Oklahoma Air National Guard

Oklahoma Air National Guard
Active	1946 - present
Country	United States
Branch	Air National Guard
Role	"To meet state and federal mission responsibilities."
Nickname	The Happy Hooligans
Commanders
Civilian leadership	President Barack Obama (Commander-in-Chief) Michael B. Donley (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Mary Fallin (Governor of the State of Oklahoma)
State military leadership	Major General Myles L. Deering
Insignia
USAF Roundel
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F-16C/D Fighting Falcon

The Oklahoma Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is, along with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, an element of the Oklahoma National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state. It is under the administrative command of the Oklahoma Department of the Military.

History

The 125th Observation Squadron was organized in December 1940 as the Oklahoma National Guard's first flying unit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was federally recognized in January 1941. For the next three and a half years the squadron was attached to the 77th Observation Group and the 76th Reconnaissance Group at various locales in the United States before arriving at Liverpool, United Kingdom on D-Day, 6 June 1944. After moving across the English Channel to France in August 1944, the 125th Liaison Squadron was attached to the U.S. Ninth Army until V-E Day, participating in the campaigns of northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe, and was awarded the Belgian Fourragère for gallantry during the Battle of the Bulge in July 1945. Over the course of those five years, the 125th flew the Douglas 0-38E, the Curtiss O-52 Owl, and the Stinson L-5 Sentinel.^[1]

The 137th Wing traces its origins to the World War II 404th Fighter Group, which was allocated to the Oklahoma Air National Guard and redesignated as the 137th Fighter Group on 24 May 1946. The unit was founded on 21 November 1946 at Norman, Oklahoma as the 137th Fighter Group, and received its federal recognition on 18 December 1947.

The 125th Fighter Squadron returned to Tulsa in November 1945 and flew the F-51D Mustang until February 1947 when it was designated the 125th Fighter Bomber Squadron (Jet) and equipped with the F-84 Thunderjet. After receiving the Spaatz Trophy Award in 1950, the 125th was again ordered to active duty under the Ninth Air Force and sent to England AFB in Alexandria, Louisiana until July 1952. After returning to Tulsa under state control the squadron again flew the F-51 Mustang and the F-80 Shooting Star until becoming part of the 138th Fighter Group (AD) for duty with the Aerospace Defense Command flying the F-86D Sabre in August 1957.

January 1960 brought significant change to the 125th as the unit was designated the 125th Air Transport Squadron and assigned to the 137th Air Transport Wing in Oklahoma City. For the next eight years the unit flew the C-97 Stratofreighter, transporting cargo to Vietnam and throughout the world before converting to the C-124 Globemaster II in 1968.

The 137th Tactical Airlift Wing received the C-130 Hercules transport in 1972. In October 1972, the 125th was redesignated Tactical Fighter Squadron and converted to the T-33 Shooting Star in preparation for equipping with the F-100D Super Sabre in March 1973. The 125th converted to the A-7D Corsair II in July 1978.

After conversion to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the 138th Fighter Wing has participated in Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Northern Watch, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit's deployment to Iraq in 2008 marked their 10th deployment to the Middle East. Additionally, the laser targeting pod system for precision guided munitions employment has been incorporated into the unit mission.^[2]

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure committee brought an expansion to the 138th Fighter Wing's mission. The wing acquired three F-16 Block 42 aircraft from the 57th Wing located at Nellis Air Force Base as well as six F-16 Block 42 aircraft from 132d Fighter Wing, Iowa Air National Guard. The 138th FW is also the host unit for the Defense Air Sovereignty Alert mission located at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. BRAC also recommened the realignment of the 137th Airlift Wing, which lost its C-130 transport aircraft in 2008. Since then, as the 137th Air Refueling Wing, it shares the aircraft the aircraft with the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, at Tinker AFB.

On 14 March 2008 a 138th Fighter Wing-assigned fighter aircraft en route to the Smokey Hill Gunnery Range in Salina, Kansas accidentally dropped a 22-pound, non-explosive practice bomb on an apartment complex in Tulsa, damaging a building foundation and knocking out the power to the building. No one was injured and the 138th Fighter Wing announced that they were investigating the incident themselves.^[3]

Units

• 137th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City. This unit flies the KC-135R Stratotanker and shares the aircraft with the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Air Force Reserve Command.^[4]
  • 205th Engineering Installation Squadron at Tinker AFB. This squadron is responsible for the installation and upkeep of electronic equipment, such as: ground radar, ground communications, avionic radar, avionic communications and cryptography repair.
  • 146th Air Support Operations Squadron at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base

• 138th Fighter Wing at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
  • 124th Space Superiority Squadron
  • 125th Fighter Squadron, this unit flies the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.
  • 125th Mobile Oppression Squadron^[5]
  • 125th Weather Flight
  • 219th Electronics Engineering and Radar Installation Squadron.^[6]

Aircraft operated

Since 1947 the Oklahoma Air National Guard has operated the following aircraft:^[7]

• KC-135 Stratotanker (2008–Present)
• F-16C Fighting Falcon (since 1993)
• A-7D Corsair (1978–1993)
• C-130 Hercules (1974–2007)
• F-100D Super Sabre (1973–1978)
• T-33 Shooting Star (1972–1973)
• C-124 Globemaster II (1968–1972)
• C-97 Stratofreighter (1960–1968)
• F-86D Sabre (1957–1960)
• F-80 Shooting Star (1953–1957)
• F-51 Mustang (1951–1953)
• F-84 Thunderjet (1947–1950)
• P-51 Mustang (1945–1947)

• 

  A 125th TFS A-7D in the 1970s.

• 

  A 137th AW C-130H in 1998.

• 

  A 138th FW F-16C in 2003.

• 

  A 137th ARW KC-135R with ANG and AFRC patches.

References

1. ^ http://www.138fw.ang.af.mil/138fw/resources/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=14178
2. ^ "Fact Sheets : 138th Fighter Wing History : 138th Fighter Wing History". Archived from the original on 16 Sep. 2009. http://www.138fw.ang.af.mil/resources/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=14178. Retrieved 13 Sep. 2009. 
3. ^ Associated Press, '"Oklahoma: Practice Bomb Dropped On Apartments", New York Times, 15 March 2008.
4. ^ http://www.137arw.ang.af.mil/units
5. ^ www.my.af.mil/guard/138FW/Squadrons
6. ^ http://www.138fw.ang.af.mil/units/index.asp
7. ^ World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN 1-880588-01-3

External links

United States Air Force portal

• Oklahoma National Guard
• Oklahoma Air National Guard
• 137th Air Refueling Wing
• 138th Fighter Wing