120th Fighter Squadron

120th Fighter Squadron
F-16C Fighting Falcon, 120th Fighter Squadron (FS), 140th Fighter Wing (FW), Colorado Air National Guard (COANG)
Active	28 August 1917 – Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Colorado
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Air Defense/Tactical Fighter
Part of	Colorado Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado
Nickname(s)	Colorado Cougars Redeyes (call sign) Milehigh Militia
Motto(s)	"FIRST IN THE AIR GUARD"
Mascot(s)	Colorado mountain lion Colorado Cougars
Tail Code	Colorado Flag Tail Stripe; "CO"
Engagements	World War I World War II Vietnam War Operation Iraqi Freedom
Insignia
120th Fighter Squadron emblem

The 120th Fighter Squadron (120 FS) is a unit of the Colorado Air National Guard 140th Wing located at Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado. The 120th is equipped with the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 120th Aero Squadron, established on 28 August 1917. It was reformed on 27 June 1923, as the 120th 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 120th Fighter Squadron was the first federally recognized Air National Guard unit, receiving this distinction on 30 June 1946. Thus, their motto is, "First in the Air Guard."

The current mission of the 120th is to operate at the highest levels of military and domestic policy protecting the midwest America and Operation Enduring Freedom. Also the 120th Fighter squadron has deployed five times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, most recently to Joint Base Balad, Iraq in 2010. The 120th has also supported an Air Expeditionary Forces deployment in the Pacific region and multiple National Special Security Events, such as the Democratic National Convention in 2008, in Denver, Colorado.

The 120th Fighter Squadron dates its origins to the 120th Aero Squadron, organized at Kelly Field, Texas on 6 August 1917. In July 1917, the men of the squadron were first organized at Fort Thomas, Kentucky where the recruits, about 160 of the, were sent to Kelly Field. There the squadron was placed into indoctrination training, learning infantry drill and also attended the airplane instruction school. On 1 November, the squadron was ordered to Ellington Field, Houston, Texas. Upon arrival, the squadron was ordered to begin the work of operating the field for the Air Service. A civilian construction firm, the American Construction Company, Houston, was contracted to put up the Hangars and make the place habitable. The first duty of the squadron was to assemble about 100 airplanes, and put them in a flyable condition for use as training planes.