142nd Wing
142nd Wing | |
---|---|
Active | 1943–1945; 1946–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | Air National Guard |
Type | Wing |
Role | Fighter/Air Defense/Special Tactics |
Part of | Oregon Air National Guard |
Garrison/HQ | Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Oregon |
Nickname(s) | Redhawks |
Motto(s) | Semper Vigilans (Latin: "Always ready") |
Website | www |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Todd A. Hofford[1] |
Insignia | |
142nd Wing emblem | |
142nd Fighter Wing emblem | |
142nd Fighter Wing emblem |
The 142nd Wing is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard and the United States Air Force, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon.
As a state militia unit, the 142nd Wing is under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Air National Guard unless it is federalized by order of the President of the United States. If activated for federal service, the wing would fall under control of Air Combat Command.
The
The 125th Special Tactics Squadron (STS), which conducts a wide array of special forces operations both domestically, and internationally, is also part of the wing. According to the 125th STS mission statement, the squadron is "poised for full spectrum rapid response to all crises and contingencies at home or abroad".[3] The 125th STS is one of only two Special Tactics Units in the Air National Guard.[3] The inclusion of the 125th STS under the Wing led to the organization re-designating itself as the 142nd Wing in order to better articulate the varied capabilities of the organization.[4]
Units
To carry out these missions, four groups are assigned to the 142nd Fighter Wing
- 142nd Operations Group
- -116th Air Control Squadron, Camp Rilea AFTC, Warrenton
- -142nd Security Forces Squadron
- -123rd Fighter Squadron
- -125th Special Tactics Squadron
- -123rd Weather Flight
- 142nd Maintenance Group
- 142nd Mission Support Group
- 142nd Medical Group
Portland Air National Guard Base in Portland, Oregon, is host to several tenant units as well as the Air Force Reserve 304th Rescue Squadron.
History
World War II
Formed at
During this time, the 371st Fighter Group began operations, using P-47 fighter aircraft over France. This involved dive-bombing, and escort missions prior to the invasion of Europe. Additionally, the 371st attacked railroads, trains, vehicles, gun emplacements, and buildings in France during the invasion on June 6, 1944. The Fighter Group also patrolled beachhead areas and continued its assaults against the enemy during the remainder of the Normandy campaign. This included participation in the aerial barrage that prepared the way for the Allied breakthrough at
Operated in the area of northeastern France and southwestern Germany during the fall and winter of 1944–1945, attacking such targets as storage dumps, trains, rail lines,
Continued operations until May 1945. Returned to the US, October and November 1945, and inactivated.
Oregon Air National Guard
The wartime 371st Fighter Group was re-activated and re-designated as the 142nd Fighter Group, and was allotted to the Oregon Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Portland Municipal Airport, Oregon, and was extended federal recognition on 30 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 142nd Fighter Group was bestowed the history, honors, and colors of the 371st Fighter Group. The group's 123rd Fighter Squadron was equipped with
Korean War activation
The group was federalized and brought to active duty on March 2, 1951. It was assigned to the
The group was inactivated on 6 February 1952, being replaced by the 4706th Air Defense Wing.
Cold War
Resuming its peacetime mission of the air defense of Oregon, Air Defense Command (ADC) upgraded the groups capabilities by allocating the
In 1972 it received the Mach-2
After the inactivation of
In 1985, as part of the retirement of the F-4C from the inventory, the Oregon Air National Guard began to receive
The wing participated in a wide variety of expeditionary and humanitarian assistance missions in the turbulent post-Cold War environment while providing air defense of the Pacific Northwest. These included major deployments to Turkey in 1998 for Operation Northern Watch and to Saudi Arabia in 2000 for Operation Southern Watch. The wing deployed aircraft to Panama in 1998 in support of counter-drug missions, helping stem the flow of the drug trade by air. Wing personnel deployed on various other missions, sending medical troops to Belize, civil engineers to Macedonia, and to such places around the globe as Curaçao, Denmark, Germany, Guam, Kuwait, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Twenty-first century
On September 11, 2001, the wing was one of the first units to respond to the
In the 50th Year of William Tell Anniversary Competition held in 2004, the 142nd Fighter Wing was rated first in maintenance, element attack and gun categories.[citation needed]
In 2004, unit personnel provided humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2007 floods in Vernonia, Oregon. The wing also supported ongoing contingency operations in Southwest Asia, including
In 2005, the early 1970s F-15A model were retired and the squadron received its current aircraft, the F-15C Eagle.
The base was selected by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (2005 BRAC) to close. Eleventh-hour negotiations between the political delegations from the states of Washington and Oregon saved the base from closure. Ironically the argument made by several groups to save the base was that of the NORAD mission it performed and the air cover it provided for the Pacific Northwest was essential to homeland security. However, the 2005 BRAC commission recommended keeping a small detachment in place at the base in order to support NORAD but close all other operations. As part of the recommendations of the 2005 BRAC, the Air Force Reserve Command's 939th Air Refueling Wing which was also located on the Portland Air National Guard Station was forced to terminate operations.
On June 26, 2007, an
In August 2010, two F-15 Eagles from the 142nd Fighter Wing were dispatched to Seattle, Washington, during a visit by President Barack Obama. The aircraft were scrambled due to a civilian aircraft violating protected airspace established for the President's visit.
On August 10, 2018, two F-15C's from the 142nd, both originally Massachusetts Air National Guard fighters on a "swap" to the Oregon Air National Guard, intercepted a
In June 2019, the 142nd Fighter Wing celebrated 30 years of flying the F-15 aircraft.[8] Due in part to the wing's long familiarity with the aircraft, it was selected as one of the first operational wings to receive the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft. F-15EX aircraft are expected to arrive sometime in 2024, or 2025.[9]
2020s
The unit was redesignated as the 142nd Wing as of 6 March 2020, following the addition of the 125th Special Tactics Squadron.[4]
In February 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Kate Brown activated the Oregon National Guard to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the public. As part of this effort, members of the 142nd Medical Group worked to administer the vaccine at the Oregon Convention Center mass vaccination site.[10]
Today the 142nd Wing supports drug interdiction,
- North American Air Defense Command
- air superioritymissions
- Department of Defenseobjectives
- Response to state and local contingencies
- Domestic search and rescue operations
- Proactive involvement in activities that add value to the people and communities which it serves
Today the wing flies the
Lineage
- Constituted as 371st Fighter Group on 25 May 1943
- Activated on 15 July 1943
- Inactivated on 10 November 1945
- Redesignated 142nd Fighter Group. Allotted to Oregon ANG on 24 May 1946
- Extended federal recognition on 30 August 1946
- Established as 142nd Fighter Wing, extended federal recognition and activated on 1 November 1950
- 142nd Fighter Group assigned as subordinate unit
- Federalized and placed on active duty, 2 March 1951
- Redesignated 142nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 2 March 1951
- Inactivated on 6 February 1952
- Returned to Oregon state control and activated on 1 November 1952
- Redesignated 142nd Air Defense Wing on 16 April 1956
- Group re-designated as 142nd Fighter Group (Air Defense)
- Redesignated 142nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 July 1960
- Group re-designated as 142nd Fighter-Interceptor Group
- Redesignated 142nd Fighter Wing on 16 March 1992
- Group re-designated as 142nd Operations Group
- Redesignated 142nd Wing on 6 March 2020[4]
Assignments
- I Fighter Command, 15 July 1943
- Attached to: Philadelphia Fighter Wing, 30 September 1943 – 14 February 1944
- IX Fighter Command, April 1944
- 100th Fighter Wing, 1 August 1944
- Attached to: XIX Tactical Air Command, 1 August 1944
- XIX Tactical Air Command, 29 September 1944
- 1st Tactical Air Force (Provisional), 1 November 1944
- XIX Tactical Air Command, 16 February 1945 – October 1945
- Army Service Forces (for inactivation), 9–10 November 1945
- 60th Fighter Wing, 30 August 1946
- Oregon Air National Guard, 31 October 1950
- Gained by: Air Defense Command
- 142nd Fighter-Interceptor Wing(WA ANG), 2 March 1951 – 6 February 1952
- Oregon Air National Guard, 1 November 1952 – Present
- Gained by: Air Defense Command
- Gained by: Air Defense Command, 8 June 1958
- Gained by: Air Defense Command, 1 April 1966
- Gained by: 26th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, 15 January 1968
- Gained by: Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC), 1 October 1979
- Gained by: First Air Force, Tactical Air Command, 9 December 1985
- Gained by: Northwest Air Defense Sector(NWADS), 1 July 1987
- Gained by: Western Air Defense Sector (WADS), 1 October 1997–Present
Components
World War II
- 404th Fighter Squadron(9Q): 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945
- 405th Fighter Squadron(8N): 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945
- 406th Fighter Squadron(4W): 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945
Air National Guard
- 141st Fighter Group(Air Defense), 16 April 1956 – 1 July 1960
- 142nd Operations Group, 11 October 1995 – Present
- 142nd Tactical Fighter Training Group, 1 January 1983 – 15 March 1992
- 114th Fighter Squadron, 15 March 1992 – 1 April 1996 (Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport (Kingsley Field), Oregon)
- 116th Fighter (later Fighter-Interceptor) Squadron, 31 October 1950 – 10 February 1951; 1 November 1952 – 16 April 1956
- 123rd Fighter (Later Fighter-Interceptor, Fighter) Squadron, 30 August 1946 – Present
Stations
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Aircraft
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Decorations
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[11]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Colonel Todd A. Hofford". 142nd Wing. December 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ 1st Air Force
- ^ a b "125th Special Tactics Squadron". 142nd Wing. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Frank, Alexander (8 April 2020). "142nd Fighter Wing Redesignates to the 142nd Wing". DVIDS. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Executive Summary, Aircraft Accident Investigation (PDF) (Report). 26 June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ STAFF, SEATTLEPI COM (17 August 2010). "Fighters scrambled after flight restriction violation during Obama visit; booms reported around region". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Oregon F-15s Scramble to Seattle to Intercept Possibly Stolen Q400 Airliner (Updated)".
- ^ KATU Staff (3 June 2019). "Portland-based 142nd Fighter Wing celebrates 30 years of flying F-15 Eagles". KATU. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "The 142nd Wing is Gearing Up for the New F-15EX". DVIDS. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ McCarthy, Dan (26 March 2021). "More Oregon National Guardsman may be called to help administer COVID-19 vaccines". KATU. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Air Force Personnel Center Awards Search post-1991". Air Force Personnel Center. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008.
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
External links
- 142nd FW home page
- "Air Force Magazine article on the 142nd" (PDF). The Air Force Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2012.