141st Air Refueling Wing

"Ace of Spades"

Located at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, the 141st is a staple of the Spokane area with more than 1,200 citizen-airmen living and working in the Inland Northwest. The 141st ARW is one of the oldest Air National Guard flying units in the nation and the only one in Washington State. Dating back to 1924, the wing has a rich heritage of military aviation.

Federal Mission

As an Air National Guard unit, the 141st Air Refueling Wing has both a federal and state mission. When gained by Air Mobility Command, the federal mission is to train, equip and deploy quality mobility forces to forward operating locations in support of specific contingency plans and other short-notice assignments. Since the flying unit received federal recognition in 1924, its been activated during World War II, the Korean War, Desert Storm, Allied Force, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism. Aside from presidential call-ups, many personnel throughout the wing have voluntarily deployed in support of the Expeditionary Air Force and other contingency operations. Since 1999, over one-fourth of the wing's members have deployed to locations such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, Iceland and Hungary.

State Mission

Under order of the governor of the state of Washington, the wing provides protection of life and property and preserves peace, order and public safety. Members of the wing served on state active duty following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 cleaning up ash in many of the smaller communities of eastern Washington and during fire storms, floods, and ice storms. The unit's Security Forces Squadron supported local law enforcement in Pullman following campus riots in 1998. Hundreds of citizen-airmen traveled from Spokane to Snohomish County to search for survivors after the devastating State Route 530 landslide in 2014.

Vision

The wing is universally recognized as this country's finest, dedicated to excellence and ready to serve community, state and nation.