1/16/2010:
The North Dakota Air National Guard officially became a National Guard unit on this date in 1947 at Hector Air Field in Fargo. Better known today as the Happy Hooligans, the newly formed reserve unit was made up primarily from members of the deactivated 367th Fighter Group, which had served during World War II. After the war, the National Guard fought for the continuation of a reserve air unit. Although the Air Force was initially opposed to such a reserve, today the Air National Guard comprises the total continental U. S. air defense interceptor force. The North Dakota unit was one of the first National Guard aviation units to obtain federal recognition, which occurred a full eight months before the Air Guard was even founded as a separate reserve organization on September 18th, 1947.
Dakota Datebook written by Jayme L. Job
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