World War II The
313th Signal Company, Wing was constituted and activated on 1 December 1942 at
Camp Pinedale, California and assigned to the
Fourth Air Force for training purposes in preparation for reassignment overseas in support of
World War II. Upon completion of training, the unit was assigned to
Twelfth Air Force and transferred to the Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 12 August 1943 to prepare for transport overseas. On 4 September 1943, the 313th loaded onto the
S.S. Santa Elena, a converted luxury cruise liner from the
Grace Line, at the
New York Port of Embarkation where it departed for North Africa, arriving on 11 September. Upon arrival in North Africa, the 313th was reassigned to the
57th Bombardment Wing which it would remain under throughout the course of the war until inactivation. The 313th departed North Africa for Italy on 26 November 1943, arriving on 29 November. In the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations, the unit participated in the
Allied Invasion of Italy during the Naples-Foggia Campaign from 18 August 1943 to 21 January 1944 and the Rome-Arno Campaign from 22 January 1944 till the end of the war. The 313th received battle credits and streamers for both campaigns. On 18 April 1944, the unit was transferred from Italy to
Corsica. On 15 April 1945, the unit was transferred back to Italy where it would remain throughout the duration of the war. On 4 October 1945 at Camp Marcianise, Italy, the 313th was formally inactivated and control of the unit was transferred to the
War Department.
Cold War era On 24 May 1946, the 313th was allotted to the
New York National Guard and redesignated as the
102d Communications Squadron. On 29 March 1948, the unit was consolidated at the
White Plains Armory in
White Plains, New York and received Federal recognition with the mission to install, maintain, and operate communications facilities for the
52nd Fighter Wing,
New York Air National Guard. On 1 July 1952, the unit underwent major manpower and mission changes and was redesignated as the
274th Communications Squadron. The unit's new mission was to install, operate, and maintain mobile communications facilities in support of the
253rd Combat Communications Group,
Air Force Communications Service, and
Tactical Air Command communications area in a national emergency. In July 1959, the 274th was assigned the primary mission to provide highly mobile communications teams in support of contingencies and relocated to
Roslyn Air National Guard Station in East Hills, New York. Changing with each Command served, the basic mission of the 274th was to provide, site, install, operate, and maintain deployed tactical communications equipment in support of a Tactical Air Base, providing commanders in the field with record and voice communications back to rear / area command headquarters via long haul radio systems and or in country circuits. Communications were provided via long haul HF/ISB radio and later satellite radio systems. Tactical telephone, record communications, and Command and Control HF/SSB systems were the primary services provided. Local Area Networks (LAN) for computerized supply, personnel and maintenance reporting services were added later. All communications systems were highly complex and all were secured.
1995 BRAC In 1995, in order to produce a more efficient and cost-effective basing structure, the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended to the
Secretary of Defense the closure of Roslyn ANGS
and subsequent relocation of the 274th Combat Communications Squadron to
Stewart Air National Guard Base in
Newburgh, New York. In 1998, rather than being moved to Stewart ANGB, the unit was to be moved to
Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York and redesignated as the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron.
Air support operations On 1 October 1999, the 274th Combat Communications Squadron was redesignated as the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron and relocated to Hancock Field ANGB. The 274 ASOS' new mission was tactical command and control of air assets while embedded with aligned US Army units. Despite the name change and new mission, the history of working with advanced communications equipment since World War II continued.
September 11, 2001 The attacks on
New York City on the morning of
11 September 2001 were the first operational test of the 274 ASOS. Within hours of the attacks, half of the unit loaded onto HC-130's from the
106th Rescue Wing for deployment to New York City as part of the initial response; the second half of the unit would follow on 12 September. The rapid notification and deployment ensured that unit members were on the ground and operational in less than 8 hours after the first attack. In New York City, the unit's mission was to serve as a communications platform in the center of the city for the various first responder, aid, and relief units. Unit members drew upon their training and experiences working in austere environments within minimal equipment to effectively and efficiently relay communications between relief workers and local, state, and federal leadership.
Afghanistan and Iraq In anticipation of deployment operations as a result of the September 11th attacks, the 274th increased their training tempo and operational readiness, conducting close air support training throughout the winter in locations across the United States. The increased effort put towards JTAC training, readiness, and currency resulted in the unit being given initial operational capability (IOC) status in December 2002, paving the way for unit members to contribute to the
operations in Afghanistan and to prepare for the expected
operations in Iraq.
Domestic operations As part of the domestic response role, the unit was activated several times for relief efforts, most recently for the flooding in
Binghamton, New York caused by
Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011 and
Hurricane Sandy in New York City and the relief efforts in
Buffalo, New York due to severe
lake effect snowfall received in November 2014. == Lineage ==