134th Fighter Squadron

134th Fighter Squadron
Two U.S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon fighters (s/n 83-1159, 84-1275) from the 134th Fighter Squadron, 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard,
Active	1942-Present
Country	United States
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Fighter/Air Defense
Size	Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons
Part of	Vermont Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont
Nickname(s)	The Green Mountain Boys
Tail Code	A green tailband with yellow text 'Vermont' included. A standing man fills the entire tail with the serial underneath. On the tailbase the words 'The Green Mountain Boys' are painted.
Insignia
134th Fighter Squadron emblem

The 134th Fighter Squadron (134 FS) is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. The 134th is equipped with the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

History

World War II

Trained with V-72 Vengeance aircraft. Moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Assigned to Tenth Air Force. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches. The 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left. The red nose was also a squadron marking. Many planes of the squadron had a girl's name on the nose but very few had any artwork.

The squadron supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon, Insein, and other targets; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina and Bhamo; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump route between India and China.

Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944. Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.

Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945. Returned to the US in December 1945.

Inactivated in early 1946.

Vermont Air National Guard

The wartime 530th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 134th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Vermont Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at the Burlington International Airport, Vermont, and was extended federal recognition on 14 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau.

The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed and federally recognized. The organizers of the squadron were MG Murdock Campbell, the Adjutant General, Col Albert Cate, Air Advisor, and LtCol William M. Bowden became the first commander of the newly formed unit. The 134th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 530th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units.

The 134th was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned initially directly to the Vermont Air National Guard until the Massachusetts ANG 67th Fighter Wing, was federally recognized on 15 October 1946. The 67th Fighter Wing was the first ANG command and control organization in New England. On 4 April 1947, it was transferred to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group.

The postwar era was a time of organization and expansion of the Air National Guard. The units had to be organized, federally recognized, equipped and stationed. The first several years were difficult as units had to contend with worn-out World War II aircraft while the Air Force converted to modern jet fighters. Air Guard units were under-funded and largely left to themselves to conduct training with little assistance and supervision by the Air Force.

However, as a result of using wartime aircraft, parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active-duty USAF units, given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans. In 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by F-51D Mustangs.

Air Defense Mission

The mission of the 134th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Vermont. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty. The 134th was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Maine ANG 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, although it initially remained stationed at Burlington Airport. It's mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England. The squadron was then attached to the the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB. It was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952.

With the end of the Korean War, Air Defense Command assigned the 517th Air Defense Group as the host unit, and the Vermont Air National Guard began operating out of the old airport administration building and the wooden hangar next to it, receiving its first T-33 Shooting Star and assigned to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group. Burlington Airport became the United States Air Force Ethan Allen Air Force Base on 16 February 1953.

With the increased availability of jet aircraft after the Korean War, the squadron's aircraft were upgraded to the F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1953. With the 101st FIG consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units, the group began holding summer camp at Otis Air Force Base after they began flying F-94s. On 1 May 1956 the 134th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 158th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau; the 134th FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 158th Headquarters, 158th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 158th Combat Support Squadron, and the 158th USAF Dispensary.

On 25 June 1960, Air Defense Command inactivated the 14th Fighter Group at Ethan Allen AFB, and the base reverted to Air National Guard jurisdiction. The 158th Fighter Group now manned alert hangars 24 hours a day. In the summer of 1960, summer field training was conducted at Otis Air Force Base at Cape Cod, MA, from 18 June to 2 July. When the unit returned to Burlington, the Maintenance and Operations Squadrons immediately moved into the facilities that had been vacated by the Regular Air Force with the closure of Ethan Allen AFB. The aging F-94s were replaced by twin-engine F-89D Scorpion fighters in 1958. Two years later F-89Js replaced the D models. The J model was designed to carry two Genie nuclear missiles under the wings to defend against enemy bomber attack.

The 134th was reorganized as the 158th Fighter Interceptor Group in mid 1960 and was placed under the United States Air Defense Command. Lt Col Robert P. Goyette assumed command of the group and Maj Rolfe L. Chickering took command of the 134th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The Air Guard now manned alert hangars 24 hours a day, a mission which had previously belonged to the active Air Force. Summer field training was conducted at Otis Air Force Base, Cape Cod, Massachusetts from June 18th to July 2d. When the unit returned to Burlington, the Maintenance and Operations Squadrons immediately moved into the facilities that had been vacated by the Air Force.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, better training and equipment, and closer relations with the Air Force greatly improved the readiness of Group. The Vermont Air National Guard received the ADC Operational Readiness award in October 1962, for having the greatest degree of readiness of any F-89 unit in the country. In 1965, the 134th received Mach-2 supersonic F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors, the Air Guard was always one generation of aircraft behind the Air Force during this time.

In 1971 the 158th embarked on an intensive recruiting program that made Vermont one of the top units in the country in total strength. During this period the VTANG began to actively recruit women into all open career fields. Maryanne T. Lorenz was the first woman officer and SSgt Karen Wingard left active duty with the Air Force to become the first enlisted woman to join the Green Mountain Boy unit. She later became First Sergeant of the 158th Mission Support Squadron, received her commission, and was later appointed commander of that squadron.

The 158th Fighter Interceptor Group became the 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group (158 DSEG) in June 1974, with the unit receiving twenty EB-57 Canberras. These two-seat, twin-engine aircraft were equipped with electronic counter-measures and chaff emitting equipment. The new mission was to act as the "friendly enemy" to evaluate both air and ground radar systems. This mission took pilots, electronic warfare officers, and maintenance personnel all over the United States, Canada, and as far as Iceland, South Korea, and Japan. The unit provided direct operational training of now-Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) aircrews in the accomplishment of their mission when their systems were severely degraded as might be expected during an attack by enemy offensive aircraft.

Tactical Air Command

The 158th began a transition to the F-4D Phantom in 1980, a powerful, two seat, two engine fighter. The Vermont Air National Guard left the Air Defense community to become part of the Tactical Air Command with a primary mission of ground attack and close air support.

The 158th Tactical Fighter Group deployed to Gulfport, Mississippi, in January, 1983 to prepare for the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. This was the unit?s first large-scale deployment in 23 years. The last deployment had been for summer camp at Otis AFB, Massachusetts, in 1960.

The 158th Civil Engineering Squadron dedicated its new building on December 14th. Fifty-two members of the CE Squadron deployed to Panama on a humanitarian mission in January of 1994. They constructed a six-room masonry block school building and a single story wood frame building to be used as a hospice by the local hospital.

In the mid eighties the USAF decided to re-equip the Air National Guard units with more modern equipment. In the earlier decades the ANG always had to be thankful to receive older USAF jets. With the introduction of the F-16 this changed. The first models of the 134th FS were of the block 15 version – although also some block 1 and 10 models were flown for a brief time. These aircraft came from regular USAF squadrons who transitioned to newer C/D models, but still these aircraft were no older than a mere 5 years.

Traditionally these ANG units were mainly tasked with defense of national airspace. The location of the Vermont ANG was much more specific in their relation to NORAD that they were tasked with this defense as a primary role. Therefore the block 15 lacked the Beyond Visual Range capability. However, this changed in the course of 1990 with the upgrade of their aircraft to the block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter) version. This meant a serious leap in performance and capability of this squadron in their defensive role. As a result the Vermont ANG has one of the highest rates of interceptions of Russian bombers that were coming in over the North Pole, except for some Alaskan USAF units.

In 1994 the scope of the squadron was again enlarged with the introduction of the block 25 version of the F-16. The 134th FS was one of the first ANG units to receive the C/D models of the viper. At first the mission of the squadron remained relatively the same. But with the introduction of these aircraft a more multi-role mission profile became possible with the squadron being tasked to undertake deployments to the Middle East.

In 1998 the squadron was one of five ANG squadrons to be equipped with the Theatre Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS). This way the squadrons mission became somewhat specific in the USAF, since only these five ANG units posses a tactical reconnaissance capacity. They are therefore regularly asked to perform this mission for the entire organization.

On March 5th, 2008 - still in 186th FS markings - the 134th FS received its first F-16 block 30 (#87-0332) as the 186th FS converted to the F-15. This conversion is not only an engine change from the Pratt & Whitney to the General Electric but also to the big inlet viper. Before the end of 2008 the 134th FS had completed its conversion to the block 30. The block 25s were sent to the 179th FS, Edwards AFB and some went to AMARC for retirement in the 'boneyard.' IOC on the block 30 was reached in 2009 with the squadron being ready for combat.

Lineage

• Constituted 384th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 Jan 1942

Activated on 2 Mar 1942

Re-designated: 384th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 Jul 1942

Re-designated: 530th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 30 Sep 1943

Re-designated: 530th Fighter Squadron on 30 May 1944

Inactivated on 16 Feb 1946

• Re-designated: 134th Fighter Squadron, and allotted to Vermont ANG, on 24 May 1946

Extended federal recognition 14 August 1946

Federalized and ordered to active service on: 10 February 1951

Released from active duty and returned to Vermont state control, 1 November 1952

Re-designated: 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 November 1952

Re-designated: 134th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron on 9 Jun 1974

Re-designated: 134th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 Jan 1982

Re-designated: 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 Jul 1987

Re-designated: 134th Fighter Squadron on 15 Mar 1992

Components designated as: 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron when deployed as part of an Air and Space Expeditionary unit after June 1996.

Assignments

• 311th Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber; Fighter) Group, 2 Mar 1942-6 Jan 1946
• Vermont Air National Guard, 14 August 1946
• 67th Fighter Wing, 15 October 1946
• 101st Fighter Group, 4 April 1947
• 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 10 February 1951

Attached to: 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1 April 1951

• 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing

Attached to: 4711th Defense Wing, 6 February 1952

• 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 November 1952-30 June 1954
• 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1954-14 April 1956
• 158th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 15 April 1956
• 158th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 July 1960
• 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group, 9 Jun 1974
• 158th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 Jan 1982
• 158th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 Jul 1987
• 158th Fighter Group, 15 Mar 1992
• 158th Operations Wing, 11 October 1995-Present

Stations

• Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 2 March 1942
• Hunter Field, Georgia, 4 July 1942
• Waycross Army Airfield, Georgia, 22 October 1942 – 18 July 1943
• Nawadih Airfield, India, 14 September 1943
• Dinjan Airfield, India, 18 Oct 1943

Detachment operated from: Kurmitola, India, 21 Oct-Nov 1943; 28 May – 11 Jun 1944

• Kwanghan, China, 21 Oct 1944

Detachment operated from: Hsian, China, 30 Oct 1944 – 21 Feb 1945

• Pungchacheng, China, 5 May 1945
• Hsian, China, Aug 1945
• Shanghai, China, 17 Oct 1945 – 16 Feb 1946.
• Burlington International Airport, Vermont, 1946

Designated: Ethan Allen Air Force Base, 1953-1960

Detachment 1 operated from: Bangor International Airport, Maine, 1987-1992

Designated: Burlington Air National Guard Base, 1991 – present

Aircraft

• V-72 Vengeance, 1942
• A-36 Apache, 1942-1944
• P-51C Mustang, 1944-1945
• F-47D Thunderbolt, 1947-1950
• F-51D Mustang, 1950-1952
• F-94A/B Starfire, 1952-1958
• F-89D Scorpion, 1958-1965

• F/TF-102A Delta Dagger, 1965-1974
• EB-57B/E Canberra, 1974-1982
• F-4D Phantom II, 1982-1986
• Block 15 ADF F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, 1986-1994
• Block 25 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, 1994-2008
• Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, 2008-Present

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force: World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1982.
• 134th Fighter Squadron lineage and history