History

185th Air Refueling Wing Badge
The 185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard is located in America's heartland at Colonel Bud Day Field in Sioux City, Iowa. The Unit was established in December 1946. The Army Air Force's 386th Fighter Squadron, flying P-47 Thunderbolts, activated in 1943, was inactivated in 1945 and re-designated the 174th Fighter Squadron and allocated to the Iowa National Guard in on May 24th, 1946. On December 2nd of that same year, the 174th was extended Federal recognition and equipped with P-51 Mustangs. The 174th is still the flying squadron at the 185th Air Refueling Wing. The original component included 9 rated officers, 7 non-rated officers, and 46 enlisted members for a total of 62 members. Today, the 185th consists of nearly 1,000 traditional and full-time military as well as over 300 air technicians and state contract employees.

Iowa Warplanes

Harold A. Skaarup, author of Military History Books, has created a comprehensive list of Iowa Warplanes on the Military History Books website.

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