Origins The
Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the federal government, liable for immediate state service. If
federalized by presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the
Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units. The New York Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the
102d Aero Squadron as part of the
World War I American Expeditionary Force. Its origins begin however, on 30 April 1908 as the
1st Aero Company, a pre-World War I independent unit of the New York National Guard. The 1st Aero Company was provisionally recognized by the federal government in June 1916 and called to active duty between July 13, 1916, and November 15, 1916, to continue training with the purpose of joining the 1st Aero Squadron, a Regular Army unit deployed to
Mexico with the Punitive Expedition. The 1st Aero Company, however, never left Long Island and was disbanded on May 23, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I, when the Army decided not to use national guard aviation units in the war effort. Its history and lineage were bestowed on the 102d Observation Squadron. The 102d Aero Squadron was demobilized
1918 Armistice with Germany in 1919.
New York National Guard Constituted in 1920 as the
102nd Squadron (Observation), the squadron was assigned to the
27th Division, allotted to the state of New York, as its divisional aviation. The unit was organized in November 1921 from the "Observation Squadron, New York National Guard, which had been organized on 22 March 1921 at
Hempstead, New York, with personnel from K Company, 14th Infantry, New York National Guard. It was reorganized and federally recognized in November 1922 at
Miller Field on
Staten Island and re-designated as the
102nd Observation Squadron in January 1923. It is one of the
29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the
United States Army National Guard formed before
World War II. Its operations were primarily air transportation and aircraft repair and maintenance. However, squadron elements were called up periodically by the state of New York to perform emergency duties that included reconnaissance for the
Treasury Department of vessels conducting illegal-liquor trade off the New York-New Jersey coast in the 1920s; support of flood relief efforts in
Vermont 6–16 November 1927; aid to civil authorities during a prison break from the maximum security
Auburn Prison, 11–12 December 1930; and flood relief efforts in upstate New York 11–13 July 1935. The 102d Observation Squadron was ordered into active service on 15 October 1940 as part of the buildup of the
Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II.
New York Air National Guard On 24 May 1946, the
United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President
Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the
National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The modern New York ANG received federal recognition on 20 February 1947 as the
102d Bombardment Squadron (Light) at
Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn. It was equipped with B-26 Invaders and was assigned to Tactical Air Command. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the New York Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act. at
Stewart Air National Guard Base, March 8, 2012. The allocations to the New York ANG included the
52d Fighter Wing, a command and control organization at Westchester County Airport, receiving federal recognition on 3 October 1947; the
139th Fighter Squadron at Schenectady County Airport on 18 October 1948; the
136th Fighter Squadron at Niagara Falls International Airport and the
137th Fighter Squadron at Westchester County Airport on 8 December 1948. All of these squadrons were equipped with F-51 Mustangs and assumed an air defense missions over various areas of the state. At the end of October 1950, the ANG converted to the wing-base (
Hobson Plan) organization. As a result, the 52d Fighter Wing was withdrawn from the New York ANG and inactivated on 31 October 1950. The
106th Bombardment Wing at Brooklyn, and the
107th Fighter Wing at Niagara Falls were formed and were simultaneously allotted to the NY ANG and activated to replace the 52d. In 1956, the 137th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Westchester County Airport was authorized to expand to a group level and the
105th Fighter Group (Air Defense) received federal recognition and activated on 1 May 1956. In addition, the 109th FIS at Schenectady expanded into the
109th Fighter Group (Air Defense) the same date. 1962 saw the expansion of the 138th Tactical Fighter Squadron into the
174th Tactical Fighter Group at Syracuse. Today, the New York Air National Guard is the largest and most diverse ANG organization of the National Guard Bureau. After the
September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in New York has been activated in support of the global
war on terrorism. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were engaged in
Operation Noble Eagle air defense overflights of major United States cities. Also, New York ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and
Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed. ==See also==