139th Airlift Wing
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| 139th Airlift Wing | |
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 139th Airlift Wing patch |
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| Active | 22 Aug 1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air National Guard |
| Role | Tactical Airlift |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, Saint Joseph, Missouri |
The 139th Airlift Wing is located at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, Saint Joseph, Missouri. It is the home of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. The 139th AW is one of the two flying wings currently in the Missouri Air National Guard. The flying unit is the 180th Airlift Squadron which operationally flies the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.
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[edit] History
The 139th Airlift Wing has its roots in the formation of the 180th Bombardment Squadron (Light) which was one of the first federally recognized Air National Guard units in the nation. The 180th BS(L) received federal recognition on August 22, 1946 by an inspection team from 2nd Air Force. The 180th BS was assigned the Douglas B-26B/C "Invader" light bomber. Lt Col John B. Logan, who was instrumental in forming the unit, was named as the first Squadron Commander and would be later named the Base Commander. He had accumulated more than 250 combat hours in 22 combat missions as a B-17 pilot and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters and campaign ribbons representing the Northern France, Central Europe and Normandy theaters of operation. The 180th BS (L) flew the B-26 until 1958.
[edit] Components
- 139th Operations Group
- 180th Airlift Squadron
- 241st Air Traffic Control Squadron
- 139th Operations Support Flight
- 139th Mission Support Group
- 139th Civil Engineer Squadron
- 139th Communications Flight
- 139th Mission Support Flight
- 139th Aerial Port Squadron
- 139th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 139th Security Forces Squadron
- 139th Services Flight
- 139th Maintenance Group
- 139th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 139th Maintenance Squadron
- 139th Maintenance Operations Flight
- 139th Medical Group
[edit] Aircraft Conversions
- 1957, F-84 Thunderjet and became the 180th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.
- 1958, RF-84 Thunderflash and became the 180th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.
- 1961, C-97 Stratofreighter and became the 139th Air Transport Group. The group was renamed the 139th Military Airlift Group in 1966 when the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) was replaced by the Military Airlift Command (MAC).
- 1968, KC-97 Stratotanker and became the 139th Air Refueling Group.
- 1976, C-130A and became the 139th Tactical Airlift Group.
- 1987, C-130H2 and remained the 139th Tactical Airlift Group. The C-130H2 aircraft were brand new aircraft direct from the Lockheed plant. The first aircraft named the “Spirit of St. Joseph” arrived at Rosecrans ANGB on March 6, 1987.
