Michigan ANG, Detroit Navy history highlighted in new publications Published March 8, 2015 127th Wing Public Affairs SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. -- The combat history of the Michigan Air National Guard and an overview of the history of the U.S. Navy's more than 100 years of operation in the Detroit region are highlighted in new products posted on the 127th Wing's History & Heritage web page. A 28-page booklet, the Michigan Air National Guard at War: A Combat History 1954-2013, traces 60 years of the Air Guard in action. The booklet begins with the conclusion of the Korean War and highlights activities related to Sept. 11, 2001, and more recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The booklet is a follow-on to a similar product created last year, which highlighted the Michigan ANG from 1917 and the start of World War I through World War II and the Korean War periods. Each of the booklets includes dozens of historic photos. A companion piece to the two booklets, a nearly 9,000-word text-only combat history of the Michigan ANG from 1917 to 2013, has also been posted to the 127th Wing's web site. The various histories have been created by the 127th Wing's Public Affairs office, each with an eye toward the upcoming 100th anniversary of the opening of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which will be marked in the summer of 2017. The base opened as Selfridge Field on July 1, 1917. The Navy's story in the Detroit region is told in a 36-page booklet, also created by the 127th Wing Public Affairs office, with support from Naval Operations Support Center-Detroit, which is located at Selfridge. NOSC-Detroit marked the 100th anniversary of the Navy Reserve with a March 8 ceremony at Selfridge. The booklet, Detroit's Navy: A brief history of the U.S. Navy, Navy Reserve and Michigan Naval Militia in southeast Michigan, includes photos of the seven different USNR ships that were assigned to the Detroit area in years past and includes some information on local U.S. Marine Corps Reserve units in the Detroit region. About Selfridge Air National Guard Base One of the oldest military air fields in continuous service, the military first took possession of Selfridge Air National Guard Base on July 1, 1917. The first military flight at the base took place on July 8 and formal flight operations began on July 16, 1917. Today the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard is the host unit at the base, which also houses units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection. About the Michigan Air National Guard More than 2,000 Citizen-Airmen serve in the Michigan Air National Guard. The MI-ANG operates the 127th Wing, which flies the KC-135 Stratotanker and A-10 Thunderbolt II, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Detroit; and the 110th Attack Wing, which operates a Remotely-Piloted Aircraft mission, at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base. The MI-ANG also operates two training sites in northern Michigan: the 147,000-acre Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, one of four such facilities in the nation; and the Grayling Air Gunnery Range. About the 127th Wing Comprised of approximately 1,700 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command operations by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 98th year of continuous military air operations in 2015.