118th Operations Group

The 118th Operations Group is an active unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Berry Field, where it operates General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles.

The group was first activated during World War II as the 356th Fighter Group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England in the summer of 1943 as an element of VIII Fighter Command. It engaged in combat operations until the spring of 1945, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions during Operation Market Garden. After V-E Day, it returned to the United States for inactivation.

In May 1946, the group was allotted to the National Guard as the 118th Fighter Group, organizing at Berry Field the following year. In 1951, it converted to an aerial reconnaissance unit as the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and was called to active duty for the Korean War. It trained reconnaissance units until returning to the Air National Guard (ANG) in 1953. The group continued with the reconnaissance mission until 1961, when it became the 118th Air Transport Group, an airlift unit. In 1975, it was inactivated when the ANG discontinued its operational groups located on the same bases as their parent wings. When the Air Force reorganized under the Objective Wing Model, the group was again activated as the 118th Operations Group in 1993.