154th CAM Squadron HANG

[Salvage Sailor]

154th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron “nō ka ʻoi” HANG (Hawaii Air National Guard), Hickam Air Force Base, 1960

 

HISTORY

The 154th Wing was initially organized as the 154th Fighter Group on Dec. 1, 1960. The six original units that comprised the Fighter Group were: the HQ 154th Fighter Group, the 154th Air Base Squadron; the 154th Materiel Squadron; the 154th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; the 199th Fighter Interceptor Squadron; and the 154th USAF Dispensary.

Before the Fighter Group was organized, the Hawaii Air National Guard flew the P-47 from 1946-1953. That year, it converted to the F-86E and then to the F-86L Sabre Jet in 1956. When the introduction of the F-86L it allowed, for the first time, 24-hour-a-day operations.

The Wing transitioned from the F-86L to the F-102 Delta Dagger in 1961. The DEUCE was a valuable part of the Wing for the following 15 years. The large-scale retirement of the F-102A began in late 1969 and continued throughout the 1970s. The last F-102A departed in Oct. 1976, when the 199th FIS converted to F-4C Phantoms.

The Wing acquired the F-15 A/B Eagle in 1987, marking the Wing's transition from the F-4. The first two F-15 Eagles arrived from Holloman AFB, New Mexico in 1987. Twenty-four additional jets were sent from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. In 1992, the aircraft were upgraded under the Multi-Stage Improvement Programs which brought the F-15 fleet in line with its active duty counterparts. During the early 1990s, the 199th Fighter Inceptor Squadron became the 199th Fighter Squadron and in 1994, it was the first Air National Guard F-15 squadron in the nation to fly combat sorties over the northern no-fly zone of Iraq.

The Wing acquired Operational Support Aircraft in 1983 when the C-130A Hercules made its appearance. In 1988 the C-130A converted to the C-130H aircraft. The first C-130H arrived in 1989. The 203rd Air Refueling Squadron received federal recognition on Feb. 12, 1993. The unit was designated a four primary assigned aircraft unit. Eventually the squadron grew to have nine KC-135R Stratotankers. Within two years, the unit was flying combat sorties, refueling NATO aircraft over Bosnia in 1995.

Major unit deployments in the past have included : Commando Road in Guam, Combat Sage and Cope Thunder at Clark Air Base, Team Spirit in Korea, and Cope North at Misawa, Japan. The 154th Wing participated in its first Red/Green Flag 82-03 in March 1982 as aggressor forces with six of our F-4Cs. Other deployments in the 1980s were a Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Tactics exercise; 154 CES deployment to Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines; the 154th Wing deployment to the Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and the deployment of the 154th Tactical Hospital to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

The Wing's tankers have flown worldwide including locations such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand, Italy, Iceland, Puerto Rico and England.

Source: Hawaii Air National Guard 154th Wing

Photo: Original enameled plaque 154th CAM Sq.