F-16 Fighting Falcon News

August 25, 2009 (by Lt. Col. Mitch "Rocky" von Hoffman) - The 100th Fighter Squadron has a proud heritage of service beginning with World War II.
As part of the US Army Air Corps 332nd Fighter Group, the African American pilots of the 100th Fighter Squadron received initial flying training conducted at the historical Tuskegee Institute by participating in the Civilian Pilot Training Program beginning in 1939. They became known as the "Tuskegee Airmen."

That proud tradition continues in the most recent deployment of the 100th Fighter Squadron involving more than 240 members of the Alabama Air National Guard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Its primary mission is to provide Close Air Support (CAS) for coalition forces deployed to locations all over Iraq.

Support has been provided ranging from time sensitive kinetic employment of GPS or LASER guided munitions against high value targets to using the F-16's thermal imaging sensors to sweep convoy routes for possible improved explosive devices (IEDs).

During the first month of deployment, the 100th Fighter Squadron has flown more than 300 sorties, logged over 1,000 hours of flight time and successfully employed Precision Guided Munitions against enemy targets in support of coalition forces.

Most of the members of the present day 100th Fighter Squadron are seasoned veterans and have deployed on several Air Expeditionary Forces rotations, since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

However, a few personnel are on their first combat deployment, such as Capt. Rich Peace. Although the squadron has many African American members, Peace is currently the only African American pilot. "It is a privilege and an honor to be a part of the 100th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing," he said. "The courage and dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen not only opened the doors to military service for African Americans, but it jump started the civil rights movement and helped transform our nation."

"From flying P-40s in the past and hopefully flying F-35s in the future; the 100th Fighter Squadron has been, and will continue to be an integral part of the heritage, tradition, and combat capability of the United States Air Force. I am proud to be a part of such a historically significant event."

Another young pilot on his first deployment is 1st Lt. Don Lambing. "I've quickly learned that the close air support sorties in Iraq can be very fluid as the situation on the ground can change quickly," he said about his training for the deployment. "Although that is sometimes difficult to prepare for, I have been fortunate enough to train with some of the best and most experienced fighter pilots the Air National Guard has to offer."

"While the history of our squadron has some very large shoes to fill, I feel blessed to be part of this great group of fighter pilots. Every sortie gives me more experience and another opportunity to learn. I'm very grateful to be over here helping those on the ground any way that I can."

One of the more experienced pilots is Maj. Rowdy Wiles, who experienced combat on the ground as an air liaison officer for the U.S. Air Force, attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, during the 2003 march to Bagdad.

He was the first pilot on this rotation to employ ordnance in support of ground forces. "It felt good to help put bombs on target for the Army in 2003," he said. "But to be able to fly in combat, and actually be here as part of the real Redtails, is quite an honor. It feels good to be a part of this legendary squadron’s combat history.”

The Tuskegee program began in June 1941 with the formation of the 99th Fighter Squadron. The Airmen were under the command of Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., then one of the few African-American graduates of West Point.

When considered ready for duty, the 99th Fighter Squadron was deployed to Casablanca, Morocco and participated in the North Africa campaign. They saw their first combat in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the preparation for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943.

In the spring of 1944, more graduates were ready for combat, and the all-African American 332nd Fighter Group was deployed overseas with three fighter squadrons: the 100th, 301st, and 302nd.

Under the command of Col. Davis, the squadrons were moved to mainland Italy and were joined by the 99th Fighter Squadron on June 6, 1941.

The 332nd Fighter Group escorted bombing raids into Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Germany. Flying escort for heavy bombers, the 332nd earned an impressive combat record.
The allies called the Airmen "Redtails," because of the distinctive crimson paint on the vertical stabilizers of the unit’s aircraft.

The Tuskegee Airmen were initially equipped with P-40 Warhawks, briefly with P-39 Airacobras, later with P-47 Thunderbolts, and finally with the aircraft that they became most commonly identified with, the P-51 Mustang.

By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen were credited with 109 Luftwaffe aircraft shot down, one destroyer, and the destruction of numerous fuel dumps, trucks, and trains. The squadrons of the 332nd Fighter Group flew more than 15,000 sorties on 1,500 missions.

The unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission flown March 24th, 1945, escorting B-17s to bomb the Daimler-Benz tank factory at Berlin, Germany.

The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded several Silver Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 8 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars and 744 Air Medals.

In all, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1940 to 1946, about 445 deployed overseas, and 150 Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat.

On Sept. 13, 2007, the 100th Fighter Squadron was reactivated as a fighter unit in the Alabama Air National Guard. The ceremony was held at Maxwell Air Force Base and presided over by the chief of staff of the Air Force with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Sen. Jeff Sessions also in attendance.

Squadron members will return home later this fall, adding over 240 to the number of combat veterans with Tuskegee Airmen history.