249th Airlift Squadron

249th Airlift Squadron
249th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III[note 1]
Active	2009–2018
Country	United States
Allegiance	Alaska
Branch	Air National Guard
Role	Airlift
Part of	Alaska Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska
Tail Code	White tail stripe "Elmendorf" in black "AK"
Insignia
249th Airlift Squadron emblem

The 249th Airlift Squadron is an inactive unit of the Alaska Air National Guard, formerly located at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska and assigned to the 176th Wing. The 249th was an associate unit of the 517th Airlift Squadron, which was equipped with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.

Mission

The 249th's mission was strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward locations worldwide. It also conducted theater airlift, aeromedical evacuation and tactical airdrop missions. Tactics to accomplish the mission include air refueling, low-level contour navigation and use of night vision goggles. Its crews mix with crews from the active-duty Air Force 517th Airlift Squadron to fly eight Boeing C-17 Globemaster III jets around the world. In the event of mobilization the squadron would become an element of Pacific Air Forces.^[1]

History

In association with the 517th, the Alaska Air National Guard established a detachment of the 176th Operations Group in 2007 to fly airlift missions. The detachment was organized under the "classic" association model in which the 517th retained principal responsibility for the aircraft flown. Although the 517th and the detachment were administratively separate, they were operationally and functionally integrated for performance of missions.^[1] Missions flown by the detachment included combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in mid-summer of 2007.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 September 2009, with the expansion of the mission, the 249th Airlift Squadron was activated and absorbed the personnel and mission of the detachment. The squadron achieved initial operational capability sixteen days later.^[1]

Following the January 2010 Haiti earthquake members of the 249th and three C-17s deployed to Jackson Air National Guard Base to fly cargo and relief assistance personnel to the destroyed areas of Haiti. At Jackson, they integrated with the 183rd Airlift Squadron of the Mississippi Air National Guard. Squadron members flew equipment like fire trucks and fork lifts into Haiti, while evacuating more than 800 refugees on the return trips.^[2] In July of that same year, a C-17 flown by a joint crew of the 249th and 517th crashed while practicing for an airshow, killing the four crewmembers aboard the plane.^[3]

In the fall of 2011, the squadron once again participated in a major disaster relief operation, when it transported Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters of the 176th Group to the northeastern United States to assist in recover from Hurricane Irene.^[4]

In 2017, the 144th Airlift Squadron, the oldest flying squadron in the Alaska Air National Guard transferred its Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. In order to maintain the 144th as an active unit, the 249th was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 144th in August 2018.^[5]

Lineage

• Established as the 249th Airlift Squadron and allotted to the Alaska Air National Guard

Activated on 1 September 2009^[1]

Inactivated c. 4 August 2018^[5]

Assignments

• 176th Operations Group, 1 September 2009 – c. 4 August 2018^[1][5]

Stations

• Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska, 1 September 2009^{[citation needed]}

Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, 18 February 2011 – c. 4 August 2018^[1][5]

Aircraft

• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, 2007–2018^{[note 2]}

See also

• List of United States Air National Guard Squadrons

References

Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links

• "Alaska National Guard: 249th Airlift Squadron air refuels over Hawaii". YouTube. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
• "Pilots Blamed in Fatal Alaska C-17 Crash". Aviation Today. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
• Popp, SSG Francesca (6 November 2007). "Alaska Elephant Finds New Home With Help of Air Force". Sit News. Retrieved 4 May 2015.

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Wings and Groups

Wings Composite 108th 113th 118th 119th 127th 140th 154th 175th 176th 178th 188th Air Control 116th Airlift 103d 105th 107th 109th 120th 123d 130th 133d 136th 139th 143d 145th 146th 152d 153d 156th 164th 165th 166th 167th 172d 179th 182d 189th Air Refueling 101st 117th 121st 126th 128th 134th 137th 141st 151st 155th 157th 161st 168th 171st 185th 186th 190th Attack 110th 174th Bomb 131st Fighter 52d* 53d* 54th* 55th* 60th* 61st* 62d* 63d* 66th* 67th* 71st* 86th* 104th 106th* 111th 114th 115th 122d 124th 125th 132d 138th 142d 144th 148th 149th 150th 159th 162d 169th 173d 177th 180th 183d 187th 192d Intelligence 102d 181st 184th Reconnaissance 147th 163d Regional Support 194th Rescue 106th 129th Special Operations 150th 193d Groups Composite 170th Airlift 135th* Air Operations 102d 152d 157th Air Refueling 112th* 127th 160th* Combat Communications 162d 163d 201st 226th 252d 254th 281st* Cyberspace Engineering Installation 251st 253d Operations 140th Reconnaissance 214th

Squadrons

Flying Air Command and Control 128th Airlift 109th 115th 118th 130th 135th* 137th 139th 142d 143d 144th 155th 156th 158th 164th 165th 167th 169th 180th 181st 183d 186th 187th 189th* 192d 198th* 200th 201st 204th 249th Air Refueling 106th 108th 116th 117th 126th 132d 133d 141st 145th* 146th 147th 151st 153d 166th 168th 171st 173d 174th 191st 197th 203d Attack 103d 105th 111th 124th 136th 138th 160th 162d 172d 178th 184th 196th 214th Bomb 110th Fighter 100th 104th 107th 112th 114th 119th 120th 121st 122d 123d 125th 131st 134th 148th 149th 152d 157th 159th 163d 170th* 175th 176th 179th 182d 190th 194th 195th 199th Rescue 101st 102d 103d 129th 130th 131st 188th 210th 211th 212th Special Operations 150th 185th 193d Training 154th Non-Flying Air Control 103d 109th 116th 117th 123d 128th 133d 134th 141st 176th 255th Air Operations 112th Air Support 113th ASOS 172d Air Traffic Control 243rd 245th 270th Civil Engineering 285th Civil Engineering Squadron Combat Communications 143d 147th 149th 206th 221st 222d 223d 225th 228th 231st 232d 234th 236th 239th 240th 242d 244th 256th 261st 262d 263d 264th 265th 267th 269th 271st 272d 280th 282d 283d 291st 292d 293d Command and Control 119th 127th 153d 222d Engineering Installation 130th 202d 205th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 217th 218th 219th 220th 241st 243d 270th 272d Force Support 187th Information Warfare Aggressor 177th Intelligence 101st 117th 123d 152d 161st 194th 234th Joint Communications Support 224th 290th Logistics Readiness 187th RED HORSE 202d 203d 819th Security Forces 187th Space Control 114th Space Operations 111th 148th Space Warning 137th 213th Special Operations Communications 193d 280th Special Tactics 125th Asterisk (*) denotes an inactive unit