190th Fighter Squadron The 190th Fighter Squadron ( 190 FS ) is a unit of the Idaho Air National Guard 124th Fighter Wing located at Gowen Field Air National Guard Base , Boise , Idaho . The 190th is equipped with the A - 10 Thunderbolt II . History . World War II . The 405th Fighter Squadron was activated ar Richmond Army Air Base , Virginia in the summer of 1943 as one of the three original squadrons of the 371st Fighter Group . The squadron trained in the northeastern United States with Republic P - 47 Thunderbolt s under First Air Force before moving overseas in the spring of 1944 . Upon arriving in England , the squadron became an element of Ninth Air Force at Bisterne Close , England . The squadron ' s first combat operation was a fighter sweep over Occupied France . Prior to Operation Overlord , the invasion of Normandy , the 405th flew fighter sweeps , dive bombing and escort missions . On D - Day the 405th patrolled the beachhead . attacking railroads , trains , vehicles . gun emplacements and other targets . Soon after the invasion , the squadron moved to France and participated in the air interdiction that preceded the Allied breakout at St Lo in late July and supported the following drive across northern France . It continued to operate in northeastern France and southwestern Germany through the winter of 1945 , attacking storage dumps , marshalling yard , factories , bridges , roads , and vehicles . In December 1944 it provided close air support for ground forces engaged in the Battle of the Bulge . The squadron was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its attacks between 15 March and 21 March 1945 that contributed to the defeat of Axis forces in southern Germany . It continued combat operations until the Surrender of Germany in May . The squadron remained with the occupation forces in Germany and Austria until October 1945 when it returned to the United States and was inactivated . Idaho Air National Guard . The wartime 405th Fighter Squadron was re - activated and re - designated as the 190th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Idaho Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Gowen Field , south of Boise . It was extended federal recognition on 13 October 1946 . The 190th Fighter Squadron was bestowed with the history , honors , and colors of the 405th Fighter Squadron . During World War II Gowen Field was used as Army Air Forces B - 17 Flying Fortress training airfield , and the organization moved into several buildings and hangars vacated just a few months previously by the 402d Army Air Force Base Unit . The squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was allocated to the Fourth Air Force , Continental Air Command ( ConAC ) by the National Guard Bureau . As part of the ConAC , the unit trained for tactical bombing missions and air to air combat . Most of the 190th ' s early airmen were veterans of World War II . The volunteers — 23 officers and 44 enlisted men — met one night each week in a small building on Fort Street in downtown Boise . On 1 April 1951 , the unit was activated for duty during the Korean War . It remains the only full ‑ scale mobilization in the Idaho Air Guard ’ s history . Personnel were sent to Moody AFB , Georgia to replace active - duty airmen sent to Korea , and the squadron became a F - 51D Fighter - Bomber training unit . The 190th was returned to Idaho State control in November 1952 and on 1 January 1953 , the squadron was reformed at Gowen Field . Air Defense . After the Korean War , the squadron was equipped with the long - range F - 51H Mustang and became a part of Air Defense Command . In early 1953 it was equipped with F - 86A Sabre daylight jet interceptors , and the squadron was redesignated the 190th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron on 1 January 1953 . On 1 July 1955 , the 190th was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 124th Fighter Group ( Air Defense ) was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 190th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 124th Headquarters , 124th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 124th Combat Support Squadron , and the 124th USAF Dispensary . Also in 1955 , the F - 86A day interceptors were replaced by the F - 94A Starfire all - weather interceptor . The 190th changed aircraft four more times over the next 23 years to fly the F - 89C Scorpion , F - 86L Sabre Interceptor and the F - 102 Delta Dagger . In 1958 , the 190th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program , in which interceptors of the 190th FIS were committed to a five - minute runway alert , a task that would last until 1974 . In 1968 Air Defense Command was re - designated as Aerospace Defense Command ( ADCOM ) . Tactical Reconnaissance . In 1975 , the 190th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron changed its name and mission to join the newly ‑ formed 124th Tactical Reconnaissance Group as the 190th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron . It was re - equipped by Tactical Air Command with the RF - 4C Phantom II Mach 2 high speed reconnaissance aircraft . F - 4 Phantom jets would eventually spend 20 years on Gowen Field , longer than any other aircraft in the history of Idaho ’ s Air National Guard . The unarmed RF - 4C carried high resolution cameras and electronic sensors , which soon proved their worth to thousands of people in Idaho . RF - 4C jets tracked flood waters pouring from the ruptured Teton Dam within hours of the dam ’ s collapse in 1976 to show officials where flood waters were headed in time to warn people living in endangered areas . Aerial photographs were also taken immediately after the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake near Challis . The Challis - Mackay region experienced rather thorough damage , with 11 commercial buildings and 39 homes with major damage ; while another 200 houses were damaged , minor to moderate . The reconnaissance photos helped emergency response crews locate and evaluate the damage . Idaho aircrews excelled in their military mission as well . Two Idaho fliers were named “ Best Aerial Reconnaissance Aircrew ” at an international competition . The 190th TRS was named “ Best Flying Unit in the Air National Guard ” and received the prestigious Spaatz Trophy from the National Guard Association . Idaho airmen and Phantom jets went to Canada and Norway to provide critical tactical reconnaissance capabilities to U . S . and NATO forces . Electronic Warfare . In 1991 , Idaho ’ s Air Guard changed aircraft and mission again . The unarmed RF - 4C Phantom jets were replaced by F ‑ 4G Phantom II " Wild Weasel " Electronic Warfare aircraft received from the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at George AFB , California . The F - 4G was designed as an anti - Surface to Air Missile aircraft to jam and attack enemy radars when they were activated . " Wild Weasel " tactics and techniques were first developed in 1965 during the Vietnam War , and were later integrated into the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ( SEAD ) a plan used by US air forces to establish immediate air control , prior to possible full - scale conflict . The 190th TRS began its conversion from the RF - 4C to the F - 4G in June 1991 , and the Idaho ANG was to be the only ANG unit to operate the F - 4G . The squadron was re - designated as the 190th Fighter Squadron with the changeover of its parent 124th to the Air Force Objective Wing organization . In 1992 , the parent 124th Fighter Group became part of the new Air Combat Command . In April 1993 the squadron ' s Wild Weasel jets were sent to Southwest Asia to support Operation Southern Watch , enforcing the no ‑ fly zone over southern Iraq . Twice 190th airmen were challenged by illegal Iraqi air defense radar near Basra . The threats were answered — and silenced — with AGM - 88 High - Speed Anti - Radiation Missile ( HARM ) anti - radiation missiles . Less than six months after ending its first Southwest Asia tour , the squadron began a second Southern Watch deployment , followed by two back ‑ to ‑ back tours in support of Operation Provide Comfort , enforcing the northern no ‑ fly zone and protecting Kurds from Iraqi aggression . From 1993 to 1995 there were a total of four deployments to the Gulf . The last such deployment returned to Boise in December 1995 . Idaho ’ s airmen served longer in Southwest Asia than any other flying unit in the Air National Guard . A - 10 era . On 20 April 1996 , the last F - 4Gs were withdrawn by the 124th FW and were consigned to storage at Davis Monthan AFB , Arizona . This marked the final departure of the F - 4 Phantom II from active service with any American military unit , and after 20 years of service with the Idaho Air National Guard . The Phantoms were replaced by the A - 10 Thunderbolt II air - ground support aircraft , better known as the “ Warthog ” . Idaho ’ s A - 10s were deployed during Operation Allied Force in 1999 when they flew combat missions over Kosovo and again in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 . Already deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Southern Watch , more than 250 personnel were mobilized in place . Idaho ’ s A - 10s led combat search and rescue and close air support missions in the initial weeks and months of the war . Two 190th pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their efforts . The 190th Fighter Squadron also deployed in 2007 to Iraq and 2008 to Afghanistan . 2003 friendly fire incident . As part of the invasion of Iraq and supporting the British portion of that operation called Operation Telic , on 28 March 2003 two 190th A - 10 Thunderbolt II aircraft , flown by an unidentified Major and Lieutenant Colonel Gus Kohntopp , flew a mission to destroy artillery and rocket launchers from Iraq ' s 6th Armor Division , dug in north of Basra . During the mission , the two A - 10 aircraft mistakenly attacked a patrol of four armored vehicles from D Squadron of the British Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry that were supporting the 16 Air Assault Brigade in Operation Telic . As a result of the attack by the 190th A - 10 aircraft , British Lance - Corporal of Horse ( L / CoH ) Matty Hull was killed , and five of his colleagues were injured , four seriously . The aftermath of the attack caused controversy , especially in the United Kingdom ( UK ) , as some , including Hull ' s family , complained of a lack of cooperation with the British inquest into the death of L / CoH Hull by the United States government and the UK ' s Ministry of Defense ( MoD ) . The United States and UK MoD denied for a period of time that a video existed of the incident and then later admitted that a video existed but couldn ' t be released because it was " classified . " On 6 February 2007 " The Sun " tabloid newspaper obtained a copy of the cockpit video from the A - 10 aircraft , which they released to the public on their website . In a statement , Lt . Tony Vincelli , spokesman for the 190th Fighter Squadron said the U . S . Air Force had conducted its own investigation into the incident in 2003 , but the results of that investigation or the names of the two 190th pilots involved were not publicly released . He added that the investigation , " did not result in a court - martial . " In a further statement , Vincelli apologized for the incident and stated that no adverse action was taken against either pilot involved . On 6 February 2007 the " Sun " named one of the 190th pilots involved as " Colonel " Gus Kohntopp . " Sources " within the 190th Fighter Squadron have told reporters that they have been " threatened with court martial " if they speak about the friendly fire incident without permission . On March 16 , 2007 , the inquest coroner , Andrew Walker , returned a narrative verdict , stating that the killing of L / CoH Hull was " unlawful " . Walker said : " The attack on the convoy amounted to an assault . It was unlawful because there was no lawful reason for it and in that respect it was criminal . "