Pennsylvania Air National Guard
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard
, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard
. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force
, as well as of the state.
, located 27 miles (43 km) north-east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
.
, the PA Air Guard flew 134 supply missions to Vietnam in 1966-1967, becoming the first reserve air force ever to enter a combat zone without actually being mobilized.
In 1972, widespread flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes
resulted in 45 deaths and $ 3 billion in property damage. Nearly 13,000 Army and Air Guard members were called to state active duty to help with relief operations.
Several Air Guard units from Pennsylvania were mobilized in 1990-1991 for duty in Southwest Asia
during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Every member returned home safely.
Previously the Pennsylvania ANG also included the 112th Air Refueling Group
, which was assigned to Strategic Air Command
on 16 October 1991, at Pittsburgh International Airport
. It was equipped with KC-135s. It was reassigned to Air Mobility Command
on 31 May 1992. However, following the end of the Cold War
, it was inactivated through the Base Realignment and Closure
process in October 1993.
Hundreds of Pennsylvania soldiers and airmen were deployed to Germany
, Hungary
and Bosnia in 1996-1997, in support of United Nations
peacekeeping
efforts in the former Yugoslavia
.
In 2004, some 2,000 Pennsylvania citizen soldiers and airmen were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, searching for weapons of mass destruction, providing convoy security, rebuilding infrastructure and protecting senior officials.
2,500 Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard members were deployed in September 2005 for a month-long mission in support of hurricane disaster relief efforts along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
. This was the largest state activation of Pennsylvania National Guard troops since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. These Guard members also assisted with relief efforts following Hurricane Rita
.
), located at Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
.
(KC-135T Stratotanker), is located at Pittsburgh International Airport
, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
.
, Middletown, Pennsylvania
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard
Pennsylvania National Guard
The Pennsylvania National Guard is composed of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. It is one of the largest National Guards in the nation. It has the largest Army National Guard of all the states and the fourth largest Air National Guard. These forces are...
. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, as well as of the state.
Overview
The Pennsylvania Air Guard is composed of 13 individual units, including 3 air wings. It is headquartered at Fort Indiantown GapFort Indiantown Gap
Fort Indiantown Gap, also referred to as "The Gap" or "FIG", is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. A portion of the installation is located in eastern Dauphin County...
, located 27 miles (43 km) north-east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
.
History
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard was formally established in 1947. During the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the PA Air Guard flew 134 supply missions to Vietnam in 1966-1967, becoming the first reserve air force ever to enter a combat zone without actually being mobilized.
In 1972, widespread flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
resulted in 45 deaths and $ 3 billion in property damage. Nearly 13,000 Army and Air Guard members were called to state active duty to help with relief operations.
Several Air Guard units from Pennsylvania were mobilized in 1990-1991 for duty in Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Every member returned home safely.
Previously the Pennsylvania ANG also included the 112th Air Refueling Group
112th Air Refueling Group
The 112th Air Refueling Group in an inactive United States Air Force unit, allocated to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. It was last assigned to the Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station, being inactivated on 1 October 1993.-History:...
, which was assigned to Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
on 16 October 1991, at Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
. It was equipped with KC-135s. It was reassigned to Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
on 31 May 1992. However, following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, it was inactivated through the Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
process in October 1993.
Hundreds of Pennsylvania soldiers and airmen were deployed to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Bosnia in 1996-1997, in support of United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
efforts in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
In 2004, some 2,000 Pennsylvania citizen soldiers and airmen were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, searching for weapons of mass destruction, providing convoy security, rebuilding infrastructure and protecting senior officials.
2,500 Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard members were deployed in September 2005 for a month-long mission in support of hurricane disaster relief efforts along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. This was the largest state activation of Pennsylvania National Guard troops since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. These Guard members also assisted with relief efforts following Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
.
111th Fighter Wing
The 111th Fighter Wing (A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
), located at Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township...
.
- 140th Weather Flight, located at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station.
- 270th Engineering Installation Squadron, located at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station.
171st Air Refueling Wing
The 171st Air Refueling Wing171st Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 171st Air Refueling Wing is an Air Mobility Command -gained unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. An aerial refueling and air mobility unit, it has been located since 1964 at Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania.-Units:The 171st ARW presently has 16...
(KC-135T Stratotanker), is located at Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Coraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 5,677 at the 2010 census. In 1940 the population peaked at 11,086. It is a small community located to the west of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsburgh International Airport...
.
- 146th Weather Flight, located at Pittsburgh International Airport.
- 258th Air Traffic Control Squadron, located at Johnstown-Cambria County AirportJohnstown-Cambria County AirportThe John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service. The airport is named after the late Congressman John Murtha.The John Murtha...
.
193rd Special Operations Wing
The 193rd Special Operations Wing (EC-130J Commando Solo III), located at Harrisburg International AirportHarrisburg International Airport
-Statistics:-Air cargo:Harrisburg International Airport is well positioned with freight-forwarding capabilities. The airport is located adjacent to I-76 , I-83, and I-81, allowing for fast air-to-ground transfer of goods and commodities...
, Middletown, Pennsylvania
Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Middletown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, nine miles southeast of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
- 112th Air Operations Squadron, located in State College, PennsylvaniaState College, PennsylvaniaState College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
. - 201st Red Horse Civil Engineering Flight, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- Regional Equipment Operators Training Site, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- 203d Weather Flight, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- 211th Engineering Installation Squadron, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- 271st Combat Communications Squadron, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- 553d Air Force Band (Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic), located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- Lightning Force Academy, affiliated with the Community College of the Air Force and is located at Fort Indiantown Gap.
- Bollen Air-to-Ground Weapons Range, located at Fort Indiantown Gap.