144th Airlift Squadron
144th Airlift Squadron | |
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C-17 Globemaster III |
The 144th Airlift Squadron (144 AS) is a unit of the
Overview
The 144th's mission is to provide trained aircrews and support personnel for airlift and airdrop during all contingencies in the Pacific Theater. The state mission is to provide emergency and humanitarian support when called on by the governor.
History
In July 1952, at a meeting for city officials and businessmen at the Anchorage YMCA, National Guard Air Division Commander Maj. Gen. Earl T. Ricks announced that the territorial government of Alaska was willing to invest $1.5 million to establish an Air National Guard unit in Anchorage, either at the city's international airport or on Elmendorf Air Force Base. The only condition: that enough people could be recruited to man the unit.
The Alaska Air National Guard was organized 15 September 1952 as the 8144th Air Base Squadron. At its creation, the 8144th included 11 enlisted men and five officers. It had no planes. Its headquarters were located in a small office above what was then the bus depot on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. Because the office was so small, the men convened for their first training assembly in a nearby Quonset hut.
The unit's first aircraft, a 1941
As that training progressed, the unit was re-designated the 144th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in July 1953. The unit training assemblies were conducted at
Air Defense mission
The first jet, a
In 1955, the unit moved from Elmendorf AFB to its own base by the Anchorage Airport. Kulis Air National Guard Base was named after First Lieutenant Albert Kulis, an ANG pilot who lost his life while flying his F-80C during a return flight from a night training mission.
In July 1955 the 144th's F-80s were exchanged for brand-new, top-of-the-line
Airlift mission
The mission of the 144th was changed to airlift in 1957. With the arrival of the
The C-47 was ideal for this mission, as it could get into and also fly out of the rough small landing strips. Also the C-47 was quite durable, which meant it could handle the weather of Alaska unlike other aircraft. It could land on a snow-covered runway, a frozen lake, and sloping gravel strips in all types of weather. These abilities were not possessed by the larger
One of the more notable missions flown by the 144th ATS was "Operation Santa Claus", which began in December 1957 when the squadron was called on to make an emergency airdrop of supplies to the community of St. Mary's Mission on the Yukon River in southwestern Alaska. The 144th later "adopted" the village. The program continued over the years and grew to the point that, by 1972, virtually the entire city of Anchorage supported it. The annual Christmas gifts continued until 1977 when other mission requirements forced the unit to end it.
In 1960, the aging C-47s were replaced by the larger
The C-123Js could be operated anywhere in Alaska, with landings on open snow fields, glaciers and frozen lakes being routinely made. The 144th also supported
On 27 March 1964, the largest earthquake in the recorded history of North America struck South-Central Alaska. Tsunamis devastated Valdez, Seward and Kodiak. Gaping fissures, crumbled buildings and burst pipes dotted Anchorage. In the immediate aftermath, Major James Rowe arrived at Kulis from the airport, reporting that its control tower had been demolished. Two Air Guard members sped over with a wrecking truck, which they used to free three men trapped in the rubble. Rowe, meanwhile, started the engines of a C-123 and went aloft, serving as an emergency control tower and relaying what he could see to the rest of the world.
Within 20 minutes after the quake ended, the Anchorage Times reported, Guard members began streaming into Kulis without being called. Personnel from the Motor Vehicle Section supplied electricity using emergency power units. Maintenance Squadron members took emergency steps to bring heat to strategic buildings, and the dispensary was prepared by medical technicians. A warehouse on base was converted to a shelter for civilians rendered homeless by the quake, with a makeshift dining hall and over 100 beds. By midnight, 97 of those beds were occupied. Over the next few weeks the 144th would fly 131,000 pounds of cargo and 201 passengers in support of earthquake relief efforts
The Alaska ANG won an
A second Air Force Outstanding Unit Award was earned by the 144th ATS in assisting residents of
In July 1969, the unit was reorganized and designated as a Group level and renamed the 176th Tactical Airlift Group. Concurrently, the squadron was re-designated as the 144th Tactical Airlift Squadron and became the Group's primary mission unit. There were more than 700 positions authorized in the Group.
Worldwide airlift
In 1975, the 144th gaining command was changed from the
With its new C-130s, the 176th Group began participating in the Total Force almost immediately, flying to Panama, West Germany, South Korea and elsewhere to support U.S. military and humanitarian missions. It also began taking on greater responsibilities in the annual Brim Frost joint force exercises, and took part in the "
All this new activity would require a stronger support infrastructure, and in 1977 Alaska Air National Guard kicked off one of its largest construction projects ever. More than $3 million was invested in a new composite maintenance building, an aerospace ground equipment (AGE) support building and a new petroleum operations facility on Kulis AGB.
In July 1983, the 144th again updated aircraft, this time converting to brand new
Modern era
The 144th Airlift Squadron performed humanitarian airlift missions for famine relief in Somalia and Rwanda, supported
Aircrews of the 144th, have flown to the far reaches of the globe, performing missions in Panama, Thailand, Japan, Australia and Germany. The unit also participated in Operation Full Accounting, an effort to bring back remains of Americans from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Recently, the squadron has deployed members in support of
In 2005, the
The 144th Airlift Squadron closed Kulis AGB and moved to facilities at JBER in February 2011. In March 2017, the squadron lost the last of its C-130H aircraft, but remained active without aircraft. The decision was made to inactivate the junior 249th Airlift Squadron, which was flying the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and transfer its personnel to the 144th, making the 144th an associate unit of the active 517th Airlift Squadron.[1] The C-17 mission was transferred to the 144th Airlift Squadron August 4 2018.[2]
"Association" denotes a relationship in which active-component and Air National Guard Airmen work together as total force partners in accomplishing the mission. The host and associate each retain command authority of their own forces, separate organizational structures and chains of command but the active-duty Air Force owns the airframes.[3]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 8144th Air Base Squadron. and allotted to Alaska ANG in 1952
- Received federal recognition on 15 September 1952
- Redesignated 144th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 1 July 1953
- Redesignated 144th Fighter Interceptor Squadron on 1 July 1955
- Redesignated 144th Air Transport Squadron, Light on 1 July 1957
- Redesignated 144th Air Transport Squadron, Medium on 1 December 1960
- Redesignated 144th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 April 1969
- Redesignated 144th Airlift Squadron on 15 March 1992
Assignments
- Alaska Air National Guard, 1 July 1953
- Gained by: Alaskan Air Command
- 176th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 April 1969
- 176th Composite Group, 1 October 1986
- 176th Group, 1 January 1993
- 176th Operations Group, 1 October 1995–present
Stations
- Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 15 September 1952
- Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska, 1 July 1955
- Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 18 Feb 2011– present.
Aircraft
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References
- ^ a b c Bedard, SGT David (9 August 2018). "Air Guard C-17s move to 144th Airlift Squadron: Guardsmen honor their 249th Airlift Squadron heritage". 176th Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Air Guard C-17s move to 144th Airlift Squadron". Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Alaska Air Guard members bid farewell to last C-130 Hercules aircraft". Retrieved 20 March 2020.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- 144th Airlift Squadron lineage and history
- Saying goodbye to Alaska’s Kulis Air National Guard Base