143d Airlift Wing The 143d Airlift Wing ( 143 AW ) is a unit of the Rhode Island Air National Guard , stationed at Quonset Point Air National Guard Station , Rhode Island . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . The 143d Airlift Squadron assigned to the Wings 143d Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the 152d Observation Squadron , established on 21 August 1939 . It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II . Mission . The 143d Airlift Wing ' s purpose is to provide airlift and combat support forces to the United States Armed Forces and to provide resources to protect life , property and public safety for its state and community . Units . The 143d Airlift Wing consists of the following units : History . Established on 1 July 1968 when the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143d Special Operations Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level . The 143d Special Operations Group was established by the National Guard Bureau , with the 143d SOS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 143d Headquarters , 143d Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 143d Combat Support Squadron , and the 143d USAF Dispensary . The Grumman SA - 16 " Albatross " flown by 143d pilots since 1955 was replaced in 1968 with an updated version of the " Albatross " , the HU - 16 . With twice the cargo capability and range , the HU - 16 opened up new avenues of opportunity as was demonstrated in 1970 . Flight and Ground crews of the 143d assisted scientists and engineers of the Naval Underwater Systems Center , conducting studies of undersea acoustics , at Lake Tanganyika in Africa during April and again in August at Hudson Bay , Canada . The unit would work in the Special Operations field for seven more years , during which the HU - 16 aircraft were eventually retired in 1972 and replaced with Fairchild C - 119G / L " Flying Boxcars " . Tactical airlift . In 1975 as part of a general program to upgrade Air National Guard units the 143d was redesignated as a Tactical Airlift Group and assigned Lockheed C - 130A Hercules aircraft . In 1980 the 143d Tactical Airlift Group moved from T . F . Green airport to its new home at Quonset Air National Guard Base . As global airlifters , Rhode Island " Herks " were found in all parts of the United States , Europe , Africa , South America and the Caribbean . The 143d played a vital role in deployments such as Volant Oak , Volant Pine , Red Flag , Dragon Hammer , Volant Rodeo competitions and humanitarian efforts such as " Operation Toy Lift " which provided toys to the children of Granada on 1986 . In 1989 , the 143d was selected for conversion to the C - 130E Model . In 1990 unit volunteers provided support during Operation Desert Shield . In September , unit members flew out of Rhein - Main Air Base , Germany to support operational missions from Turkey and Saudi Arabia . The second group of volunteers arrived at RAF Mildenhall , England in January 1991 and was in the theater of operations when Operation Desert Shield turned into Operation Desert Storm . With the defeat of the Iraqi forces and the end of the Gulf War , members returned home in June 1991 and were released from active duty . As part of Air Mobility Command the unit continued to be called upon to support State , Federal , and UN activities throughout the world . Volunteers from the 143d participated in many United Nations relief missions ; Somalia in 1992 , Operation Provide Promise in 1993 flying daylight air - land missions into Sarajevo along with night airdrops over remote areas of Bosnia - Herzegovina . On 1 October 1995 the group was elevated to Wing status . In 1998 the Air Force formed the Expeditionary Air Force ( EAF ) ; smaller sized war fighting " packages " able to rapidly respond to regional conflicts . The Wing has participated in five AEF cycles , supporting Operation Joint Forge in the Balkans , Operation Southern Watch in Southwest Asia and Coronet Oak in South America . Current operations . On 11 September 2001 , the 143d responded to the call again , deploying unit members to Ground Zero , to US bases for homeland security and implemented 24 - hour operations at Quonset . The 143d AW has supported the Global War on Terror by not only becoming a bridge to and from the theater but by also providing airlift in support of the war effort . The 143d AW provided the 1st ever C - 130J Aircraft in a combat role by the U . S . Air Force in December 2004 and continued to support the war effort with both the C - 130E and C - 130J until retiring the C - 130E in 2005 . The 143d AW also provided and continues to provide the much needed troop support within Southwest Asia and many other areas of the world . In December 2001 , the 143d received its first C - 130J - 30 . The Wing became the first in the Air Force to receive the " stretch " version of the " J " model . As the most modern tactical airlifter in the world , the C - 130J - 30 can carry more cargo or personnel farther , faster , and more economically than the C - 130E proving its increased airlift capability . The fleet for the 143d was completed with the arrival of the eighth J - model at Quonset on 15 June 2007 . The location of Quonset being the eastern most C - 130 base has provided the 143d AW with a unique opportunity to become a " bridge " between Europe and the Continental United States in support of Operation Enduring Freedom / Operation Iraqi Freedom .