“Today the Illinois Air National Guard is a proud and professional force,” said Brig. Gen. William Cobetto of Hillsboro, Assistant Adjutant General, Illinois Air National Guard. “We honor those who have served before us who shaped this organization. We also celebrate our rich history and we thank the men and women who serve today upholding the customs, traditions and high standards the citizens of Illinois have come to expect.”
Prior to 1956, the 126th Composite Bomb Wing, then based at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, supported NATO operations during the Korean War from April 1951 to December 1954. Forty-eight air crews in their Douglass B-26 Invaders made a first-ever, harrowing journey across the Atlantic Ocean en route to France. The pilots endured poor weather conditions including freezing rain, low visibility, and sub-zero temperatures, forcing them to fly at very low altitudes across the ocean without cockpit heating and de-icing equipment.
During the 1961 Berlin Crisis, President John F. Kennedy called up 148,000 National Guardsmen for duty including Airmen from the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron, then based in Springfield. The pilots and aircraft flew operations out of France, under the command of Maj. Harold Holesinger, who later became the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard in 1983.
With the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, the Air Force was downsized. As a new era of threats developed in the Middle East, the Illinois Air National Guard proved its relevance more than ever before. After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990, the 182nd Tactical Air Support Group based in Peoria and the 126th Air Refueling Wing then based at O’Hare both supported Operation Desert Storm January 1991.
In 1996, 1997, and 1999, the 183rd Fighter Wing based in Springfield deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, patrolling the Iraqi no-fly zone. Also in 1999, the 126th Air Refueling Wing provided air refueling support to the Kosovo air campaign.
Immediately after 9-11, the 182nd Airlift Wing assisted with airlift transport. The wing continued to support a variety of airlift missions at home and abroad in countries in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.
In 2001 and 2002 the 182nd supported the U.S. Southern Command combating illegal drug trafficking while participating in Operation Coronet Oak. The wing also provided aircraft and personnel for humanitarian relief throughout Central and South America from Howard Air Force Base in Panama.
Over the last 11 years, nearly 10,000 Airmen from the three Illinois Air National Guard wings, 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria and the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base have supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. The 126th has also supported enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya during Operation Odyssey Dawn in March 2011.
“From peacekeeping missions to no-fly zone patrols to state missions involving floods and hurricanes, the Illinois Air Guard has accomplished much and has always been ready to answer the call,” said Cobetto.
PHOTO 2 U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Charlie Helmholt, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Staff Sgt. Chris R. Kruse (left) and Tech. Sgt. Justin M. Wholford with the 126th Air Refueling Wing, Communications Flight based at Scott Air Force Base, secure an adjustable antenna and camera extension arm to the side of a humvee May 7, 2011. The humvee was converted to the Contingency Response Communication System during the Illinois National Guard’s response to severe flooding in southern Illinois.
PHOTO 3 : Photo by Sgt. Michael Camacho, Illinois National Guard/ Army Sgt. Daniel Brown, the Combat Life Saver course instructor with the Illinois National Guard’s 129th Regional Training Institute in Springfield shows Airman 1st Class Aaron Grover of Lincoln, an airman with the 183rd Security Forces Squadron how to properly apply a tourniquet to Tech. Sgt. Luis Pozo of Chicago, the assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of the 183rd Security Forces Squadron Jan. 12, 2011 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
PHOTO 4 : Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Boitz/ Illinois Air National Guard C-130 Hercules pilots with the 182nd Airlift Wing based in Peoria, assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, fly thousands of Halal meals to Pakistani flood victims as part of a humanitarian relief mission Aug. 1, 2010. Monsoon floods brought on by torrential rains in Pakistan devastated hundreds of thousands.
News from Illinois National Guard
Story by Adriana Schroeder, Illinois National Guard Command Historian