187th Airlift Squadron The 187th Airlift Squadron ( 187 AS ) is a unit of the Wyoming Air National Guard 153d Airlift Wing . located at Cheyenne Air National Guard Base , Wyoming . The 126th is equipped with the C - 130 Hercules . History . World War II . The squadron ' s World War II predecessor unit , the 402d Fighter Squadron was assigned to Ninth Air Force in England , flying its first combat mission on 14 March 1944 . Flying P - 38 Lightning s , the group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission in support of ground forces in the Hurtgen Forest area of Germany on 2 December 1944 when , despite bad weather and barrages of antiaircraft and small - arms fire , the squadron dropped napalm bombs on a heavily defended position in Bergstein , setting fire to the village and inflicting heavy casualties on enemy troops defending the area . The squadron flew its last combat mission on 3 March 1945 . Wyoming Air National Guard . The wartime 401st Fighter Squadron was re - activated and re - designated as the 187th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Wyoming Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Cheyenne Municipal Airport , Wyoming and was extended federal recognition on 11 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau . The 187th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the history , honors , and colors of the 401st Fighter Squadron . The squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was assigned to the to the 86th Fighter Wing , Buckley Field , Colorado . As part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force , the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air to air combat . Korean War activation . As a result of the Korean War , the 187th and its parent , the 140th Fighter Wing was federalized and brought to active duty on 1 April 1951 . The unit was ordered to the new Clovis Air Force Base , New Mexico , which arrived in October 1951 . The federalized 140th Fighter - Bomber Wing was a composite organization of activated Air National Guard units , composed of the 120th Fighter Squadron ( Colorado ANG ) , the 190th Fighter Squadron ( Utah ANG ) , and the 187th FS . The 140th and its components were equipped with F - 51D Mustangs , and were re - designated as Fighter - Bomber squadrons on 12 April 1951 . During their period of federal service , many pilots were sent to Japan and South Korea to reinforce active - duty units . At Clovis , elements of the 140th FBW took part in Operation Tumbler - Snapper - 1952 , a nuclear bomb test in Nevada . On 15 November 1952 , the elements of the 140th returned to Air National Guard control in their respective states . Cold War . Upon return to Wyoming state control , the 120th was re - equipped by Tactical Air Command with F - 80C Shooting Star jets . On 1 July 1955 , the squadron was re - designated as the 187th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . On 1 July 1957 , the 187th was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 153d Fighter Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 187th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 153d Headquarters , 153d Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 153d Combat Support Squadron , and the 153d USAF Dispensary . The 153d FIG being assigned to the 34th Air Division , Air Defense Command and upgraded to F - 86L Sabre Interceptor s . Airlift mission . The most dramatic change came for the Wyoming unit in 1961 when it changed from an Air Defense Command Fighter - Interceptor unit to flying C - 119 Flying Boxcar s and airlifting medical patients , with the newly designated 187th Aeromedical Transport Squadron becoming part of Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) . On 21 June 1963 the 187th received C - 121 Super Constellation aircraft and expanded its military airlift role to worldwide mission capabilities . Entering the realm of Southeast Asia and the Vietnam War , the Wyoming Air Guard flew its first mission into the Southeast Asia theater combat zone in late 1964 , and continued to do so throughout the Vietnam War years . In January 1966 , the unit became the 153d Military Airlift Group [ 153d MAG ] , under the Military Airlift Command [ MAC ] . In 1972 , the 187th received its first turboprop C - 130B Hercules aircraft , and became a Tactical Airlift Squadron . The C - 130 has proven to be one of the toughest and most versatile aircraft ever built , and which the unit continues to fly over 40 years later . In 1975 , the Wyoming Air Guard was selected for the unique role of aerial fire fighting . Two Wyoming C - 130s were equipped with Modular Airborne FireFighting System ( MAFFS ) and began water / fire retardant bombing of fires throughout the United States . Those fire fighting mission still continue through the present . In the meantime , the 153d Tactical Airlift Group expanded to regularly flying missions with the US Southern Command out of Howard AFB , Panama , as part of Operation Phoenix Oak . From supplying embassies in Central and South America , to searching for sinking ships in the middle of tropical storms , the Wyoming C - 130s and aircrews have carried out military and humanitarian missions , right up to the present day . Those missions continued through Operation Just Cause in 1989 - 90 when Panama was designated a combat zone . Beginning 5 August 1990 , the first day of Operation Desert Shield , and into Operation Desert Storm the Wyoming Air Guard flew continental U . S . and Central and South America missions . During that time , the Wyoming 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight and the 153d Clinic were both activated by order of the President of the United States , with a large number of those medical personnel being sent to Saudi Arabia . After the hostilities , Wyoming Guard members continued with Operation Provide Comfort , which supplied humanitarian aid to Kurdish people displaced by the Iraqi military . Global War on Terrorism . As the Global War on Terrorism expanded to include operations in Iraq and continued operations in Afghanistan , the 153rd Airlift Wing repeatedly answered the nations call . In addition to its ongoing commitment to MAFFS , Operation Joint Forge in Europe , and Coronet Oak in Latin America , the 153 AW maintained a two - year - long , two - aircraft commitment to Operation Iraqi Freedom during 2004 - 2005 . In 2006 and 2007 the unit returned to Afghanistan for two and three aircraft Aerospace Expeditionary Force rotations . On the home front , the end of 2007 found four aircraft responding to the great 2007 California wildfires .