safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense. Components The Oregon Air National Guard consists of the following major units: 142nd Wing Established 18 April 1941 (as: 123rd Observation Squadron); operates: F-15C/D Eagle Stationed at: Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland Gained by: Air Combat Command The Wing consists of over 1,000 officers and airmen, the "Redhawks" guard the Pacific Northwest airspace and coastal waters from northern California to the Canada–US border with F-15 Eagles on 24-hour Air Sovereignty alert. Both operational and training missions take 142d Fighter Wing units around the globe in support of drug interdiction, Air Expeditionary Force missions, and contingency operations. 173rd Fighter Wing Established 1 January 1983 (as: 8123rd Fighter-Interceptor Training Squadron); operates: F-15C/D Eagle Stationed at: Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon Gained by: Air Education and Training Command Originally an interceptor pilot training squadron, today the wing is an advanced training organization responsible for all USAF F-15 pilot specialization training. History The Oregon Air National Guard origins date to 30 July 1940 with the establishment of the 123rd Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Oregon Air National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The unit consisted of two officers, 108 enlisted men and two aircraft, a North American BC-1A (like the AT-6) and a Douglas O-46A. The squadron flew observation missions primarily along the Pacific Coast and occasionally made mail flights. The 123rd Observation Squadron was ordered into active service on 15 September 1941 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. On 24 May 1946 the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts, imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The modern Oregon ANG received federal recognition on 30 August 1946 as the 142nd Fighter Group at Portland Municipal Airport, Portland. Its 123rd Fighter Squadron''' was equipped with