| Oregon Air National Guard | |
|---|---|
 Oregon Air National Guard logo[1] | |
| Active | 18 April 1941– present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | state militia,military reserve force |
| Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities."[citation needed] |
| Part of | Oregon Military Department United States National Guard Bureau |
| Garrison/HQ | Oregon Military Department, 1776 Militia Way SE, Salem, Oregon |
| Motto(s) | "When we are needed, we are there."[citation needed] |
| Commanders | |
| Civilian leadership | PresidentDonald Trump (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) GovernorTina Kotek (Governor of Oregon) |
| State Adjutant General | Brigadier General Alan R. Gronewold, USA |
| Commander, Air Component | Brig. General David N. Unruh, USAF |
| State Command Chief | CCM Brent Cavanais, USAF |
| Insignia | |
| Headquarters Oregon Air Guard emblem[2] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-15C/D EagleLockheed Martin F-35 |
TheOregon Air National Guard (OR ANG) is the aerial militia of theState of Oregon,United States of America. It is a reserve of theUnited States Air Force and along with theOregon Army National Guard an element of theOregon National Guard of theUnited States National Guard Bureau.
As state militia units, the units in the Oregon Air National Guard are not in the normalUnited States Air Forcechain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of theGovernor of Oregon though the office of theOregon Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Oregon Air National Guard is headquartered at the Oregon Military Department buildings inSalem.
Under the "Total Force" concept, Oregon Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF). Oregon ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by aMajor Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the Oregon Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty andAir Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.
Along with its federal obligations, the Oregon ANG may be activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety.[citation needed] State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.
The Oregon Air National Guard consists of the following major units:
The Oregon Air National Guard origins date to 30 July 1940 with the establishment of the123rd Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Oregon Air National Guard. It is one of the29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of theUnited States Army National Guard formed beforeWorld War II. The unit consisted of two officers, 108 enlisted men and two aircraft, a North American BC-1A (like the AT-6) and a Douglas O-46A. The squadron flew observation missions primarily along the Pacific Coast and occasionally made mail flights. The 123rd Observation Squadron was ordered into active service on 15 September 1941 as part of the buildup of theArmy Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II.
On 24 May 1946 theUnited States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts, imposed by PresidentHarry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to theNational Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.[5]
The modern Oregon ANG received federal recognition on 30 August 1946 as the 142nd Fighter Group atPortland Municipal Airport, Portland. Its123rd Fighter Squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Oregon Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act[5]
Today the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland and the 173rd Fighter Wing at Klamath Falls both fly the F-15 Eagle with a homeland defense mission. After the11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Oregon were activated. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were engaged inOperation Noble Eagle air defense overflights of major United States cities. Oregon ANG units were deployed overseas as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan andOperation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed.
In April 2016, the Oregon Air National Guard celebrated its 75th anniversary with a commemorative paint job on one of the 173rd Fighter Wing's F-15's, as seen below.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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