111th Reconnaissance Squadron The 111th Reconnaissance Squadron ( 111 RS ) is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard 147th Reconnaissance Wing located at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base , Houston , Texas . The 111th is equipped with the MQ - 1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ) . The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 111th Aero Squadron , established on 14 August 1917 . It was reformed on 29 June 1923 , as the 111th Observation Squadron , and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II . The 111th Reconnaissance Squadron is the oldest unit of the Texas Air National Guard , with over 95 years of service to the State of Texas and the United States . History . World War I . The Texas Air National Guard began as the 111th Aero Squadron on 14 August 1917 at Kelly Field in San Antonio , TX . The unit , composed of teamsters and laborers , was on special duty at Kelly Field and was known as the " Post Headquarters Squadron . " The squadron was demobilized 19 August 1919 . Texas National Guard . The unit was reorganized with the establishment of a permanent air service in 1920 , forming in the old Houston Light Guard Armory . The 111th Observation Squadron received Federal Recognition on 29 June 1923 , as part of the 36th Division , Texas Air National Guard . ' The squadron had no airplanes , so the hot summer of 1923 was devoted to close - order drill and classroom sessions . That was remedied , however , in September of that year when the 111th became airborne in the Curtiss JN - 6H Jenny . In September 1927 the Curtiss JN - 6Hs were retired and the squadron gained Consolidated PT - 1 s and several other trainers until June 1928 when new Douglas O - 2 H observation aircraft arrived . During the next 10 years , the 111th performed outstanding civic service to the State of Texas , dropping medicine and relief supplies to many of the towns that were isolated by floodwaters , tornados , and fires . New Douglas O - 38 observation planes were received in January 1931 . By 1938 the squadron was flying both Douglas Douglas O - 43 As and North American O - 47 s . World War II . With the onset of World War II , the unit was called into federal service 25 November 1940 and trained with the 36th Division at Brownwood Airfield Texas until Pearl Harbor was bombed , it was sent to the Mexican border , Fort Clark Springs Texas . The border patrol was short , and on 14 February 1942 , the squadron left Texas for Daniel Field in Augusta , Georgia , and became part of the 68th Observation Group . Pilots trained on Douglas O - 43 A , Vultee / Stinson O - 49 / L - 1 Vigilant and Douglas A - 20B Havoc aircraft in preparation for deployment to the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) . In 1942 the ground echelon and some pilots made their way to Scotland then England in preparation for landing on the Algerian beaches as part of Operation Torch , their shiny new P - 39 Airacobra s had to be assembled and tested before flying from England to Algeria . Some of the pilots of the 68th Group flew their A - 20s directly across the Atlantic on the " Southern Route " and immediately began flying over the Mediterranean in anti - submarine patrols , sinking at least one submarine . As the invasion force moved inland , the three squadrons of the group divided up the A - 20s and P - 39s by squadron and the 111th took on the Fighter Reconnaissance role in the P - 39 . In March 1943 , the 111th left the 68th Group to defend against a possible invasion of French Morocco from Spanish Morocco while the rest of the group was selected to support the Tunisian Campaign of the Army ’ s II Corps . In June 1943 the newly redesignated 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron , flying Allison engined P - 51 ’ s , became the eyes of the 7th Army in Sicily , Operation Husky . They were temporarily assigned to the 5th Army in Italy , but returned in July 1944 in time to support the 7th Army ’ s invasion of Southern France , Operation Dragoon . The 111th remained with the 7th Army through the end of the war . From VE Day until December 1945 , the Squadron served in the occupation force , and conducted postwar photo - mapping of the devastation in France . During 23 months of continuous combat flying , from June 1943 through May 1945 , the 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron flew 3 , 840 reconnaissance missions . While keeping Army Headquarters informed of enemy movements , the 111th destroyed 44 enemy aircraft , damaged 29 others and claimed 12 probable kills . The squadron received eight Battle Stars , a Distinguished Unit Citation , and the French Croix de Guerre for its World War II accomplishments . Texas Air National Guard . The wartime 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was re - designated as the 111th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Texas Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at the Houston Municipal Airport and was extended federal recognition on 27 January 1947 by the National Guard Bureau . The 111th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage , history , honors , and colors of the 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and all predecessor units . The squadron was assigned to the Texas Air National Guard 136th Fighter Group and was equipped with F - 51D Mustangs . The mission of the squadron was the air defense of Texas . During the postwar years , the 111th primarily trained over the southern and eastern parts of the state ; the 181st Fighter Squadron , based at Love Field , Dallas , and covered the south east , and the 182d Fighter Squadron , based at Brooks AFB , near San Antonio covered the Hill Country and west Texas . Korean War Activation . As a result of the Korean War , the Texas Air National Guard was federalized and placed on active - duty status on 10 October 1950 , being assigned to Ninth Air Force , Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) . TAC ordered the 136th Fighter Group to Langley Air Force Base , Virginia , where the unit was re - designated to a Fighter - Bomber unit , and its status was changed to a Wing . At Langley , the 136th Fighter - Bomber Wing consisted of the following units : At Langley AFB , the 136th trained with their F - 51D Mustangs . Unfortunately losing two 111th FBS pilots in a training accident on 15 December . A third pilot was killed on 27 January 1951 in another accident . In February 1951 , the aged F - 51Ds that the unit had been flying since its activation in 1947 were replaced by F - 84E Thunderjet s , and the squadron began transition training on the jet fighter - bomber . Most of the training took place at Langley , although some pilots were sent to Shaw AFB , South Carolina . Maintenance crews , all new to jet aircraft , were trained at Langley and engine specialists were sent to the Allision plant in Indianapolis . Assigned to the Arkansas ANG 154th FBS at the time was a Navy exchange pilot , future NASA astronaut Lt . Walter Shirra ( who happened to be the only pilot assigned to the 136th at the time who was a qualified jet pilot ) . In May 1951 , less than seven months later , the Wing was deployed to Japan , being attached to Far East Air Force and stationed at Itazuke Air Force Base , the first echelon of the 136th arriving on 18 May . The 136th replaced the Strategic Air Command 27th Fighter - Escort Wing , which had deployed to Far East Air Force in the early days of the Korean War . At Itazuke , the squadrons took over the F - 84Es of the 27th FEW , which remained in place , its aircraft being reassigned from SAC to Far East Air Force inventory records . On 2 June , the final elements of the 136th arrived in Japan , the National Guardsmen officially relieved the 27th FBW and the SAC airmen departed for the United States . The 136th was the first Air National Guard Wing in history to enter combat . From Japan the Wing engaged in combat operations over South Korea , however flying in the North Pacific area was a challenge to the wing , losing seven F - 84Es in non - combat operations and three in combat . On 26 June , in one of the largest air - to - air battles in Korea , two 182d FBS pilots , Captain Harry Underwood and 1st LT Arthur Olighter shot down an enemy MiG - 15 that broke though an F - 86 Sabre escort of four B - 29s . Two other 111th FBS pilots , 1st Lt John Morse and John Marlins scored probables in the same encounter . These were the first combat victories by Air National Guard pilots . On 3 July the 136th sent their aircraft to North Korea , attacking FLAK batteries in downtown Pyongyang while other aircraft attacked North Korean airfields . However , the short - legged F - 84 had limited combat time over Korea , therefore on 16 November 1951 the Wing moved to Taegu Air Force Base ( K - 2 ) in South Korea for its combat operations . In 1952 , the 136th was re - equipped with the F - 84G Thunderjet , designed for tactical close air support of ground forces . The squadron flew over 6 , 000 escort , interdiction , and close air support sorties for the United Nations Troops and 111th Fighter - Bomber Squadron pilots destroyed at least two Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 15 fighter jets . The 111th Fighter - Bomber Squadron returned to the Houston Municipal Airport without aircraft or personnel in July 1952 and began to rebuild . In July 1956 the F - 80 Shooting Star s of the 111th Fighter Squadron went on " Dawn to Dusk " alert at the Houston Municipal Airport . Air Defense Command . With the 111th ' s return from the Korean War , the 111th was re - equipped with the Very Long Range ( VLR ) F - 51H Mustang , which had been developed to escort B - 29 Superfortress bombers in the Pacific Theater from the Mariana Islands to the Japanese Home Islands . The F - 51H would allow the squadron to intercept any un - identified aircraft over any part of Texas . The squadron became part of Air Defense Command ( ADC ) and resumed its postwar mission of Texas air defense . It wasn ' t until 1955 that the squadron received jets from ADC , receiving F - 80B and F - 80C Shooting Star s and being re - designated as a Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . The 111th received F - 80C - 11 ( modified F - 80A to F - 80C standards ) Shooting Stars on 1 July 1955 , and on 1 July 1956 the 111th FIS commenced to participate in the active ADC runway alert program at Ellington AFB . With the squadron ' s conversion from the obsolescent F - 80 day fighters to the all - weather / day / night F - 86D Sabre Interceptor in 1957 , plans were made to reorganize the 600 man Augmented Squadron to an Air Defense Command group structure . On 1 July 1957 , the 111th was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 147th Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 111th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 147th Headquarters , 147th Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 147th Combat Support Squadron , and the 147th USAF Dispensary . In June 1959 the squadron traded their F - 86Ds for the upgraded F - 86L Sabre Interceptor with uprated afterburning engines and new electronics . In August 1960 the unit became one of the first to transition to the F - 102A Delta Dagger Mach - 2 all - weather interceptor and began a 24 - hour alert to guard the Texas Gulf coast . On 1 January 1970 , the squadron was re - designated as the 111th Combat Crew Training Squadron and served as the Air National Guard ' s RTU ( Replacement Training Unit ) for the TF / F - 102A , In 1971 , when the active - duty force ceased F - 102A training and closed Perrin AFB , Texas on 30 June 1971 , the Houston - based 111th FIS became the Replacement Training Unit ( RTU ) for all Air Defense Command F - 102 pilots , and the squadron received several TF - 102A dual - seat trainers which were transferred from Perrin AFB while also retaining the T - 33A instrument training function . One pilot who flew TF / F - 102As with the 111th was 1st Lt . George W . Bush , a future Governor of Texas and future President of the United States . George W . Bush ' s military service began in 1968 when he enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard after graduating with a bachelor ' s degree in history from Yale University . After being accepted into the ANG , Airman Basic Bush was selected to attend pilot training even though his test scores were the lowest acceptable for that position . His six weeks of basic training was completed at Lackland AFB in Texas during July and August 1968 . Upon its completion , Bush was promoted to the officer ' s rank of second lieutenant required for pilot candidates . He spent the next year in flight school at Moody AFB in Georgia from November 1968 to November 1969 . Bush then returned to Ellington AFB in Texas to complete seven months of combat crew training on the F - 102 from December 1969 to June 1970 . This period included five weeks of training on the T - 33 Shooting Star and 16 weeks aboard the TF - 102 Delta Dagger two - seat trainer and finally the single - seat F - 102A . Bush graduated from the training program in June 1970 . Lt . Bush remained in the Texas ANG as a certified F - 102 pilot who participated in frequent drills and alerts through April 1972 . Lt . Bush was honorably discharged from the Air National Guard in October 1973 at the rank of First Lieutenant . An ANG physical dated 15 May 1971 indicates that he had logged 625 flight hours by that time , and he ultimately completed 326 hours as pilot and 10 as co - pilot while serving with the 111th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . In May 1971 , the 111th added F - 101B / F Voodoo s and became the RTU tar the twin seat F - 101F type , while continuing as the F - 102 Delta Dagger RTU . In January 1975 , after 14 years of service , the unit ' s F - 102s were retired , but the unit maintained a full fleet of F - 101s . The 111th also operated detachment 1 of the 147th FIW at New Orleans . The detachment was apart from the squadron in that it maintained constant alert status whilst facing towards Cuba . Tactical Air Command . In October 1979 , in as part of the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command , the USAF gained command responsibilities which shifted to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) and a sub - organization equivalent to a numbered air force designated as Air Defense , Tactical Air Command ( ADTAC ) . In 1982 , the F - 101s were retired and ADTAC re - equipped the 111th with the McDonnell F - 4C Phantom II and continued its air defense mission . Most of the F - 4Cs the squadron received were Vietnam War veteran aircraft . In November 1986 , the F - 4Cs were replaced by later - model F - 4Ds . In December 1989 the 111th FIS started receiving block 15 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon aircraft to replace their F - 4Ds . The last F - 16 arrived in April 1990 . Post Cold War era . In 1992 , only a few years following the acceptance of their block 15s , they converted to the ADF variant of the block 15 . On 15 March 15th , 1992 the 111th FIS was re - designated the 111th Fighter Squadron when its parent 147th Fighter Group converted to the USAF Objective Organization plan . Also in 1992 the 111th FS celebrated their 75th anniversary . To commemorate this F - 16A ADF # 82 - 1001 was painted in special markings including a big Texas flag panted on the fuselage underside . During September 1995 , the 111th FS ended its alert detachment in New Orleans with the F - 101 Voodoo , also the 147th was upgraded to a Wing , with the 111th Fighter Squadron being assigned to the new 147th Operations Group . In late 1996 the 111th started to retire their ADF F - 16s to AMARC . To replace these aircraft the squadron received the block 25 F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . Transition started in September 1996 and was completed by February 1997 . This brought a change in role which officially happened in October 1998 . The role went from air - to - air to an air - to - ground mission . After returning from an Operation Southern Watch mission at Prince Sultan Air Base , Saudi Arabia in October 2000 , the squadron added Precision Guided Munitions to its arsenal . Global War on Terrorism . Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks , four 111th Fighter Squadron aircraft were launched to escort President George W . Bush , onboard Air Force 1 from Florida to Louisiana , Nebraska and finally back to Washington DC that same day . December 2001 saw the 111th deploy to Atlantic City , New Jersey , to fly Air Defense Combat Air Patrol missions over New York , Philadelphia and Washington DC in support of Operation Noble Eagle . In August 2005 components of the 111th Fighter Squadron and 147th Fighter Wing deployed to Balad Airbase , Iraq to conduct combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism . The men and women of the 111th FS / 147th FW once again distinguished themselves by flying 462 sorties and almost 1 , 900 hours in a two - month span ; with a perfect record of 100 % maintenance delivery ( zero missed sorties ) , 100 % mission effectiveness , and 100 % weapons employment / hits under the most challenging combat conditions . In April 2007 , components of the 111th Fighter Squadron and 147th Fighter Wing again deployed to Balad Airbase , Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism , where the men and women of the 111th FS / 147th FW continued their distinguished combat tradition . On this deployment the 111th Fighter Squadron flew 348 tasked sorties , plus six no - notice Close Air Support ( CAS ) alert scrambles and four short - notice ( less than 30 minute & not on the ATO ) pre - planned alert launches . With an average combat sortie lasting almost 4 . 42 hours , the unit accumulated a total of 1537 . 1 combat hours . Maintenance delivery effectiveness for this deployment was an astonishing 102 % due to the inclusion of the unscheduled CAS scrambles . Mission effectiveness and weapons employment were both once again a perfect 100 % . 90th Anniversary . In November 2007 , an F - 16C Fighting Falcon from the Texas Air National Guard ' s 111th Fighter Squadron received a special paint job in honor of the squadron ' s 90th anniversary . All the colors and markings have specific meanings , reflecting the unit ' s nine - decade history . The rudder is painted like a JN - 4 Jenny , which the squadron flew in the 1920s . The schemes for the wings and flaps recall the paint schemes of the pre - World War II era . The blue fuselage represents the Korean War , in which the squadron earned credit for two air victories . The gray underside represents the jet age . The " N5 A " was the insignia the squadron ' s P - 51 Mustang s sported during World War II , in which the squadron claimed 44 air victories . Also representing World War II is the star on the fuselage , while the star on the wing represents the pre - World War II era . " Ace in the Hole " and the star on the tail replicate the markings of the squadron ' s F - 84s during the Korean War . The ventral fin , partially obscured , reads " Est . 1917 . " BRAC 2005 reorganization . During the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission , it was recommended that the F - 16 block 25s be retired . Texas Governor , Rick Perry , reacted quickly and made sure the unit could remain alive and did so by securing MQ - 1 Predator operations . This is an unmanned aircraft and although not exactly what the 111th FS had hoped for , it would keep the unit going well into the future . As was earlier planned in 2005 , the 111th FS gave up its last two F - 16s on 7 June 2008 and F - 16 operations drew to a close . The MQ - 1 replaced the F - 16 and the parent wing was renamed the 147th Reconnaissance Wing that same month .