120th Fighter Squadron The 120th Fighter Squadron ( 120 FS ) is a unit of the Colorado Air National Guard 140th Wing located at Buckley Air Force Base , Aurora , Colorado . The 120th is equipped with the F - 16C / D Fighting Falcon . The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 120th Aero Squadron , established on 28 August 1917 . It was reformed on 27 June 1923 , as the 120th 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 120th Fighter Squadron was the first federally - recognized Air National Guard unit , receiving this distinction on 30 June 1946 . Overview . The current mission of the 120th is to operate at the highest levels of military and domestic policy protecting the midwest America and Operation Enduring Freedom . Also the 120th Fighter squadron has deployed five times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom , most recently to Joint Base Balad , Iraq in 2010 . The 120th has also supported an Air Expeditionary Forces deployment in the Pacific region and multiple National Special Security Events , such as the Democratic National Convention in 2008 , in Denver , Colorado . History . World War I . The 120th Fighter Squadron dates its origins to the 120th Aero Squadron , organized at Kelly Field , Texas on 6 August 1917 . In July 1917 , the men of the squadron were first organized at Fort Thomas , Kentucky where the recruits , about 160 of the , were sent to Kelly Field . There the squadron was placed into indoctrination training , learning infantry drill and also attended the airplane instruction school . On 1 November , the squadron was ordered to Ellington Field , Houston , Texas . Upon arrival , the squadron was ordered to begin the work of operating the field for the Air Service . A civilian construction firm , the American Construction Company , Houston , was contracted to put up the Hangars and make the place habitable . The first duty of the squadron was to assemble about 100 airplanes , and put them in a flyable condition for use as training planes . On 30 January 1918 , the squadron was ordered for overseas duty and moved to the Aviation Concentration Center , Garden City , Long Island . There the squadron was equipped for overseas duty . On 16 February , the squadron , was ordered to report to the Port of Entry , Hoboken , New Jersey for boarding on the former Cunard Liner RMS Carmania for transport . After an uneventful Atlantic crossing , it arrived at Liverpool , England on 4 March . The next day the squadron was moved to the American Rest Camp Romsey , near Winchester , England . There , the squadron was attached to the Royal Flying Corps for additional training , and on 9 March , it boarded a train , reporting to the RFC # 1 Observer ' s School of Aerial Gunnery , RFC New Romney , Kent . There , the squadron trained with the British soldiers at the station , maintained the camp and performed airplane maintenance . This work continued until 9 August when orders were given for the squadron to divide into Flights . " A " and " B " Flights were ordered to RFC Stamford , England , while " C " Flight was ordered to RFC Grail , Scotland . This meant that the squadron had completed its training in England and was ready for duty at the front . After about a month of final training , the squadron was re - combined at Southhampton for transfer to France . After a cross - channel crossing on the S . S . Archangel , the squadron arrived at Le Harve , France on 3 September , and took a train to the Replacement Concentration Center , AEF , St . Maixent Replacement Barracks , France , arriving on 6 September 1918 . After processing , the squadron was ordered to report to the 2d Air Instructional Center ( 2d AIC ) , Tours Aerodrome , in central France . This came as a great disappointment to the squadron , as it was prepared to serve on the front , however , as the squadron has almost no experience in the French biplanes used at the front , it was felt it could do better work at the training center . At the 2d AIC , the men of the 120th were assigned to nearly every department at the field , in the machine shops working on aircraft to the transportation department where the men drove trucks and all manner of vehicles . A great many of the men were not fitted for the jobs assigned and required training in order to be of useful service . The squadron remained at 2d AIC until after the Armistice with Germany in November 1918 , then returned to the United States via Bordeaux , France , in April 1918 , arriving at Mitchel Field , New York on 6 May 1919 . It then was moved to Kelly Field , Texas , where it was demobilized on 17 May 1919 and the men were returned to civilian life . Intra - War period . On 27 June 1923 the 120th Aero Observation Squadron , 45th Division , Aviation was mustered into service as part of the Colorado Army National Guard . Initially composed of eight officers and 50 enlisted members , the unit flew Curtis JN - 4Es ( better known as Jennies ) - an aircraft which proved to be unsuitable for flying at Denver elevations . One year later , the 120th began flying out of Lowry Field . The brand new airfield was named in honor of 2nd Lt . Francis B . Lowry who was shot down and killed near Crepion , France in 1918 while on a photographic mission . Nonetheless , the men of the 120th persevered flying the Jennies just before sunrise and after sunset , when the air was less turbulent . In later years , they would transition through a variety of more powerful observation aircraft such as the Douglas 0 - 2 , Consolidated 0 - 17 , and Douglas 0 - 38 . The unit eventually started flying the 0 - 47 - a three - seat , all metal , single - engine aircraft - that took the unit into World War II . Mobilization for World War II took place on January 6 , 1941 , 11 months prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor . The unit , then 19 officers and 116 enlisted members , moved to Biggs Field , Texas . During World War II the squadron supported ground units in training by flying reconnaissance , artillery adjustment , fighter , and bomber missions , and in the process trained reconnaissance personnel who later served overseas . Patrolled the Mexican border from March – July 1942 . Disbanded on 30 Nov 1943 . Colorado Air National Guard . The wartime 120th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was reconstituted on 21 June 1945 . It was then re - designated as the 120th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Colorado Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Buckley Field ( A sub - base of Lowry AFB ) , Colorado and was extended federal recognition on 30 Jun 1946 by the National Guard Bureau . The 120th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the history , honors , and colors of the previous 120th TRS . The 146th Fighter Squadron was the first Air National Guard unit to obtain federal recognition . It squadron was equipped with F - 51D Mustang s and was allocated to the 140th Fighter Group , 86th Fighter Wing , Colorado Air National Guard . As part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force , the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air to air combat . In 1947 , shortly after World War II , the 120th TFS organized an aerial demonstration team called the " Minute Men . " This team was federally recognized in 1956 , making it the first and only Air National Guard precision aerial demonstration team . Headed by Col . Walt Williams , the team performed in more than 100 air shows for more than three million people in 47 states and five foreign countries before being disbanded in favor of a fledgling team of Air Force pilots , the U . S . Air Force Thunderbirds . Korean War activation . As a result of the Korean War , the 120th 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 was a composite organization of activated Air National Guard units , composed of the 120th , the 187th Fighter Squadron ( Wyoming ANG ) and the 190th Fighter Squadron ( Utah ANG ) . 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 Colorado 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 120th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , with its parent 140th FIW being assigned to the 34th Air Division , Air Defense Command . In 1958 , the 140th FIW implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program , in which interceptors of the 120th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron were committed to a five - minute runway alert . In 1960 the F - 86s were again replaced by the F - 86L Sabre Interceptor , a day / night / all - weather aircraft designed to be integrated into the ADC SAGE interceptor direction and control system . Tactical Air Command / Vietnam War . The 140th was transferred back to Tactical Air Command in January 1961 , the squadron being re - designated as the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron . In 1968 , While flying the F - 100C Super Sabre in Vietnam , the unit became the first guard unit activated and deployed for one year to southeast Asia . As part of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing , Phan Rang AB , the squadron flew primarily ground support missions , and beat back many enemy attacks on American and South Vietnamese ground units . The 140th also performed interdiction , visual and armed reconnaissance , strike assessment photography , escort , close and direct air support , and rapid reaction alert . The 120th earned the United States Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the " V " device for valor during the conflict by flying over 6 , 000 combat missions . After returning from Vietnam , the Guard was upgraded with the D - model of the F - 100 Super Sabre . The LTV A - 7D Corsair II replaced the F - 100 in April 1974 and the aircraft was flown to victory as the " World Champions " in the inaugural " Gunsmoke " competition held at Nellis Air Force Base in 1981 . The 120th converted to the Lockheed - Martin F - 16C Falcon in 1992 and won the Air Force Association award for the Outstanding Air National Guard Unit in 2001 . Modern era . The A - 7Ds were operated until March 1992 when the Wing converted to Block 30 F - 16C / Ds Fighting Falcons , and the Corsairs were retired to Davis - Monthan AFB . Today the 120th FS is a dual - purpose fighter squadron with pilots qualified to perform air - to - air and air - to - ground missions including Offensive Counter - Air ( OCA ) , Defensive Counter - Air ( DCA ) , OCA Interdiction , Close Air Support ( CAS ) , and Combat Search and Rescue ( CSAR ) missions . With the addition of the LITENING II and SNIPER targeting pod and the latest software upgrades , the 120th pilots are able to employ precision guided GPS and Laser - guided weapons with deadly accuracy . The 120th Fighter Squadron has participated in many exercises when not deployed to support real world contingency operations as part of the United States Air Force ' s Total Force . These exercises include joint multi - national training with the Royal Australian Air Force in Australia , TEAM SPIRIT in Korea , Tactical Fighter Weaponry in Denmark , Maple Flag in Canada , Cope Thunder in Alaska , Sentry Aloha in Hawaii , The Joint CRUZEX V Operation ( Cruzeiro do sul - Southern Cross ) in Brazil in 2010 , with the Brazilian Air Force , the Armée de l ' Air ( France Air force ) , and many others air forces from South America , and observers of some many other countries of the NATO ( this is the most big aerial operation in the South America ) , and countless other exercises within the United States . In February , 2003 , the 120th FS mobilized and deployed to a still classified location in southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . While deployed with sixteen aircraft and over 30 pilots , the 120th flew over 500 combat sorties , 2500 hours and dropped over 350 precision guided weapons while successfully preventing the launch of any Theatre Ballistic Missiles in their area of responsibility . All personnel and jets returned safely during the summer , 2003 . The unit has since redeployed to Iraq in the summer of 2004 , as well as during the holidays in 2007 - 2008 , and in the Summer of 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In 2005 , the 120th won back the " Spirit Trophy " in the " Tiger Meet of the Americas " Competition .