June 5, 2025 142nd MSG and MDG Airmen Build New Skills in Deployment Exercise In early May, the 142nd Medical and Mission Support Groups (MDG and MSG) executed an AFFORGEN exercise at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Oregon. AFFORGEN refers to the Air Force’s new deployment model known as Air Force Force Generation. This exercise focused on establishing and preparing a base for the
June 5, 2025 Chomping at the Bit – The 371st Fighter Group’s Start on D-Day It was the Day of Days, D-Day, June 6, 1944. Soon after Allied troops began landing on the beaches in the Normandy region of France. On that Tuesday morning, Allied nations broadcasted word of the landings to let their populations know that the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe had begun. In an
May 23, 2025 “…2 or 3 bursts of flak were very close…” - Remembering Lt. Robert A. Mezzetti on both sides of the Atlantic Lt. Robert Mezzetti flew bomb-laden P-47D-20-RE serial number 42-76460 on his mission over France. His flight and the other dive bombers dropped eight 500-pounders on enemy gun positions and foxholes and they and/or the escorts strafed the same at coordinate Y 0554 after encountering enemy
May 8, 2025 “THE WAR IN EUROPE IS DEFINITELY OVER” - The 371st Fighter Group and Victory in Europe, 1945 “The rumor of yesterday is now confirmed - THE WAR IN EUROPE IS DEFINITELY OVER” recorded the entry for 8 May 1945 in the 405th Fighter Squadron’s monthly history for May, 1945. And so it was, eighty years ago today, marking Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day). The 142nd Wing, then designated as the
May 6, 2025 Chief of the National Guard Bureau visits 142nd Wing The Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Steven Nordhaus, visited the 142nd Wing at the Portland Air National Guard Base, April 30th, 2025, to experience the F-15EX for the first time and to recognize members of the wing.
April 23, 2025 The skies have no preference – Black American fighter pilots in the USAF We can look proudly at the example these Black American fighter pilots set as air warriors who have upheld the Air Force’s core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. Black, White, Yellow, Red, Brown or any shade in-between, the skies have no preference nor
April 21, 2025 Innovative QA software, EQuAD to be Tested and Implemented at ORANG's 142nd Wing The 142nd Wing stands at the threshold of a transformative era. In late March, Justin Tims, National Guard Bureau/A4, aircraft policy manager, visited the wing and presented an innovation poised to revolutionize maintenance operations across the Air National Guard (ANG) to leaders of the 142nd
April 9, 2025 Remembering Shifty April 9 marks the annual commemoration of National Former POW Recognition Day. While many people think of this as welcoming our former prisoners home, a number of our military personnel who were captured by the enemy did not survive to be liberated.
March 28, 2025 Fightin’ Bull in the Indochina Shop: The Southeast Asia Service of Lars Granath March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, an observation which stems from the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017. On this day we remember the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
March 25, 2025 On Priesthood and Plumbing: Father Peter Julia’s Journey to Service It’s Christmas morning 2022. Father Peter Julia, having removed his shoes and socks, and rolled up his pant legs, wades barefoot through the pool of water that has accumulated on the floor of the chapel at Portland Air National Guard Base. A recent cold snap has caused a pipe to burst in the old