|
The 124th Wing at Boise Idaho
The 124th Wing, Idaho Air National Guard includes two flying squadrons and 12 support units based at Gowen Air National Guard Base (Boise Air Terminal) in Boise, Idaho.
-
The 124th Wing was formed from the 405th Fighter Bomber Squadron that saw much action in Europe in WWII. It was given
the Presidential Unit Citation in 1945 and later deactivated. In 1946 the 405th was activated and redesignated the 190th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, Idaho Air National Guard.
Until the mid-1990s, the mission of the 124th Wing involved F-4 fighter aircraft. As F-4 fighter aircraft were being phased out of the U.S military, the 124th Wing was selected to assume
close-air support and tactical airlift missions.
The high-performance roar of the J79 engines have been replaced by the quiet and smooth turbofans on the A-10 Warthog. The tank-smashing airframe boasts a 30mm cannon and
carries much in the way of ordinance. Small wonder it was called in the Gulf War, "Silent Death". Also in support of the 124th Wing are the medium transports, the C-130 Hercules. These useful airframes have been used in support of the
unit's many state missions, including flood, snow, and other kinds of relief and supply
F-4G "Wild Weasel" in 1993 the Phantoms strapped on HARM missiles and the mission went from recon to the Wild Weasel mission. The 'first in, last out' radar-suppression flying took the 124th to support the
US Air Force in its enforcement of the No-Fly Zone in the Middle East.
|
