Brig. Gen. Kennard R. Wiggins Jr.

Air National Guard

When it was established alongside the United States Air Force in 1947, the Air National Guard consisted of a colorful mix of World War II veterans and a dubious collection of "flyable storage" aircraft, mostly obsolete. Four years later, it was mobilized for the Korean War, which, after producing a handful of National Air Guard jet aces, precipitated an influx of new equipment for the unit. The Air Guard had entered the "Jet Age," an era in which it truly belonged, and began entering air races and aerobatic competitions, winning public appeal as an elite unit with crack pilots and state-of-the-art jet aircraft. This book is a detailed history of the first two decades of the Air National Guard as it evolved from a post-war hometown "flying club" for World War II veterans to a critical operational force integral to U.S. aerial strength. It uncovers the dramatic stories of the combat aces and record-breaking jet racers, as well as the pioneers who established the Air Guard on a wing and a prayer, and those who molded it into a first-rate fighting force.