In August 1985, the US congress directed the Air Force to conduct a full and open competition to choose a fighter aircraft for the air defense mission, the Air Force received three proposals. General Dynamics came up with two proposals, the first was to modify current inventory F-16s with a second for specially configured new production F-16C, while Northrop submitted a proposal for newly produced F-20s. The Air Force Secretary announced his decision soon after and had chosen to modernize all eleven of Air National Guard squadrons flying F-4s and F-106s in the air defense role by upgrading 270 older F-16s taken out of the existing tactical air force.

The first Air National Guard unit to benefit from the above decision was the 158th Tactical Fighter Group at Burlington IAP, in Vermont. March 12, 1986, saw the arrival of the first F-16A "Fighting Falcon" to replace the unit's F-4D "Phantom". The changeover was done quietly but was a complicated one, the F-16 being a single seat a/c, WSO were no longer needed and new jobs had to be found for them. The conversion resulted in the addition of appro-ximately 120 authorized positions on base and a $28 million dollar military construction expenditure.

Conversion to the F-16 ADF started in 1990 with the 158th FIG sending its aircraft to Ogden Air Logistics Center to be modified. The program included various upgrades to the avionics of the F-16 like the modification of the Westinghouse AN/APG-66 radar to provide continuous wave illumination, giving the F-16ADF the possibility to be armed with medium-range radar missiles. Other upgrades included the addition of a radar/heads-up display visual identification mode, installation of a 250 watt, 150,000-candle-power night identification spotlight on the port side of the nose below the threat warning antenna, addition of a Bendix/King AN/ARC-200 HF radio (B-models were not fitted with the HF radio), and installation of the Teledyne/E-Systems MKXII Advanced IFF, easily identified by the addition of a four-blade antenna forward of the cockpit and beneath the air intake. Other equipment installed included a Data Transfer Equipment as fitted to F-16C, a standard Flight Data Recorder and mountings for the Global Positioning System (GPS). The F-16ADF retained the fuselage-mounted 20mm M61A1 rotary cannon with 511 rounds of ammo and wingtip mounted AIM-9L/M Sidewinder, plus it could carry AIM-7F/M and AIM-120A.

The 158th FIG received some F-16s on loan as replacements for the ones sent to Ogden ALC and these a/c were flown without unit's markings. Of particular interest among them was the first production F-16A, 78-0001. F-16s returning from Ogden ALC after modifications had lost their colors and had received low-viz markings.

On March 1,1990 two Soviet TU-95D "Bears" were intercepted by two 158th FIG's F-16s over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing the total of intercepted a/c to 31 since the unit's change of mission in April 1988. On April 16, 1991, it was announced that Det.1 would change location to Langley AFB, VA to replace the 48th FIS, the last active duty alert squadron in the country.Det.1 at Bangor was deactivated on August 30, 1991 and was ready for its first flight from Langley AFB on October 1. Maj.Mark Fredenburgh, an ex-50th TFW F-16 pilot, was the first Det.1 Commander and in August 1991, Det.1 was awarded the Outstanding Unit Award. The citation contained references to the unit's impressive record of flying hours, 2040, and sorties, 1368, achieved with just three aircraft and 17 personnel within a two year timeframe.

The158th FG kept 2 aircraft on 24-hours alert at Burlington in support of the Northeast Air Defense Sector and on July 1, 1993, the Vermont Air National Guard's full-time Air defense mission ceased. The alert commitment at Langley AFB ended on June 1, 1994 and Detachment.1 moved south to Charleston AFB, SC on August 1. Det.1 kept two aircraft on "hot" alert while two other jets were spares. Pilots were on alert for three to four days at the time while crew chiefs pulled 24-hour shifts, ready to respond for a scramble. The unit was on alert 24 hours a day and was required to have its aircraft airborne within five minutes after receiving the call to scramble and intercept.

The VT ANG suffered its first lost when F-16, 82-0990 crashed on August 27, 1993 while on its way to Det.1. The aircraft piloted by Maj.M.Scott was over the Atlantic Ocean when a problem occurred. The pilot immediately took the decision to land at the closest airport, Cape May Municipal Airport, but the runway was too short and continued its landing past the runway in the marsh. Fortunately, the pilot ejected successfully and uninjured.

During the February 94 UTA, the 158th FG said officially goodbye to the F-16ADF with a 14-ship flyover and said hello to the F-16C. The 158th FG transitionned to Block 25 aircraft and flew its new F-16s without unit markings. Following the result of an internal contest which saw some pretty interesting and funny designs, a new one to reflect best "The Green Mountain Boys" was adopted. There was no change in the mission and the "Green Mountain Boys" had a lot of work in their hands to bring these aircraft to higher standards and prepare to compete in William Tell 94 at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Team Vermont's attitude was very positive and the "Green Mountain Boys" were about to set new standards. The team was composed of 10 officers and 37 enlisted with 5 "Code One" F-16C. That year, the unit welcome it's first female pilot, 2nd Lt Michelle Rocco. She joined the Vermont Air Guard to fly the C-26 support aircraft.

On October 1, 1995, the 158th Fighter Group became the 158th Fighter Wing, under an ANG wide reorganization. The Vermont Air National Guard participated in Red Flag (96-4) at Nellis AFB, NV during the first two weeks of July 1996. Led by Maj. M.Dubie, the "Green Mountain Boys" deployed 6 F-16s and 66 personnel to provide "Red Air" during this exercise. Along with the usual USAF, Marines and Navy units, teams from the Spanish, Belgium and Dutch Air Forces also participated, giving the exercise an international flavor. In addition, the unit regularly deploys aircraft and personnel to train and participate in exercises like "Amalgam Warrior" in Eastern Canada and "Coronet Nighthawk" in Panama. In August 1996, the Vermont Air National Guard celebrated its 50th Anniversary with special celebrations and an airshow to say "Thank You" to the community for their support.

1997 has been a busy year for the 158th FW with a lot of changes in the Air National Guard and budget reductions for the defense. Training to be the best at what you do is important for every member of the VT ANG and is clearly visible during the monthly UTAs. All this hard work and training gave the "Green Mountain Boys" an excellent rating in their Operational Readiness Inspection that took place between October 28 and November 7, 1997. From December 28 to February 7, 1998, the 158th FW deployed and operated in support of operation "Coronet Nighthawk". Over 150 guardsmen and 6 F-16s were deployed to Howard AFB in Panama. April saw the 158th FW deploying to Tyndall AFB for "Combat Archer". The team was composed of 19 officers and 61 enlisted members of the VT ANG with eight F-16s. Pilots and aircraft performed at their best with a total of six AIM-9 and two AIM-120 missiles launched against sub scale targets over the Gulf of Mexico. During that deployment, 123 sorties were flown for a total 160.2 hours.

Early in 1998, it was announced that the 158th FW would return to the general purpose mission and the Detachment at Charleston AFB was deactivated on July 15, 1998. The unit had maintained four F-16s there, two of which were on 24 hour-a-day status 7 days a week. The change of mission officially took place on 1 October 1998 and training for pilots without experience in bombing began at Tucson, AZ with the 162nd FW. The 158th FW sent three F-16s to be part of a pool that included other F-16s from the 177th FW/NJ ANG and the 147th FW/TX ANG, to allow pilots from all three units to train. Eight pilots from the 158th attended Air-to-Ground training at Tucson. The 158th Fighter Wing was awarded the "Winston P.Wilson Trophy" for being the most outstanding unit with jet fighter or reconnaissance aircraft in the Air National Guard for 1998. The Green Mountain Boys deployed to Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. during March 1999 for four weeks of intensive air-to-ground training. With the F-16s getting older and some with more than 4000 hours, the jets break more often and it took a lot of extra hours of work to get the aircraft ready for that deployment. The wing started to fly with Maverick that summer and has begun training in chemical warfare as well.

The 158th Fighter Wing also has the best crew chiefs you can find. In fact, a crew chief from the Vermont ANG was awarded the 'Chief Master Sgt.Thomas N.Barnes', Air National Guard Crew Chief of the Year Award. TSgt. Christopher J.Walker received this award on August 8, 1999 during a ceremony presided over by Maj.Gen. Martha T.Rainville, Vermont Adjutant General. TSgt. Walker has been a crew chief since 1990 and has served in the Marine Corps prior to join the Guard in 1988. This was the third year in a row for the Vermont ANG. Previously, TSgt. James S.Sanford and TSgt. Alan M.Bouffard received the award in 1997 and 1998 respectively.

Lt Col. W.Etter, 158th Operations Group Commander, became the first pilot of the Vermont Air National Guard to complete an historic 3,000 hours of flight in the F-16 on August 5, 1999. Lt Col. Etter began flying in 1981 and was assigned to MacDill AFB, Florida. Early October saw The Green Mountain Boys hosting 'Maple Leaf 1999', an air-to-air training exercise taking place in the sky over New England. More than 20 aircraft participated in this 1999 edition.

The 158th FW entered the new millennium with preparations for overseas deployments and its first participation in an Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF). Aerospace Expeditionary Forces are complex package of airpower consisting of fighters, bombers, attack and transport aircraft, supported by special groups of maintenance, logistics and other support personnel.

On February 23, 2000, a Vermont Air National Guard pilot averted a possible disaster and landed his jet safely in Burlington after his throttle assembly disconnected. Lt Col. Scott Baldwin was on a routine night training mission and was the first of six aircraft scheduled to land when he declared an emergency. After noticing that the engine was not responding to the throttle movements, Lt Col Baldwin took the appropriate measures and deployed the aircraft's speedbrakes to reduce airspeed. Soon after, he jettisoned the two empty 400-pound fuel tanks over Lake Champlain and activated the emergency power unit to give him the power to the controls so he could land. Minutes after, he landed at the airport without the need to engage the barrier. Lt Col. Baldwin referred to this incident as the most exciting 20 minutes of his career and cited his many years of flying experience with the F-16, and his previous training at Edwards Air Force Base for handling out of control aircraft.

On March 25, the 134th FS deployed ten F-16s and a contingent of 135 personnel to Nellis AFB, Nevada to participate in Red Flag 00-3. For the first time in over 15 years, the wing flew as part of 'Blue Force' which involved the unit in both air-air and air-ground missions. It was a busy deployment for the maintenance during the second week when half of the jets landed with malfunctions. During May, TSgt. Dale Walker of the 158th AGS was named the Crew Chief of the Year. This is the fourth consecutive year that a crew chief from the 158th has received the award! On August 12, members of the 158th FW assembled with other members of the Vermont's Army and Air National Guard for 'Muster 2000', a Vermont National Guard Community Celebration. Four thousands members assembled at this event held at the Champlain Valley Exposition and Fairgrounds in Essex Junction, Vermont. The assembly of troops is a military tradition dating back to the first recorded American militia muster in the Massachussetts Bay Colony in 1634. Until the 1830s, Vermont held an annual muster each summer to rally the troops and disseminate information to citizen soldiers and their families. The last muster took place in 1980 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Vermont's mobilization for World War Two.

Preparations and training continued for the upcoming deployment in support of Operation Southern Watch. The 158th Fighter Wing began deploying approximately 200 personnel to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia on September 9. This deployment is part of the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF 9) and is the first AEF deployment for the Vermont Air National Guard. Each AEF consists of one 90-day period, three months of on-call status or deployment. Because Guard members have to balance a civilian career with military service, the Guard uses a system called "Rainbow" which involve three Guard units each performing 30 of the 90 days. Each Guard's rotation is further broken down into two rotations of 15 days. The 158th FW was joined by the 147th FW/TX ANG and 177th FW/NJ ANG with each unit deploying 2 F-16s for the 90 days duration and personnel for the 15 days rotation. The second rotation of personnel took place on September 24 when they boarded a DC-10 from a charted company. They were replaced by personnel from the other two units while the aircraft stayed there and were flown by different pilots from other units. During this deployment, the Green Mountain Boy Battle Flag was proudly displayed and flown at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

10 months after landing his powerless F-16 "dead-sticked", Lt Col. Scott Baldwin received the U.S.Air Force Air Medal, one of the Air Force's highest honors, from Vermont Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Martha Rainville. In 2001, TSgt Terry Tracy became the fifth consecutive Air National Guard Crew Chief of the Year winner. Tracy shared his 2000 honor with previous winners from the 158th AGS, TSgt Dale Walker in 1999, TSgt Christopher Walker in 1998, TSgt Alan Bouffard in 1997 and TSgt James Sanford in 1996. In January 2001, the 158th Fighter Wing deployed six F-16s and 90 personnel to NAS Key West, Fla. for two weeks. During the deployment, the unit accomplished 116 sorties in a mix of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

The 158th FW was the first unit to fly CAP missions over New York city and other major cities in responses to September 11th attacks. In support of Operation Noble Eagle, the unit flew 122 consecutive days of Combat Air Patrols from Sept. 11, 2001 to Jan. 10, 2002. In May 2002, the 158th participated in Sentry Aloha, an exercise designed to help train the Hawaii Air National Guard in DACT. Units from CONUS flying F-16s deploy for two weeks at the time to the island of Oahu to train with the HI ANG F-15s. 115 members of the Green Mountain Boys accompanied the unit's F-16s for this deployment which ran smoothly. In October of the same year, the 158th deployed again. This time to participate in Red Flag 03-01 at Nellis AFB, Nev. Flying alongside the 158th FW/VT ANG were the 147th FW/TX ANG and 177th FW/NJ ANG. All three wings deploy together as part of an Aerospace Expeditionary Force and this was an excellent opportunity to plan and train together in such a realistic environment.

And so the 158th Fighter Wing continues to fly the F-16 and provide air defense in the Northeast United States..

Thumbs up to the Green Mountain Boys!

(All photos by P.Colin, except where noted)

Vermont ANG F-16C over New York City and Ground Zero. (VT ANG)