231st Combat Communications Squadron
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The 231st Combat Communications Squadron,
District of Columbia Air National Guard The District of Columbia Air National Guard (DC ANG) is the aerial militia and Air Force reserve organization of the District of Columbia, United States of America. It is, along with the District of Columbia Army National Guard, an element of the ...
, was a tenant unit of the
113th Wing The 113th Wing, known as the "Capital Guardians", is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. If activated to federal service, the fighter portion of the Wing is gained by the United State ...
based at
Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, United States. The squadron used traditional military communications systems such as the Defense Switch Network (DSN), the Automated Digital Network (AUTODIN), and
Defense Messaging System The Defense Message System or Defense Messaging System (DMS) is a deployment of secure electronic mail and directory services in the United States Department of Defense. DMS was intended to replace the AUTODIN network, and is based on implementat ...
(DMS), as well as off-the-shelf commercial communications systems.


Unit history

The 231st began on 1 February 1952, when the 8205th Air Base Squadron was activated. The unit's mission was to receive, maintain, and store equipment as well as provide trained personnel for the soon-to-be formed 231st Airways and Air Communications Service (AACS) Squadron (Mobile) which was to be stationed at Camp Simms,
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
). The unit was inactivated on 26 August 1952, when its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 231st AACS Sq (Mobile).


Vietnam era

On 1 July 1961, the 231st AACS Sq (Mobile) was renamed the 231st Mobile Communications Squadron. The unit kept this name until January 1966, when the unit became the 231st Mobile Communications Squadron (Bare Base). A separate 231st Flight Facilities Flight (FFF) assumed air traffic control functions. In 1968, the words "Bare Base" were removed from the Squadron designation, and the unit mobilized for the
Pueblo Crisis USS ''Pueblo'' (AGER-2) is a , attached to Navy intelligence as a spy ship, which was attacked and captured by North Korean forces on 23 January 1968, in what was later known as the "''Pueblo'' incident" or alternatively, as the "''Pueblo'' cris ...
. Activated for two weeks, the 231st was demobilized on 17 April of that year. In 1969, the 231st saw its first change of command when Lt. Col. Tuckerman retired and was replaced by Maj. Charles Milton. Tuckerman's 17 years as commanding officer was the longest of any commander in the history of the 231st. By 1971, the 231st had a role in both federal and state support with its participation in the DC National Guard's Task Force Blue. This mission enabled the 231st to provide civil support to the District of Columbia during times of civil disturbance or to aid the Metropolitan Police Department by being deputized for other events. The 231st took part in various civil missions, including the 1961
Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
visit to the United States, the 1963
Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
March. In 1972, the Flight Facilities Flight was merged into the 231st, and on 8 December 1972 the unit was inactivated and returned to the National Guard Bureau. The unit was renamed the 231st Mobile Communications Squadron (Tactical Air Base) to reflect its standalone capability.


Cold War era

In May 1976, the word "Mobile" was replaced by "Combat" in the Squadron's official designation. That year saw another change to the Squadron's operations as it began to move from its home at Camp Simms to
Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...
. The buildings to be occupied by the 231st began construction in July 1976, and they were completed by August 1978. The unit accomplished its first overseas deployment in 1981 when members of the squadron participated at Exercise Flintlock 81 in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The 231st provided the Air National Guard's first radar approach control operations in 1983 at Martinsburg, and it also pioneered the Air Guard's first airspace surveillance support to
Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...
beginning in 1983. In 1985, the unit was renamed the 231st Combat Information Systems Squadron. In October 1986, it was renamed again, getting its current designation, the 231st Combat Communications Squadron. At the end of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
the unit began a new era of operations with Operations Desert Shield and Storm. During Operational Display Determination in 1991, the unit deployed 20 members to Turkey to support humanitarian assistance to the
Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
in Northern
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. In 1999 the unit again responded when the squadron received a Presidential Selective Reserve Call-Up (PSRC) for operations in the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
and
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
Campaigns.


Twenty-first century

During the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
, the unit was active in setting up a static ground communications system to support the 113th Wing's airfield operations in establishing combat air patrols over the nation's capital. In January 2003 the unit was called by the
1st Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Conti ...
to provide communications command and control in support of the Integrated Air Defense (IAD) of the
National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
during the 2003 Presidential
State of the Union Address The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...
. Twenty personnel from the unit volunteered to pack up 60 short tons of equipment to support Operations
Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
and
Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. Three members of the unit were deployed into the combat theater during Operation Iraqi Freedom, while another 12 personnel worked at the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
's Crisis Action Team from 2001 to 2004 in support of
Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...
. In 2004, the unit began to receive the new Theatre Deployable Communications gear, technology designed to transmit and receive communications anywhere in the world. The system is designed to reduce the communication problems normally associated with airlift and manpower. During
Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Mitch, and the deadliest, costliest, and most intense hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Isabel was also the strongest hurricane in the open waters of the Atlanti ...
in October 2003, the unit provided equipment to the 911 Emergency Response Center in Baltimore. This was the first time that the DC Air National Guard had provided equipment support outside of the District to another State. During
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in September 2005, members of the unit deployed to New Orleans and Pineville, LA to provide communications in support of recovery efforts. In 2007, the 231st Combat Communications Squadron was designated for inactivation, effective March 2008. During its lifetime, the 231st won 5 Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.


References


231st Combat Communications Squadron
Accessed 29 April 2007.

Accessed 29 April 2007. {{US Air Force navbox Combat Communications 0231 Military in Washington, D.C. Combat Communications 0231