119th Fighter Squadron

119th Fighter Squadron
An F-16 Fighting Falcon of the 119th Fighter Squadron, New Jersey Air National Guard prepares to land at the Atlantic City International Airport.
Active	5 June 1917 – present
Country	United States
Allegiance	New Jersey
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Attack
Part of	New Jersey Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, Egg Harbor, New Jersey
Tail Code	Red Tail Stripe "New Jersey" in white, "AC"
Insignia
119th Fighter Squadron emblem

The 119th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing located at Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey. The 119th is equipped with the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 5th Aviation School Squadron (later 119th Aero Squadron), established on 5 June 1917. It was reformed on 30 January 1930, as the 119th Observation Squadron, and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.

The 119th Fighter Squadron is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, its origins beginning in June 1917 as the World War I 5th Aviation School Squadron at Langley Field, Virginia. In September 1917 it was redesignated as the 119th Aero Squadron. Not deployed overseas, the unit was inactivated in May 1919.

The squadron was reactivated in 1930 when it was reorganized as the 119th Observation Squadron, New Jersey National Guard, at Metropolitan Airport, Newark, New Jersey as an air arm of the 44th Division Aviation and received federal recognition in January 1930.

In 1934, aircraft of the 119th Observation Squadron were dispatched to the scene of the "Morro Castle", a ship burning off the coast of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Many hours were spent flying over the ship and adjacent water assisting in the direction of rescue efforts and locating survivors.

The 119th Observation Squadron fell victim to the "draft" on 16 September 1940, when it was inducted into active service. The unit continued as the 119th until 12 April 1948, at which time it became the 490th Fighter Squadron. The 490th was disbanded in May 1944 while still at Thomasville, Georgia.