RICHMOND, Va. –
This week we dig into the archival history of the Virginia Air Guard and use the 1950s version of email to learn about their first mobilization.
It started innocently enough when a meeting announcement message came through the wire to the Virginia Adjutant General about the 149th Fighter Squadron.
The Adjutant General's response, seen below, was to send the requested officers and the VaANG's USAF advisor to the meeting:
When the Strategic Air Command called someone in the 1950s to come to a meeting, you could probably figure something was up. The Cold War was heating up and the Korean War had been going on for a year.
Here’s how the aircraft stacked up with the Soviet Air Force on the left and the US Air Force on the right.
The next message, known in those days as a TWX, came with instructions to pass it to the Governor of Virginia also---the 149th was getting mobilized by direction of the President and the Secretary of Defense.
And there it was: 149
th Fighter Squadron and the 149th Weather Detachment were activated on March 1, 1951, and had 14 days to get to their mobilization station at Turner Air Force Base in Georgia:
Note sentence #4 –Please don’t disclose the number of units being activated but local commanders are allowed to announce they are alerted for mobilization.
Very quickly this was followed by another TWX from their new commander welcoming them to the 108th Fighter Wing.
At the time of activation, the 149
th was flying P-47 fighters.
From the VNG Historical files, this photo is the publicity photo used for VaANG stories in the local newspapers.
Two 149th pilots and some of the NCOs compare notes in a 1949 dated photo:
Note that the NCOs are still wearing the old U.S. Army Air Corps chevrons, and the one in the center is wearing the smaller version chevrons introduced in 1949.
Not surprisingly, all across the country where state Air Guards were getting mobilized for service either in Korea or Europe, there were some airmen who didn’t want to be mobilized. The Air Force recognized this and published the following guidance:
Nice and clear; if you have four or more dependents and don’t wish to be mobilized, you can get out of it by submitting a request no later than 1 April 1951 but….
…if you do, it is recommended that the TAG of your state declare you “no further benefit to the ANG” and you will be immediately discharged.
And, in case you were wondering, what was going on with the Virginia Army National Guard during this same period, here’s a partial answer:
Virginia, along with Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland were ordered to report the status of their 90mm cannons. Why?
The 90mm was a heavily-used weapon in the Korean War and more were needed – so the states were going to have to turn theirs in. Some of you may remember a previous history report about VaARNG artillery officers being mobilized for service in Korea; the officers selected and sent to Korea were those who were trained in using the 90mms. Bottom line: while no VaARNG Army units were mobilized, a number of individuals were, as were their 90mm cannons.
Till next time, Stay off the Ridgeline!
S/F Al
This week, in honor of the 149th and the Strategic Air Command (SAC), our historical unit motto is SAC’s original motto: War is our Profession, Peace is our Product.
This was later changed to: Peace is our Profession.
NOTE: Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Al Barnes, the Virginia National Guard Command Historian, produces a weekly history report based on findings in archived documents and other historical records. His reports will periodically be published on this website.