1.
Buckley Air Force Base
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Buckley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, that was established by the U. S. Army in 1943. The base was named in honor of World War I Army pilot First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley, Buckley Air Force Base is an Air Force Space Command base that serves more than 92,000 active duty, National Guard, Reserve and retired personnel throughout the Front Range community. The host unit is the 460th Space Wing, Buckley AFB has air operations, space-based missile warning capabilities, space surveillance operations, space communications operations and support functions. During the early years of World War II the city of Denver purchased a 5, 740-acre parcel of land several miles east of the city and donated it to the Department of the Army. The site was named Buckley Field after 1st Lt. John Harold Buckley, a Longmont, Colorado, native, under the command of the 336th AAF Base Unit, construction on the base began in early 1942, and that resulted in the construction of over 700 buildings. On 1 July 1942, the U. S. Army Air Corps Technical Training School opened there, Technical training at the base was under the jurisdiction of the Western Technical Training Command. During World War II, Buckley Field also trained over 50,000 airmen in basic training. After World War II, Buckley Fields military role quickly diminished, Lowry in turn transferred control of the base to the Colorado Air National Guard that same year. Air National Guard ownership lasted less than one year, and then in 1947 the Department of the Navy took charge of the base and renamed it Naval Air Station Denver. The renamed base was the location of Naval Air Reserve aviation squadrons, as well as for veterans, thousands of veterans returned to civilian life here over the next four years, while Naval Air Reservists concurrently conducted operational training. The Navy remained here for 12 years before decommissioning its base on June 30,1959, and transferring it back to the U. S. Air Force, which renamed the facility Buckley Air Force Base. However, the Naval Reserve remained at Buckley as tenant activity known as Naval Air Reserve Center Denver, Buckley Field once again became the Buckley Air National Guard Base on April 18,1960. At the same time, it became the first stand-alone Air National Guard base in the country, the Colorado Air National Guard remained in control of Buckley Field for the next 40 years, operating it as a fighter base. During the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of Aurora, Denver’s eastern neighbor, the land of the air base was annexed to Aurora in 1965 and 1966, however, the installation is US Government property under Federal jurisdiction. The 154th Group had its own truck-mounted tactical radar units and radar-control vans, although the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, the 120th Tactical Fighter Wing did not see any decrease in its responsibilities. On 1 October 2000, the United States Air Force took control of the base and it was renamed Buckley Air Force Base. A year later, control of Buckley AFB was transferred to the newly reactivated 460th Air Base Wing, since the return of Buckley Field to the Air Force in 2000, the air base has seen an unprecedented amount of new construction and modernization. In late 2016, the Air Force approved a version of the Space-Based Infrared System ground system from Lockheed Martin
2.
Aurora, Colorado
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Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality in the U. S. state of Colorado, spanning Arapahoe and Adams counties, with the extreme southeastern portion of the city extending into Douglas County. Aurora is one of the cities of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The citys population was 325,078 in the 2010 census, which made it the third most populous city in the state of Colorado, the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 2,645,209 on July 1,2012. However, Denver and Aurora combined make up less than half of the Denver Metro Areas population, the estimated population of Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area was 3,214,218 on July 1,2012. Aurora originated in the 1880s as the town of Fletcher, taking its name from Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. He and his partners staked out four miles east of Denver. At that point Fletcher skipped town, leaving the community with a huge water debt, Aurora is composed of hundreds of subdivisions thus carries the name of one of the original development plats from which it sprang. Former mayor Dennis Champine once expressed the somewhat whimsical notion that eventually the area would be called the Aurora/Denver Metropolitan Area, indeed, since the 2000 Census Aurora has surpassed Denver in land area, and much of Aurora is undeveloped, while Denver is more fully built-out. However, such efforts are hampered by the lack of a large. Aurora is largely suburban in character, as evidenced by the citys modest collection of tall buildings, a large military presence has existed in Aurora since the early 20th century. In 1918, Army General Hospital #21 opened, with the U. S. government expanding and upgrading the facilities in 1941 just in time to care for the wounded servicemen of World War II. Lowry Air Force Base was opened in 1938, straddling the border of Aurora and it eventually closed in 1994, and was redeveloped into a master-planned community featuring residential, commercial, business and educational facilities. In 1942, the Army Air Corps built Buckley Field, which over the course of history has been renamed Naval Air Station, Buckley Air National Guard Base and finally Buckley Air Force Base. The base, home of the 460th Space Wing and the 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard, is Auroras largest employer, President Warren G. Harding visited Fitzsimons Army Hospital in 1923, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited in 1936. In 1943 the hospital was the birthplace of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, President Dwight D. Eisenhower recovered from a heart attack at Fitzsimons for seven weeks during the fall of 1955. Decommissioned in 1999, the facility is part of the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, the Anschutz Medical Campus also includes the University of Colorado Hospital, which moved to Aurora from Denver in 2007, and the Childrens Hospital. The first carbon-ion radiotherapy research and treatment facility in the U. S. has been proposed at the site and these facilities will employ a workforce of 32,000 at build-out. In 1965, mayor Norma O. Walker became the first woman to head a U. S. city with a population over 60,000
3.
Army National Guard
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The Army National Guard, in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is a militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations, the National Guard of the states, territories and the District of Columbia. The Army National Guard is divided into units stationed in each of the 50 states. Members or units of the Army National Guard may be ordered, temporarily or indefinitely, if mobilized for federal service, the member or unit becomes part of the Army National Guard of the United States, which is a reserve component of the United States Army. Individuals volunteering for active service may do so subject to the consent of their governors. Governors generally cannot veto involuntary activations of individuals or units for federal service, the President may also call up members and units of the Army National Guard, in its status as the militia of the several states, to repel invasion, suppress rebellion, or enforce federal laws. The Army National Guard of the United States is one of two organizations administered by the National Guard Bureau, the other being the Air National Guard of the United States. The Director of the Army National Guard is the head of the organization, Militia members were required to equip themselves, take part in regular training, and report to their units when called. This war resulted in hundreds of deaths, hundreds of Native Americans sold into slavery or scattered throughout North America, the militias of the Southern New England colonies fought Native Americans again in King Philips War from 1675 to 1676. This conflict led to the defeat of the Narragansets, further straining relationships between Native Americans and white Europeans, but enabling continued white settlement of New England. In addition, the colonists had little interest in paying the taxes to maintain permanent garrisons of British troops, the militias were also an early experiment in democracy, with company grade officers often elected by their men, and the higher officers appointed by colonial governors or legislatures. The colonies did not exert centralized control over the militias or coordinate their efforts, Training typically took place during musters each summer, with militia members reporting for inspection and undergoing several days of training in drill and ceremony. Militia members served throughout the Revolution, often near their homes, Militia units served in combat, as well as carrying out guard duty for prisoners, garrisoning of forts, and local patrols. On some occasions, militia members performed ineffectively, as at the Battle of Camden in North Carolina, on other occasions they performed capably, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Bennington, Battles of Saratoga, and Battle of Cowpens. Perhaps the most important role played by the militia was off the battlefield, during the period of the Articles of Confederation, the weak federal government reduced the Continental Army to a handful of officers and soldiers. The Articles of Confederation required each state to maintain a militia, such consent was not forthcoming in an era when the population still harbored a distrust of a standing army, so Congress largely left the defense of the new nation to the state militias. During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Federalist delegates argued for a federal government. Federalists anticipated using the military to defend the country if it were attacked, anti-Federalists advocated limited federal government, and wanted continued state control over the militias
4.
Colorado Army National Guard
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The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Armys available combat forces, National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. Colorado Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army, the same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Colorado Guard also bestows a number of awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Colorado. The Colorado Army National Guard is composed of over 3500 soldiers, 19th Special Forces Group - Watkins AFB 193rd Military Police Bn. - Denver HHC 193rd Military Police - Denver 220th Military Police Co, - Colorado Springs 947th Engineer Co. 3/140th Medevac Company 117th Space Support Bn - Colorado Springs HHC 117th Space Bn. 217th Space Co. 1158th Space Co, - Colorado Springs HHC 1-157th INF - Colorado Springs A Co. 1-157th INF - Colorado Springs B Co, 1-157th INF - Ft Lupton C Co. 1-157th INF - Grand Junction D Co, 1-157th INF - Alamosa 1157th Forward Support Co. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually, however, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations, the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard. For much of the decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served One weekend a month. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit to one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be activated for a total of more than 24 months in one six-year enlistment period. The Colorado Volunteer Militia, predecessor of the Colorado Army National Guard, was formed in 1860. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the state militias into the present National Guard system. Originally Colorado was a part of the CONUS regional command, called the Southern Department and this was later redesignated, in 1920, as Eighth Corps area. With headquarters at Fort Sam Houston Texas, in 1941 Colorado was transferred to the new Central Defense Command
5.
157th Field Artillery Regiment
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The 157th Infantry/Field Artillery Regiment has been both an infantry and field artillery regiment of the Army National Guard, part of the United States Army. The regiment was first constituted in 1917 during World War I from the 1st Colorado Infantry Regiment, the regiment was an infantry regiment as part of the 40th Infantry Division. It was again a regiment of the 45th Infantry Division during. In 1950 it was removed from the 45th and after the Korean War assigned to the artillery, during the Cold War of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment operated the M110 howitzer. The retirement of the M110 system left many National Guard units without a mission, in 2002, the battalions transitioned to the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System system, and later in 2009 to the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System system. Under the current U. S. Army structure, the name 157th Field Artillery Regiment is used to maintain Regimental Affiliations and has no headquarters or Regimental Commander. Members from the two battalions were reorganized to form the 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, part of the 169th Fires Brigade of the Colorado Army National Guard. As of October 30,2016 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment was officially re-aligned to the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. It was also redesignated as a Mountain Battalion, becoming one of only 3 Mountain Infantry battalions in the Army National Guard. expanded in 1900 as the 1st and 2nd Infantry. 1st and 2nd Infantry consolidated 15-June 1916 and designated as the 1st Infantry, two battalions mustered into federal service 26-june to 29-july 1916 for service on the Mexican border as the 1st and 2nd separate battalions Colorado Infantry. Entire Regiment drafted into federal service 5-August 1917 Reorganized and redesignated 24-September 1917 as the 157th Infantry, consolidated 13 October 1917 with the 1st Colorado Cavalry and consolidated unit designated as the 157th Infantry. Redesignated 16-November 1921 as the 157th Infantry, an element of the 45th Division, inducted into federal service 16-September 1940 at home stations. Inactivated 3-December 1945 at Camp Bowie Texas, relieved 10-May 1946 from assignment to the 45th infantry Division. Reorganized and federally recognized 8-January 1947 with headquarters at Buckley Field Location of headquarters changed 3-sept 1947 to Denver, Regiment broken up 1-August 1955 and elements converted and redesignated as follows, Headquarters and the 1st Battalion as the 144th Field Artillery Battalion. Reorganized 1 January 1968 to consist of 1st, and 2nd Battalions, redesignated 1 March 1972 as the 157th Field Artillery. The distinctive unit insignia was approved for the 157th Infantry Regiment on 12 June 1924. It was subsequently redesignated for the 144th Field Artillery Battalion of the Colorado National Guard on 1 May 1956, attached below and to the sides of the shield a Blue scroll inscribed EAGER FOR DUTY in Gold letters. The shield is scarlet and yellow which are the Spanish colors, the sea lion of the Philippines recalls that the fortification was the walled city of Manila
6.
HIMARS
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The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is a U. S. light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army Medium Tactical Vehicle truck frame. HIMARS ammunition is interchangeable with the MLRS M270A1, however it is able to carry one pod rather than the standard two for the M270A1 and A2 variants. The chassis is produced by BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems, the rocket launching system is produced by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control. The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is the light, wheeled version of the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the HIMARS utilizes the same pod as the M270 MLRS uses. A pod can hold six rockets or a single missile, the windows are made of glass and layers of sapphire. 18th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was the army test bed unit for the M142 HIMARS. In 2002, the United States Marine Corps arranged with the United States Army to acquire 40 of the systems, in July 2007, Marines from Fox Battery 2nd Battalion 14 Marine Regiment from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma were deployed to the Al Anbar province of Iraq. This is the first Marine unit to use the HIMARS in combat, HIMARS was also tested as a common launcher for both artillery rockets and the surface-launched variant of the AMRAAM anti-aircraft missile. As of September 2007, the Singapore Army proposed to acquire HIMARS systems, the package includes 18 HIMARS launchers,9 FMTV 5-Ton Trucks and XM31 unitary HE GMLRS pods, plus associated support and communications equipment and services. This proposed package is notable for not involving the M-26 unguided MLRS rockets, in late 2009, Singapore took delivery of the first HIMARS firing unit and achieved Full Operational Capability. The 23rd Battalion, Singapore artillery commissioned its HIMARS battery on 5 September 2011 and it marks the first fully GPS-guided HIMARS unit. ISAF suspended the use of the HIMARS until a review of the incident was completed. A British officer later said that the rockets were on target, that the target was in use by the Taliban, and use of the system has been reinstated. Reports indicate that the deaths were due to the Talibans use of an occupied dwelling. In November 2015, the United States Army revealed they had deployed the HIMARS to Iraq, HIMARS detachments were sent to Al Asad Airbase and Al-Taqaddum Air Base in Anbar province. On 4 March 2016, Army HIMARS systems fired rockets into Syria in support of Syrian rebels fighting ISIL for the first time, with the launchers based in neighboring Jordan. In January 2016, Lockheed announced the HIMARS had reached 1 million operational hours with U. S. forces, achieving a 99 percent operational readiness rate. On April 26,2016, it was announced that the U. S. would be deploying the HIMARS in Turkey near the border with Syria as part of the battle with ISIL
7.
Berlin Crisis of 1961
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The Berlin Crisis of 1961 was the last major politico-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—the last to be attended by the Communist Party of China—was held in Moscow during the crisis. After the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, some of those living in the acquired areas of the Eastern Bloc aspired to independence. Between 1945 and 1950, over 15 million people emigrated from Soviet-occupied Eastern European countries to the West. Taking advantage of this route, the number of Eastern Europeans applying for asylum in West Germany was 197,000 in 1950,165,000 in 1951,182,000 in 1952 and 331,000 in 1953. By the early 1950s, the Soviet approach to controlling national movement, restricting emigration, was emulated by most of the rest of the Eastern Bloc, up until 1953, the lines between East Germany and the western occupied zones could be easily crossed in most places. Consequently, the Inner German border between the two German states was closed, and a fence erected. When large numbers of East Germans then defected under the guise of visits, accordingly, Berlin became the main route by which East Germans left for the West. The Berlin sector border was essentially a loophole through which Eastern Bloc citizens could still escape, the 4.5 million East Germans that had left by 1961 totaled approximately 20% of the entire East German population. The loss was disproportionately heavy among professionals—engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers, in November 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev issued the Western powers an ultimatum to withdraw from Berlin within six months and make it a free, demilitarised city. In response, the United States, United Kingdom, and France clearly expressed their determination to remain in. With tensions mounting, the United States, United Kingdom and France formed a group with orders to plan for an eventual response to any aggression on West Berlin. The planning group was named LIVE OAK, and staff from the three countries prepared land and air plans to access to and from West Berlin. The Soviet Union withdrew its deadline in May 1959, and the ministers of the four countries spent three months meeting. Eisenhower and Khrushchev had a few together at the US presidential retreat Camp David. There was nothing more inadvisable in this situation, said Eisenhower, than to talk about ultimatums, Khrushchev responded that he did not understand how a peace treaty could be regarded by the American people as a threat to peace. Eisenhower admitted that the situation in Berlin was abnormal and that human affairs got very badly tangled at times, Khrushchev came away with the impression that a deal was possible over Berlin, and they agreed to continue the dialogue at a summit in Paris in May 1960. However, the Paris Summit that was to resolve the Berlin question was cancelled in the fallout from Gary Powerss failed U-2 spy flight on 1 May 1960
8.
Denver
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Denver, officially the City and County of Denver, is the capital and most populous municipality of the U. S. state of Colorado. Denver is in the South Platte River Valley on the edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level, making it the highest major city in the United States. The 105th meridian west of Greenwich, the reference for the Mountain Time Zone. Denver is ranked as a Beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. With a 2015 estimated population of 682,545, Denver ranks as the 19th-most populous U. S. city, and with a 2. 8% increase in 2015, the city is also the fastest-growing major city in the United States. The 10-county Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 2,814,330 and ranked as the 19th most populous U. S. metropolitan statistical area. The 12-city Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 3,418,876, which ranks as the 16th most populous U. S. metropolitan area. Denver is the most populous city of the 18-county Front Range Urban Corridor, Denver is the most populous city within a 500-mile radius and the second-most populous city in the Mountain West after Phoenix, Arizona. In 2016, Denver was named the best place to live in the USA by U. S. News & World Report and this was the first historical settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The site faded quickly, however, and by the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of Auraria, Larimer named the townsite Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver. Larimer hoped the name would help make it the county seat of Arapaho County but, unbeknownst to him. The location was accessible to existing trails and was across the South Platte River from the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne, the site of these first towns is now the site of Confluence Park near downtown Denver. Larimer, along with associates in the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, Denver City was a frontier town, with an economy based on servicing local miners with gambling, saloons, livestock and goods trading. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria, in May 1859, Denver City residents donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth & Pikes Peak Express in order to secure the regions first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for passengers, mail, freight, and gold, in 1863, Western Union furthered Denvers dominance of the region by choosing the city for its regional terminus. The Colorado Territory was created on February 28,1861, Arapahoe County was formed on November 1,1861, Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902. In 1867, Denver City became the territorial capital, with its newfound importance, Denver City shortened its name to Denver
9.
World War I
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World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
