141st Air Refueling Squadron The 141st Air Refueling Squadron ( 141 ARS ) is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard 108th Wing located at McGuire Air Force Base , New Jersey . The 141st is equipped with the KC - 135R Stratotanker . The 141 ARS was first organized as the 141st Aero Squadron on 2 January 1918 at Rockwell Field , California . The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a pursuit squadron as part of the American Expeditionary Forces . The unit was demobilized after the war in 1919 . History . 141st Aero Squadron . The 141st Aero Squadron ( Pursuit ) was a United States Army Air Service pursuit squadron , and part of the American Expeditionary Force . It was assigned to the 4th Pursuit Group , Second United States Army , AEF near the end of World War I . The squadron saw limited combat , and with Second Army ' s planned offensive drive on Metz cancelled due to the 1918 Armistice with Germany , the squadron was assigned to the United States Third Army as part of the Occupation of the Rhineland in Germany . It returned to the United States in July , 1919 . Organization . The squadron was organized at Rockwell Field , San Diego , California on 8 October 1917 . It was organized as an un - designated provisional unit with men drawn from the 14th and 18th Training Squadrons already at the field . The squadron trained with Curtiss JN - 4 Jennies at Rockwell Field . It was not until the latter part of December that the mechanics and support enlisted personnel were assigned to the squadron , and was given its formal designation as the 141st on 2 January 1918 when it was ordered to proceed to Garden City , New York for overseas deployment . The 141st reached Field # 2 , near Garden City on 9 January where final preparations for the squadron were made for overseas shipment . On 15 January it moved to Pier # 45 , Hoboken , New Jersey where it boarded the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia , arriving at Halifax , Nova Scotia , awaiting to form up into an convoy . on the 19th , it began the overseas journey with seven other ships along with the Cruiser USS San Diego , arriving at Glasgow , Scotland on 30 January . On the 31st , after a train trip to Winchester , England , the squadron was assigned to the Morn Hill Rest Camp for classification and advanced training in England . Training in England . For the next several months , the squadron went though advanced training to prepare it for combat at the front in France . " A " Flight was assigned to Dover , Kent ; " B " Flight at the Hounslow Heath Aerodrome , near London , and " C " Flight to Northolt Airdrome , also near London . On 9 March 1918 , the squadron reformed at Northolt where it proceeded to the Swingate Down Airdrome , near Dover , Kent where it received final training by the Royal Flying Corps . The squadron arrived in France on 16 August 1918 and moved to the St . Maixent Aerodrome for equipping . Orders to move were received on 27 August for the Air Service Production Center # 2 at Romorantin Aerodrome , where it waited for another nineteen days . Finally on 16 September it moved again to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome where the 141st received SPAD XIII pursuit aircraft . There it was assigned to the 4th Pursuit Group , and moved to Gengault Aerodrome ( Toul ) for combat duty , arriving on 19 October . Meuse - Argonne Offensive . The squadron ' s insignia was an orange and black tiger with a flyer ' s helmet . The 141st flew its first patrol on 23 October and every day thereafter . Its combat commander , Hobey Baker , was a famous hockey and football star at Princeton before the war . It was said , Hobey preferred Ivy League men in his unit , preferably from Princeton . Indeed , he painted the aircraft in his squadron in Princeton colors : Orange and Black . The 141st shot down its first enemy aircraft on 28 October , by Captain Baker . A second enemy aircraft was shot down on 6 November by a patrol consisting of Captain Baker and Lieutenants Shelby , Cady , Hamiln and Chappell . The 141st was involved in 13 combats , the only pursuit squadron of the Air Service , Second Army to do so . After the November 1918 Armistice with Germany , the squadron remained at Gengault Aerodrome . Tragically , its commander , Captain Hobey Baker was killed on December 21 , 1918 when he took a SPAD XIII up for one last ride . The SPAD developed engine trouble while taking off and Baker died when the aircraft crashed soon thereafter . Third Army of Occupation . On 19 April 1919 , the squadron squadron was assigned to the Third Army Air Service , 5th Pursuit Group . It was moved to Coblenz Airdrome , Germany , to serve as part of the occupation force of the Rhineland . For the next several months the squadron was able to perform test flights on surrendered German aircraft . Flights of the Fokker D . VII , Pfalz D . XII , Halberstadts and Rumpler aircraft were made and evaluations were made . Demobilization . On 18 June 1919 , orders were received from Third Army for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot , Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF . The squadron ' s planes were delivered to the Air Service Production Center No . 2 . at Romorantin Aerodrome , and there , practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the Squadron . Personnel were subsequently assigned to the Commanding General , Services of Supply and ordered to report to one of several staging camps in France . There , personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States . Upon return to the US , most squadron personnel were demobilized at at Camp Mills , New York on 18 July 1919 . Reconstitution . On 8 September 1973 By order of the Secretary of the Air Force , the 141st Aero Squadron ( Pursuit ) , demobilized on 19 July 1919 was reconstituted and allotted to the State of New Jersey . It was ordered consolidated with the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron . The consolidated unit was designated as the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron and was extended federal recognition by the National Guard Bureau same date . The consolidated unit was also bestowed the lineage , history , honors , and colors of the 141st Aero Squadron ( Pursuit ) . World War II . The 341st Fighter Squadron was activated at Mitchel Army Airfield , New York , on 30 September 1942 . It was equipped with the P - 47 Thunderbolt . The 341st was one of the first USAAF squadrons to be equipped with the P - 47 . After an extended period of training in the northeast United States , the squadron deployed to Archer Field ( Archerfield Airport ) , Brisbane , Australia in June 1943 . Began long - range missions to strike at Japanese targets in New Guinea . In mid - June the 341st made the 1 , 200 - mile flight from Brisbane to Port Moresby , New Guinea . The unit operated from New Guinea and Noemfoor until November 1944 , flying patrol and reconnaissance missions and escorted bombers to targets in New Guinea and New Britain . In 1944 the 341st began to attack airfields , installations , and shipping in western New Guinea , Ceram , and Halmahera to aid in neutralizing those areas preparatory to the US invasion of the Philippines . When U . S . troops landed on Luzon the squadron in process of conversion from P - 47 ' s to P - 51 Mustang s , began operation from San Marcelino airstrip a few days after the landing at San Marcelino and Subic Bay . From this location the unit engaged in ground support operations , bombing and strafing in close support of ground troops . Remained in the Philippines throughout the campaign , moving to Okinawa in mid July 1945 in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan . Engaged in long - range operations over the Japanese Home Islands until ceasing combat on 14 August 1945 . Became part of the Army of Occupation in Japan , moving to Itami Airfield , Japan in October 1945 as part of Far East Air Forces . Inactivated at Itami Airfield on 10 May 1946 . New Jersey Air National Guard . The wartime 341st Fighter Squadron was re - designated as the 141st Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the New Jersey Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized and re - designated as the 141st Strategic Fighter Squadron at Mercer Airport , Trenton , New Jersey and was extended federal recognition on 26 May 1949 . The 141st Strategic Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 341st . The squadron was equipped with F - 47D Thunderbolt s and was assigned to the 108th Strategic Fighter Group . In the late 1940s , the new Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) was manned by personnel of the wartime Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces . During World War II they usually encountered swarms of enemy fighters and knew the importance of having fighter escorts . In the postwar era , SAC had fighter wings placed under their own operational control . The squadron trained in escorting SAC ' s B - 29 and later B - 50 and B - 36 strategic bombers . The unit was called to active federal service on 1 March 1951 . The squadron was sent to Turner AFB , Georgia where it continued its mission to provide fighter escorts to SAC bombers on training missions . In December 1951 it was moved to Godman AFB , Kentucky where it replaced a unit deployed to England . It was released from active duty and returned to New Jersey state control on 10 November 1952 . With return to state control , the parent 108th SFW was transferred to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) and was re - designated as a Fighter - Interceptor Wing . The 141st Fighter - Interceptor Squadron was re - equipped with ith the long - range North American P - 51H Mustang fighter and Designed for the invasion of Japan , the P - 51H was the last variant of the P - 51 Mustang of World War II , but was produced too late to see any wartime combat . Not used in the Korean War due to it not being believed as " rugged " as its famous " D " model predecessor , the P - 51H was used instead to equip Air National Guard units into the 1950s as an ADC interceptor . In 1955 , the Mustangs were retired and the squadron entered the jet age , with the arrival of the North American F - 86E Sabre . The parent 108th FIW was transferred to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) in 1958 , being re - designated as a Tactical Fighter Wing . The 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron transferred its interceptors and received and F - 84F Thunderstreak fighter - bombers . At the height of the Cold War in 1961 , the squadron was again federalized as a result of tensions concerning the Berlin Wall . 28 F - 84F ' s of the 141st TFS and officers and airmen from all three squadrons of the 108th TFW were deployed to Chaumont - Semoutiers AB , France on 16 October with the last aircraft and personnel arriving on 6 November . The ground units deployed by sealift , with the deployed elements reaching Chaumont by 17 November . In France , the deployed elements were assigned to the Provisional USAFE 7108th Tactical Wing on 20 November due to the reduced strength of the 108th TFW in Europe . The primary mission of the 7108th was to provide close air support to the Seventh Army in Europe under the direction of Ground Forward Air Controllers . To accomplish this mission , up to 30 sorties were flown each day . The deployment to France ended in October 1962 and the unit returned to New Jersey state control , leaving the F - 84Fs in France . Upon return from France , the squadron was moved from Trenton to McGuire AFB due to air congestion in the Philadelphia area . At McGuire AFB , the squadron was re - equipped with North American F - 86H Sabre s . Beginning in 1965 , the Sabres were retired and the squadron began to receive the F - 105B Thunderchief . The 108th TFW was the first Air National Guard unit to fly twice the speed of sound . In May 1981 , the F - 4D Phantom II replaced the F - 105s , and in 1985 , they were upgraded to the F - 4E Phantom II . With the end of the Cold War , the parent 108th Tactical Fighter Wing was re - aligned to a KC - 135 Stratotanker Air Refueling Wing . The F - 4s were retired and the squadron was re - designated as the 141st Air Refueling Squadron . Also , as part of the conversion of the wing to the Objective Wing organization , the 108th Tactical Fighter Group became the 108th Operations Group , to which the 141st ARS was assigned . The 141st ARS was certified combat ready on 3 December 1992 . The very next day it was tasked with its first operational deployment – nothing less than spearheading and establishing the U . S . – Somalia air bridge for OPERATION RESTORE HOPE . It deployed an air refueling detachment to Moron Air Base , Spain . n September 1994 , for over 30 days , five aircraft deployed to Pisa Airport , Italy for DENY FLIGHT . The 108th replaced the 126 ARW of the Illinois Air National Guard . The 108th ARW was the first Air National Guard unit to take full responsibility during that period . In 2007 , the 141st ARS began retiring its KC - 135E aircraft and transitioning to the KC - 135R . Heraldry . Unit Emblem : A Great Bengal tiger with orange and black markings playing with a German helmet and Iron Cross . The Tiger is intended to be a Princeton Tiger in honor of Captain Toby Baker , the Squadron Commander , of Princeton University fame . Designed by Lt . Slaughter ; approved in 1918 ; transferred to the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron on 30 October 1973 ; approved on 6 January 1988 .