The Ga. ANG in the C-124 Globemaster Era: 1966-1974

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

The C-124 Globemaster was assigned to the Ga. ANG in December 1966 replacing the C-97 Stratofreighter. Stratofreighters are visible
to the left in this image from Dobbins AFB. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On September 19, 1974, the last two C-124 Globemaster aircraft in service departed Savannah Municipal Airport bound for Tucson Arizona and the vast mothball fields of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The aircraft, assigned to the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165^th Military Airlift Group, had logged a combined 10 million miles and more than 25,000 flying hours each while assigned to the Georgia Air National Guard. The delivery of the last C-124s to storage marked the end of a nearly eight-year chapter in the history of the Ga. Air National Guard

Prelude: The Air Transport Mission Begins

By 1960, the Georgia Air National Guard encompassed fighter interceptor aircraft stationed at Dobbins Air Force Base and Travis Field in Savannah under the 116^th Air Defense Wing and the subordinate 116^th and 165^th Fighter Groups. [1] On April 1, 1961, the Ga. Air National Guard’s 116th Air Defense Wing was reorganized as the 116th Air Transport Wing (Heavy).[2] Pilots of the 116th began delivering their F-86L fighter jets to the California Air National Guard in February and March and started the training to transition from single-engine jet aircraft to the double-deck multi-engine C-97 Stratofreighter. Flight crews and maintenance personnel completed training in May 1961 at Randolph, AFB, Texas and the 128th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, redesignated the 128th Air Transport Squadron, received the first four C-97s in June.

Through the remainder of 1961, 31 pilots and 29 flight engineers completed home-station training on the C-97. Subsequently, the Ga. Air National Guard announced that the Savannah-based 165th Fighter Group would also convert to the heavy transport mission. The 165th received its first C-97 in 1961 and was redesignated the 165th Air Transport Group on April 1, 1962.[3] The Georgia Air National Guard flew the C-97 Stratofreighter for more than five years.

Transition to the Globemaster

The Georgia Air National Guard’s 116^th Military Airlift Group became the first Air National Guard unit in the nation to receive the C-124 Globemaster Dec. 7, 1966.[4] The Globemaster was praised by Ga. ANG pilots for its cargo capacity its range and for the comfort and proximity of crew rest positions to the flight deck.

On January 23, 1967, just six weeks after receiving its first Globemaster, the Ga. ANG began its first over-water mission flying 26,000 pounds of equipment to Antigua. By March 10, four additional flights had been completed to Antigua all by the 128^th Military Airlift Squadron.[5] The enormous range of the C-124 soon allowed the Ga. ANG to support a Joint Chiefs of Staff mission to Spain March 21, 1967. On April 1, 1967, a C-124 crew completed the first of many flights bearing cargo to Vietnam.[6] The 14-day round trip flight from Dobbins AFB carried more than 20,000 pounds of cargo from Travis AFB, Calif. to Da Nang in South Vietnam and returned with 17,000 pounds of cargo.

On April 1, 1967, a Ga. ANG C-124 made the first of many flights to Vietnam. Georgia Air National Guard crews had previously flown air
transport missions to Vietnam with the C-97 Stratofreighter. Georgia National Guard Archives.

In July 1968, the 165^th MAG executed an airlift of 402 Soldiers of the 170th and 176th MP Battalions from Fort Stewart to Dobbins AFB. Seven C-124 Globemaster aircraft transported the Soldiers along with 35 military vehicles.[7]

Over the years, the Ga. Air National Guard would continue to rack up historic firsts in the C-124. In December 1969, a Georgia C-124 crew became the first in Air National Guard history to fly completely around the South American continent. The feat was accomplished while supporting a special assignment airlift mission in support of Operation Deep Freeze 1969.[8] The Guardsmen flew more than 50 military and civilian scientists along with three tons of scientific instruments to Punta Arenas, Chile where a Coast Guard icebreaker was waiting to transport them to Antarctica.

Georgia Air National Guard C-124 Globemasters deliver more than 400 Ga. ARNG Military Police and 35 vehicles during an airlift exercise from
Fort Stewart to Dobbins AFB July 9, 1968. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Globemaster continued to serve as the workhorse of the Ga. ANG into the 1970s beginning in May when civil unrest in Augusta, Ga. prompted the governor to activate the Georgia National Guard. Three Ga. ANG C-124s delivered the 2nd Battalion 214th Field Artillery under the command of Col. John McGowan to Augusta May 12, 1970.[9]

On August 26, 1970, C-124 Globemaster 52-1049 of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Military Airlift Group crashed into the side of Mount Pavlof while en route from McChord Air Force Base, Wash. to Cold Bay, Alaska with a cargo of satellite equipment. The crashed killed all seven crewmembers.[10]

From Globemaster to Hercules

Military maneuvers of the 30^th Division in Tennessee in 1972 saw the C-124s called to transport Ga. ARNG personnel and equipment to training sites. By that time, the age of the Globemaster frame and scarcity of available parts weighed heavily in the decision to seek a new airframe for Georgia. Governor Jimmy Carter and Maj. Gen. Joel Paris, Georgia’s Adjutant General, along with senior leaders of the Ga. ANG met with National Guard Bureau and U.S. Air Force officials regarding possible aircraft or mission changes. The preferred course of action was to retain the MAT mission with C-130s phasing in. But the C-130 was in short supply and the Air Force Reserve’s 918^th Military Airlift Wing based at Dobbins AFB had already been allocated C-130s the previous year.[11] National Guard Bureau preferred to convert the Ga. ANG to fly the F-100 Super Sabre effective April 1973. [12] Enlisting the aid of Georgia’s congressional delegation Carter and Paris successfully negotiated to maintain the airlift mission for the 165^th.[13]

A C-124 Globemaster delivers vehicles and personnel to Tennessee for maneuvers of the 30th Division in 1972. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Final Flight

Two years would pass before the arrival of the C-130 Hercules. The first C-130 arrived in Savannah Aug. 8, 1974.[14] The following month, two veteran C-124 crews led by Lt. Col. Arthur Eddy, safety officer of the 165^th and Lt. Col. Edgar D. Benson, 165^th MAG Air Force advisor, delivered the last two C-124 Globemasters to Davis-Monthan they went into mothball storage. It would be Benson’s last flight as he was set to retire the following spring. Among the veteran crew members was flight engineer SMSgt. Thomas L. Davis who was the last survivor of the Bataan Death March of World War II still in uniform.

Georgia Air National Guard SMSgt Thomas L. Davis (Center) was the last survivor of the Bataan Death March still in uniform. He retired
following the final flight of the C-124 Globemaster. Georgia National Guard Archives.

By December 10, 1974, the 165^th had completed the conversion to the C-130 with eight aircraft assigned.[15] The 165th Tactical Air Group upgraded to the C-130H model in 1981 and received the first of its new C-130Js in January 2024.

 

The 165 Airlift Wing received the first of its eight C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical airlift aircraft during a ceremony January 22, 2024, at Lockheed Martin’s
facility in Marietta, Ga. Photo by Master Sgt. Caila Arahood.

---

[1] “Russell Praised in Wing Reorganization.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Jan Feb 1960, 4.

[2] “First C-97 Stratofreighters Arrive for ANG.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, June 1961, 4.

[3] “Kuhn’s Fighter Gp in Historic Switch to Transport Role.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, January 1962, 1.

[4] “Ga ANG First to Get C-124s; 116th MAG Conversion Began 7 Dec.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, January 1967, 3.

[5] “Global Missions Begin for C124” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine,” Feb-Apr 1967, 6.

[6] “Lt. Col. C. J. Perkins, Ga. ANG Crew Take First C124 Mission to Vietnam.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Feb-Apr 1967, 3.

[7] “Ga. Emergency Operations Headquarters Conducts Successful Airlift of MP’s.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine. May-Aug 1968, 4.

[8] “Col Perkins’ ANG Crew Flies to Southernmost City in World; Mission Supports Polar Expedition.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Sept Dec 1969, 6.

[9] “Governor Sends 2,000 Ga. Guardsmen to Augusta and Athens to Restore Calm in Wake of May Civil Disturbances.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine. Apr.-Jun. 1970, 8-9.

[10] William Carraway. “Remembering the Ga. ANG Airmen of C-124 Globemaster 52-1049” History of the Georgia National Guard. Sept. 5, 2020. http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2020/09/remembering-ga-ang-airmen-of-c-124.html

[11] “Dobbins Units to Get C130s” The Atlanta Constitution. April 7, 1917, 8.

[12] “Georgia Air Guard Getting Supersonic Fighters.” The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Sept. 4, 1972, 14.

[13] “Switch to Fighters Stirs Guard Debate.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 24, 1972.

[14]“Savannah’s 165^th MAG Has New Mission Now That the C-130s are in.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Jul Aug 74, 10

[15] State of Georgia Department of Defense. Annual Report 1975. 

Profiles in Georgia National Guard Leadership: Col. Sheftall Coleman Jr.

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

On July 12, 1958, Major Sheftall Coleman Jr., World War II flying ace and second-generation Georgia Guardsman assumed command of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 158^th Fighter Squadron in Savannah, Ga. The son of Col. Sheftall Coleman Sr. who commanded the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment in the years leading up to World War II, Coleman Jr. served in two wars and led the 158^th through a critical time in its history.

Col. Sheftall Coleman Sr. Commander, 118th FAR.

Early Life and Father’s Service

Sheftall Coleman Jr. was born Feb. 5, 1922 to Sheftall Sr. and Inez Coleman of Savannah. The younger Sheftall grew up with military service as a constant in his life. The elder Coleman, a 1912 graduate of Oglethorpe Business College had enlisted in the Republican Blues, Company M, 1st Georgia Infantry February 24, 1908 and had risen to the rank of sergeant before commissioning as a second lieutenant June 24, 1916.[1] Lieutenant Coleman mobilized with the 1^st Georgia to the Mexican Border in 1916 and upon returning in 1917 was promoted to 1^st lieutenant. He served stateside through World War I[2] and upon reorganization of the Georgia National Guard field artillery in 1921 was commissioned a captain in Headquarters Company, 1^st Field Artillery. Five years later, he was appointed major and placed in command of the 1^st Battalion 118^th Field Artillery in Savannah. Promotion to lieutenant colonel followed in 1926. After a stint as executive officer of the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment, Coleman was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 118^th May 30, 1931 upon the retirement of Col. Walter R. Neal.[3]

The younger Coleman grew up with his father’s military influence in a multi-generational household that included his grandparents Ernest and Elizabeth Mickler. The extended family provided continuity for the Coleman family as Col. Coleman attended to his military duties. Coleman Jr. attended Sacred Heart elementary School and later Benedictine High School. Tragedy struck the Coleman family when Inez died Dec. 29, 1935.

In 1940, on the eve of World War II, the elder Coleman remained in command of the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment and was employed as a senior field deputy with the state unemployment office. The younger Coleman, while still in high school, worked as an excavator for the National Park Service.[4]

World War II

On Sept. 16, 1940, Col. Coleman and the 118^th FAR were called to active federal service. The younger Coleman completed one year of college before enlisting in the Army Air Corps April 2, 1942. He completed his flying training at Luke Field, Ariz. and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was mobilized to the European Theater and flew the P-51 Mustang on fighter escort missions and was severely wounded during an engagement in 1944. Lieutenant Coleman received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions over enemy territory Aug 25, 1944. The award was presented for:

“Outstanding courage and flying skill in vigorously pressing home an attack upon superior numbers of enemy aircraft. In the face of overwhelming odds, he exhibited remarkable calm and aggressive tactical technique and was successful in the destruction of one of the hostile planes while assisting in the dispersal of the remainder.”

In the course of 120 combat missions, Coleman shot down seven enemy aircraft and assisted in the destruction of an eighth. His victories were reaped against ME 109s, FW 190s He 111s and JU 88s. Coleman left active duty at the end of World War II with the rank of major.

Georgia National Guard Service

Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. 

In February 1947, Coleman joined the Georgia National Guard’s 158^th Fighter Squadron.[5] He served during the Korean War i and returned to Georgia following the conflict. On June 7, 1952, Coleman and his wife Sara welcomed son Michael Eugene Coleman into the world.[6]

In August 1954, Capt. Coleman was one of five pilots of the 158^th brought on active duty for stand-by
service at Travis Field in support of American air defense.[7] He remained on active duty through the remainder of 1954.[8]

Major Coleman was alerted for an unscheduled mission in September 1956. While on runway alert duty at Travis Field, Coleman received the order to launch on an intercept mission. A radio control target aircraft had flown out of the range of its controller on the Fort Stewart antiaircraft range. The controller was unable to get the target aircraft to respond and the 350-pound drone continued flying at 230 miles per hour. Coleman received coordinates for the drone after take-off and directed his F-84 Thunderjet on an intercept course. Coleman was prepared to shoot down the drone to prevent it from crashing in a populated area. For more than an hour Coleman shadowed the drone as it flew erratically through the skies before the drone’s parachute opened and it drifted harmlessly to the ground near Odum, southwest of Fort Stewart.[9]

Assuming command of the Savannah-based 158^th Fighter Squadron July 12, 1958, Major Coleman guided the squadron through the transition from the F84F Thunderchief to the F-86 Saber Jet. The sun had not yet risen on the first day of 1960 when the 158th was put on alert status and prepared to scramble fighter interceptors at a moment’s notice. The 158th was one of 21 Air National Guard Squadrons across the nation to participate in this readiness exercise which was designed to test the ability of National Guard pilots and aircraft to take to the air in response to the detection of incoming enemy aircraft. Additionally, the alert tested the ability of Air National Guard units to conduct sustained operations against a possible enemy attack.[10]

Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. (on ladder) briefs pilots of the 158th Fighter Squadron before a mission in July 1960. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Promoted to lieutenant colonel in September 1960, Coleman led the 158^th through another transition as the 165^th Fighter Group was redesignated the 165^th Air Transport Group April 1, 1962.[11] Coleman witnessed the delivery of the first four-engine C-97 Stratofreighter March 8, 1962 marking a historic change in mission for the 158^th which was among the first Air National Guard units in the United States to be issued jet aircraft in 1949. Major Ben Patterson, a future commander of the Ga. Air National Guard, succeeded Coleman in command of the 158^th Air Transportation Squadron in 1962. Patterson had previously served as operations officer and flight leader in the 158^th.[12]

Major Glenn Herd, commander of the 128th Air Transport Squadron shakes hands with Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. after delivering the first C-97 Stratofreighter to Travis Field March 8, 1962.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Coleman completed training on the multi-engine C-97 en route to logging his 5,000^th flight hour. In January 1967, Coleman served as co-pilot on a mission to fly life-saving serum to a Savannah child. The aircraft, piloted by Brig. Gen. Paul Stone, commander of the Ga. Air National Guard, was conducting practice approaches at Bush Field in Augusta when radio traffic informed the crew of the medical emergency in Savannah. The aircraft immediately flew to Charleston Air Force Base to pick up the serum and rush it to Travis Field. The serum was delivered 65 minutes after the radio report was received and the child recovered.[13]

Coleman remained with the 165^th Air Transport Group and in May 1967, reported to Tinker Air Force Base for ten weeks of training in C-124 aircraft.[14] The 165^th ATG replaced its C-97s with C-124s in July 1967.[15]

Coleman retired from the Georgia Air National Guard in 1971 and was promoted to colonel. He continued to work at his civilian job as safety and security director for Chandler Hospital in Savannah. He died February 21, 2003 at the age of 81.

 

---

[1] Official Registry of the National Guard, 1939. (Washington DC: War Department, 1939) 318.

 

[2] World War I Service Record of Sheftall Coleman, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/3129/images/41187_1220705227_0989-01687?usePUB=true&_phsrc=HOp402&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=31588

 

[3] Pictorial Review of the National Guard of the State of Georgia, 1939, 160.

 

[4] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Retrieved from https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-00650-00589?pId=51201571

[5] “Biography of Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr.” Georgia National Guard Archives, NP.

 

[6] City Directory, Savannah, Ga. 168.

 

[7] “Savannah’s 158^th Ftr. Bmr. Sqdn. Alerted for 14-hr., 7 Day Watch.” The Georgia Guardsman. July August 1954, 6.

 

[8] “Modern Minutemen of the Air National Guard Maintain Daily Guard of Skies Above Savannah.” The Georgia Guardsman, Nov Dec 1954, 6.

 

[9] “Travis Air N.G. Pilot tracks RCAT by Jet.” The Georgia Guardsman, Sept Oct 1956, 11.

 

[10] William Carraway “Sixty Years Ago: The Georgia Air National Guard Enters a New Decade on High Alert.” Georgia National Guard History Jan. 2, 2020, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2020/01/sixty-years-ago-georgia-air-national.html

 

[11] “165^th Gets First Stratofreighter.” The Georgia Guardsman, March April 1962, 6.

 

[12] “Biography of Brig. Gen. Benjamin L. Patterson.” Georgia National Guard Archives, NP.

 

[13] “B/G Paul S. Stone, Travis Field Airmen Fly Vital Serum to Save Sav. Child.” The Georgia Guardsman, January 1967, 3.

 

[14] “School Bells.” The Georgia Guardsman, May-Aug 1967, 15.

 

[15] The Georgia Air National Guard. 165^th Tactical Airlift Group, 1946-1984, 23.

The Georgia National Guard and the Korean War

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Captain Barney Casteel (left) at the controls of the first F-84 assigned to the Ga. ANG (right) in June 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Three Blissful Weeks in June

In June 1950, with summer approaching, Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard were preparing for annual training. The 128^th Fighter Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116^th Fighter Group received its first jet-powered aircraft, the F-84, replacing the World War II-era F-47 Thunderbolt. The 128^th was the second squadron of the Ga. ANG to field jet aircraft after the 158^th FS replaced its F-47s with the F-80C Shooting Star in 1948. The first of the 26 F-84s assigned to the 128^th was flown to Dobbins Air Force Base by Capt. Barney Casteel, a 27-year-old native of Atlanta. A 1948 graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, Casteel flew 81 combat missions over Germany in World War II and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross. [1]

Col. Roy LeCraw in 1950. Ga. Guard
Archives

As Casteel was winging his way to Dobbins, State Senator Roy LeCraw was ensconced in his Atlanta office. The former mayor of Atlanta and World War II veteran additionally served as commander of the 216^th Air Services Group and personnel officer for the Georgia Air National Guard. Colonel LeCraw was anticipating a busy annual training season, not knowing he would soon be called to active duty, along with Casteel, to serve as the executive officer of the 116^th Fighter Bomber Wing.

Halfway between Atlanta and Savannah, the Georgia Army National Guard’s Battery D, 101^st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion spent their June drill at their armory in Waynesboro preparing for annual training which was to be held at Camp Stewart August 6 to 20[2]. The battalion would compete with its rival, the 250^th AAA Battalion, in crew drills and firing efficiency for bragging rights as the top guns in the Savannah-based 108^th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade. First Lieutenant Paul Stone, a 25-year-old platoon leader and business owner, born and raised in Waynesboro, had already gained a reputation as an effective officer. A veteran of the Air Corps in World War II, Stone left the Air Corps Reserves March 13, 1949 to serve with his hometown Guard unit. As he finished up paperwork from the June drill, Stone prepared to return to his civilian job and looked forward to the hot humid annual training at Camp Stewart.

War

Just weeks later, on June 25, 1950, North Korean Army units, backed by Soviet and Chinese equipment and assistance, advanced in force into South Korea. In response, the United Nations Security Council authorized the formation of the United Nations Command. On July 5, elements of the 24^th U.S. Infantry Division moved to engage forces of the Korean People’s Army near Osan. Lacking anti-tank weaponry, the U.S. force was overwhelmed by Korean Armor[3]. The 24^th fell back steadily. Over the next seventeen days of constant combat, the American units suffered more than 30 percent casualties[4].

Protecting the Homeland

With the action unfolding on the Korean peninsula, Georgia National Guard leaders began to prepare their units for possible mobilization. Brig. Gen. Joseph Fraser, commander of the 108^th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade, was faced with the prospect of serving in his third war. He served in France during World War I and had commanded the Ga. ARNG’s 101^st AAA Battalion in the Pacific during World War II. His present command encompassed the 101^st as well as the Augusta based 250^th AAA BN which had also served in the Pacific during World War II.[5]

Fraser’s executive officer was Col. George Hearn of Monroe, Ga. Like Fraser, Hearn had commanded an anti-aircraft unit in the Pacific during World War II. Returning home from the war, Hearn had been elected mayor of Monroe and was preparing to begin his term as the commander of the American Legion in Georgia in 1950[6].

Brig. Gen. Joe Fraser (second from left) and Col. George Hearn (second from right) brief Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Georgia's Adjutant General (center)
on the mobilization of the 108th AAA Brigade at Fort Bliss in January 1951. Georgia Guard Archives.

On August 14, 1950, the 108^th AAA was activated for federal service[7]. In addition to the 101^st and 250^th AAA Battalions, the 178^th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment and 420^th Signal Radar Maintenance Unit rounded out the brigade. With a combined strength of just over 1,000 men, the 108^th was dispatched to Fort Bliss Texas and assigned to the 8^th U.S. Army. In November 1951, the 108^th was dispatched to the Midwest with the 250^th arriving at Fort Custer, Michigan and the 101^st garrisoned at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. From these bases of operation, the Georgia Guard batteries were independently assigned to cities and industrial areas from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to provide anti-aircraft capability against the threat of Soviet missile and aircraft attacks. First Lieutenant Stone’s battery of 90 mm guns was assigned to protect the skies over Chicago.

In December, Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Adjutant General of Georgia, dispatched the state’s C-47 cargo aircraft to bring Georgia Guardsmen home for Christmas from Camp McCoy and Fort Custer. While the Georgia Guardsmen of the 101^st were able to rotate home for Christmas, cold weather prevented the Guardsmen of the 250^th AAA from rotating home from Fort Custer.[8]

Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of the 101st AAA Battalion stand in the frigid cold of a Chicago Winter while waiting for their C-47 transport plane
to refuel and bring them home for Christmas in 1951. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The guns of the 108^th AAA remained on station through the spring of 1952 before

Brig. Gen Paul Stone in 1963. Ga. Guard
Archives.

receiving the order to rotate home. The Waynesboro Battery remained in position through April 1952 with Stone rising to command the battery. After demobilizing at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, the 101^st AAA Gun Battalion returned home. Over the next seven years, the Waynseboro battery earned six consecutive superior ratings and Stone received the Georgia Distinctive Service Medal and promotion to major.[9] After a brief tenure on the staff of the 108^th AAA, Stone transferred to the Ga. ANG. He retired in 1971 as a brigadier general having served eight years as commander of the Georgia Air National Guard[10].

Brigadier General Joe Fraser was appointed to command the Ga. ARNG’s 48^th Infantry Division in March 1952 but did not return from mobilization until May. He saw the 48^th through its transition to armor and served as the first commander of the 48^th Armor Division. Fraser retired as a lieutenant general in 1956.[11]

George Hearn was promoted to brigadier general and succeeded Fraser in command of the 108^th AAA. In 1954 he was appointed to serve as Georgia’s Adjutant General. He served two non-consecutive terms as adjutant general for a total of 15 years and retired in 1971 having served the longest of Georgia’s Adjutants General.

Ga. ANG Pilots in Early Action in Korea[12][13]

In October 1950, the Georgia Air National Guard’s 54^th Fighter Wing was activated along with Col. LeCraw, Capt. Casteel, and other Ga. ANG pilots of the newly redesignated 116^th Fighter Bomber Wing. As had happened to the Ga. ARNG units in the early months of World War II, many of the pilots of the Georgia Air National Guard were individually selected for other units. Among those was 1^st Lt. James Lawrence Collins of the 128^th Fighter Squadron. On May 8, 1951, Collins, a 26-year-old native of Atlanta was on a mission with the 49^th Bomber Wing over North Korea. While maneuvering his F-80 into position for a dive bomb run, Collins was hit by antiaircraft and crashed. He was declared missing, later killed in action.

Captain John Franklin Thompson of the 54^th Fighter Wing was another Georgia ANG pilot to see service over Korea with the U.S. Air Force. On June 11, 1951, while flying with the 18^th Fighter Bomber Wing on his 75^th mission, Thompson, having expended all his ammunition, was flying at low altitude attempting to locate targets. His P-51 Mustang was struck by enemy groundfire which caused it to hit the ground and explode, killing Thompson on impact.

Nine days later, a Georgia Air National Guard pilot scored his eighth kill. Lieutenant J. B. Harrison, formerly of the 128^th Fighter Squadron, shot down a Russian Yak 9 fighter over Korea June 20, 1951 adding to seven confirmed kills he had received in World War II.[14]

On June 21, 1951, 1^st Lt. Clyde White of the 8^th Bomber Group had taken to the skies over North Korea in his F-80. The 32-year-old native of Savannah had served in the 158^th Fighter Squadron before his transfer to the 8^th FB Group. Coming under heavy antiaircraft fire near Twijae, White maneuvered into a dive and struck a ridge. His aircraft exploded on impact.

The 116^th Deploys[15]

The remaining Georgia Air National Guardsmen, except those assigned to the 128^th Fighter Squadron, departed for Korean service in July 1951 aboard the aircraft carriers Sitkoh Bay and Windham Bay and reached Japan July 27 where Col. LeCraw served as commander of the 116^th Air Base Group. The Guardsmen provided air defense for Japan until December when the units were ferried to Korea to participate in missions in the skies over North Korea.

Pilots and groundcrews of the 158th Fighter Squadron scramble for an air defense mission at Misawa, Japan in 1951. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Captain David J. Mather, a former member of the 128^th Fighter Squadron and native of Atlanta was one of the pilots of the 116 to enter combat over Korea. While conducting an armed reconnaissance mission following a dive bombing of enemy supply lines near Sairwon North Korea, Mather’s F-84 was hit by ground fire. He was seen to crash and was listed as missing, later killed in action.

On Jan 21, 1952, while assigned to the 136^th Bomber Wing, Capt. Barney Casteel was conducting an armed reconnaissance mission north of Pyongyang. While strafing vehicles, Casteel’s F-84 aircraft was hit by ground fire. Casteel was unable to free himself from the aircraft seat and was killed on impact. He was the last Georgia Air National Guard Pilot killed in Korea.

Ga. ANG pilots killed in action in Korea. Left to right: Capt. Barney Casteel, Lt. James Collins, Capt. David Mather, Capt. John Thompson, Lt. William White.
Georgia Guard Archives.

The following month, the Ga. ANG units returned to Japan and began demobilizing to the United States. By July, all the units of the 54^th had returned to Georgia. The 128^th Fighter Squadron was briefly mobilized to France in 1952 but did not see service in the skies over Korea. Nevertheless, many of its pilots, such as Capt. Glenn Herd, were brought into service with the U.S. Air Force in Korea. Herd ultimately flew more than 100 missions before returning home to serve as operations officer of the 128^th Fighter Squadron under Major, and future Adjutant General Joel Paris.[16]

Major Joel Paris, commander of the 128th Fighter Squadron confers with Capt. Glenn Herd, operations officer of the 128th. Georgia Guard Archives.

Colonel Roy LeCraw returned home to a hero’s welcome. On July 19, 1952, LeCraw learned that he had been awarded the Bronze Star for “exceptionally meritorious service for distinguishing himself by performing outstanding administrative functions connected with the activation, reorganization and command of Air Force Units[17].” Major General Ernest Vandiver, Adjutant General of Georgia, presented the Bronze Star to LeCraw during a ceremony honoring Korean War Veterans in January 1953.[18]

 

Colonel Roy LeCraw receives the Bronze Star Medal from Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Georgia's Adjutant General during a ceremony honoring Georgia's
Korean War Veterans. Georgia National Guard Archives.

[1]The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, June 1950, 4.

[2] “Training Dates Set for 48^th Div, 108^th BRIG”. Georgia Guardsman Magazine, February 1950, 2

[3] Fehrenbach, T. R. This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History. Dulles, VA: Potomac Books, 2008.

[4] Fehrenbach, 101.

[5] “Brilliant Military Career of Lt. General Joseph B. Fraser Ends after 38 Years.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, July 56, 12.

[6] “Did You Know?” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, May 49, 7.

[7] Hylton, Renee. Where Are We Going: The National Guard and the Korean War 1950-1953, 51.

[8] “Our Cover” Georgia Guardsman, February 1952, 1.

[9] Brig. Gen. Paul S. Stone Becomes Asst. Adj. Gen. for Air.” Georgia Guardsman, January 1963, 5.

[10] “Retirements”. Georgia Guardsman, May 1974, 20.

[11] “Brilliant Military Career of Lt. General Joseph B. Fraser ends after 38 Years’ Service”. Georgia Guardsman, July 1956, 12.

[12] Ridley, W. E. Georgia Air National Guard History, 1941-2000. Charlotte, NC Fine Books Pub, 2000.

[13] “Last Accounts of Air Guard Pilots Reveal Their Courage and Daring”. Georgia Guardsman Feb 1953, 10.

[14] “Former Guard Pilot Downs Russian Plane.” Georgia Guardsman, November 1951, 13.

[15] “Last Accounts of Air Guard Pilots Reveal Their Courage and Daring”. Georgia Guardsman February 1953, 10.

[16] “Major Paris, Capt. Herd Pilot 128^th FTR-INTCP SQ” September 1952, 2.

[17] “Col. LeCraw Awarded Bronze Star”. Georgia Guardsman, September 1952, 1

[18]“Georgia National Guard Goes All Out with Thunderbird Premiere.” Georgia Guardsman, January 1953, 7.