367th HERITAGE
North Dakota Air National Guard
"The Happy Hooligans"
The North Dakota Air National Guard was extended Federal recognition on January 16, 1947, at Fargo Municipal Airport, Fargo, North Dakota. The newly established Air National Guard units formed in the 1947 - 1949 period were commonly assigned the history and accomplishments of a deactivated World War II flying unit.
The 367th Fighter Group, made up of the 392nd FS, 393rd FS and 394th FS was one such unit. Known as the "The Dynamite Gang", 367th Fighter Group pilots flew 14,175 combat sorties in P-38’s and P-47’s during WWII, destroying 432 enemy aircraft. The unit received two Presidential Unit Citations and two Belgium Army Order of the Day Citations.
The leading Ace of the 367th Fighter Group, Capt Larry (Scrappy) Blumer from Kindred, North Dakota, became known as the "Fastest Ace in the West", when, as a member of the 393rd FS, he shot down five German fighters (FW I90’s) in fifteen minutes on 25 August 1944. Scrappy commanded the 393rd FS from November 10, 1944 until he completed his combat tour in mid January 1945.
Upon decommissioning of the 367th Fighter Group, the 178th Fighter Squadron, North Dakota Air National Guard, received the heritage of the 392nd Fighter Squadron, one of three fighter squadrons of the 367th Fighter Group. The 179th Fighter Squadron, Minnesota Air National Guard, Duluth, Minnesota received the heritage of the 393rd Fighter Squadron and the remaining squadron from the 367th Fighter Group, the 394th Fighter Squadron, dissolved without having its heritage passed on.
Following the war, the 392nd Fighter Squadron was deactivated on November 7, 1945, and reactivated as the 178th Fighter Squadron on October 16, 1946, receiving Federal Recognition on January 16, 1947. With an initial strength of 23 officers and 44 airmen, the unit commonly known today as the Happy Hooligans, has grown to 106 officers and 1,074 airmen.
The first unit assigned aircraft was the F-51 Mustang, which the unit flew from February 1947 to 1954. The unit was activated in April of 1951 for the Korean Conflict and assigned to SAC at Moody AFB, GA in a bomber escort role. The unit was later transferred to George AFB, CA in an air to ground and air to air role. On December 31, 1952 the unit was released from active duty and returned to Fargo, ND. The 178th, which left Fargo as the 178th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, was re-designated as the 178th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and given an Air Defense Mission upon its return to Fargo in January of 1953. In September of 1953 the runway alert program was started with 2 F-51’s on alert 14 hours a day. In 1954 the unit was formally assigned to the Air Defense Command and entered the jet age when the unit converted to the F-94 which it flew until 1958. Since then, the unit assigned aircraft have been the F-89 from 1958 to 1966, the F-102 from 1966 to 1969, and the F-101 from 1969-1977. The unit flew the F4 Phantom from 1977-1990, and the F-16 from 1990 to the present. Since 1974, the 119th Fighter Wing has flown 108,000 thousand hours in fighter aircraft without a Class A Mishap, unprecedented in any U. S. fighter unit.
The mission of the North Dakota Air National Guard is two-fold. Its state mission, under the command of the Governor, is to support state and local authorities in civil emergencies. Under the federal mission, the unit is available for mobilization and immediate integration into the U.S. Air Force. The unit has been tasked to perform its state mission on many occasions. Prominent examples include Operation Haylift in 1949, providing relief to blizzard-bound farms and ranches, and most recently, Operation Snowball and Operation Good Neighbor in 1997, to combat unprecedented snow and flood conditions throughout North Dakota. Federalization of the North Dakota Air National Guard occurred during the Korean Conflict, with the unit mobilized and ordered to active duty in 1951, returning to Fargo and state control in 1953.
Air Defense alert has been a major part of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s tasking since September of 1953. The unit provided alert coverage at Fargo, with either two or four aircraft continuously on status, until March 1990 when home station alert was discontinued. A permanent alert detachment at Kingsley Field, Oregon, was assigned to the 119th beginning October 1, 1989. The detachment, staffed by 18 members, was relocated to March Air Force Base, California, in July of 1994.
The first overseas deployment of the North Dakota Air Guard occurred in 1983, with six F-4s and 120 support personnel deploying to Keflavik, Iceland. Eight Russian TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted by Hooligan pilots during the deployment. In 1986, the 119th Fighter Group became the first core unit to assume the USAF Zulu alert mission at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Referred to as "Creek Klaxon", the 119th and other Air Defense units stood continuous alert for one year, providing air sovereignty in Europe for NATO. During Desert Storm, 107 Happy Hooligans were mobilized and deployed in support of operations at numerous CONUS locations. The C-130 support aircraft assigned to the North Dakota Air National Guard and aircrew also provided stateside airlift of crucial, war-related personnel and equipment to support Desert Storm.
The Hooligans have a proud record of accomplishments over the years. Among the many unit awards, the Hughes Trophy and the USAF Daedalian Maintenance Trophy are special standouts,
presented on the basis of an Air Force wide competition to the single most deserving unit. In 1994, the Hooligans won the Hughes Trophy for the second time. The only F-16 unit to win the award, the 119th is one of only two Air National Guard units to have captured the Hughes Trophy, and the only Air National Guard unit to win the award twice, winning it for the first time in 1974. In addition to the Hughes Trophy in 1974, the unit was also presented the USAF Daedalian Maintenance Trophy. It was the first time the two awards were presented to the same unit, and the first time either of these trophies had been awarded to a Reserve Component unit.
The 119th has performed impressively in the William Tell competition, a world-wide weapons meet at Tyndall AFB, Florida. The unit’s most recent win occurred in October 1994. This was the third time the Hooligans had won the overall tournament , winning it in 1970 and 1972. The unit also won the F-4 division in 1986. The 119th has competed in the event a total of nine times, included the combined Air National Guard team in 1996. The combined team, merging both F-15’s and F-16’s into a unified combat unit, was drawn from the North Dakota and Oregon Air National Guard units.
In 1995, the 119th received its fourth consecutive Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, marking the seventh time in the unit's history that it has won the award. The award is given for exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement that clearly sets the recipient above and apart from similar units. In addition, the following are recent awards presented to the Hooligans: the 1994 Winston P. Wilson Trophy for the most outstanding ANG unit with jet fighters or reconnaissance aircraft (the second time in the unit's history); the 1994 Air National Guard Supply Effectiveness Award for promoting maximum supply efficiency and outstanding supply activities; the 1994 William W. Spruance Safety Award for the Air National Guard unit which makes the most significant contributions towards accident prevention; and the 1995 American Petroleum Institute for the Air National Guard’s top fuels element.