The squadron insignia, the ace of spades with a dagger driven through the center of the card scripted "Caveat hostis," Latin for "Let the enemy beware," was approved on 18 July 1931 by the War Department and is still in use today.

One of the original sheet metal hand painted insignia from the fuselage of a Consolidated O-17 Courier can still be seen today in the squadron commander's office.

Current Air Force heraldry regulations require squadron emblems include circular background; however, the 116th's patch as worn today by its members is the ace and dagger with no circle.

On 7 December, the squadron was ordered to move by train to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it boarded the RMS Tunician, and began its trans-Atlantic crossing.

After several weeks of basic construction at the camp, much of the work was transferred to Chinese laborers who began to arrive and the Americans were placed in charge of details of these workers.

Work consisted of the construction of barracks, bomb shelters, ditching and draining the land so streets and utility lines could be laid.

The squadron was tasked in maintaining accurate inventory records and advising the Commander of shortages and ordering additional or new equipment from Depots in France.

The 637th was also responsible for the operation of the various mess halls, with squadron members acting as cooks, bakers and performing dish washing duties.

[1] After the signing of the Armistice with Germany on 11 November, some men of the squadron were assigned to transportation and convoy duty, driving trucks performing collection of equipment from front-line units and also moving personnel back from the lines.

[1] In 1924, the Adjutant General for the Washington National Guard, who was traveling through Spokane, made a simple proposal to the city fathers.

By early 1925, construction of the new hangars began with federally funded building materials, locally bought concrete and the squadron members themselves donating most of the labor.

A few creative enlisted men managed to haul, assemble and fire up these planes with oil donated by local businesses and gasoline bought on Fancher's personal credit.

He was successful and on his return flight, he continued to rally support for aviation in the Inland Empire by stopping off at the summer home of then President Calvin Coolidge.

In April 1928, Fancher was attempting to dispose of unexpended pyrotechnics left from an aerial demonstration at the Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee.

— Frank Frost, a future commander of the unit, was assigned to a bomber squadron in Central America to protect the strategically important Panama Canal.

After depleting much of their food and virtually all their military resources, he and his other U.S. and Filipino comrades under direction of General Wainwright surrendered to the Japanese on 6 May 1942.

It was organized at Felts Field, Spokane, Washington and was extended federal recognition on 1 July 1947 by the National Guard Bureau.

After only four months of training, the 81st FIG was ordered to RAF Shepherds Grove, England, to bolster NATO forces in Europe.

On 1 November 1952, the federalized 116th FIS was returned to the Washington National Guard and its personnel and equipment transferred to the newly activated USAF 78th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.

Upon its return from England, the 116th FIS was organized and re-equipped with F-86A Sabre interceptors and again assigned to the 142d Air Defense Group.

During the 1990 Gulf Crisis Aircrew, maintenance and support personnel responded to the Iraq invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, and deployed to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

June 1995, several rotations deployed to Pisa, Italy, for Operation Deny Flight, NATO mission enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Members of the 116th also joined the thousands of Guard and Reserve forces called up to deploy all over the world in support of America's "War on Terror."

When the first Guard KC-135 R-model landed on Fairchild AFB in January 2003, with its new engines, it became the 40th different airplane the 116th pilots had flown since it was created back in 1924.

At the time President George W. Bush ordered coalition military units into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, the 116th was in a training status to transition into the R model KC-135.