It was last assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing, stationed at Montgomery Air National Guard Base, Alabama.

Organized at Birmingham Municipal Airport and extended recognition as a new unit on 1 October 1947 with no previous World War II history or lineage.

However at the time of the 117th's arrival, Toul AB consisted of a sea of mud, and the new jet runway was breaking up and could not support safe flying.

The mission of the 117 TRG was to provide tactical, visual, photographic and electronic reconnaissance by both day and night, as was required by the military forces within the European command.

The two RF-80 squadrons of the 117th had to complete a number of varying missions, including vertical photography of prospective paratroop air drop zones, oblique photos of the Rhine and Danube river bridges, vertical photography of the airfields of Jever, Fassburg, Celle, Sundorf and Gütersloh and various visual missions on behalf of the seventh army, including artillery adjustment for the 816th field artillery.

The squadron was returned to Alabama State Control and was re-formed in Birmingham in the fall of 1952, being re-equipped with the RF-51D Mustang.

The 117th designation was re-allotted to the Alabama ANG as a new organization, with no World War II lineage or history, and federal recognition was extended the same day.

Due to federal budget restrictions, only the 106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was deployed to Dreux-Louvilliers AB, France.

These deployments have taken the men and women of the 187th to exercises in South Korea, Norway, Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, and many other stateside locations.

After the 9/11 attacks, the 187th performed Combat Air Patrol flights as part of Operation Noble Eagle in the United States.

The 187th was again called to active duty in January until April 2003 as part of the largest military mobilization since the 1991 Gulf War.

In September 2004 the unit again deployed over 300 personnel with aircraft and equipment to Al Udeid AB, Qatar for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The GBU-38 is a 500 lb global positioning system (GPS) guided bomb which, while being very effective, minimizes collateral damage.

In 2007, it was announced that the Alabama Air National Guard would activate the 100th Fighter Squadron so the state could honor the legacy of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency