DVIDS – News – WWII ace Joe Foss celebrated his 75th birthday with a blue F-16

The South Dakota Air National Guard recently ordered a heritage paint scheme on one of its F-16 fighter jets to mark its 75th anniversary. The light blue and white scheme was designed to mimic the WWII Grumman F-4F Wildcat flown by South Dakota native and Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss.

The finished product was deployed to the Air National Guard paint plant in Sioux City, Iowa, last week.

After World War II, former Marine Corps pilot Captain Joe Foss was instrumental in establishing the South Dakota Air Branch of the National Guard in 1946.

During the war, Foss fought air warfare in the Pacific as a Marine Corps aviator. Along with the predecessor of the 114th Fighter Wing, the 387th Fighter Squadron provided tactical air support to the United States First Army while stationed at Azeville Airfield, France. As air units and equipment began to return to the United States after the war, many were renumbered and reassigned to United States National Guard units.

After being reassigned to the South Dakota National Guard, Foss was instrumental in the creation of the 175th Fighter Squadron when it received federal recognition on September 20, 1946. Just as the Active Air Force became a service separate, many Air Guard units like the 175th FS in South Dakota were also organized.

Initially, the Sioux Falls-based unit received the P-51D Mustang and a shoestring budget to begin training new pilots. Over the years, the 175th has continued to fly single-seat fighters like the F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-100 Super Saber, A-7 Corsair and more recently. the F-16 Falcon.

The unit converted to the F-16 in 1991 and today the 114th Fighter Wing is part of a decreasing number of F-16 fighter squadrons that still conduct air operations with a crew as a fighter squadron. the Air National Guard.

After launching the Fighter Wing and being its first commander, Foss became governor of the state of South Dakota. Among his many other activities, Foss also worked as a commissioner of the American Football League, he was a former president of the National Rifle Association, he also hosted the ABC television show “The American Sportsman”.

Today, the 114th South Dakota Air Guard Fighter Wing is located on Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, named after the South Dakota native who became a Marine Corps aviation ace of the United States in World War II.