Department of Defense

Air Defense Augmentation. The 109th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron and the 199th Fighter Interceptor Squadron participated in the Air Defense Augmentation Program during the entire year. The 109th provided 24-hour early warning radar and intercept control at Punamano, and the 199th provided jet fighters at Hickam. This program furnished Seventh Air Force with an air defense team in the Hawaiian Islands area under their operational control.

Air Technicians supported the program on the ground, and the pilots went on short tours of active duty of from one to 59 days. It has been estimated that the air defense provided by this Program cost the Federal government about Y3 of a comparative effort by the regular Air Force. Fighter. Two pilots and two fully armed Sabre-Jets were on Alert from dawn to dusk awaiting the signal to “scramble” from Seventh Air Force. A five-minute maximum is allowed from scramble signal to takeoff time. The seriousness in which the pilots take their responsibilities is reflected in their consistently bettering this time by two to three minutes.

1,658 jet hours were logged in these air defense missions and the two pilots on Alert at anyone time were scrambled several times a day. They made over 1,600 interceptions, “actuals” or training, of other airborne aircraft in the Air Defense Identification Zone surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. The “actuals,” unknown aircraft, were al1 friendly-being unknown only because of variances from their planned flight path, and their actual flight paths as plotted by Hawaii Air National Guard radar. These were successfully intercepted and identified.

All squadron combat ready pilots have participated in standing Alert. An average of 14 pilots participated each month. These pilots are on duty days off, or take leave from their jobs or schools. Immeasurable training is received in interception of unknown aircraft. Safety is, of course, constantly practiced and monitored, and all pilots participating must be fully combat ready and have demonstrated their proficiency.

Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron. The Punamano Site relays all aircraft movement information to the Seventh Air Foree Air Defense Control Center. The ADCC identifies the aircraft by its known flight plan, and if it is considered unknown, the ADCC scrambles the fully armed Sabre-Jets at Hickam to investigate and identify under the vector guidance of Punamano.

Besides Air Defense, Punamano provides navigational assistance to aircraft, and steers have been given to aircraft during inclement weather so as to skirt turbulent conditions. Air Sea Rescue Aircraft have been steered to aircraft in distress so they might escort the safe return. In the past year of operation, the station participated in 117 rescue missions.

All communications aIld electronics equipment located at Punamano, including one of the huge radar towers, were installed by members of the 109th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. Projects of this nature are usually assigned to special installation teams. It should be noted that the Punamano Site, even when compared to regular Air Force units of like nature, experienced an amazingly low outage time for the radar set. The low outage time reflects much credit on all maintenance personnel assigned to the site. An example of the capabilities of the Punamano Site are reflected in certain statistics of its operation, as indicated below:

1. Total number of plots logged 665,315
2. Total number tracks logged 55,088
3. Total number of intercepts accomplished 2,226

– 1957 Annual Report pp. 7

The Air Defense Augmentation Program began 1 July 1956, and an Alert Section was formed to support this flying. Many new problems and methods of operation arose, and the added continuous flying schedule made planned utilization a necessity. The result was a monthly “contract” between Operations and Aircraft Maintenance, based on needs and capabilities.

– 1957 Annual Report pp. 8

The Hawaii Air Guard commenced active air defense of Hawaii under the control of 7th Air Force. The Air Defense Control Center (TAILBOARD) was located in Kunia Tunnel, and the Control Center Chief was (active duty) Capt DeWitt C. Bye.

• 0000 1 July 1956: 1st Lt Paul S. Mori and his flight of nine operators, one radio technician and two
  radar technicians of the 109th AC&W Sq commenced round-the-dock operation of the Punamano Direction Center (TATTOO).
• Sunrise I July 1956: Two operationally ready pilots of the 199th FIS and two fully armed dayfighter SABRE JETs commenced sunrise to sunset five-minute active air defense Alert (WING DING).

An average of 14 fighter pilots went on Alert in short-lour active duty status each month. Five were on active duty at any one time. The Alert aircraft were parked at the head of the flight line closest to the taxiway to Honolulu International Airport’s Runway 8. The Alert pilots’ lounge was a bench outside of the
199th FIS Operations shack. When the 25¢ scramble buzzer sounded (audible radius of 25 feel), the two
pilots on Alert duly would make a 100 yard dash to their SABRE JETs. The tower would hear breathless transmissions: ”Hick-am Tower-this-is-White One on a-scramble”.

It wasn’t long before the Alert pilots and crew chiefs moved lo a “Iil ole shack” close lo the Alert aircraft and adjacent lo “Fort Beaumont”. A little later the Alert setup was moved to a site adjacent to Taxiway Bravo (location of the present Alert Pad). Alert facilities grew to two wooden shacks, a pierced-steel-planking ramp, and a horseshoe pitching set.

An FPS-6 height finder arrived for the 109th. Footings and the tower were constructed by a contractor at Punamano AFS, and 109th HANGmen installed the equipment (the TPS-I0D was relocated to Koko Crater AFS). Punamano’s Air Technician Supervisor was Capt Arthur U. Ishimoto, and the fulltime complement totaled 54 men. “C” Flight was on permanent swing shift (1600-2400 hours), and all men assigned attended the University of Hawaii during the day.

The Punamano Air Techs “scrounged” from many sources and one day a patio and kitchen were completed between the Operanons building and the Air Ground Radio building “Ouimette Hall ”, named for the Air Force Tech Advisor.

– HANG 25 History of Hawaii Air National Guard pp. 29-30

HANG marks 20 years of air defense

By Lt. Col. Paul Mori
201st Combat Comm Gp

A lifetime to come, some fond memories for others. It is not generally realized that on July I of this bicentennial year, the Hawaii Air Defense system operated by the units of the Hawaii Air National Guard (HANG), will have been in operation for 20 years.

However, there is a group of hardy men, some still in the HANG, who vividly remember how it all began 20 years ago. At exactly 1 a.m. July I, 1956, the duty controller at the remote radar station in Kahuku declared on the hot line to the 7th Air Force Control Center that the Punamano Air Defense Direction Center of the Hawaii Air National Guard was operational.

That is how it all started, the beginning of 20 eventful and fulfilling years of outstanding service to the Air Force and the State of Hawaii by the 109th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (ACW Sq), 169th ACW Sq., 150th ACW Sq. and units of the 154th Fighter lnterceptor Group(FIG). That unceremonious yet significant event also marked a breakthrough.

It was the first time that the Air Force assigned an active air defense mission to a unit of the Air National Guard. The many subsequent decisions to assign active defense missions to the ANG undoubtedly were influenced by the success and economy of our early air defense operation in Hawaii.

Capt., now colonel and Air Guard commander, Arthur U. lshimoto was able to design arid put together the whole operation with a shoestring budget and extremely austere conditions saving the Air Force many dollars.

The site, an old World War II radar station, was located high on a hill overlooking what is now the Kuilima Hotel. At the beginning, it could best be described as desolate and windy. It had no trees, one outhouse and no place to lunch.

The lack of funds today is reminiscent of the austere funding of that period. Under the circumstances, lshimoto, the station’s first commander, and his five original weapons controllers, Capt. Frederick Hemmings, Sr., Capt. Harold Lee, 1Lt. (Lt. Col) Paul S. Mori, I Lt. (Lt. Col.) William E. Mossman, and 1Lt. (Lt. Col.) Donald M. O’Day performed commendably.

Others of the original group who also performed commendably and who are still with us today are Sgts. James Akamine, (Maj.) Jira Arakaki, Y oshiaki Daikoku, Ralph Endo, Richard Fukui, Harold Hirayama, Francis Hosaka, Herbert Kuratsu, David Langsi, Franklin Muraki, Walter Nishihara, (Maj.) John Oshiro, (Capt.) Gerald Revuelto, Walter Sugiyama, Charles Tanaka, Amos Wikoli, and (Maj.) Walter Watanabe.

There were others that have left the Guard since and one that is listed as MIA – Wing Ding. He was only a poi dog but he was loved by all. He served for many years with devotion and distinction as the best security guard of all.

To the pioneers and to all of those who followed in their footsteps to make their contribution towards the Hawaii Air National Guard’s achieving an outstanding and most enviable record, congratulations on your 20th anniversary.

– 1976 July Pūpūkahi pp. 5