September 17th will mark the 75th anniversary of the 148th Fighter Wing.

Let’s go back to the beginning. September 17, 1948, 53 men raised their right hand and joined the newest Air National Guard unit. It was known as the 179th Fighter Squadron. This was in response to the actions of the Soviet Union.

They had no aircraft or buildings at the time. The first aircraft were the F-51D Mustangs. Over the years, upgrades to the aircrafts - with names like Starfire, Scorpion and Voodoo.

Since then, they’ve flown several models of aircraft, leading up to the F-16s they have now. And the men and women have deployed overseas and stateside, many times.

This weekend, the wing will mark the occasion with a 75th anniversary ball, with about 400 people attending. They also have drill.

Wing Commander Col. Nathan Aysta told us, “There’s quite a buzz going on right now with excitement in the air, as you walk through the halls of these buildings or on the flight line, that we’ve been around here for 75 years. September of 1948, when we mustered with our first 50 men, and here we are 75 years later, with over a thousand men and women serving our community, our state and our nation.”

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