The 134th Fighter Squadron (134th FS), nicknamed the Green Mountain Boys, is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. From 1986 to 2019, the 134th FS were equipped with the General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 30. The last F-16s departed Burlington on 6 April 2019 in preparation for the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II which arrived on 19 September 2019. Since becoming an F-35A unit, the Green Mountain Boys are tasked with carrying out the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).

A 134th Observation Squadron was active at Ethan Allen Army Airfield, Fort Ethan Allen, Burlington, Vermont as a Vermont National Guard reconnaissance unit for the United States Army 7th Field Artillery Regiment in 1921-27, but does not officially share the current squadron's lineage. The current unit officially traces its history to the 384th Bombardment Squadron (Light), activated in March 1942. The redesignated 134th Fighter Squadron, allocated to the Vermont ANG, has been flying fighters since 1946, though with a short exception as a Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron between 1974 and 1982.

History

The 134th Observation Squadron was constituted in the National Guard in 1921 as the 134th Squadron (Observation) and assigned to the III Corps. Placed on the deferred list on 2 July 1923 and transferred to the Organized Reserve as a Deferred National Guard unit. Concurrently re-designated as the 553rd Observation Squadron and assigned to the 328th Observation Group (III Corps). Withdrawn from allotment to the National Guard and the Third Corps Area on 17 September 1927 and demobilized.

Although this unit trained near the current Burlington International Airport, and shares the same numerical designation as the 134th Fighter Squadron, the unit was never consolidated with the 134th Fighter Squadron by the Air Force Historical Research Agency or the National Guard Bureau and does not share any lineage or history with the current Vermont Air National Guard.

World War II
Trained with V-72 Vengeance aircraft. Moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Assigned to Tenth Air Force. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches. The 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left. The red nose was also a squadron marking. Many planes of the squadron had a girl's name on the nose but very few had any artwork.

The squadron supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon, Insein, and other targets; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina and Bhamo; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump route between India and China.

Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944. Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.

Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945. Returned to the U.S. in December 1945.

Inactivated in early 1946.

Vermont Air National Guard
The wartime 530th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 134th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Vermont Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at the Burlington International Airport, Vermont, and was extended federal recognition on 14 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau.

The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed and federally recognized.  The organizers of the squadron were MG Murdock Campbell, the Adjutant General, Col Albert Cate, Air Advisor, and LtCol William M. Bowden became the first commander of the newly formed unit.  The 134th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 530th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units. 

The 134th was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned initially directly to the Vermont Air National Guard until the Massachusetts ANG 67th Fighter Wing, was federally recognized on 15 October 1946.  The 67th Fighter Wing was the first ANG command and control organization in New England.   On 4 April 1947, it was transferred to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group.

In 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by F-51H Mustangs.

Air Defense Command
The mission of the 134th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Vermont. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized – placed on active duty.  The 134th was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Maine ANG 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, although it initially remained stationed at Burlington Airport.  When federalized, it was composed of F-51 aircraft and later assigned F-86D aircraft.   Its mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England.   The squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission.   It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB.  It was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952.

With the end of the Korean War, Air Defense Command assigned the 517th Air Defense Group as the host unit, and the Vermont Air National Guard began operating out of the old airport administration building and the wooden hangar next to it, receiving its first T-33 Shooting Star and assigned to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group. Burlington Airport became a joint-use facility as the United States Air Force Ethan Allen Air Force Base was established at the airport on 16 February 1953.

With the increased availability of jet aircraft after the Korean War, the squadron's aircraft were upgraded to the F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1953.  With the 101st FIG consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units, the group began holding summer camp at Otis Air Force Base after they began flying F-94s.  On 1 May 1956 the 134th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 158th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established by the National Guard Bureau; the 134th FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 158th Headquarters, 158th Material Squadron (Maintenance), 158th Combat Support Squadron, and the 158th USAF Dispensary. 

On 25 June 1960, Air Defense Command inactivated the 14th Fighter Group at Ethan Allen AFB, and the base reverted to full Air National Guard jurisdiction.   The 158th Fighter Group now manned alert hangars 24 hours a day. In the summer of 1960, summer field training was conducted at Otis Air Force Base at Cape Cod, MA, from 18 June to 2 July. When the unit returned to Burlington, the Maintenance and Operations Squadrons immediately moved into the facilities that had been vacated by the Regular Air Force with the closure of Ethan Allen AFB.  The aging F-94s were replaced by twin-engine F-89D Scorpion fighters in 1958. Two years later F-89Js replaced the D models. The J model was designed to carry two AIR-2 Genie nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles under the wings to defend against enemy bomber attack.

The 134th was reorganized as the 158th Fighter Interceptor Group in mid 1960 and was placed under the United States Air Defense Command. Lt Col Robert P. Goyette assumed command of the group and Maj Rolfe L. Chickering took command of the 134th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The Air Guard now manned alert hangars 24 hours a day, a mission which had previously belonged to the active Air Force.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, better training and equipment, and closer relations with the Air Force greatly improved the readiness of Group. The Vermont Air National Guard received the ADC Operational Readiness award in October 1962, for having the greatest degree of readiness of any F-89 unit in the country.  In 1965, the 134th received Mach-2 supersonic F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors, the Air Guard was always one generation of aircraft behind the Air Force during this time.

In 1971 the 158th embarked on an intensive recruiting program that made Vermont one of the top units in the country in total strength. During this period the Vermont ANG began to actively recruit women into all open career fields. Maryanne T. Lorenz was the first woman officer and SSgt Karen Wingard left active duty with the Air Force to become the first enlisted woman to join the Green Mountain Boy unit. She later became First Sergeant of the 158th Mission Support Squadron, received her commission, and was later appointed commander of that squadron.

The 158th Fighter Interceptor Group became the 158th Defense Systems Evaluation Group (158 DSEG) in June 1974, with the unit receiving twenty EB-57 Canberras. These two-seat, twin-engine aircraft were former medium bombers that were re-equipped with electronic counter-measures and chaff emitting equipment. The new mission was to act as the "friendly enemy" to evaluate both air and ground radar systems. This mission took pilots,