page_title: Sioux City Air National Guard Base
section_title: Iowa Air National Guard
hierarchical_section_title: Sioux City Air National Guard Base / History / Iowa Air National Guard
caption_attribution_description: English: U. S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon fighters from the 174th Fighter Squadron, 185th Fighter Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, at the Sioux City Gateway Airport, Iowa (USA), in 1998.
context_page_description: Sioux City Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Sioux Gateway Airport It is located 7.2 miles south-southeast of Sioux City, Iowa. On 25 May 2002, the airport was named "Colonel Bud Day Field" in honor of United States Air Force Colonel George Everette "Bud" Day, a Sioux City, Iowa native and is the only person ever awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross.
context_section_description: The 185th Air Refueling Wing was established in December 1946. The Army Air Force's 386th Fighter Squadron, flying P-47 Thunderbolts, was activated in 1943 and then inactivated in 1945 at the end of World War II. The unit was subsequently re-designated the 174th Fighter Squadron and allocated to the Iowa National Guard on 24 May 1946.  On 2 December 1946, the 174th was extended Federal recognition and equipped with P-51 Mustangs. Today, the 174th is still the flying squadron at the 185th Air Refueling Wing, formerly the 185th Fighter Wing.
  For three years, the 174th flew the P-51 Mustang, later redesignated the F-51 "Mustang after the U.S. Air Force became an independent service in 1947 and all Army Air Forces National Guard units became Air National Guard units. In 1949–50, the unit received its first jet, the F-84B "Thunderjet." The squadron was called to active duty on 1 April 1951 for service during the Korean War and moved to Dow AFB in Bangor, Maine. Most jet pilots transferred to USAF units in Europe and the Far East. During its Korean service, the squadron was re-equipped with the F-51D . The unit finished their tour and was transferred back to state control on 31 December 1952. In July 1953, the unit converted from F-51Ds to the F-80C Shooting Star.
  In 1955, the 174th FS was re-designated the 174th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and was transitioned to the F-84E Thunderstreak as a component of the 132nd Fighter Interceptor Wing.  In 1961, the unit was re-designated the 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron and converted to flying F-100C Super Sabre. On 1 October 1962, the unit reached group status and was reorganized and re-designated as the 185th Tactical Fighter Group.
  On 26 January 1968, the 185th was recalled to active Federal service as a result of the "Pueblo Crisis". The 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 185th augmented by many of the other personnel from the Group, deployed with their F-100s to Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam on 11 May 1968. During the course of the next 90 days, the balance of the 185th was deployed to six military bases in Korea and several others within the continental United States.  As for the 174th, on 28 May 1969, the personnel and aircraft were recalled with the 185th and returned to Sioux City and released from active duty.
  In 1977, the 185th converted to the A-7D Corsair II.  On 19 December 1991, the 185th converted aircraft again, receiving F-16 Fighting Falcons. On 16 March 1992, the 185th Tactical Fighter Group was re-designated the 185th Fighter Group.  As the Air Force and Air Guard standardized unit structures, the 185th was designated the 185th Fighter Wing. The F-16 "Fighting Falcon" would be the last jet that the unit would fly before conversion to the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft in 2003 and being re-designated the 185th Air Refueling Wing.  In 2007, the 185th began transitioning from the KC-135E to KC-135R and KC-135T models with larger engines, capable of more missions.
caption: Iowa ANG F-16s on the flight line at Sioux City, 1998
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