132d Air Refueling Squadron The 132d Air Refueling Squadron ( 132 ARS ) is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing located at Bangor Air National Guard Base , Bangor , Maine . The 132d is equipped with the KC - 135R Stratotanker . History . World War II . Trained with V - 72 Vengeance aircraft . Moved to India , via Australia , July – September 1943 . Assigned to Tenth Air Force . Operating from India and using A - 36A Apache s . The 528th Fighter Squadron having its markings as black reverse diagonal bands painted on a yellow tail . The red nose was also a squadron marking . Many planes of the squadron had a girl ' s name on the nose but very few had any artwork . The squadron supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma ; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon , Insein , and other targets ; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina and Bhamo ; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump route between India and China . Converted to P - 51C Mustang s in May 1944 . Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces , including Merrill ' s Marauders ; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma . Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force . Escorted bombers , flew interception missions , struck the enemy ' s communications , and supported ground operations , serving in combat until the end of the war . Ferried P - 51 ' s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945 . Returned to the US in December 1945 . Inactivated in early 1946 . Maine Air National Guard . The wartime 528th Fighter Squadron was re - designated as the 132d Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Maine Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Dow Army Airfield , Bangor , Maine , and was extended federal recognition on 4 February 1947 by the National Guard Bureau . The 132d was equipped with F - 47D Thunderbolt s and was initially assigned to the Massachusetts ANG 67th Fighter Wing . It was later assigned to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group on 4 April 1947 after the Maine ANG group was recognized and activated . The postwar era was a time of organization and expansion of the Air National Guard . The units had to be organized , federally recognized , equipped and stationed . The first several years were difficult as units had to contend with worn - out World War II aircraft while the Air Force converted to modern jet fighter s . Air Guard units were under - funded and largely left to themselves to conduct training with little assistance and supervision by the Air Force . However , as a result of using wartime aircraft , parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans , so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts . In some ways , the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field , check out an aircraft and go flying . However , the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency , and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active - duty USAF units , given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans . Air defense mission . On 1 December 1947 , under the command of First Air Force and Air Defense Command of the U . S . Army Air Force , the entire 101st Fighter Group was transferred to the Continental Air Command ( CONAC ) shortly after the U . S . Air Force was established on 18 September 1947 as a separate branch of the Armed Forces . The 132d replaced their F - 47 Thunderbolts with jet F - 80C Shooting Star s in the summer of 1948 , and were re - designated with the " Jet Propelled " suffix on 1 August . With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950 , and the regular military ' s complete lack of readiness , most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty . The 132d was federalized on 10 February 1951 along with its parent 101st Fighter - Interceptor Group , later expanded to Wing status by Air Defense Command . On 6 February 1952 , the 132d was transferred to the 4711th Defense Wing , Presque Isle AFB , with no change of station or mission . With the pending end of its federalization period , the squadrons F - 80C jets were transferred to the active - duty 49th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , their replacement unit at Dow . It was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of Maine on 1 November 1952 . Upon its return to Maine control , the 132d was re - equipped with F - 51H Mustang prop - interceptors , however in 1954 the squadron would return to jet interceptors , the F - 94A Starfire . The air defense mission for the Maine Air National Guard continued for the next twenty years , the squadron upgrading its aircraft every few years as more modern interceptors were passed down from Air Defense Command as they were replaced by new active - duty aircraft . The ADC radar detection stations at Brunswick , Bucks Harbor , Caswell , Charleston and Topsham were ready to make detection and calls for a scramble . Within three minutes the 13sd could be airborne and heading for a prospective rendezvous point . After identifying any intruders , the interceptor aircraft were supposed to radio back to the Ground Control Interceptor ( GCI ) station for further instructions . Beginning in 1955 , the squadron stood 24 / 7 / 365 runway alert at Dow AFB ready to respond to aircraft not readily identifiable by radar or pre - filed flight plans . In 1968 Dow Air Force Base was closed as a result of Air Force - wide downsizing directed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara . The closure was in part directed due to the desire by McNamara to reduce the size of the Air Force B - 52 Stratofortress fleet , the increasing cost of the Vietnam War and the change to Intercontinental Ballistic Missile e ( ICBMs ) as the primary strategic deterrence force . With the inactivation of Dow AFB in 1968 , most of the base was purchased by the city of Bangor and reopened the following year as Bangor International Airport . That portion of Dow AFB not turned over to the city became the basis for the current Air National Guard Base and the Maine Army National Guard ' s Army Aviation Support Facility . In November , 1969 , the 132d FIS became one of the first Air National Guard squadrons to operate the F - 101B Voodoo . Air refueling . On 1 July 1976 , the 101st was relieved from Aerospace Defense Command and transferred to Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , becoming a KC - 135A Stratotanker unit . This was part of the downsizing of ADCOM , with the probability of an air attack by Soviet bombers and fighters being remote in the age of the ICBM . The 101st was re - designated as an Air Refueling Wing , the 132d an Air Refueling Squadron . In 1977 , the 132d deployed to RAF Mildenhall , England , as part of the European Tanker Task Force . In 1978 , it began to stand alert with the SAC active force . In October 1978 The 101st AFREW along with all other Air Guard Units , underwent reorganization into the Dual Deputy organization structure ; the 101st Air Refueling Group being inactivated on 30 September . In August 1979 , the 101st became the first Air National Guard unit to host a tanker task force , and during the fall , the 101st joined forces with 16 KC - 135A ' s providing air refueling support for " Crested Cap " . This airpower exercise tested the deployment capability of Air Force fighter aircraft moving from the U . S . to Europe in support of NATO war efforts there . During the 1980s , the 101st continued to participate in Strategic Air Command exercises like Global Shield and Giant Voice . In 1984 , the 101st converted from its aging KC - 135A fleet with new fuel efficient KC - 135Es and the receipt of its first Air Force Outstanding Unit Award . The wing engaged in routine worldwide deployments with its KC - 135s . 1990 / 1991 Gulf Crisis . Early on the morning of 7 August 1990 , Operation Desert Shield , a build - up of friendly forces designed to contain the spread of Iraqi aggression , began . A telephone alert asked every crew member of the 132d Air Refueling Squadron to provide maximum availability so that an immediate response capability could be developed . All 125 Operations crew members stepped forward in voluntary support . The unit began functioning on a 24 - hour , seven - days - a - week basis . Numerous Desert Shield missions would be flown in the month of August as the 132d helped refuel transport aircraft and fighters heading to United States Air Forces Central ( CENTAF ) bases in the Middle East . Volunteers were placed on full active duty status for as long as needed . Close to 100 guard members reported during the next few days as additional KC - 135s arrived TDY from other ANG units , together with the 132d ' s own KC - 135E aircraft forming an Air National Guard tanker task force . By 1 October , the 101st ' s heavy support of MAC flights in transit from the West Coast to bases in Saudi Arabia began to slow . The 101st ARW became one of 12 National Guard units tasked with providing refueling support to Air Force units deployed to Saudi Arabia . On 12 October the 101st began deployment of its assets to Saudi Arabia to form the 1709th Air Refueling Wing ( Provisional ) at King Abdul Aziz Air Base , Jeddah . Personnel and aircraft , however , were dispersed at several locations in the Middle East , including Al Banteen Air Base , Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates ; Morón Air Base , Spain ; Cairo West Airport , Egypt ; and other locations . By January 1991 , the build - up of men and material in - theater was complete . Operation Desert Storm , the attack phase of the Allied plan to liberate Kuwait and destroy Iraq ' s army , was ready to begin . With its strategic location on the Atlantic shore , the 101st mission reverted to an " Air - Bridge " mode , refueling transiting aircraft heading across the Atlantic or inbound from RAF Mildenhall , England , which served on the other end of the transatlantic route to the Middle East . After a short 100 hours of ground combat , Iraq ' s elite Republican Guard quickly collapsed and Kuwait was easily recaptured by Coalition ground forces . Emotional returns , punctuated by parades , bands , speeches , tears , and bear - hugs were commonplace in New Hampshire as they were throughout the country . Many deployed units returning from CENTAF bases stopped at Bangor AGB on their way to their home bases . The 101st , its aircraft festooned with yellow ribbon s painted above the boom , remained in " air - bridge " mode , supporting the returning traffic . By late April almost everyone had come home safely . There had been no casualties . Modern era . In March 1992 , with the end of the Cold War , the 101st adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan . The Tri - Deputy organizational structure was revised with the 101st Operations Group , 101st Maintenance Group , 101st Mission Support Group and the 101st Medical Group being formed and the 132d Air Refueling Squadron being assigned to the 101st Operations Group . On 30 June , Strategic Air Command was inactivated as part of the Air Force reorganization after the end of the Cold War . It was replaced by Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . In 1993 , ACC transferred its KC - 135 tanker force to the new Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . The unit engaged in routine deployments and training until 1994 when the 101st began operating in the Northeast Tanker Task Force together with the New Hampshire Air National Guard . The situation in Bosnia - Herzegovina and " Operation Deny Flight " continued to involve 101st aircraft , crews , and support personnel . In 2001 , with the advent of the Global War on Terrorism , Maine ANG KC - 135s were used for air refueling aircraft flying Combat Air Patrols over major United States Cities as part of Operation Noble Eagle ( ONE ) . 132d ARS aircraft were deployed to Air Forces Central ( AFCENT ) in the middle east as Air Expeditionary Units , providing refueling for combat aircraft during Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) and Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) in Afghanistan . In 2007 , the 132d ' s KC - 135E - model aircraft were replaced throughout the summer with quieter , more efficient R - models . With their new CFM - 56 engines , a 50 percent decrease in noise resulted , and emissions were reduced 90 percent , while range , fuel off - load capability , and reliability were all increased .