| 186th Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1953; 1953–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | Air National Guard |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Airlift |
| Part of | Montana Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Gore Field Air National Guard Base, Great Falls, Montana |
| Nickname | Vigilantes |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit AwardCited in the Belgian ArmyOrder of the Day |
| Insignia | |
| 186th Airlift Squadron Unit emblem[note 1] |  |
The186th Airlift Squadron is a unit of theMontana Air National Guard120th Airlift Wing located atGreat Falls International Airport (Air National Guard Base), Montana. The 186th is equipped with theC-130H Hercules.
The404th Fighter Squadron was activated atRichmond Army Air Base, Virginia in the summer of 1943[1] as one of the three original squadrons of the371st Fighter Group. Thesquadron trained in the northeastern United States withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts underFirst Air Force before moving overseas in the spring of 1944.[2]
Upon arriving in England, the squadron became an element ofNinth Air Force atBisterne Close, England. The squadron's first combat operation was a fighter sweep over Occupied France. Prior toOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, the 404th flew fighter sweeps,dive bombing andescort missions.[2]
OnD-Day, 6 June 1944, the squadron patrolled the beachhead. attacking railroads, trains, vehicles. gun emplacements and other targets. Soon after the invasion, the squadron moved to France and participated in theair interdiction that preceded the Allied breakout atSt Lo in late July and supported the following drive across northern France. It continued to operate in northeastern France and southwestern Germany through the winter of 1945, attacking storage dumps,marshalling yard,factories, bridges, roads, and vehicles. In December 1944 it providedclose air support for ground forces engaged in theBattle of the Bulge.[2]
The squadron was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation for its attacks between 15 and 21 March 1945 that contributed to the defeat ofAxis forces in southern Germany. It continued combat operations until theSurrender of Germany in May.[2] The squadron remained with theoccupation forces in Germany and Austria until October 1945 when it returned to the United States and was inactivated.[1]
The wartime 404th Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 186th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Montana National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Gore Field, Great Falls, Montana and was extended federal recognition on 27 June 1947. The squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and was allotted to the Fourth Air Force, Continental Air Command by the National Guard Bureau.
Within two weeks of its activation six F-51Ds arrived. As part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force, the unit trained for tactical bombing missions and air-to-air combat. Eighty-nine days after activation, tragedy struck the fledgling unit. En route to pick up the adjutant general inHelena, theA-26 Invader Lt. Col. Sperry was flying went down in a heavy snowstorm. The wreckage could not be found until the following summer. Aboard also was Sgt. Charles Glover, for whom the street along the east side of building 64 is named.
On 1 April 1951, the unit was activated for duty inSouth Korea. Personnel were sent toMoody AFB, Ga., and ten F-51s were shipped to Korea. The squadron became a F-51D Fighter-Bomber training unit. The 186th was returned to Montana State control in November 1952 and on 1 January 1953, the squadron was reformed at Gore Field with Captain Rodger D. Young as Commander. Promoted to Colonel, Young served as Group Commander until 1966 when he was promoted to Brig. General and Chief of Staff for Air for the 120th Fighter Group until his retirement in 1973. Under the Command of Brig Gen. Young the unit flew the F-86, F-94, F-89, F102 and F-106 fighters.
After the Korean War, the squadron was equipped with the long-range F-51H Mustang and became a part of Air Defense Command. The unit received its first jet aircraft in December 1952, aT-33 Shooting Star. In early 1953 it was equipped with F-86A Sabre jet interceptors. The squadron was redesignated the 186th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 November 1953 and adopted the "Charlie Chicken" patch. By July 1955 the transition from the F-51H Mustang to the F-86A Sabre was complete.
On 1 July 1955, the 186th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 120th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 186th FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 120th Headquarters, 120th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 120th Combat Support Squadron, and the 120th USAF Dispensary. Also in 1955, the F-86A day interceptors were replaced by the F-94A Starfire all-weather interceptor.
In 1958, the 120th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program, in which interceptors of the 186th FIS were committed to a five-minute runway alert, a task that would last for 38 years. The arrival of theF-102 Delta Dagger in 1966 ushered in the supersonic age. 18 F-102s were made combat-ready by October 1967, replacingF-89s.[3] In 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated as Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM). In 1972, the unit was redesignated the 120th Fighter-Interceptor Group and assigned theF-106 Delta Dart, the first Air National Guard unit to receive this aircraft. With the F-106, the squadron competed in and won its first William Tell, a live-fire missile competition held atTyndall AFB, Florida. Performed air defense duties along the northern tier of the United States until 1978 when ADCOM was merged into Tactical Air Command. Continued air defense mission for ADTAC component of TAC with the F-106s, transferring to First Air Force when ADTAC was replaced in 1985.
The 186th FS converted from the F-106A to the F-16A/B Fighting Falcon in mid-1987. The conversion happened earlier than was scheduled and the 186th FIS was to be the last squadron to lose its F-106s. The first aircraft were older block 5 and 10 models with some block 15 airframes also being delivered to the squadron. Main task for the unit was air defense, as with many ANG units who were equipped with the F-16. In 1991 the F-16s were brought up to the Air Defense Fighter (ADF) variant.
This meant a serious leap in performance and capability of this squadron in their defensive role. This situation was maintained up until 2001 when the squadron started receiving more modern F-16C block 30 aircraft with a large intake. This conversion replaced the air defense mission with one of general purpose/air-to-ground as part of the Expeditionary Aerospace Force.
With the conversion, unit members felt it was time to consider a change in the aircraft tail markings. The most notable change included the 186th Fighter Squadron's nickname of "Vigilantes". The nickname by the pilots of the 186th is intended to honor the first men in the Montana Territory who organized for the safety and welfare of the people.
The squadron once again found itself on alert status after the terrorism attacks inNew York City andWashington, D.C. Base personnel implemented the necessary procedures to establish a secure environment while maintaining a 24-hour alert status for aircraft. Throughout 2002, hundreds of unit personnel were activated and deployed to multiple locations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the world.
As a result of the 2005BRAC decisions, the unit converted to theF-15C/D during 2008 and reverted to an all-air defense unit. In early December 2007 the first F-16 left Great Falls being transferred to the158th Fighter Wing, Vermont ANG. By the summer of 2008, eighteen F-15C Eagles had been transferred from the131st Fighter Wing at St. Louis due to its conversion to the131st Bomb Wing, flying theB-2 stealth bomber.
As a result of the 2010 Total Force Structure Change, the F-15s of the 120th Fighter Wing were transferred to the144th Fighter Wing of theCalifornia Air National Guard and C-130s of the19th Airlift Wing fromLittle Rock AFB,Arkansas were transferred to Great Falls. As a result, the 186th Fighter Squadron was rechristened as the 186th Airlift Squadron.[4]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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