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| History > Utah Air National Guard History |
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The Utah Air National Guard was founded on November 18, 1946. The base is located on over 82 acres of the northeast corner of the Salt Lake International Airport. Nearly 1500 trained men and women serve in the Utah ANG and protect and defend both the State of Utah, and the United States of America.
Commanded by Brigadier General David M. Hooper, Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Utah ANG assignments include real-world military operations and daily activities that are necessary to support state and federal missions and training requirements.
Utah ANG's largest component is the 151st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) commanded by Col. Kelvin G. Findlay. All of the unit's commanders, along with members, are committed to building excellent organizations within the wing.
Associate units, those attached to the Utah ANG but not part of the 151st ARW, provide a wide array of critical mission services. These units are the 101st Information Warfare Flight, the 130th Engineering Installation Squadron, the 169th Intelligence Squadron, the 109th Air Control Squadron, and the 299th Range Control Squadron.
The Utah ANG began as a fighter-bomber unit, but its assigned mission has changed three times over the past 60 years. The type of aircraft flown by the wing has changed a total of eight times, with the current primary aircraft assigned being the venerable KC-135R Stratotankers. The 151st ARW has been operating the KC-135 since it was originally assigned to Utah in 1978 when the unit became part of the Strategic Air Command. The Strategic Air Command became the Air Mobility Command in June 1992.
Historical examples of federal service are numerous. Members were called to serve 21 months during the Korean Conflict. Flying P-51 fighter aircraft, 10 pilots flew over 100 missions. Two Utah pilots were killed in this conflict. One Utah ANG pilot, Capt.Clifford Jolley, flying an F-86 Sabrejet, shot down seven soviet made MIG-15 aircraft and became the first Air Guard "Ace" of the Korean Conflict.
During the Vietnam War, Utah Air Guard crews flew 6,600 hours of support missions for American forces. During the Middle East Crisis in August of 1990, Utah crews were some of the first to volunteer in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Utah ANG's support of this operation continued well into 1991. In 1999 many members were deployed in support of Operation Allied Force.
The Utah Air National Guard participates in ongoing Aerospace Expeditionary Force missions. With the onset of the on-going war on terror, all units of the Utah Air National Guard have maintained extremely high operational and deployment tempos.
At home, local communities see many benefits from the Utah ANG. Many opportunities exist to meet legitimate military training needs while serving the community. Activities include Sub-for-Santa, Blood Drives, highway cleanup, and the 2002 Olympics. The Utah ANG also maintains a state of readiness should Utah need support during an earthquake, flood, civil disturbance, or major disaster, and was involved in assisting evacuees in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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