The 134th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Green Mountain Boys, is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vermont. Since 2019, the 134th has flown the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
The unit traces its history to the 384th Bombardment Squadron (Light), activated in March 1942. After training in the United States, it deployed to India in 1943. As the 530th Fighter Squadron, it engaged in combat in Southeast Asia, and later, China until V-J Day. The squadron remained in China until February 1946, when it was inactivated.
The squadron was allotted to the National Guard in May 1946 as the 134th Fighter Squadron and was organized three months later. With the exception of the years 1974 to 1982, when it was the 134th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron it has flown fighters since then. The squadron was called to active duty during the Korean War, serving in the air defense of the Northeast as the 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The squadron has deployed personnel and aircraft for operations in Southwest Asia and for the defense of the homeland.
Mission The squadron mission is to carry out counter air operations, global force integration and to maintain tactical combat readiness. It is also tasked with carrying out the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses mission.
History World War II Training in the United States
The squadron was first activated as the 384th Bombardment Squadron at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma in March 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the 311th Bombardment Group.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 637Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 186-87Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 472, 634-36 The squadron moved to Georgia in July, where it trained at Hunter Field and Waycross Army Air Field for the following year. It primarily trained with Vultee V-72 Vengeance dive bombers, which had been ordered for the Royal Air Force, but which were impressed by the Army Air Forces after the United States entered World War II.Donald, p. 250 Toward the end of its training, it also flew some North American A-36A Apaches. In July 1943, the squadron left the United States for the China-Burma-India Theater via Australia.
Combat in the China-Burma-India Theater
The squadron arrived at Nawadih Airfield, India in mid-September 1943 and began to equip with A-36 Apaches, converting to the fighter version, the North American P-51 Mustang by 1944. Shortly after its arrival, the AAF redesignated its single engine bomber units and the squadron became the 530th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 16 October. The group provided air support to Allied ground forces in Northern Burma. It provided escorts for Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American B-25 Mitchell bombers attacking Rangoon, Insein and other targets in Burma. It bombed Japanese airfields in Myitkyina and Bhamo. It conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to protect transport planes flying cargo over The Hump between India and China. The squadron continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders. It also flew fighter sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.
In late August 1944 the 311th Group was assigned to Fourteenth Air Force and the squadron moved to Kwanghan Airfield, China in October. The squadron escorted bombers, flew interception missions against attacking Japanese aircraft, struck the enemy's lines of communications, and supported ground operations. It provided fighter cover for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses returning from raids on Japan from advanced bases in China. The squadron continued combat operations until V-J day. It was credited with the destruction of 75 enemy aircraft, with Captain James England, credited with 10 victories, its highest scoring ace.Newton & Senning, pp. 671-72 The squadron remained in China, moving to Shanghai in October. It ferried P-51s from India to equip the Chinese Air Force in November. The squadron departed China in December 1945. Upon its arrival at Fort Lawton, Washington, the Port of Embarkation, in January 1946, it was inactivated.
Vermont Air National Guard The 530th was redesignated the 134th Fighter Squadron and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at the Burlington International Airport, Vermont, and was extended federal recognition on 14 August 1946. The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed and federally recognized. Its primary mission was air defense, with a secondary mission of ground attack. It also had an emergency rescue responsibility, using a Douglas C-47 Skytrain equipped with rubber ife rafts and maintained a crash rescue boat on Lake Champlain.
The 134th flew trainers until 1947, when it was equipped with Republic P-47D Thunderbolts. It was assigned initially directly to the Vermont Air National Guard until the Massachusetts National Guard's 67th Fighter Wing was federally recognized on 15 October 1946. The 67th Fighter Wing was the first National Guard command organization in New England. On 4 April 1947, the squadron was transferred to the 101st Fighter Group. During President Harry S Truman's inauguration in January 1949, all 24 of the squadron's F-47s joined in a flypast marking the event. In 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by F-51H Mustangs.
Korean War Mobilization On 1 February 1951, the squadron was called to active duty for the Korean War. A few days later, it was redesignated the 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 10 February 1951. Upon mobilization, the 134th was assigned to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing and remained at Burlington Airport]].Cornett and Johnson, p. 123 The squadron was attached to the 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission.Ravenstein, pp. 43-15 It participated in Operation Snowfall, a test of cold weather operations at the end of 1951.
Air Defense Command had difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying its fighter squadrons to the best advantage.Grant, p. 33 As it reorganized, The 23rd Wing was inactivated on 6 February 1952 and the squadron was transferred to the recently activated 4711th Defense Wing, a regional organization which replaced the 23rd Wing.Cornett & Johnson, p. 67 On 1 November 1952, the 133rd was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire. It transferred its mission, personnel, and aircraft to the active-duty 37th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was activated on the same day.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 176
Return to the Air National Guard air defense mission
On its return to Vermont contol, the squadron was assigned to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group. In 1953, the squadron began preparing to transition to jet fighters, and received its first Lockheed T-33 T-Bird. The squadron received its first Lockheed F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1953. In April 1954, the squadron's parent group, the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group, of the Maine Air National Guard was inactivated. It was reactivated in June in the Vermont Air National Guard, an arrangement that continued until April 1956, when the squadron was assigned directly to the 101st Air Defense Wing.
The aging F-94s were replaced by twin-engine Northrop F-89D Scorpion fighters, armed with FFAR rockets, in 1958. Two years later F-89Js replaced the D models. The F-89J was designed to carry two MB-1 Genie nuclear-armed air-to-air rockets under its wings. The squadron now maintained ground alert 24 hours a day.
Since 1950, the Air National Guard had been organized into wings, self-sustaining organizations, made up of functional groups. Because it was not practical to put an entire wing on a single installation for day to day operations, squadrons like the 134th were located on bases as “augmented squadrons” containing support elements needed to sustain operations. By the law at the time Guardsmen could only be activated as members of a mobilized unit. This meant that, even when only operational and maintenance elements were needed for mobilization, the entire “augmented squadron” had to be called to active duty, including unneeded administrative personnel. The response was to replace the “augmented squadron” with a group including functional squadrons that could be mobilized as a group, or individually. On 1 July 1960, the 158th Fighter Group was organized. The 134th became the group's flying squadron. New organizations of the group were the 158th Material Squadron (maintenance and supply), 158th Air Base Squadron, and the 158th USAF Dispensary.
In August 1965, the 134th began to receive supersonic Convair F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors equipped with data link and armed with AIM-4 Falcons. In 1972, the squadron placed third in the William Tell Weapons Meet.
In 1971 the Vermont ANG began to actively recruit women into all open career fields. Maryanne T. Lorenz was the first woman officer and SSgt Karen Wingard left active duty with the Air Force to become the first enlisted woman to join the Green Mountain Boy unit.
Radar evaluation mission
The 134th became the 134th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron in June 1974, with the unit receiving twenty Martin EB-57 Canberras. These two-seat, twin-engine aircraft were modified former medium bombers equipped with electronic countermeasure equipment and chaff dispensers. The squadron evaluated both air and ground radar systems, not only for NORAD systems, but it provided operational training to air defense units in Iceland, South Korea and Japan. During this mission the squadron earned a flying safety award, Aerospace Defense Command's "A" Award, and an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The squadron also had a wartime mission to provide electronic warfare support for combat forces. When Aerospace Defense Command was disestablished in 1979, the squadron's mobilization gaining command became Tactical Air Command (TAC), which assumed the air defense mission of ADC.
F-4 Phantom operations
In 1980, the squadron began a transition to the McDonnell F-4D Phantom II, a two seat, twin-engine fighter, leaving the air defense community for a primary mission of ground attack and close air support and redesignation as the 134th Tactical Fighter Squadron. In June 1981, it conducted a final fly-by with a mass formation of its departing EB-57s. In 1983, it placed fourth in Gunsmoke, a biennial gunnery competition. in May 1983.
F-16 Fighting Falcon operations
In the mid eighties the USAF decided to re-equip the Air National Guard units with more modern equipment as part of the Total Force concept. The squadron's F-4D Phantom's were retired and the squadron received its first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon in April 1986. The first aircraft were the block 15 version, although also some earlier 1970s block 1 and 10 models were flown for a brief time. These aircraft came from regular USAF which transitioned to newer F-16C and F-16D models. The squadron's last F-4 left in April 1986.
While retaining it F-16s, in July 1987 the squadron returned to the air defense mission and once again became the 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The 134th kept aircraft on 5-minute alert, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Alert aircraft were under the operational control of the 24th Air Division, and later the Northeast Air Defense Sector Locations of squadron alert aircraft included Burlington; Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; and Charleston Air Force Base South Carolina. In 1990 their aircraft were upgraded to the block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter) version. With this model the squadron had the second-highest rate of interceptions of Russian bombers after Alaskan Air Command units.
In March 1992, with the end of the Cold War, the squadron was redesignated the 134th Fighter Squadron. In June, TAC was inactivated and the squadron was gained by Air Combat Command (ACC).