eventually, they made substantial contributions to the war effort and the air force's global buildup. in the far east, the ang's 136th and 116th fighter-bomber wings compiled excellent combat records flying f-84 thunderjets. air guardsmen flew 39,530 combat sorties and destroyed 39 enemy aircraft. but, 101 of them were either killed or declared missing in action during the conflict. four air guardsmen—captains robert love (california), clifford jolley (utah), and robinson risner (oklahoma), plus major james hagerstrom (texas) – became aces, with some, such as risner, later transferring to the regular air force. largely as a result of the korean war experience, senior ang and air force leaders became seriously committed to building the air national guard as an effective reserve component.