136th Airlift Wing

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136th Airlift Wing
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2]
Websitewww.136aw.ang.af.mil
Commanders
CommanderColonel Matthew M. Groves[3]
Insignia
136th Airlift Wing emblem[note 1]
136th Fighter-Bomber Wing Emblem[note 2]
First wing emblem
Tail StripeBlue Stripe with "Texas" in white

The 136th Airlift Wing (136 AW) is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard, stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC).

Mission

The wing's mission is to provide military forces for worldwide combat and peacetime tasking supporting Texas and the United States. The flying mission includes short field and dirt strip landing, and airdrop delivery of cargo and people in all weather, day and night.[4]

Units

The 136th Airlift Wing is composed of 5 groups, 19 units and 1 geographically separated unit (GSU).[5]

History

Korean War activation

Republic F-84E-15-RE Thunderjet, AF Ser. No. 49-2427, of the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing

As a result of the

154th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons. Because the National Guard had not yet implemented the Wing Base Organization
of the regular Air Force, the group was temporarily assigned to a provisional wing. on 26 October, the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated to control the 136th Group along with organizations providing administrative, maintenance and medical support.

At Langley, the 136th trained with their F-51D Mustangs. Unfortunately losing two 111th FBS pilots in a training accident on 15 December. A third pilot was killed on 27 January 1951 in another accident. In February 1951, the aged F-51Ds that the unit had been flying since its activation in 1947 were replaced by

Walter Schirra
(who happened to be the only pilot assigned to the 136th at the time who was a qualified jet pilot).

In May 1951, less than seven months later, the Wing was deployed to Japan, being attached to

27th Fighter-Escort Wing
, which had deployed to Far East Air Force in the early days of the Korean War. At Itazuke, the squadrons took over the F-84Es of the 27th FEW, which remained in place, its aircraft being reassigned from SAC to Far East Air Force inventory records. On 2 June, the final elements of the 136th arrived in Japan, the National Guardsmen officially relieved the 27th FBW and the SAC airmen departed for the United States. The 136th was the first Air National Guard Wing in history to enter combat.

From Japan the Wing engaged in combat operations over

F-86 Sabre escort of four B-29s. Two other 111th FBS pilots, 1st Lt John Morse and John Marlins scored probables in the same encounter. These were the first combat victories by Air National Guard pilots. On 3 July the 136th sent their aircraft to North Korea, attacking FLAK batteries in downtown Pyongyang
while other aircraft attacked North Korean airfields.

NAS JRB Fort Worth
, TX; Lockheed F-80B-1-LO Shooting Star, AF Ser. No. 45-8607; North American F-51D-25-NA Mustang, AF Ser. No. 44-73856, sold to private owner

However, the short-legged F-84 had limited combat time over Korea, therefore on 16 November 1951 the Wing moved to

F-84G Thunderjet
, designed for tactical close air support of ground forces.

During its time in combat, the 136th flew 15,515 Combat Sorties; was credited with 4 enemy aircraft destroyed; 7 probables and 72 others damaged. It was the first ANG unit to down a MiG-15; it dropped 23,749 (7,120 tons) of bombs and expended over 3 million rounds of .50 caliber ammunition; being awarded Five Korean Campaign Ribbons. The 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing was released from active duty and returned to the United States on 10 July 1952

Air Defense Command

With the Wing's return from the Korean War, the 111th and the 182d Fighter-Bomber Squadrons joined the 181st FBS with VLR

Air Defense Command
(ADC) and resumed its postwar mission of Texas air defense.

It was not until 1955 that the Texas Air National Guard received jets from ADC, receiving

F-80B and F-80C Shooting Stars
and the squadrons being re-designated as Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons. The 111th received F-80C-11 (modified F-80A to F-80C standards) Shooting Stars on 1 July 1955, and on 1 July 1956 the 111th FIS commenced to participate in the active ADC runway alert program at Ellington AFB. The 182d at Brooks AFB received F-80C Shooting Stars in August 1956, replacing some of the last F-51H Mustangs in the USAF inventory. The 181st at Love Field received F-80Cs in January 1955.

On 1 July 1957 the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing was re-designated an Air Defense Wing and reorganized along Air Defense Command lines. Combat units of the-Wing were selected by the Air Defense Command to man a runway alert program on full 24-hour basis – with armed jet fighters ready to "scramble" at a moment's notice. This event brought the wing into the daily combat operational program of the USAF, placing us on "the end of the runway" alongside regular USAF-Air Defense Fighter Squadrons. The obsolescent F-80-day fighters were upgraded to the all-weather/day/night

F-86D Sabre Interceptor
for all three squadrons by the end of the year.

Also in 1957, the Texas ANG was authorized to expand the 111th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ellington to a group level, and the

F-102A Delta Dagger
interceptor.

Air Refueling

Malmstrom AFB
, displayed as AF Ser. No. 52-2638.

In August 1961, as part of an Air Defense Command re-organization, the Wing's assignment to the ADC Oklahoma City Air Defense Sector was terminated with the inactivation of the OCADS, and the 136th was transferred to Tactical Air Command. As part of the reorganization:

The 136th Air Defense Wing and its 181st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron were realigned to an air refueling mission, becoming the 136th Air Refueling Wing and 181st Air Refueling Squadron under the TAC

KC-97L Stratotankers
, its mission becoming the air refueling of primarily Tactical Air Command fighter aircraft. Also, the 181st was moved from Dallas Love Field to Naval Air Station Dallas (Hensley Field), which ended a debate about the Texas Air National Guard operating from the expanding civilian airport.

With the transfer of the interceptors and no previously qualified aircrew or maintenance personnel assigned the 136th went through a year of transition to the new mission and to achieve operational status. They did so in eight months, the previous "normal" time for the conversion was two years. In 1966 the squadron began a rotational deployment to

B-52 Stratofortress intercontinental bombers along with TAC and Aerospace Defense Command
interceptors.

Tactical airlift

Air Force crews offload cargo as the remnants of Hurricane Rita drift away in 2005

On 1 April 1978, the 136th was reassigned from SAC to

C-130B Hercules
transports. The new 136 TAW mission was airlift of troops, military equipment, cargo and aeromedical support.

The 136th TAW and its subordinate units participated in numerous Cold War military exercises such as Team Spirit, Volant Oak, Red Flag, and Reforger. Other Joint Chief of Staff exercises included "Ember Dawn IV" in Alaska and "Brave Shield" in Europe. In 1979, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve assumed full responsibility for airlift operations in Panama.

In mid-December 1989, and continuing for several weeks, wing aircraft, air crews, and support personnel on deployment for exercise Volant Oak at

Operation Just Cause
in Panama. More than 100 combat sorties were flown by 146th aircraft and crews, with no casualties or damage to aircraft.

181st EAS C-130 at Bagram Air Force Base, Iraq

In August 1986 the Wing received the new C-130H aircraft. In August 1990, the world was moving swiftly toward armed confrontation in the Persian Gulf. By late January 1991, the 136th Airlift Wing had provided U. S. Central Command and U. S. Air Forces in Europe personnel, voluntarily and involuntarily activated, who participated in

Operation Desert Storm
. Aircraft and air crews from the 181st Airlift Squadron flew two-month-long tours of duty in Operation Volant Pine, a backfill of military airlifters to Europe by Air National Guard C-130s.

In 1997, wing members deployed supporting State and Federal missions. During the period the unit played critical roles in support of DoD missions deploying to Oman and Saudi Arabia in support of Southern Watch, and in peacetime humanitarian airlift, among the many missions accomplished by the wing during the award period.

On 1 October 1998, with the BRAC-directed closure of Naval Air Station Dallas / Hensley Field, the 136th Airlift Wing moved to the former Carswell Air Force Base, now re-designated as Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth / Carswell Field pursuant to the same BRAC action that closed NAS Dallas. At this installation, the 136th was colocated with an existing Air Force Reserve Command fighter wing at Carswell and all the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve aviation units and Army Reserve aviation and ground units that had also relocated there.[5]

As part of the Global War on Terrorism, the 136 AW has deployed numerous times totaling more than 6,000 Airmen since 11 September 2001 in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Horizons
, an average of six deployments per unit member.

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing in October 1950
Activated on 26 October 1950
Inactivated and allotted to the Air National Guard on 10 July 1952
Redesignated: 136th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 10 July 1952 and activated
Redesignated: 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 1 January 1953
Re-designated: 136th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 July 1955
Redesignated: 136th Air Defense Wing on 1 July 1957
Redesignated: 136th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1964
Redesignated: 136th Tactical Airlift Wing on 8 April 1978
Redesignated: 136th Airlift Wing on16 March 1992

Assignments

Gained by:
Air Defense Command
Gained by:
Air Defense Command
, 1 January 1960
Gained by: Tactical Air Command, 1 September 1961
Gained by: Eighth Air Force, Strategic Air Command, 1 July 1976
Gained by: Air Mobility Command, 1 June 1992
Gained by: Air Combat Command, 1 October 1993
Gained by: Air Mobility Command, 1 April 1997 – present

Operational Components

  • 136th Fighter-Bomber Group (later 136th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 136th Fighter-Bomber Group, 136th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 136th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 136th Air Refueling Group, 136th Operations Group), 26 October 1950 – 10 July 1952, 10 July 1952 – 9 December 1974, 16 March 1992 – present
  • 147th Fighter Group
    (Air Defense), 17 May 1958 – 30 August 1961
  • 159th Fighter Group
    (Air Defense), 1 March 1958 – 30 August 1961 (GSU New Orleans, LA)
  • 181st Air Refueling Squadron
    (later 181st Tactical Airlift Squadron, 181st Airlift Squadron), 9 December 1974 – 16 March 1992

Stations

Aircraft

Decorations

  • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2]

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ^ This change added a chevron to show elements of the wing served in Desert Storm.
  2. ^ Approved 22 December 1953. This change added a cluster of grapes to show service in France during World War II by the wing's predecessor and a Korean Bell to show service in the Korean War.
Citations
  1. ^ Maurer, Combat Units. pp. 245-246
  2. ^ a b "Air Force Personnel Services: Unit Awards". Air Force Personnel Center. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2017. (search)
  3. ^ "Biography - Colonel Matthew M. Groves Biography" (pdf). 136th Airlift Wing Texas Air National Guard. 136aw.ang.af.mil. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. ^ "136th Airlift Wing Fact Sheet". 136th Airlift Wing. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b "136th Airlift Wing Units". 136th Airlift Wing. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. ^ "A History of the 136th". 136th Air Defense Wing. 1961. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017. A pamphlet distributed at a contemporary air show.

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links
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