World War I The first venture of the Rhode Island National Guard into aviation was a
Curtis Model F flying boat with a 110 horsepower Curtiss OXX-2 engine that was capable of a speed of 70 miles an hour. It arrived in Providence on 23 June 1916 and assembled at
Fields Point. It had standardized control and was also equipped with dual control so that either the operator or mechanic could take control of the aircraft. It was designed as a training aircraft and built to carry three but configured to carry only two. The aircraft was donated by
Lyra B. Nickerson through the
National Aero Club. Robert Simmons was the instructor and in charge of the aircraft. Maj Gerald T. Hanley was the officer in charge. G.T. Hanley conducted training classes from members recruited from Battery A. When the National Guard was mobilized in 1917 for the
Mexican Border War border conflict and America's entry into the
First World War, little use was found for the aircraft and it was stored at the
Cranston Street Armory. It had been flown for less than 300 hours. In order to prevent too great of a depreciation of value through deterioration, it was decided to sell the aircraft as surplus on 22 September 1919. There were no plans to continue aviation training in the National Guard at that time.
BRAC 2005 In its
BRAC 2005 recommendations, the
United States Department of Defense would realign
Warfield ANGB,
Maryland. DoD recommended to distribute the eight C-130J aircraft of the
175th Wing to the
146th Airlift Wing,
Channel Islands ANGS,
California (four aircraft), and 143d Airlift Wing (four aircraft). As a result of this recommendation, the 143rd Airlift Wing would retire two C-130E aircraft. This recommendation would move C-130Js to the California ANG and Rhode Island ANG, both of which already operated the C-130J, avoiding conversion training costs. In another recommendation, DoD recommended to realign the
Arkansas Air National Guard by realigning one C-130J aircraft to the 143rd Airlift Wing.
War on terror After the
September 11 attacks 2001, the RI ANG responded to the call again, deploying unit members to
Ground Zero, to US bases for homeland security and implemented 24-hour operations at Quonset State Airport. Since September 11 the 143rd AW has supported the
war on terror by not only becoming a bridge to and from the theater but by also providing airlift in support of the war effort. The RI ANG provided the first C-130J aircraft in a combat role by the USAF in December 2004 and continued to support the war effort with both the C-130E and C-130J until retiring the C-130E in 2005. The RI ANG also provided troop support within Southwest Asia and many other areas of the world. The location of Quonset being the easternmost C-130 base has become a "bridge" between Europe and the Continental United States in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom/
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Quonset State Airport is ideally located to fully support all C-130s, both departing for and returning from their overseas missions. ==See also==