Duluth Air Guard fighter wing gets Air Force award
A Duluth-based Air National Guard F-16 fighter wing will be presented with a trophy of excellence from the Air Force.
The Raytheon Trophy is awarded annually to a Air Force or Air National Guard fighter unit that demonstrates excellence or superiority in its operations. The 2008 award went to the 179th Fighter Squadron, 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, and will be handed over in a ceremony Friday at its headquarters.
The 148th "Bulldogs" deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was the first F-16 unit to intercept a Russian "Bear" bomber off the coast of Alaska.
This is only the fourth time an Air National Guard unit has received the award and only the second time it's gone to an F-16 unit since its inception in 1953.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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