the continental U.S. The remaining 900 were assigned to Europe and other overseas locations. Initially, Guard volunteers had concentrated on airlifting as well as flying air refueling, reconnaissance, tactical airlift, and special operations missions. More than 8,000 Air Guardsmen entered active duty as volunteers during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Altogether, 10,456 Air Guardsmen were mobilized for active duty during the Persian Gulf crisis including 1,160 in fighter and reconnaissance units. It was the first time in the ANG's history that the majority mobilized personnel had not been members of combat flying units. Moreover, the majority of mobilized Air Guardsmen had not been members of any type of flying unit at all. Instead they were members of mission support units. Unlike most previous mobilizations, ANG units had not required additional training or new equipment when called upon during the Persian Gulf crisis. Although the ANG in effect had to reinvent itself through an unprecedented level of volunteerism and tailored packages as Desert Shield unfolded, its units entered federal service and were rapidly deployed where needed. Air Guard fighters participated in the air campaign from the first day. By the time the war ended, its F-16s had flown 3,645 missions and dropped 3,500 tons of ordnance without losing a single aircraft to enemy fire. In the special operations arena, Air Guard EC-130s had flown approximately 2,000 missions lasting some 8,000 hours. They broadcast surrender appeals and instructions to Iraqi soldiers. The Air Guard's largest contributions as gauged by the numbers of personnel involved, were concentrated in a wide range of support missions. The Guard's aerial tankers pumped over 250 million pounds of fuel into more than 18,000 aircraft. Its airlifters flew some 40,000 hours, transporting 55,000 people and 115,000 tons of cargo. During the period August 16, 1990 through October 1990 three aircraft, with supporting crews and many volunteers of the Delaware Air National Guard, participated in Operation Desert Shield based in Al Kharj Saudi Arabia. On August 29, an AFRES C-5A Galaxy piloted by former Delaware ANG member Maj John Gordon crashed near Ramstein Germany. He perished among 13 others. In August 1990, members of the 142 AEF were among the first aeromedical evacuation assets deployed under DESERT SHIELD, arriving in Saudi Arabia just days after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. They remained until January 1991, when the start of DESERT STORM necessitated the first mobilization of the entire unit. The unit was demobilized in April 1991. On January 25, 1991 selected units of the Delaware Air National Guard were activated for the Persian Gulf War known as "Operation Desert Storm," (8 planes with crews and maintenance and support personnel.) A majority of the unit was stationed at Al Kharj Air Base, Saudi Arabia. Over 150 personnel deployed to six other locations in Europe and two stateside bases. The 166th Civil Engineer Squadron voluntarily deployed to Dover AFB and performed the monumental accomplishment of enlarging Dover's Mortuary capacity - the assignment was completed in a record 23 days. On June 30, 1991 the units/personnel were released from active duty performed in support of the Persian Gulf War. The Gulf War had at last put the Vietnam syndrome to rest as the Total Force displayed their professionalism and expertise in a resounding victory. In the post Desert Shield/Desert Storm Air Force, the tempo of operations never returned to its pre-war norm. Under American defense and foreign policy initiatives, we endured one operation after another. The standard of 39 days per year for Guardsmen (one weekend a month, fifteen days of annual training) started to expand to include many ongoing contingencies. The result was an increasing reliance upon Total Force assets to pick up the slack. Our average per capita ANG contribution had increased to over seventy days per year by 1999. This had the effect of asking our part-timers to do much more than ever before, and they responded in a very positive way, with our retention rates actually increasing with time. The years to follow would be one unbroken string of contingencies, deployments, and exercises as the Delaware Air National Guard took its place on the line as a professional team in the Total Force. On March 1, 1990 the 166th Weapons System Security Flight was redesignated the 166th Security Police Flight. In October 1991, the 142d Aeromedical Evacuation Flight was redesignated as the 142d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES). Another name change occurred on March 16, 1992 - the 166th Tactical Airlift Group was redesignated the 166th Airlift Group and the 142d Tactical Airlift Squadron was redesignated the 142d Airlift Squadron. In conjunction, the unit's gaining command (Military Airlift Command) was redesignated the Air Mobility Command. In September 1992, Colonel Dugar led a group of personnel as part of the Hurricane Andrew relief effort. Colonel Jacobs commanded a combined group from the 136th Airlift Wing (Dallas, TX) and 166th Airlift Group to Mildenhall, United Kingdom as part of exercise "Phoenix Partner." From September 1993 through the Spring of 1994, unit members voluntarily deployed to aid in RESTORE HOPE in Somalia In 1993 Maintenance survived the “Storm of the Century” during the ORI in Savannah, GA only to complete it the following year during a snow storm at McGuire AFB. In 1995 Maintenance was still riding high on the great accomplishments during Desert Storm when Total Quality management started. It was a new concept and everyone was learning what Dr. Deming was all about. CAFA inspections had replaced the old MEI’s and life was confusing. On October 1, 1993 the 166th Communications Flight was deactivated and on October 26, 1993 the Gaining Command for the Delaware Air National Guard changed from Air Mobility Command to Air Combat Command. On March 1, 1994 the following units were redesignated: 166th Resource Management Squadron redesignated 166th Logistics Squadron; 166th Security Police Flight redesignated 166th Security Police Squadron; 166th Tactical Clinic redesignated 166th Medical Squadron; 166th Mobile Aerial Port Flight redesignated 166th Aerial Port Flight; 166th Civil Engineering Squadron redesignated 166th Civil Engineer Squadron, 166th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron redesignated 166th Maintenance Squadron. In February 1994, several members of the Delaware Air National Guard were called to state duty as a result of severe ice storms, to assist residents and state agencies with clearing roads and restoring normal services. July 1994, Captain Johnie A. Burton, Jr., was appointed the 166th Aerial Port Flight Commander, becoming the first minority commander in the history of the Delaware Air National Guard. On August 30, 1994 the 166th Mission Support Squadron and the 166th Mission Support Flight were inactivated. In conjunction, the following units were activated: HQ 166th Operations Group; HQ 166th Logistics Group; HQ 166th Support Group; 166th Operations Support Flight, 166th Communications Flight and the 166th Mission Support Flight. In September 1994, several members of the 142 AES were sent to Pope AFB, NC to be available for the threatened invasion of Haiti and the following January, a crew traveled to Howard AB, Panama to take part in SAFE PASSAGE, the airlift of Cuban boat people from Howard AB to Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They utilized C-141 and Boeing 727 aircraft to transfer several hundred passengers. On May 23, 1995 the 166th Aircraft Generation Squadron and the 166th Logistics Support Flight were activated. On September 14, 1995, Colonel Jon D. Jacobs became Commander of the 166th Airlift Group and almost 40 years after Colonel McCallister received his "Earl T. Ricks" Award, a crew from the 142d Airlift Squadron received theirs for heroism. On October 1, 1995, the 166th Airlift Group was renamed the 166th Airlift Wing. November 20, 1995 the 166th Airlift Wing (and all subordinate units) were awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period August 15, 1993 through August 14, 1995. In 1995, 142 AES unit members began making regular two-week rotations to Howard AB to fly missions in support of US Southern Command operations throughout Central and South America. In September 1995, the 142 AES deployed to Grafenwohr, Germany where it was the only US Air Force unit to take part in BROKEN BODY. This massive NATO medical exercise involved more than 4000 personnel from seven countries. The following spring, the 142 AES staged its own international exercise when it hosted the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) 4626 AES for SENTRY OCEAN ANGEL at Georgetown, Delaware. The 142d started their sixth decade in 1996 with Lt Col Ernie Talbert becoming the new Squadron Commander in February. In Spring 1996, the start of JOINT FORGE/GUARDIAN in Bosnia resulted in unit members voluntarily deploying for 90-day rotations. During the next five years, numerous 142 AES members deployed to Bosnia, Macedonia and Hungary. In August 1996, a group was deployed to Honduras and El Salvador to train local medical personnel and demonstrate the aeromedical evacuation mission to host military forces. The year 1996 brought about many firsts in our history. On May 25, 1996 Senior Master Sergeant Lynn M. Davis became the first female to attain the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). In October, CMSgt Joan Holder became the first female Senior Enlisted Advisor for Headquarters, Delaware Air National Guard and CMSgt Melvin "Sonny" Gershman became the first Senior Enlisted Advisor for the 166th Airlift Wing. The Delaware Air National Guard celebrated its 50th Anniversary on September 6, 1996. And the National Guard marked 360 years of continuous service to the nation in December of the same year. The flying unit had the opportunity to show its stuff by participating in the Delaware Air National Guard’s 50th Anniversary Air Show and Open House with a four-ship fly over viewed by tens of thousands. Acknowledgements: Portions of this narrative originated from “The Air National Guard, A Short History” by Dr. Charles J. Gross, NGB Historical Services Division. We also thank Capt. Donn Devine for “The Delaware National Guard, A Historical Sketch” 1968. Other sources include: “Air Mobility, The Evolution of Global Reach”, by Keith Hutcheson 1999, Todd Allen Printing Beltsville MD “The Air Guard”, by Rene Francillon 1983 Aerograph Books Austin Texas “The Air National Guard and the Militia Tradition”, Dr. Charles J. Gross 1995 Historical Services Division NGB Washington DC “A History of the National Guard The Minuteman in Peace and War”, Dr. Jim Dan Hill 1964 Stackpole Books “I Am The Guard, A History of the Army National Guard 1636-2000”, Michael Doubler 2001 Department of the Army Pamphlet No. 130-1 “Mobility Milestones, An Air National Guard Chronology” Compiled by Dr. Charles J. Gross, 1996, NGB Historical Services Division “Prelude to the Total Force the Air National Guard 1943-1969”, Dr. Charles J. Gross 1985 Office of Air Force History “Soldiers of the States”, William H. Riker 1979, ARNO Press New York |
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