From Jennies to jets to stealth bombers, the 131st Bomb Wing’s history really began with its co-located flying squadron, now the 110th Bomb Squadron, which traces its roots back to the 110th Observation Squadron.

The 110th OS was organized by Maj. Bill Robertson and his brothers, Lieutenants Frank and Dan Robertson, owners of Robertson Aircraft Company. The Robertsons were aviation pioneers, noted for being the 1st two pilots from Missouri to enlist in World War I (Dan was too young). Among their associates were numerous former Army Air Corps veterans and visionary young men who shared an interest in organizing a countrywide Guard unit in St. Louis.
They strove to make this vision a reality; they worked with local newspapers to get the word out.

These outlets informed the general public that “along with aviators, a lot of young men who desired to learn how to fly or maintain flying equipment would even be taken as enlistments.”

Members will be paid for a maximum of 60 “drills” a year, that have been described as periods of instruction in ground work, machine-shop practice and flying. They’d receive instruction in war maneuvers, and conduct bombing and machine-gun firing practice with targets at the nearby Missouri River.

Personnel assigned to the photo section would learn how to “make pictures to be used in war” and intelligence personnel will be “trained as Scouts of the Air (observers) and doubtless could have radio equipment.””

A five-day “recruiting drive” enlisted a complete of 110 men, most of whom were World War I veterans. On June 23, 1923, the 110th OS, 110th Photo Section and 110th Intelligence Section (35th Division Aviation Section) of the Missouri National Guard were federally recognized and Maj. Robertson became the 1st commanding officer.

The first headquarters for the unit was located in a gas station on Manchester Avenue in St. Louis. From there, it moved to a small room over a supermarket on Olive Street Road in St. Louis County. Members participated in training on the airport, which at the moment was little greater than a pasture.

At first there have been no uniforms for the enlisted men. Their first flying equipment was a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” which was purchased through officer donations and used for flight training until early 1924, once they received three additional World War I surplus JN-4Hs.

The pilots were so wanting to train; they might often fly three men to an aircraft, with one man strapped to a wing in order that they could switch off in midflight with no need to take time to land.

The planes were housed in corrugated sheet-metal hangars erected at the field that were built for the International Air Races of 1923. The 110th received additional aircraft and gear throughout 1924, and by year’s end, that they had established a well-planned training program.

The chief pilot at the St. Louis-to-Chicago mail run for the Robertson Aircraft Company was a tender aviator named Charles “Slim” Lindbergh, who soon joined his employers on the 110th.

He was a captain within the National Guard in 1927 and needed to seek permission from his commanders to make his historic transatlantic 33 hour solo flight from The big apple to Paris inside the “Spirit of St. Louis.” He was rewarded for his efforts by a distinct act of the Missouri legislature that promoted him to the rank of colonel.

The squadron flew 10 different aircraft from 1925 to 1940, including the De Havilland D-4, the Consolidated PT-1 “Trusty” and TW-3. Aircraft similar to the Curtiss Falcon O-11, Douglas 0-2H and O-38B were employed for observation and reconnaissance missions. Squadron photographers honed their skills using the K-17 observation camera.

On Dec. 23, 1940, the unit was called to serve in World War II as a fighter and medium bombardment unit, and started training in Little Rock, Ark., and Salinas, Calif. Members flew the Douglas A-20 “Havoc” bomber, Bell P-39 “Air Cobra” and Curtiss P-40 “Warhawk” fighters. The unit was based in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines, and was credited with destroying approximately 123 Japanese aircraft and approximately 12 ships, earning the squadron a Presidential Unit Citation in 1944.

Upon returning home, the unit was demobilized and within the early summer of 1946, plans were formulated to arrange the Air National Guard. Unlike the pre-war unit, which consisted of a few 24 officers and 120 enlisted men, Missouri was to receive a fighter wing, utilizing nearly 10 times as many personnel.

An extensive recruiting drive was undertaken, facilities at Lambert Field in St. Louis were reoccupied and the unit was designated because the 57th Fighter Wing and 110th Fighter Squadron. Federal recognition was granted in September. The unit was equipped with the North American P-51 “Mustang,” then recognized because the fastest fighter aircraft of global War II.

In 1947, the wing was re-designated the 71st Fighter Wing. In this period, Maj. Charles DuBois, World War II ace and previous member of the famed Flying Tigers, took command of the 110th Fighter Squadron and shortly gained recognition as among the unit’s most aggressive commanders.

Three years later, on Nov. 1, 1950, the wing was re-designated the 131st Composite Wing, and started pursuing intensive training to elevate the wing’s readiness to the very best possible degree.

On March 1, 1951, because of the Korean emergency, the wing was recalled to active federal service for a period of 21 months, with moves to Strategic Air Command at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, after which later within the year to George Air Force Base, Calif., with the hot designation because the 131st Fighter-Bomber Wing.

The medium bomber North American B-25 “Mitchell,” the North American T-6 “Texan” trainer, the Douglas B-26 “Invader” and armed forces transports Douglas C-47 “Skytrain” and Beechcraft C-45 “Expeditor” joined the 131st fleet during the 1950s.

During the Korean conflict, the wing took on an increased role of flying bombers, however the mission would change quickly to that of a fighter role. Fighters will be the 131st mission for 40 more years, but bombers would ultimately become the long run.

During assignment to George AFB, numerous personnel were sent to overseas assignments. Tactical units were rotated in support of NATO operations in Iceland and lots individuals saw action inside the Korean arena. By November 1952, demobilization was completed and the wing was returned to Lambert Field.

After the Korean call-up, the wing was re-designated because the 131st Light Bombardment Wing. The wing entered the “jet age” inside the late ’50s with the advent of the Lockheed F-80 “Shooting Star” and the Republic F-84F “Thunderstreak.” The Lockheed T-33 “T-bird” entered service because the wing’s training aircraft.

During the Berlin Crisis, the wing was again recalled to active service, this time deploying to Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France, to reinforce NATO forces. They stayed in France from October 1961 to August 1962, helping to airlift food and medical supplies into Germany.

Returning home in 1962, the unit received the North American F-100 “Super Sabre,” which remained an essential component of the now 131st Tactical Fighter Wing and 110th Tactical Fighter Squadron for greater than 17 years.

In 1977, Ann Morrow Lindbergh, Charles Lindbergh’s widow, gave the governor of Missouri permission to designate the 110th TFS as “Lindbergh’s Own.” Today, the words remain a unit slogan of the 110th BS.

In the summer of 1978, the F-100 was replaced by the F-4C “Phantom,” which was built around the runway from the wing’s hangars by McDonnell-Douglas. In 1985, the C-model Phantoms were replaced by the newer E-model Phantom II. Additionally, the F-4E (tail number 68-338) was honored with a different paint scheme to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1st flight of the F-4 Phantom and the unit hosted a meeting of F-4s to celebrate.

In 1982, Betty Robertson, sister of the 3 Robertson brothers and a pioneer aviator in her own right, helped dedicate the brand new wing headquarters as Robertson Building 131 of their memory.

Tensions inside the Middle East impacted the Air National Guard together with the remainder of the army.

Members from the 131st deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm within the early 1990s. Deployments continued in support of Operations Provide Comfort, Northern Watch and Southern Watch.

In September 1991, the F-4 Phantoms gave method to another St. Louis-built fighter when the unit transitioned into McDonnell-Douglas F15-A and B model “Eagles” and went to an air superiority mission. The conversion was completed in a minimal timeframe and the wing was back as much as full speed within 18 months.

Called to service again to help in battling the good Flood of 1993, greater than 500 Citizen Airmen served through the St. Louis area in support of this natural disaster. 1993 also saw the advent of the Fairchild C-26A Metro Liner, a twin-engine turboprop with the aptitude to quick change to passenger, medevac or cargo interiors.

The F-15s of the 131st will be put to check with deployments to Turkey in 1996, 1997 and 1998, Denmark in 1999, Saudi Arabia in 2000, and Iceland in 2001 and 2006. Between the overseas trips, the tempo was kept at a high pace with various deployments to stateside exercises together with Red Flag and Combat Archer.

The dramatic events of Sept. 11, 2001, led the wing to face as much as full alert within eight hours of the initial terrorist attack, with several units mobilized within days. Within the following months, wing members mobilized or deployed in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Despite the demands of high tempo global operations and response to natural disasters, the 131st continues to satisfy its daily training missions and excel in higher headquarters-directed inspections.

During the winter of 2001 to 2002, the 131st FW completed a 90-day air expeditionary force rotation in Keflavik, Iceland, allowing other units to support other global operations.

During the autumn of 2004, the unit began its transition from the F-15A/B to the F-15C/D model aircraft, becoming the 1st combat-coded F-15 unit within the ANG to have the C-models. In August 2005, the 131st FW became the primary operational ANG unit to totally fly the F-15C model.

In the late summer of 2005, 131st FW members were among those to deploy to the Gulf Coast to aid with hurricane relief efforts within the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In St. Louis, wing personnel worked in concert with local officials to set up a shelter for evacuees expected to reach in St. Louis. Even though it was prepared, the shelter was never used.

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) in 2005 ushered in yet one more change for the 131st FW and 110th Fighter Squadron, proving to be both dramatic and historic. Because of BRAC law, the F-15 Eagles were scheduled for withdraw from the Missouri ANG, but 100 pc manning remained in place, readying the wing to just accept a brand new mission.

In March 2006, the dep. of Defense announced that the 131st would become an ANG associate unit at Whiteman AFB. While the active duty would have primary ownership over the aircraft, Missouri’s Guardsmen would maintain and fly the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers alongside their active duty counterparts.

During the summer of 2006, severe storms swept through Missouri, leading to massive power outages. Missouri called on its National Guard to produce equipment and manpower to support the community. Citizen Airmen of the 131st FW responded to the crises. Efforts were repeated after an ice storm struck the region in December 2006.

In September 2006, the B-2 “Spirit of Pennsylvania” became the primary B-2 to land at Lambert International Airport when it made a trip to the 131st FW to familiarize wing members with their upcoming mission.

The years 2007 and 2008 saw planning and preparation to completely implement the brand new B-2 mission and the beginning of the departure of F-15C aircraft for his or her new homes at other bases. The 1st four aircraft left Lambert Field mission able to assume their new duties in Montana in August, 2008.

Flooding again struck the Missouri region in summer of 2008 and Citizen Airmen answered the decision across the metro region in support of the natural disaster. While not as devastating and much reaching because the flood of 1993, the 131st FW proved another time their willingness to aid of their communities.

During 2008, members started to transfer to Whiteman AFB, Mo., in support of a brand new mission to preserve and fly the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The Missouri ANG would operate alongside the 509th Bomb Wing of the active duty Air Force in classic associate role becoming the primary ANG unit within the B-2 mission.

On June 18, 2008, Col. Gregory Champagne, 131st FW vice commander, and Maj. David Thompson, 131st FW, achieved a prime milestone within the transition to the B-2 mission by completing the primary B-2 sortie flown and launched by Missouri ANG personnel. Fall 2008 saw the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Whiteman AFB of Bldg. 3006, the headquarters to “Detachment 2″ of the 131st FW. By 2010, Det. 2 would lose that designation and become the principle headquarters of the 131st Bomb Wing.

At a Lambert Field ceremony on June 13, 2009, greater than 2,000 people saw the launch of the “Blues Jet” (tail number AF 81-043) and the wing commander’s jet “Spirit of Saint Louis IV” (AF 78-025) to their new home with the Hawaii ANG at Hickam AFB. With the launch of the rest Eagles, flight operations at Lambert airport ceased after 86 years. It was the “End of an Era.”

On April 11, 2011, a class EF-4 tornado swept across Lambert International Airport, the south side of Lambert ANG Base, and down the I-70 corridor past town of Bridgeton, Mo. Thankfully, no lives were lost, but property suffered heavy damage inside the area, including greater than $10 million of harm on the guard base and the full lack of the bottom community center, the provision warehouse, and the Lambert headquarters building. Guardsmen banded together for cleanup efforts and taken operations back online quickly without major disruptions to service to the 131st members stationed at Whiteman AFB.

Throughout the history of the wing, many members with historic significance have served. Charles Lindbergh is clearly essentially the mostsome of the most famous, however the 110th FW had the dignity of getting three air-to-air World War II aces serving jointly. Maj. Gen. Charles DuBois had five kills, Brig. Gen. Glennon Moran had 17 ½ kills and Maj. Robert Garlich had six kills; all served within the years following World War II.

In 2011, Operation Odyssey Dawn saw the B-2 taken into combat operations in Libya and 131st wing members were full participants inside the mission. Most recently, 131st members have played key roles in support of Missouri state-sponsored agricultural development teams in Afghanistan.

At a ceremony held at Lambert Field within the 1970s, Maj. Gen. DuBois observed the history and way forward for the ANG, the wing and general aviation.

“The spirit of the 110th, like its equipment, was originally inherited from the Airmen of worldwide War I who first fought from the sky and from men like Billy Mitchell, Jimmy Doolittle, Eddie Rickenbacker, etc,” said DuBois. “Like all aviation, its roots are within the recent past, but its eyes look to the way forward for aerospace. Our squadron grew up with general aviation and it’s this theme that we intend to emphasize, that it’s a portion of a broad based civil and armed forces aerospace program. Our purpose is to acknowledge the richness and glory of the past as generating the way forward for all phases of aviation and contributing to the health of each segment of flight.”

(Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boehlein, 131st Bomb Wing, and Mr. Charles Machon, Missouri National Guard Museum Curator, contriibuted to this story)