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  • The Oregon Air Guard’s First Thanksgiving

    Happy Thanksgiving!  The first Thanksgiving Day celebrated by Oregon’s first military aviation unit, the 123rd Observation Squadron (today’s 123rd Fighter Squadron) was on Thursday, November 27, 1942. It was a first not only for the 123rd Observation Squadron, but in a sense for the nation as well. 

  • The 142nd Wing Chapel: A Generational Beacon of Hope

    Throughout 2022, members of the 142nd Wing have helped to clean up and restore the firmly standing World War II chapel building on Portland Air National Guard Base (PANGB).Following the chapel's reopening, a revamp of the chapel has enabled members of the 142nd Wing to come together as a community,

  • Checking In: How an Oregon Guardsmen went from Hotel Manager to Mentor

    Master Sgt. Paul Freimark, the 142nd Wing’s Base Education Training Manager (BETM), has had many titles and roles throughout his over 20-year career. He’s been called a Sailor, Hotel Manager, Husband, and Father. Yet perhaps his most defining title, is that of “mentor”.

  • The Storm Before the Calm – October, 1962 Part 2: The ANG RIO School

    As the USAF developed air defense interceptor aircraft with night and all-weather capabilities, some of the aircraft such as the Northrop F-89 Scorpion had a radar intercept officer (RIO) position in addition to the pilot.  For the F-89, the USAF operated a RIO school at James Connally Air Force

  • The Storm Before the Calm – October, 1962 Part 1: The Columbus Day Storm

    This series takes a look back at 142nd Wing history highlights from 60 years ago, in October, 1962. Many will remember it as the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Part 3 of the series), arguably the closest the world has been to a nuclear war. This was at the height of the Cold War, when even

  • An Oregon “Guest” of the Luftwaffe

    History can be a complex subject, finding the evidence of days gone by in documents, artifacts, images, interviews and such.  Even when one is familiar with the details of a given aspect of history, it’s common for new details to emerge.  History is not a static thing, and a surprising amount of