133rd Airlift Wing Marks 100 Years and the Guard's Year in Review

The 133rd Airlift Wing marked a century since January 17, 1921, when its 109th Observation Squadron became the first federally recognized Air National Guard unit. That followed a 1920 lobbying flight to Washington, D.C., by three officers in a rented biplane. By then the Wing flew C-130 Hercules aircraft, and Lt. Col. Dana Novinskie, leading its 109th Airlift Squadron, was the Wing's first woman to command a flying squadron. In 2020 it flew 2,000 hours supporting overseas missions and saw record call-ups at home.

The Minnesota National Guard's review of 2020 credits local, state and federal partners with making its many activations possible. In April, Soldiers helped Oslo and Marshall County watch levees during flooding, and in late May and early June about 7,000 Soldiers and Airmen backed up law enforcement during the Twin Cities civil unrest. For COVID-19, the Guard helped find alternate care sites, supported testing at long-term care facilities and armories, and more than 270 members trained as temporary nurse's aides.