1.
St. Marie, Montana
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St. Marie is a census-designated place in Valley County, Montana, United States. The population was 264 at the 2010 census and it is located at the site of the former Glasgow Air Force Base. When the Air Force base was decommissioned, the housing was purchased and offered for sale to private individuals. While many of the bids for the houses were from salvage companies, homes which had housed thousands of military personnel when the base was in operation were briefly promoted as condominiums for retirees. Despite local efforts, most of the housing units sit empty. A few hundred remain in what is otherwise a partial ghost town. The runway remains in use as Glasgow Industrial Airport, a test site for Boeing aircraft, the nearby city of Glasgow, Montana has dropped in population by half after the base closure. The situation led to a number of St. Marie property owners being sued, the post office and town hall are still in operation along with a small handful of local businesses, but the school and a majority of businesses have closed. St. St. Marie is located at 48°24′18″N 106°30′08″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 22.9 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 183 people,92 households, the population density was 8.0 people per square mile. There were 1,035 housing units at a density of 45.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 93. 44% White,2. 19% African American,2. 73% Native American,0. 55% Asian, hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 55% of the population. 32. 6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17. 4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.45. In the CDP, the population was out with 14. 8% under the age of 18,2. 7% from 18 to 24,12. 0% from 25 to 44,35. 5% from 45 to 64. The median age was 60 years, for every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males, the median income for a household in the CDP was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $34,792. Males had an income of $18,750 versus $17,188 for females
2.
Valley County, Montana
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Valley County is a county located in the U. S. state of Montana. Valley County was created from the division of Dawson County in 1893, as of the 2010 census, the population was 7,369. It is located on the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,062 square miles, of which 4,926 square miles is land and 136 square miles is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Montana by total area, the now abandoned air force base north of Glasgow, known as St. Marie, was a strong influence in the local economy before its closure. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,675 people,3,150 households, the population density was 2 people per square mile. There were 4,847 housing units at a density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 88. 14% White,0. 13% Black or African American,9. 42% Native American,0. 25% Asian,0. 01% Pacific Islander,0. 26% from other races, and 1. 79% from two or more races. 0. 78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,28. 2% were of German,24. 0% Norwegian,6. 4% American,6. 0% English and 5. 5% Irish ancestry. 29. 30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was out with 25. 10% under the age of 18,6. 00% from 18 to 24,24. 30% from 25 to 44,25. 60% from 45 to 64. The median age was 42 years, for every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males, the median income for a household in the county was $30,979, and the median income for a family was $39,044. Males had an income of $27,233 versus $17,686 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,246, about 9. 50% of families and 13. 50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15. 40% of those under age 18 and 14. 40% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,369 people,3,198 households, the population density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 4,879 housing units at a density of 1.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 87. 0% white,9. 8% American Indian,0. 5% Asian,0. 2% black or African American,0. 3% from other races, and 2. 1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1. 2% of the population, in terms of ancestry,33. 4% were German,27. 9% were Norwegian,12. 4% were Irish,10. 3% were English, and 6. 8% were American
3.
Glasgow, Montana
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Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Valley County, Montana, United States, with an estimated population of 3,414 as of 2015. American Indians inhabited the region for centuries, and extensive buffalo, the Nakoda, Lakota, and Dakota peoples alternately inhabited and claimed the region from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition came within 15 miles of the site of Glasgow and noted the extensive herds of buffalo. Glasgow was founded in 1887 as a town by James J. Hill. The town was named after Glasgow in Scotland, Glasgow grew during the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the construction of the Fort Peck Dam, which became a major source of employment for the Glasgow area. During World War II, the Glasgow Army Airfield housed the 96th Bombardment Squadron and 614th Bombardment Squadron, flying B-17 Flying Fortresses, starting in December 1944, a German POW camp was established at the facility, lasting until the end of the war. After the war ended the base was closed, and part of the facility became the present day Glasgow Airport. Glasgow was the place of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Speirs, famed member of Easy Company. In the 1960s, the rose to about 6,400 due to the nearby presence of the Glasgow Air Force Base, used during the Vietnam War. A significant amount of modern and Googie-style architecture was built in Glasgow at this time. After the de-activation and closure of the base in 1969, Glasgows population declined to half its one-time size by 1990. Glasgow currently functions as the regional administrative, shopping and services hub for Valley County. Glasgow is located at 48°11′54″N 106°38′7″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.43 square miles, all of it land. The town has an elevation of 2,093 feet and overlooks the Milk River Valley, Glasgow experiences a continental semi-arid climate with long, cold, dry winters and hot, dry summers. Two F2 tornadoes did however, hit the Glasgow area on June 25,1975, as of May 2012, the major industries present in Glasgow are retail, public administration, construction, and health care and social assistance. Farmers and farm services comprise 4% of employment, as of June 2014, the unemployment rate was 3. 2%. The median home price was an estimated $82,005 in 2009, Glasgow is served by the Glasgow School District. There are three schools in the district, Glasgow High School, the East Side School
4.
United States Geological Survey
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The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its resources. The organization has four science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology. The USGS is a research organization with no regulatory responsibility. The USGS is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior, the USGS employs approximately 8,670 people and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The USGS also has major offices near Lakewood, Colorado, at the Denver Federal Center, the current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is science for a changing world. The agencys previous slogan, adopted on the occasion of its anniversary, was Earth Science in the Public Service. Prompted by a report from the National Academy of Sciences, the USGS was created, by a last-minute amendment and it was charged with the classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain. This task was driven by the need to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the legislation also provided that the Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler surveys be discontinued as of June 30,1879. Clarence King, the first director of USGS, assembled the new organization from disparate regional survey agencies, after a short tenure, King was succeeded in the directors chair by John Wesley Powell. Administratively, it is divided into a Headquarters unit and six Regional Units, Other specific programs include, Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location, the USGS also runs or supports several regional monitoring networks in the United States under the umbrella of the Advanced National Seismic System. The USGS informs authorities, emergency responders, the media, and it also maintains long-term archives of earthquake data for scientific and engineering research. It also conducts and supports research on long-term seismic hazards, USGS has released the UCERF California earthquake forecast. The USGS National Geomagnetism Program monitors the magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes magnetometer data in real time, the USGS operates the streamgaging network for the United States, with over 7400 streamgages. Real-time streamflow data are available online, since 1962, the Astrogeology Research Program has been involved in global, lunar, and planetary exploration and mapping. USGS operates a number of related programs, notably the National Streamflow Information Program. USGS Water data is available from their National Water Information System database
5.
Christmas tree (aviation)
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A Christmas tree was a type of alert area constructed by the United States Air Force for the Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. Oftentimes, bombers or tanker aircraft were stationed next to a crew building. The alert apron, also known as a ramp, received the name Christmas tree because it basically resembled a tree of the same name. Before the development of the B-52 Stratofortress, aircraft such as the B-36 Peacemaker, B-50 Superfortress, due to the size of the aircraft, this created a problem in launching aircraft efficiently in the event of an emergency scramble, requiring a different solution to be devised. To fix this, aircraft were repositioned on specifically designed alert aprons arranged in herringbone configurations and this meant that the aircraft would be positioned at 45 degrees in relation to an alert apron center line leading to a short taxiway and then onto the nearest runway. The success of this also led to the adoption of the setup for the KC-97 Stratofreighter. During an alert, flight crews and ground crews would run out of the facility, e. g. the mole hole. This latter option was critical for crews of the last three aircraft on the ramp that were located several hundred yards from the alert facility. During an alert sortie, there was no specific departure order, although it is unknown how much each Christmas tree cost to construct and maintain, the Christmas tree at the former Loring Air Force Base, Maine is estimated to have cost $400 thousand. When it was constructed between 1959 and 1960
6.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
7.
Strategic Air Command
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At a lower echelon, headquarters divisions included Aircraft Engineering, Missile Concept, and Strategic Communications. In 1992, as part of an overall post-Cold War reorganization of the U. S. Planning to reorganize for a separate and independent postwar U. S. Air Force had begun by the fall of 1945, with the Simpson Board tasked to plan. the reorganization of the Army, SAC initially totaled 37,000 USAAF personnel. S. Air Force as an independent service, kenney, initial units reporting to the Strategic Air Command headquarters on 21 March 1946 included the Second Air Force, the IX Troop Carrier Command and the 73d Air Division. In addition to the bombing mission, SAC also devoted significant resources to aerial reconnaissance. An F-13 squadron, the F-13 later re-designated as the RB-29 Superfortress, was also established, SAC conducted routine aerial reconnaissance missions near the Soviet borders or near the 12-mile international waters limit, although some missions actually penetrated into Soviet airspace. The flight profiles of these missions—above 30,000 feet and in excess of 300 knots—made interception by Soviet air forces difficult until the Soviets 1948 introduction of the MiG-15 jet fighter. Project Nanook, the Cold War’s first Top Secret reconnaissance effort, used the first RB-29 missions for mapping and visual reconnaissance in the Arctic, later missions were Project LEOPARD along the Chukchi Peninsula, followed by Projects RICKRACK, STONEWORK, and COVERALLS. In 1946, the US possessed only nine atomic bombs and twenty-seven B-29s capable at any one time of delivering them, unfortunately, postwar budget and personnel cuts had had an insidious effect on SAC as its Deputy Commander, Major General Clements McMullen, implemented mandated force reductions. This continued to wear down SAC as a command and morale plummeted, as a result, by the end of 1947, only two of SACs eleven groups were combat ready. In terms of overall Air Force basing and infrastructure, SAC continued to acquire a share of USAF infrastructure. In 1947, before the USAF was established as an independent service, construction commenced on Limestone AAF, Maine, fort Dix AAF, New Jersey, Spokane AAF, Washington, and Wendover Field, Utah were also transferred to SAC between 30 April and 1 September 1947. Following establishment of the USAF as a service, SAC bases in the United States consisted of
8.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
9.
Central Air Defense Force
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The Central Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base and it was inactivated on July 1,1960. CADF was a command and control organization of Air Defense Command. Its origins date to 1 March 1949 when Continental Air Command reorganized Air Defense Command when it became an operating agency. Air defense units within the Continental United States were given to the Eastern and Western Air Defense Liaison Groups, the southeast region east of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico was reassigned to EADF. afhra. af. mil/. USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 Maurer, Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History, Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History, searching the skies, the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command
10.
29th Air Division
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The 29th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Duluth International Airport and it was inactivated on 15 November 1969. Assigned to Air Defense Command for most of its existence, the mission was the air defense of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and parts of Nevada, Utah. By 1953, the changed to include North Dakota, South Dakota. The 29th supervised the training of its units, and participated in training exercises. afhra. af. mil/. Cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W, a Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization,1946 -1980. Peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, winkler, David F. Webster, Julie L. Searching the skies, The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, champaign, IL, US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories
11.
Minot Air Defense Sector
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The Minot Air Defense Sector is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 1 December 1963 Established in April 1959 assuming control of former ADC Western Air Defense Force 27th Air Division units in western North Dakota, the organization provided command and control over several aircraft and radar squadrons. The sector operated a SAGE Air-Defense Control Center, a SAGE Direction Center built, and an AN/FSQ-7 direction computers operated the live air picture. The Combat Control Center or CC and its accompanying An/FSQ -8 computer were never installed or activated, the SAGE DC was consolidated with the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector on 1 March 1963, and inactivated on 1 December 1963. afhra. af. mil/. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 -1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Winkler, David F. Searching the skies, the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program, prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History
12.
15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force
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The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force was one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command and was headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California. The 15 EMTF was inactivated on 20 March 2012 and its functions,15 EMTF provided strategic and theater airlift for all United States Department of Defense agencies as well as air refueling for the Air Force in both peace and wartime. Primary aircraft assigned to its units were the C-5 Galaxy, C-9 Nightingale, C-17 Globemaster III, C-21, C-130 Hercules, KC-10 Extender,15 EMTF was a redesignation of Fifteenth Air Force, effective 1 October 2003. During the Cold War,15 AF was one of three Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command, commanding USAF strategic bombers and missiles on a global scale. Elements of 15th Air Force engaged in operations during the Korean War, Vietnam War. The first commander was General Jimmy Doolittle, 15th AF resulted from a reorganization of Doolittles Twelfth Air Force into the 15th with Doolittle in command, and the Ninth Air Force with Lewis H. Brereton in command. The new air force was activated with a strength of ninety B-24 Liberators and 210 B-17 Flying Fortresses, inherited from the Twelfth Air Force, in December, new groups, most of which were equipped with B-24s soon started arriving from the United States. It was hoped that the 15th AF stationed in the Mediterranean would be able to operate when the Eighth Air Force in England was socked in by bad English weather. The 9th AF would later move to England to serve as a unit to take part in the invasion of Europe. Assigned to the 15th Special Group in January 1945, on 1 December 1943, the Headquarters was moved to Bari Airfield, Italy. On 4 January 1944, Fifteenth, along with Twelfth Air Force were organized into Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, MAAF was the southern component of U. S. Strategic Air Forces, Europe, the overall USAAF command and control organization in Europe. The first major operation carried out by Fifteenth Air Force was bombing missions in support of the Anzio Landings in Italy, strikes on German and fascist Italian targets were carried out and caused widespread damage to Axis forces. Big Week was the name of an intense Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces series of attacks on Germany in a series of co-ordinated raids on the German aircraft industry, on 22 February 1944, Fifteenth Air Force made its first attack on Germany, with an attack on Regensburg. The Fifteenth dispatched a force of 183 bombers to the Oberstraubing Messerschmidt assembly plant, some 118 bombed with good results but fourteen were shot down. The next day the 15th sent 102 bombers to the Steyr ball-bearing works in Austria where they destroyed twenty percent of the plant, on 24 February, over 180 Liberators inflicted considerable damage to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 assembly plant at Gotha, losing 28 aircraft. On 25 February 114 B-17s and B-24s were dispatched to Steyr again, but the force became separated, despite these losses, it was believed that the USSTAF had dealt the German aircraft industry a severe blow. In April, General Eisenhower ordered the USSTAF to attack German fuel production centers by striking both the oil refineries and the factories producing synthetic fuels. The 15th started the offensive on 5 April when it dispatched 235 B-17s, the refineries were attacked again on 15 and 24 April, inflicting additional damage
13.
810th Strategic Aerospace Division
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The 810th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the division was first activated in 1952 to manage Biggs Air Force Base, Texas and to command the two SAC bombardment wings stationed there. From 1954 to 1956 it also commanded a squadron that operated from bases in Japan. The division assumed command of the strategic wing at Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas. In 1962, SAC assumed control of bases in the northern United States from Air Defense Command and the moved to Minot. Later that year it added a Minuteman missile wing and was redesignated the 810th Strategic Aerospace Division, the divisions components were the 95th and 97th Bombardment Wings, and the newly activated 810th Air Base Group. The 97th Bomb Wings tactical squadrons flew the Boeing B-50 Superfortress, the divisions 95th Bomb Wing was not manned, but was also nominally a medium bombardment wing. In July 1953, the 95th wing began to receive personnel, the division assured the manning, training, and equipping of its two assigned wings to conduct long-range bombardment missions using either nuclear or conventional weapons. Each wing deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the 97th wing deployed all its squadrons from December 1952 until March 1953 and again from December 1953 until July 1954. The 95th wing deployed from July to November 1955, the 97th Bomb Wing continued to fly B-50s until 1955, when it converted to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Beginning in 1954, the wings 340th Bombardment Squadron maintained detachments at RAF Lakenheath, England and Yokota Air Base, Japan, flying electronic reconnaissance models of the B-29, as the 340th re-equipped with jet bombers, SAC formed the 4024th Bombardment Squadron to operate these planes. Although the 4024th was assigned directly to the division, the 97th Bomb Wing continued to exercise control of the squadron. The 4024th was inactivated in 1956, but it shared an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with the 340th squadron for its operations, once the 97th converted to B-47s it deployed as a unit to RAF Upper Heyford from May to July 1956. Although deployments of its planes and crews continued, that was the deployment as a complete wing while assigned to the 810th Air Division. In 1958 the division began a transformation of its bomber force, the 97th Bomb Wing began to lose its B-47s. In January 1959 it became non-operational, in July the 97th moved to Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas, where it re-equipped with Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses and was assigned to another division. Meanwhile, starting in 1959, the 95th wing replaced its B-36s with B-52s, two of the 95th wings three bombardment squadrons moved, one to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas and the other to Turner Air Force Base, Georgia. The move of the 97th Bomb Wing left only a single wing, the 4128th was a strategic wing that had been organized when B-52s at Ellsworth Air Force Base were dispersed
14.
18th Strategic Aerospace Division
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The 18th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, the 18th Composite Wing served as part of the defense force for the Hawaiian Islands from 1 May 1931 –29 January 1942. It inactivated after suffering losses in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From June 1942 until 1944, it operated as the 18th Replacement Wing, processing personnel entering Second Air Force, redesignated 18 Strategic Aerospace Division on 15 February 1962, the division also developed and maintained a strategic missile operational capability. Between 1965 and 1968, subordinate units of the 18th loaned aircraft, inactivated on 2 July 1968 due to budget constraints. afhra. af. mil/. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
15.
821st Strategic Aerospace Division
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The 821st Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, in 1962, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing was activated at Ellsworth and assigned to the division along with a second Minuteman missile wing in Montana. At the same time, the B-52 wings formerly assigned to the division were transferred, the divisions units assumed a heightened alert role during the Cuban Missile Crisis, including the first SAC LGM-30A Minuteman I to be put on alert. The division continued at Ellsworth until June 1971, when SAC organized its divisions on a weapons system basis, starting in 1957, the 28th Bombardment Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base began to upgrade from the Convair B-36 Peacemaker to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. However, Strategic Air Command was concerned that bases with large concentrations of the new jet bombers made attractive targets. In 1958 SAC established strategic wings at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the 821st Air Division was activated at Ellsworth in January 1959 to command these new strategic wings and the 28th Wing at Ellsworth. However, the establishment of wings did not immediately disperse the bomber force and it would be 1960 before the 28th Wings 717th and 718th Bombardment Squadrons were transferred from Ellsworth to other bases. Although Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers were assigned earlier, Minot and Glasgow only received their bombers in 1961 and this was increased to half their aircraft in 1962. However, the squadron never became operational while assigned to the 28th,1962 was a year of change for the divisions responsibilities. On 1 January, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing was activated at Ellsworth, the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron was assigned to the new wing. The same day, the division assumed support responsibility for Ellsworth through its 821st Combat Support Group, the following month, the division became the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division when SAC added the term aerospace to the names of its units with both bomber and missile strike elements. On 23 July, the 341sts first Minuteman was placed in its silo, on 23 October 1962, in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 341st placed its first two Minuteman missiles on alert. The 341st was in the process of accepting their first flight of missiles from Air Force Systems Command, eventually Malmstrom was able to place six missiles on alert for the duration of the crisis. These were the first and only SAC Minutemen to stand alert during the crisis, on 20 October SAC had directed its B-52 wings, including the 28th, to put two additional planes on alert. Two days later 1/8 of the divisions B-52s were placed on airborne alert, additional KC-135s were also placed on alert to replace the KC-135s devoted to maintaining the B-52 airborne alert. On 24 October SAC increased its readiness status to DEFCON2, on 21 November SAC returned to normal airborne alert posture. And on 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture. The division lost the first Minuteman wing, the 341st, in 1964, in 1965, the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron was inactivated as the Titan I was withdrawn from service and its parent, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing, became an entirely Minuteman equipped unit
16.
Mole hole
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RCBs were located adjacent to an Alert Ramp, also called a Christmas Tree, where Ready Alert aircraft were parked. These aircraft were initially Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft armed with nuclear weapons, due to aircraft being parked at the Christmas Tree being on constant alert duty, the Strategic Air Command realized that they needed specialized buildings to house crews who rotated on alert duty. In 1958, Leo A Daly, an architect from Omaha, Nebraska, was hired to design buildings that would respectively hold 70,100, and 150 men. The buildings would house readiness crews and contained thick concrete exteriors, bathrooms, a room for crew members, dormitories, several classrooms, a kitchen. Crews on alert duty would typically be on alert for seven out of a 21-day period. During their alert duty, they would fly no training missions, once all engines were started, the aircraft would perform an elephant walk to the runway, where a Minimum Interval Takeoff might be performed. Over the course of their construction, ten facilities to house 150 people were built. These were supplemented by an additional ten facilities for housing 100 men, the facilities replaced various facilities that housed crew members earlier, including house trailers, which sat next to the aircraft. Media related to Mole hole at Wikimedia Commons
17.
476th Fighter Group
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The 476th Fighter Group is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is part of the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, if mobilized, the Wing is gained by the Air Combat Command. The group was active twice during World War II for brief periods, the first time in China as part of Fourteenth Air Force, the group was most recently activated as a reserve associate unit in 2009. The group is assigned to the 442d Fighter Wing, at Whiteman AFB, the 476th Fighter Group is an Air Force Reserve associate unit linked to the 23d Fighter Group at Moody. The 442 oversees the 476ths administrative and mission-support needs not provided by Moodys host, the group works under its own command structure but integrates its operations with the 23d Wings 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons and 23d Maintenance Group. The group has approximately 115 airmen consisting of traditional reservists, air technicians and civilians. Eventually, the 476th will grow to about 230 traditional reservists and full-timers, the remaining airmen will serve on the group staff. The group was reconstituted and activated at Richmond Army Air Base and it was assigned the 453d Fighter Squadron, which had been activated ten days earlier, and the newly activated 541st, 542d, and 543d Fighter Squadrons. Replacement training units were oversized units which trained aircrews prior to their deployment to combat theaters, accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit, while the groups and squadrons acting as RTUs were disbanded or inactivated. As a result, the 476th and its squadrons apparently never became operational at Richmond, instead, the 476th was moved to Pocatello Army Air Field in late March 1944, where it was disbanded and its personnel and equipment was used to form the 265th AAF Base Unit. The group was reconstituted again as the 476th Fighter Group and activated on 8 February 1957 as part of Air Defense Command, the group was involved in activation of Glasgow AFB, Montana, but did not operate as a separate unit until 9 March 1959. On 2 July the 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron moved to Glasgow from Sioux City Municipal Airport, the group remained involved with training air defense crews until it was inactivated on 1 April 1960. The 13th FIS was reassigned directly to the 29th Air Division, SAC had organized the 4141st Strategic Wing at Glasgow in the fall of 1958 as a tenant unit. As it became apparent that the SAC mission would be the predominant one at Glasgow, the base was transferred to SAC, the group stood up as an Air Force Reserve associate unit equipped with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs linked to the 23d Fighter Group in July 2009. Constituted as the 476th Fighter Group on 20 April 1943 Activated on 19 May 1943 Disbanded on 31 July 1943 Reconstituted on 11 October 1943 Activated on 1 December 1943 Disbanded on 1 April 1944. Reconstituted and redesignated 476th Fighter Group on 11 December 1956 Activated on 8 February 1957 Discontinued on 1 April 1960. afhra. af. mil/, cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980, peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Craven, Wesley F, Cate, James L, eds, the Army Air Forces in World War II
18.
13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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See 13th Fighter Squadron for the present-day Pacific Air Forces squadron The 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Minot Air Defense Sector, stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base and it was activated in early 1941 as the 13th Pursuit Squadron and assigned to the Southeast Air District. It was equipped with a series of aircraft with a mission of air defense of Florida. After the Pearl Harbor Attack, the squadron was one of several deployed to the Panama Canal Zone for the defense of the canal with the United States entry into World War II. It was deployed on 2 January 1942 and stationed at Howard Field operating Bell P-39D Airacobras, by 16 February, the Squadron had 12 P-39Ds and not fewer than 26 pilots, but of these, only four had more than 12 months experience. It was disbanded on 1 May 1944 as part of a reorganization of training units, the service of the F-86L destined to be quite brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of supersonic interceptors. The squadron was reassigned to Glasgow AFB, Montana in July 1959, assigned alongside the F-101B interceptor was the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable interceptors. On 22 October 1962, before President John F and these planes returned to Glasgow after the crisis. It was inactivated in June 1968 as part of the drawdown of ADC interceptor bases, cornett, Lloyd H. Johnson, Mildred W. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980, peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Hagdedorn, Dan, Alae Supra Canalem, Wings Over the Canal, Turner Publishing, ISBN1563111535 Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964 ADC Historical Study No,27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO,1 Feb 63
19.
4141st Strategic Wing
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The 91st Missile Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Twentieth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota as a tenant unit, the 91 MW is one of the Air Forces three intercontinental ballistic missile wings. The wings missile complex stretches over 8,500 square miles—approximately the same size as Massachusetts, the wings on-alert missiles are under the operational control of the nations strategic war-fighting command, U. S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The wings predecessor, the World War II 91st Bombardment Group was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress unit formed at MacDill Field, Florida and it was one of the first United States Army Air Forces heavy bombardment groups deployed to Europe in 1942. As part of Strategic Air Command, the 91st wing was one of SACs longest-lasting and it was a strategic reconnaissance wing from 1948 to 1957 and a B-52 bombardment wing from 1963 to 1968. Its men flew virtually every plane in the SAC inventory and it became a missile wing in June 1968. On 1 July 2008 it was designated as the 91st Missile Wing, the 91st Missile Wing is commanded by Colonel Michael J. Lutton. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant John A. Burks, the wings major organizations include, 91st Operations Group 91st Maintenance Group 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron 791st Maintenance Squadron. 91st Security Forces Group The wing headquarters includes several special staff functions, such as plans and inspections, financial management, under this plan, it was assigned the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group, which had been at McGuire for four months, as its operational element. The wing and group moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana in 1949, rB-29J bombers were assigned to the wing and its primary mission was global strategic reconnaissance. The group was inactivated in June 1952 when Strategic Air Command converted to the Dual Deputate organization, under this plan flying squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Operations and maintenance squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance. The squadrons had been attached to the wing and the reduced to a paper unit in February 1951. In 1950 the wing began receiving air refueling aircraft, first modified KB-29s, in 1950, the 91st was redesignated the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium. At Barksdale, its headquarters was integrated with that of the 301st Bombardment Wing from April 1950 to February 1951. Although each wing conducted independent tactical operations, both were commanded by the same headquarters, the wing detached components for up to three months, primarily to England, and maintained detachments from other units, to provide ongoing reconnaissance of overseas areas. On 11 September 1951, the Wing moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base, the mission of the 91st SRW was to provide aerial reconnaissance and mapping services. It was equipped with aircraft fitted with cameras to perform this mission, including B/RB-45, the RB-45C unit was attached to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and began flying reconnaissance missions over northwestern Korea. The RB-45Cs were able to evade the MiGs for several months, at that time, it was decided that RB-45s could no longer go into northwestern Korea without fighter escort
20.
326th Bombardment Squadron
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The 326th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 4141st Strategic Wing, stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 1 February 1963. Activated as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron in early 1942, received new B-17F aircraft and conducted training at Mac Dill and Sarasota Fields, Florida. As part of its program, the Squadron flew anti-submarine operational missions. At Bovingdon, the squadron exchanged B-17Fs with the 97th Bombardment Groups B-17E aircraft, the 97th BG would move to North Africa and assigned to Twelfth Air Force as part of the Operation Torch landings. At Bovingdon, The squadron was directed to set up and operate the 1/11 CCRC, the Squadron flew four combat missions beginning on 6 September 1942. Upon completion of its mission, the 326th moved to RAF Alconbury on 6 January 1943 where it. When they emerged in May 1943, the 92 BG and 326 BS were ready for combat, the groups B-17s, flew their first post-reorganization combat mission on 15 May 1943. In the fall of 1943 longer range raids began, and resulted immediately in heavy losses, one of these missions was flown on Thursday,14 October 1943, against the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt. Some of the successes of the squadron included missions against German troop concentrations in Normandy after D-Day. On 24 July 1944 the Squadron participated in a raid that destroyed the elite Panzer Lehr armored division outside St. Lo. In support of Operation Cobra 1,800 aircraft targeted a narrow front, artillery positions were wiped out, tanks overturned and buried, infantry positions flattened and all roads and tracks destroyed. This broke up the German defenses such that they could be penetrated, another notable success was a raid against the virtually indestructible German submarine pens at IJmuiden. Using the British Disney bomb, a bunker buster, the Squadron destroyed these pens in a single raid after hundreds of conventional bombs dropped in earlier raids had failed. The Squadron flew its last mission of the Second World War on 25 April 1945, used B-17s as transports, flying demobilized personnel to ATC sites in Morocco and Azores from France. Aircraft turrets were removed and re-skinned, the bomb racks removed, the flight crew was reduced to pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and radio operator. In addition the engineer and radio operator would act as stewards, to assist, reactivated as a Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress squadron in July 1946. Performed strategic bombardment training and operations directed by the Strategic Air Command, in March 1948 deployed to England and Germany to support the Berlin Airlift
21.
91st Missile Wing
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The 91st Missile Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Twentieth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota as a tenant unit, the 91 MW is one of the Air Forces three intercontinental ballistic missile wings. The wings missile complex stretches over 8,500 square miles—approximately the same size as Massachusetts, the wings on-alert missiles are under the operational control of the nations strategic war-fighting command, U. S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The wings predecessor, the World War II 91st Bombardment Group was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress unit formed at MacDill Field, Florida and it was one of the first United States Army Air Forces heavy bombardment groups deployed to Europe in 1942. As part of Strategic Air Command, the 91st wing was one of SACs longest-lasting and it was a strategic reconnaissance wing from 1948 to 1957 and a B-52 bombardment wing from 1963 to 1968. Its men flew virtually every plane in the SAC inventory and it became a missile wing in June 1968. On 1 July 2008 it was designated as the 91st Missile Wing, the 91st Missile Wing is commanded by Colonel Michael J. Lutton. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant John A. Burks, the wings major organizations include, 91st Operations Group 91st Maintenance Group 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron 791st Maintenance Squadron. 91st Security Forces Group The wing headquarters includes several special staff functions, such as plans and inspections, financial management, under this plan, it was assigned the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group, which had been at McGuire for four months, as its operational element. The wing and group moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana in 1949, rB-29J bombers were assigned to the wing and its primary mission was global strategic reconnaissance. The group was inactivated in June 1952 when Strategic Air Command converted to the Dual Deputate organization, under this plan flying squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Operations and maintenance squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance. The squadrons had been attached to the wing and the reduced to a paper unit in February 1951. In 1950 the wing began receiving air refueling aircraft, first modified KB-29s, in 1950, the 91st was redesignated the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium. At Barksdale, its headquarters was integrated with that of the 301st Bombardment Wing from April 1950 to February 1951. Although each wing conducted independent tactical operations, both were commanded by the same headquarters, the wing detached components for up to three months, primarily to England, and maintained detachments from other units, to provide ongoing reconnaissance of overseas areas. On 11 September 1951, the Wing moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base, the mission of the 91st SRW was to provide aerial reconnaissance and mapping services. It was equipped with aircraft fitted with cameras to perform this mission, including B/RB-45, the RB-45C unit was attached to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and began flying reconnaissance missions over northwestern Korea. The RB-45Cs were able to evade the MiGs for several months, at that time, it was decided that RB-45s could no longer go into northwestern Korea without fighter escort
22.
322d Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron
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The 322d Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed. The squadron was first activated in 1942 as the 322d Bombardment Squadron, after training in the United States, the squadron entered combat in the European Theater of Operations, where it was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. Following V-E Day, the returned to the United States. The squadron was redesignated the 322d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at Barksdale Air Force Base, Squadron elements deployed and again saw combat during the Korean War. It was inactivated at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio in 1957, in 1963, it returned to the bombardment role at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana. It deployed crews and aircraft to Andersen Air Force Base, which participated in the Vietnam War, the squadron was inactivated on 25 June 1968 as Glasgow closed and older models of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress were withdrawn from service. The squadron was organized as part of Third Air Force in the southeastern United States before moving to Walla Walla Army Air Base, the squadron deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it became part of VIII Bomber Command. It was one of the first heavy bombardment squadrons to arrive in England, the 322d flew combat missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until the surrender of Germany in May 1945. The squadron returned to the United States where it was programmed to become a Boeing B-29 Superfortress squadron, the surrender of Japan canceled these plans and it was inactivated during November 1945. The squadron was redesignated the 322d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at Barksdale Air Force Base, the squadron was initially equipped with RB-29 reconnaissance bombers, but soon converted to the North American RB-45 Tornado jet reconnaissance aircraft. Elements of the squadron flew reconnaissance and mapping missions over Korea until mid-1952. The squadron deployed to Johnson Air Base and Yokota Air Base, in September 1951 the squadron moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, where it re-equipped with Boeing RB-47E Stratojets. The squadron performed various worldwide reconnaissance missions until inactivating in November 1957, upon returning from its last deployment the squadron became non-operational and was inactivated on 25 June 1968 as Glasgow closed. afhra. af. mil/. Army Air Forces Stations, A Guide to the Stations Where U. S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II, maxwell AFB, AL, Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
23.
3d Air Division
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The 3d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Hickam AFB and it was inactivated on 1 April 1992. The 3d Air Division was created in England during World War II as the 3d Bombardment Division, with five combat bomb wings and 14 heavy bomber groups assigned, it was one of the two largest U. S. air combat organizations during World War II. The 3d Air Division was activated in September 1943 as an intermediate command and it was assigned to VIII Bomber Command, Eighth Air Force. The Division commanded three combat bombardment wings, consisting of seven B-17 Flying Fortress bomb groups, the addition of the 92nd and 93d Combat Bomb Wings in 1944 and additional bomb groups to the other wings increased the number of combat groups to fourteen. Between May 1944 and September 1944 the division operated both B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator aircraft, before converting to an organization for the remainder of the war. In September 1944 the 66th Fighter Wing was assigned directly to the division for fighter support, the bomb groups were engaged in strategic bombardment combat operations against Axis targets in the European Theater of Operations. After V-E Day, the 3d Air Division briefly became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe, in August 1948, in response to the Berlin blockade, the U. S. deployed long-range B-29 Superfortress strategic bombers to four English East Anglian bases. The 3d Air Division was activated as part of United States Air Forces in Europe to receive, support, at this time these units were only expected to take part in 30- to 60-day temporary duty cycles. It also provided maintenance support at RAF Burtonwood for C-54 Skymaster aircraft used in the Berlin Airlift. It was briefly elevated to the Major Command level from 3 January 1949 –21 January 1951. With the advent of the Korean War and the growing Cold War threat of the Soviet Union, the resulting growing size and complexity of the American military presence required a larger command and organizational structure, that could meet the needs of the increased operations. The 3d Air Division was inactivated on 1 May 1951, in its place United States Air Forces Europe activated Third Air Force to command its units in the United Kingdom. Strategic Air Command had activated the 7th Air Division a few days earlier to control its forces deployed in Europe, the 3d Air Division was activated again at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam in June 1954 as the headquarters for all SAC units in the Pacific. The division replaced the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command ]] and it also supported air refueling needs of all United States military agencies operating in or transiting the region. In April 1964, the division switched from Air Mail B-47 / KC-97 to Reflex B-52 / KC-135 alert forces, again with aircraft, in 1965, it became heavily involved in Arc Light and Young Tiger operations in the Far East and SE Asia. Strategic Air Command wings in the U. S. furnished the aircrews, the first elements of the 3d Air Division to enter combat in SEA were the tanker forces under Young Tiger. In June 1965, Arc Light B-52s struck suspected Viet Cong targets in South Vietnam, B-52s began striking targets in North Vietnam on 11 April 1966, the initial attack against the Mu Gia Pass marked the largest single bomber raid since World War II
24.
Andersen Air Force Base
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Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 4 miles northeast of Yigo near Agafo Gumas in the United States territory of Guam. Along with Naval Base Guam, Andersen AFB was placed under the command of Joint Region Marianas on 1 October 2009, the two bases are about 30 miles away at opposite ends of the island. Administration offices for Joint Region Marianas are about half-way in between, at Nimitz Hill, the host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Thirteenth Air Force. A non-flying wing, the 36 WGs mission is to support to deployed air and space forces of USAF and foreign air forces to Andersen. Andersen AFB was established in 1944 as North Field and is named for Brigadier General James Roy Andersen, the 36th Wing Commander is Brig. Gen. Douglas A. Cox. The Vice Wing Commander is Colonel Scott Hurrelbrink and the Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Orlando Ureña, Andersen is one of four bomber forward operating locations in the US Air Force. These locations provide forward support to bomber crews deploying overseas in Europe, Southwest Asia, the Air Force is establishing forward-deployed bomber beddown support at key locations throughout the world and Andersen is one of two critical bases in the Asia-Pacific region. The other location is Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Guams almost unrestricted airspace and the close proximity of the Farallon de Medinilla Island, a naval bombing range 184 miles north, makes this an ideal training environment. General Andersen graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1926, served at various army installations, during 1943–1944 he served on the War Department General Staff. In January 1945, General Andersen was assigned to HQ AAF and he died on 26 February 1945 in the crash of a B-24 Liberator aircraft between Kwajalein and Johnston Island while en route to Hawaii. Andersen Air Force Bases origins begin on 7 December 1941 when Guam was attacked by the forces of Imperial Japan in the Battle of Guam three hours after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States Navy surrendered Guam to the Japanese on 10 December, at the height of the war, approximately 19,000 Japanese soldiers and sailors were deployed to the island. Guam was liberated by the United States Marine Corps 3rd Amphibious Corps on 21 July 1944, in the Battle of Guam, the Japanese managed to contain the marines on two beachheads, but their counter-attack failed. The marines renewed their assault, and reached the tip of the island on 10 August 1944. Japanese guerrilla activities continued until the end of the war, Guam was considered as being ideal to establish air bases to launch B-29 Superfortress operations against the Japanese Home Islands. The Marianas Islands are about 1,500 miles from Tokyo, most important of all, it could be put on a direct supply line from the United States by ship. North Field, as Andersen AFB was first named, was the first air base built on Guam after its liberation, the first host unit at North Field was the 314th Bombardment Wing, XXI Bomber Command, Twentieth Air Force. The 314th arrived on Guam on 16 January 1945 from Peterson Field, the 314th controlled four operational B-29 bomb groups, the 19th, 29th, 39th, and 330th
25.
Guam
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Guam is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, Guam is one of five American territories with a civilian government. The capital city is Hagåtña and the most populous city is Dededo, in 2015,161,785 people resided on Guam. Guamanians are American citizens by birth, Guam has an area of 210 sq mi and a population density of 770/sq mi. It is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia, among its municipalities, Mongmong-Toto-Maite has the highest density at 3, 691/sq mi, whereas Inarajan and Umatac have the lowest density at 119/sq mi. The highest point is Mount Lamlam at 406 meters above sea level, the Chamorros, Guams indigenous people, settled the island approximately 4,000 years ago. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to visit the island on March 6,1521, Guam was colonized in 1668 with settlers, like Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Catholic missionary. Between the 16th century and the 18th century, Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons, during the Spanish–American War, the United States captured Guam on June 21,1898. Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam to the United States on December 10,1898, Guam is among the seventeen Non-Self-Governing Territories of the United Nations. Before World War II, Guam and three other territories – American Samoa, Hawaii, and the Philippines – were the only American jurisdictions in the Pacific Ocean. On December 7,1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Guam was captured by the Japanese, during the occupation, Guamanians were subjected to beheadings, forced labor, rape, and torture. Guam endured hostilities when American forces recaptured the island on July 21,1944, since the 1960s, the economy is supported by two industries, tourism and the United States Armed Forces. The original inhabitants of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are believed to be descendants of Austronesian people originating from Southeast Asia as early as 2000 BC and they evolved into the Chamorro people. The ancient-Chamorro society had four classes, chamorri, matua, achaot, the matua were located in the coastal villages, which meant they had the best access to fishing grounds, whereas the manachang were located in the interior of the island. Matua and manachang rarely communicated with other, and matua often used achaot as intermediaries. There were also makåhna, skilled in healing and medicine, belief in spirits of ancient Chamorros called Taotao mona still persists as a remnant of pre-European culture. Their society was organized along matrilineal clans, Latte stones are stone pillars that are found only in the Mariana Islands, and, they are a recent development in Pre-Contact Chamorro society. The latte-stone was used as a foundation on which thatched huts were built, Latte stones consist of a base shaped from limestone called the haligi and with a capstone, or tåsa, made either from a large brain coral or limestone, placed on top
26.
Operation Arc Light
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Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52F Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam. By the middle of April 1966, all B-52Fs were redeployed back to their bases in the US and were replaced by the Big Belly modified B-52D, later in the Vietnam War, the B-52G joined the B-52D. At the same time, investigations of secret CIA activities in Laos revealed where B-52s were used to systematically bomb Laos, in fact, the United States dropped more ordnance on North Vietnamese Army-occupied eastern Laos than it did during World War II on Germany and Japan combined. To this day, large areas of Laos and Cambodia are still dangerous because of unexploded ordnance. In 1964, the U. S. Air Force began to train bomber crews in the delivery of conventional munitions. Under Project Big Belly, all B-52Ds were modified so that they could carry nearly 30 tons of conventional bombs, B-52s were deployed to Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam, and U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield in Thailand. Arc Light operations were most often CAS bombing raids of enemy base camps, troops concentrations, the first use of these heavy bombers in Southeast Asia occurred on June 18,1965. Flying out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, twenty-seven aircraft used 750 and 1,000 pound bombs to attack a Viet Cong stronghold, during this mission two B-52Fs were lost in a mid-air collision, another was unable to conduct air refueling. Missions were commonly flown in three-plane formations known as cells and were employed when ground units in heavy combat requested fire support. Releasing their bombs from high in the stratosphere, the B-52s could neither be seen nor heard from the ground, B-52s were instrumental in nearly wiping out enemy concentrations besieging Khe Sanh in 1968 and An Loc and Kontum in 1972. Arc Light was re-activated at Andersen on February 8,1972 when President Richard Nixon resumed bombing of North Vietnam in an effort to move peace talks along, over 15,000 men were sent to Andersen on temporary duty over the next 90 days. With limited barracks and other tents were set up behind for use by men working 80-hour weeks. Arc Light missions continued until the cessation of hostilities by all U. S. forces on August 15,1973, between June 1965 and August 1973,126,615 B-52D/F/G sorties were flown over Southeast Asia. During those operations, the U. S. Air Force lost 31 B-52s,18 from hostile fire over North Vietnam and 13 from operational causes, the typical full bomb loads were, B-52F,36 500-lb. and 750-lb. Bombs in a load, or 51 500-lb. Bombs,27 in the bay and 24 on underwing pylons. Bombs, or a load of 64 500-lb. Bombs in the bay and 24 750-lb
27.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
28.
OCLC
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The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
29.
Maxwell Air Force Base
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Maxwell Air Force Base, officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command. The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US, occupying the site of the first Wright Flying School, it was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, Alabama, the base is the headquarters of Air University, a major component of Air Education and Training Command, and is the U. S. Air Forces center for Joint Professional Military Education. The host wing for Maxwell-Gunter is the 42d Air Base Wing, the Air Force Reserve Commands 908th Airlift Wing is a tenant unit and the only operational flying unit at Maxwell. The 908 AW and its subordinate 357th Airlift Squadron operates eight C-130H Hercules aircraft for airlift in support of combatant commanders worldwide. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command, Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it became known as Gunter Air Force Station when its runways were closed. It was later renamed Gunter Air Force Base during the 1980s, as a hedge against future Base Realignment and Closure closure actions, Gunter AFB was consolidated under Maxwell AFB in March 1992 to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter AFB. Maxwell AFB is also the site of Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery, toward the end of February 1910, the Wright Brothers decided to open one of the worlds earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, the Wright Flying School closed on May 26,1910. The field served as a depot during World War I. In fact, the built the first plane made in Montgomery. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war, the Aviation Repair Depots land was leased by the U. S. Army during World War I, and later purchased on January 11,1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U. S, War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot. In 1919, the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll in 1919, the loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities, after this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, on November 8,1922, the War Department redesignated the depot as Maxwell Field in honor of Atmore, Alabama native, Second Lieutenant William C. On 12 August 1920, engine trouble forced Lieutenant Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4 in a field in the Philippines
30.
Alabama
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Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 24th-most populous of the U. S. states. At nearly 1,500 miles, Alabama has one of the nations longest navigable inland waterways, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State, the state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city, the oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many states in the southern U. S. suffered economic hardship, like other southern states, Alabama legislators disenfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests. The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, automotive, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, in the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is Albaamo. The word Alabama is believed to have come from the Alabama language, the words spelling varies significantly among historical sources. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, Allibamou. Sources disagree on the words meaning, some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba and amo. The meaning may have been clearers of the thicket or herb gatherers, the state has numerous place names of Native American origin. However, there are no correspondingly similar words in the Alabama language, an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant Here We Rest. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek, experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation. Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization, trade with the northeastern tribes by the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period and continued until European contact. The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 AD, with one of its major centers built at what is now the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama. This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois, Analysis of artifacts from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no links to Mesoamerican culture
31.
Aerospace Defense Command
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Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Forces, responsible for continental air defence. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980 and its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inactivated in 1950, reactivated in 1951, and then redesignated Aerospace rather than Air in 1968. Its mission was to air defense of the Continental United States. It directly controlled all active measures, and was tasked to coordinate all passive means of air defense, the air districts established on 16 January 1941 before the Pearl Harbor attack. The four air districts also handled USAAF combat training with the Army Ground Forces and organization and training of bomber, fighter and other units, the USAAFs Aircraft Warning Corps provided air defense warning with information centers that networked an areas Army Radar Stations which communicated radar tracks by telephone. The AWC information centers also integrated visual reports processed by Ground Observer Corps filter centers, AWC information centers notified air defense command posts of the 4 continental air forces for deploying interceptor aircraft which used command guidance for ground-controlled interception. The USAAF inactivated the aircraft warning network in April 1944, Continental Air Forces was activated on 12 December 1944 with the four Air Forces as components to consolidate the CONUS air defense mission under one command. The Continental Air Forces reorganization began in 1945, when ground radar, the Distant Early Warning Line was first conceived—and rejected—in 1946. By 1948 there were only 5 AC&W stations, including the Twin Lights station in NJ that opened in June and Montauk NY Air Warning Station #3 --cf. SAC radar stations, e. g. at Dallas & Denver Bomb Plots. By the time ADC was inactivated on 1 July 1950, ADC had deployed the Lashup Radar Network with existing radars at 43 sites, in addition,36 Air National Guard fighter units were called to active duty for the mission. ADC was reinstated as a command on 1 January 1951 at Mitchel Air Force Base. The headquarters was moved to Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs on 8 January 1951 and it received 21 former ConAC active-duty fighter squadrons. ADC was also assigned the 25th, 26th 27th and 28th Air Divisions ADC completed the Priority Permanent System network for Aircraft Warning, gaps were filled by additional Federal Aviation Administration radar stations and the Ground Observation Corps. During the mid-1950s, planners devised the idea of extending the wall of powerful land-based radar seaward with Airborne early warning, the RC-121s, EC-121s and Texas Towers, it was believed, would contribute to extending contiguous east-coast radar coverage some 300 to 500 miles seaward. In terms of the air threat of the 1950s, this meant a gain of at least 30 extra minutes warning time of a bomber attack. ADCs Operation Tail Wind on 11–12 July tested its augmentation plan that required Air Training Command interceptors participate in an air defense emergency, a total of seven ATC bases actively participated in the exercise, deploying aircraft and aircrews and supporting the ADC radar net. As the USAF prepared to deploy the Tactical Air Command E-3 Sentry in the later 1970s, all remaining EC-121s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve, which formed the 79th AEWCS at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida in early 1976. Besides monitoring Cuban waters, these last Warning Stars also operated from NAS Keflavik, final EC-121 operations ended in September 1978
32.
Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport
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Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is a public airport six miles east of downtown Amarillo, in Potter and Randall Counties, Texas, United States. The airport was renamed in 2003 after NASA astronaut and Amarillo native Rick Husband, harold English opened English Field in 1929. That year Transcontinental & Western Air began passenger service to Amarillo. In 1931, Amarillo was a stop on coast-to-coast service between Los Angeles and New York City operated by Transcontinental & Western Air with Ford Trimotor aircraft, Transcontinental & Western Air eventually changed its name to Trans World Airlines which in turn continued to serve Amarillo for many years. In later years, Braniff International, Central Airlines and successor Frontier Airlines as well as Continental Airlines began serving Amarillo, the April 1957 Official Airline Guide lists 23 weekday departures, eleven on Braniff, eight on TWA, two on Central and two on Continental. Trans-Texas Airways also then began serving the airport, Trans World Airlines operated flights to Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. In 1960, TWA was operating all of its flights into Amarillo with Lockheed Constellation propliners, in 1966, Braniff was operating Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop service nonstop to Dallas Love Field as well as direct to Denver via Colorado Springs. Trans-Texas Airways began serving the airport during the mid 1960s with Convair 240 prop aircraft flying Amarillo-Lubbock-Abilene-Austin-Houston Hobby Airport service, the first scheduled jet service into Amarillo was flown by Trans World Airlines in 1964. In 1967, TWA was flying nonstop Boeing 727 service from Amarillo to LAX, by 1983, TWA had ceased all flights into the airport thus ending over 50 years of passenger service for Amarillo. By 1968, Braniff International had introduced jet service into the airport with Boeing 727-100, Braniff later operated nonstop Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 flights from the airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Continental would subsequently end its Amarillo service but would return in 1982 when the airline merged with Texas International. Also in 1978, Southwest Airlines began operating nonstop Boeing 737-200 service to Dallas Love Field, aspen Airways also operated jet service into Amarillo in the past with British Aerospace BAe 146-100 aircraft flying both independently and later as United Express with nonstop flights to Denver. In 1952 the airport changed to Amarillo Air Terminal. After the adjacent Amarillo Air Force Base was deactivated in 1968 a portion became part of Amarillo Air Terminal. The primary instrument runway, built for the USAF Strategic Air Command base, during the mid-1970s the airport was used for jet training by West German national airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG. In 1976 the airport changed its name to Amarillo International Airport upon the opening of a U. S. Customs facility, the original English Field terminal building was converted in 1997 to a museum maintained by the Texas Aviation Historical Society. This museum lost its lease with the City of Amarillo and is now located in buildings southeast of the main runway, the name of the original airfield is memorialized in the English Fieldhouse, a local restaurant located adjacent to the general aviation terminal. In 2003 the airport building was rededicated to NASA astronaut Rick Husband, the commander of mission STS-107 of the Space Shuttle Columbia
33.
Beale Air Force Base
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Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8 miles east of Marysville, California. The host unit at Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command, the 9 RW collects intelligence essential for Presidential and Congressional decisions critical to the national defense. The wing also maintains a state of readiness in its combat support. The 940th Air Refueling Wing is a tenant Air Force Reserve Command wing at Beale AFB flying the KC-135 Stratotanker, Camp Beale became a United States Air Force installation on 1 April 1951 and was renamed Beale Air Force Base. Beale AFB is the home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, which serves as the host wing for the base. The installation is located outside of Linda, about 10 miles east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, Beale is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a gate that local merchants, individuals. The base is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel, Beale Air Force Base covers nearly 23,000 acres of rolling hills in northern California. The bases natural resources are as rich as its significant cultural and historical heritage, Native Americans lived on this land, the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. To preserve these and other areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites,45 homestead sites. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is composed of four groups at Beale AFB, 9th Operations Group Consists of multiple squadrons and detachments. 9th Maintenance Group Consists of the 9th Maintenance Operations Squadron, the 9th Maintenance Squadron, the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the group is responsible for a $5.8 million annual budget. The group is also the Air Forces single focal point for providing mass ammunition production training, 9th Mission Support Group Provides trained combat support forces to theater commanders- in-chief worldwide. 9th Medical Group Consists of three squadrons, 9th Medical Operations, 9th Medical Support and 9th Physiological Support Squadrons and they provide for the medical needs of Beale AFB beneficiaries and support Beales high-altitude flyers in the U-2 aircraft. The Beale Clinic is located at 15301 Warren Shingle Road on a hillside near base housing. The clinics primary mission is to support the operational readiness. They provide comprehensive care, physiological and environmental support and promote health education. This outpatient clinic consists of both the 9th Medical Operations and 9th Medical Support Squadrons that provide primary care services with aerospace medicine, no inpatient or emergency services are available and minimal specialty services exist
34.
Charleston Air Force Base
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Charleston Air Force Base is a United States military facility located in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Forces 628th Air Base Wing and it is part of Joint Base Charleston, which combined Charleston Air Force Base with Naval Support Activity Charleston. The 437th Airlift Wing of the Air Mobility Command and the 315th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command operate the C-17A Globemaster III from the base. The installation has also in the past maintained an alert site for rotational Air Combat Command, Charleston Air Force Base is home to the 628th Air Base Wing, the host wing for installation support. Additionally, they also provide expeditionary Airmen to combatant commanders in support of joint, the air base has four operational groups consisting of 21 squadrons and two wing staff directorates. It is augmented by a parallel, collocated Air Force Reserve Command associate wing, the 315th Airlift Wing, which shares the same C-17 aircraft with the 437 AW. In addition, the USAF Auxiliary / Civil Air Patrols Coastal Charleston Composite Squadron is also assigned to Charleston Field, utilizing the Charleston AFB Aero Club facility near the control tower. The history of Charleston Air Force Base began in 1919 when U. S. Army Colonel Herbert A. Dargue, then Chief of the Air Service, visited the area looking for a suitable landing field for aeroplanes. But it was Charles Lindberghs nonstop solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 that heightened city officials interest to air operations in Charleston. In 1928, the City of Charleston rented land and began operating a simple airfield about twelve miles north of city limits, foreseeing a commercial future in air travel, the city formed the Charleston Aircraft Corporation to acquire the land for a municipal airport. In May 1931, the corporation purchased 432 acres for $25,000 from the South Carolina Mining and Manufacturing Company, later in the year, the city acquired the airport facility for $60,000 and immediately began improvements. During the 1930s, airport operations expanded to keep pace with advances in general and commercial aviation being experienced throughout the country, despite the Great Depression, the Federal Government stepped in to assist the city with modernizing the airport. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration literally poured $313,000 into the airport, workers paved one 3, 500-foot-long runway and constructed a second 3, 000-foot one. The project also improved upon the existing lighting system with up-to-date field lighting, given the continuing growth in passenger aviation, Pan American Airways selected Charleston Airport as its western terminus for trans-Atlantic flights. Although this plan never came to fruition, it contributed to a increase in traffic for the airport. As a result, the city purchased 300 more acres of surrounding the airport for $300,000 in 1937 to accommodate additional service buildings. In 1939, with world tensions heightening, the United States Army Air Corps began a buildup of troops, bases. As a result, Charleston acquired more land in 1940 for additional improvements that included construction of a hangar
35.
Dobbins Air Reserve Base
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Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins and it is also home to the Army Aviation Service Facility #2 of the Georgia Army National Guard and their fleet of UH-60 Blackhawks. Dobbins is also home to Marine and Navy Reserve units, Dobbins ARB has two runways which it shares with the General Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center to its south. Runway 11/29 is the runway and is 10,000 feet long and 300 feet wide with directions 110 and 290 magnetic. The second runway, called a strip, is a 3500×60-foot runway referred to as 110-290. This air traffic environment takes place within the area of the busiest airport in the world and is as busy as many medium-sized commercial airports, originally intended by Cobb County, Georgia as an alternative airfield for Atlantas Candler Field, this airfield was constructed in 1941 as Rickenbacker Field. About 450 to 500 of these were built in preparation for any war against the United States - from the east or from the west. In 1940, the CAA offered to build a paved airport in Cobb County if the local governments provided the land. Due to the labor force for defense factories in this area. On October 24, the government of Cobb County announced the existence of this airport project, the Atlanta City Council also passed a resolution endorsing this project on January 2,1941. Since the Army Air Corps had recently taken part of Candler Field, the principal municipal airport for Atlanta. The CAA next allocated $400,000 for construction of two 4, 000-foot -long runways on the land, the W. L. Florence Company of Powder Springs, Georgia, the low bidder with a bid of $290,000, won the contract. This bid, well-below the estimated cost of $400,000, the construction began on 14 July 1941. In the next month, the Gulf Oil Corporation and Georgia Air Services agreed to lease the airport, once completed, in the same month, the U. S. Navy requested permission to use this airport for the flight training of Naval aviators. In October, Georgia Air Services signed a $70,000 contract for two 180x160-ft, although it was far from completion, the dedication of this airfield took place in October 1941 After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, work on this new airfield accelerated rapidly. In January 1942, Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder and president of the Bell Aircraft Company, meanwhile, the Department of the Navy announced its intention to take over the new airfield as an auxiliary naval air station. The Navy shortly began land-condemnation proceedings, the Department of War, in turn, announced that it would not contest the wish of the Department of the Navy to take over Rickenbacker Field, and that it would build its new factory elsewhere. The Cobb County government appealed to the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, since other options were available for flight training
36.
Dover Air Force Base
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Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base located 2 miles southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. It was previously the base to solely operate the massive C-5 Galaxy. The 436 AW has two flying squadrons, and the 512 AW has two Air Force Reserve flying squadrons. It was also a site for identifying the remains of military personnel killed in the 9/11 attacks. Two sections of the 436th Aerial Port Squadron warehouse collapsed on February 18,2003, no one was injured in the collapse that caused more than an estimated $1 million in damages. The damage covered two of the six cargo processing bays in the facility, Dover AFB is also home to the Air Mobility Command Museum. Construction of Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome began in March 1941 and it was converted to a U. S. Army Air Corps airfield just weeks after the December 7,1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. It was renamed Dover Army Airbase on April 8,1943, *Dover Subbase on June 6,1943, with the establishment of the United States Air Force on September 18,1947, the facility was renamed Dover Air Force Base on January 13,1948. * Was a subbase of Camp Springs AAF, Maryland, June 6,1943 – April 15,1944, once the airport came under military control an immediate construction program began to turn the civil airport into a military airfield. Construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed, buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Initially under USAAC, the name of the facility was Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome, on 8 April 1943, the name of the airfield was changed to Dover Army Air Base. The antisubmarine mission ended on 6 June and construction crews moved back to the base for a major upgrading project that lengthened the runway to 7,000 feet. During the construction period and continuing into June 1944, Dover AAB became a sub-base of Camp Springs Army Airfield, full operational capability was restored to Dover in September, and seven P-47 Thunderbolt squadrons arrived for training in preparation for eventual involvement in the European Theater. The 83d Fighter Group was assigned to Dover as the Operational Training Unit, the 83d was redesignated the 125th Base Unit on 10 April 1944 with little change in its mission. It was further redesignated as the 125th Army Air Force base Unit on 15 September 1944, in 1944 the Air Technical Service Command chose Dover as a site to engineer, develop, and conduct classified air-launched rocket tests. The information collected during these experiments resulted in the deployment of air-to-surface rockets in both the European and Pacific combat theaters
37.
Bangor Air National Guard Base
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Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U. S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Army Airfield. It became Dow Air Force Base in 1947, when the new U. S. Air Force took over many Army air assets. In 1968, the base was sold to the city of Bangor, Maine, Godfrey Field opened in 1927 as a commercial airport. Northeast Airlines began commercial operations there in 1931, just before World War II, the United States Army Air Corps took over the base, renamed it Godfrey Army Airfield, and placed it under the 8th Service Group, Air Service Command. Godfrey AAF prepared and maintained the Lend-Lease aircraft that would be flown by AAC Ferrying Command to RCAF Stations in Newfoundland for eventual transport to Britain, during this time, Milford Auxiliary Airfield was opened nearby at the Bangor Precision Bombing Range. On 28 February 1942, Dow Army Airfield was transferred to Air Service Command because of its proximity to the Air Transport Command North Atlantic air ferry route to the United Kingdom, on 5 March 1944, Dow AAF was transferred to Air Transport Commands North Atlantic Wing. In 1944, more than 8,400 aircraft passed though Dow, after the end of the European war in May 1945, many aircraft returned to the United States via Dow. The base was drawn down during the demobilization in late 1945, one of the first USAAF groups assigned to Air Defense Command, the unit was responsible for the air defense of the northeastern United States. In July 1947, the deployed to Muroc AFB, California. First operational production USAF F-84Bs arrived at Dow AFB on 7 November, throughout the winter of 1947–48, the 14th Fighter Wing lost three F-84s at Dow. Investigators found that the aircraft performed better in the cold Maine climate than during testing in the California desert, on 25 August 1948, Dow Air Force Base was assigned to one of ADCs first Air Divisions, the 26th Air Division. That year, Deblois Bombing Range was opened nearby and the old Milford Air Force Auxiliary Airfield became part of an Air Force survival school a few years later, in July 1949, the 14th Fighter Wing sent sixteen F-84Bs to celebrate New York Citys new Idlewild Airport. The group was inactivated on 2 October 1949 due to budget cuts, in the early 1950s, Dow AFB was expanded and rebuilt. A long jet runway was laid parallel to the wartime NW/SE main runway. The older facilities were abandoned and ultimately were torn down, today, they are a wooded area on the southwest side of the airport. Dow AFB was activated on 1 January 1951, the 4009th Air Base Squadron supported the facility and supervise the remaining construction. During the Korean War, the Maine Air National Guard was brought into service at the base
38.
Duluth Air National Guard Base
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Duluth Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base located on the grounds of Duluth International Airport. It is home to the 148th Fighter Wing, the City of Duluth purchased the original property for the airport in 1929 from St. Louis County. The airport was constructed on 640 acres of land with two 2, 650-foot sod runways, subsequently, in 1930, the airfield was dedicated as a public airport. The airport was called the Williamson-Johnson Municipal Airport until 1963 at which time it was renamed Duluth International Airport. After World War II, the U. S. Air Force constructed permanent and semi-permanent facilities on land leased from the City of Duluth for use by the active Air Force and the Air National Guard. Beginning in 1948, the Minnesota Air National Guard built permanent facilities on the east end of the field. Air Defense Command activated the 11th Fighter Interceptor Squadron on 1 December 1952, the 11th flew from Duluth until 1968, flying F-51H Mustangs, F-86D Sabrejets, F-89H/J Scorpions, F-102A Delta Daggers, and lastly F-106A Delta Dart interceptors. In 1968, the squadron was redesignated the 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, in 1966, the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, operated a Semi Automatic Ground Environment radar command and control center from the airport. SAGE was a control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD. In later versions, the system could direct aircraft to an interception by sending commands directly to the aircrafts autopilot. In 1969, the SAGE facility closed and the 23d Air Division replaced it, the 23d AD which was responsible for the air defense of the upper midwest. The USAF phased out its Air Defense facilities in 1982, along with its commercial airport usage, the Minnesota Air National Guards 148th Fighter Wing, an Air Combat Command -gained unit, is located at the airport. The air national guard base occupies 153.3 acres on the northeast corner of the airport, the munitions storage area, which is physically separated from the main base, occupies 16.71 acres north of Runway 09/27. The base has a total of 37 buildings,18 industrial and 19 administrative, normal ANG population is 320 personnel but surges to 1100 at least once each month during unit training assembly drill sessions for the entire wing. The 148th previously flew the F-16A ADF and currently flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon. afhra. af. mil/. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 -1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Winkler, David F. Searching the skies, the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program, prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command. Information for Duluth AFS, MN information for Duluth, MN
39.
Eglin Air Force Base
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Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing, the 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Command and Control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems. Eglin AFB was established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base and it is named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick I. Eglin, who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 pursuit aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Eglin is an Air Force Materiel Command base serving as the focal point for all Air Force armaments. Eglin is responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered non-nuclear weapons, the base plans, directs and conducts test and evaluation of U. S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Severe weather testing of aircraft and other equipment is carried out here at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory, the residential portion of the base is a census-designated place, its population was 8,082 at the 2000 census. Eglin Air Force Base has 2,359 military family housing units, unmarried junior enlisted members generally live in one of Eglin’s seven dormitories located near the dining hall, chapel, base gym, Enlisted Club and bus lines on base. Each individual unit generally handles dormitory assignments, bachelor Officer Quarters are not available. Several units and one dormitory are currently being renovated in 2011, Eglin is also one of the few military air bases in the U. S. to have scheduled passenger airline service as the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport is co-located on the base property. The 96 TW is the test and evaluation wing for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Command and Control systems, the Eglin Gulf Test Range provides approximately 130,000 square miles of over water airspace. The 96 TW reports to the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, the 33d FW Nomads is the largest tenant unit at Eglin. The 33 FW is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II, organized under Air Education and Training Commands 19th Air Force. Reactivated at Eglin on 1 April 1965 with F-4C Phantom IIs, as of 1 October 2009, the 33d FW transitioned to a training wing for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The final F-15s assigned to the 33d departed the base in September 2009, as the first of its kind in the Department of Defense, the joint wing is responsible for F-35 JSF pilot and maintainer training for the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. The first of 59 F-35s arrived from Fort Worth, Texas on 14 July 2011, the F-35A made its first flight on 15 December 2006. The VFA-101 Grim Reapers are authorized operate 15 assigned F-35C aircraft, the F-35C is a carrier-capable low-observable multi-role fighter aircraft, designed to provide unmatched airborne power projection from the sea. The F-35C bears structural modifications from the other variants, necessitated by the increased resiliency required for carrier operations, the wing tests every fighter, bomber, unmanned aerial vehicle, and associated weapon system in the Air Force inventory. The wing reports to the USAF Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and these weapons include air-launched cruise missiles, standoff missiles, and gravity bombs
40.
Edwards Air Force Base
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Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, located approximately 22 miles northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles east of Rosamond. It operates the U. S. Air Force Test Pilot School and is home to NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center, previously known as Muroc Air Force Base, Edwards AFB is named in honor of Captain Glen Edwards. Edwards became a test pilot in 1943 and spent much of his time at Muroc Army Air Field, on Californias high desert and he died in the crash of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing near Muroc AFB on 5 June 1948. The base is next to Rogers Dry Lake, an endorheic salt pan whose hard dry lake surface provides a natural extension to Edwards runways. This large landing area, combined with excellent year-round weather, makes the good for flight testing. The lake is a National Historic Landmark, the base has played a significant role in the development of virtually every aircraft to enter the Air Force inventory since World War II. Almost every United States military aircraft since the 1950s has been at least partially tested at Edwards, the Wing also oversees the base’s day-to-day operations and provides support for military, federal civilian, and contract personnel assigned to Edwards AFB. 412th Operations Group. There are eight flight test squadrons under the 412th Operations Group with as many as 20 aircraft assigned to each, the 412 OS flies an average of 90 aircraft with upwards of 30 different aircraft designs. It also performs more than 7,400 missions on an annual basis and they provide the tools, talent and equipment for the core disciplines of aircraft structures, propulsion, avionics and electronic warfare evaluation of the latest weapon system technologies. The Project and Resource Management Divisions provide the foundation for the program management of test missions. 412th Civil Engineer Division 412th Maintenance Group 412th Medical Group 412th Mission Support Group U. S, the comprehensive curriculum of Test Pilot School is fundamental to the success of flight test and evaluation. There are a vast array of organizations at Edwards that do not fall under the 412th Test Wing and these units do everything from providing an on-base grocery store to testing state-of-the-art rockets. The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron provides Air Combat Command personnel to support combined test, established in 1917, it is one of the oldest units of the United States Air Force. The Desert Pirates are part of the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis AFB, Nevada, the 31st is staffed with a mixture of operations, maintenance and engineering experts who plan and conduct tests, evaluate effectiveness and suitability, and influence system design. The squadrons personnel are integrated into the B-1, B-2, B-52, Global Hawk, MQ-9 and their results and conclusions support Department of Defense acquisition, deployment and employment decisions. AFOTEC Detachment 5 is responsible for conducting the operational test and evaluation of USAF aircraft, certification by Detachment 5 is required in advance prior to new aircraft prior to AFMC full rate production and combat fielding decisions. During 1978 and 1979, an AFFTC test pilot and a pair of flight test engineers were engaged in testing with Lockheeds low-observable technology demonstrator. The successful conduct of tests led immediately to the development of the F-117A Nighthawk
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Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base
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The host wing for the installation is the Texas Air National Guards 147th Reconnaissance Wing. Opened in 1917, Ellington Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I. It is named for 1st Lt. Eric Ellington, a U. S. Army aviator who was killed in a crash in San Diego. The United States Air Forces 147th Reconnaissance Wing is an Air National Guard unit operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command, the 147 RW provides a 24/7 capability with MQ-1B Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems. A collocated Air Support Operations Squadron provides terminal control for weapons employment in a Close Air Support scenario, integrating combat air, new construction designated under the Grow the Army project was completed in 2010. The project consisted of ten buildings for the Army National Guard and reserve units, “This will be a tremendous cost benefit to the Army Reserve as travel and logistical costs will be streamlined, ” noted Major General Eldon Regua, 75th division commander. The $80 million construction project includes a 40, 000-square-foot Battle Command Training Center, a second Armed Forces Reserve Center with an assembly hall and offices, a Welcome Center, which will handle retention, recruitment and military identification services. In 1917, the U. S. government purchased 1,280 acres of land from Dr. R. W. Knox, the location, near Genoa Township in southeast Houston, was selected because the weather conditions were ideal for flight training. Soldiers from nearby Camp Logan briefly assisted with the construction of the airfield when civilian workers went on strike. Soon after construction began on the airfield, the base was named after Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington, the base, which consisted of a few hangars and some wooden headquarters buildings, was completed in a matter of months. In December, the first planes from Ellington Field flew over Houston for a benefit for the American Red Cross, a flight of ten JN-4s took off from grass runways and followed the interurban tracks stretching north from Genoa to Houston. Throngs of men, women, and children watched in amazement as the JN-4s flew overhead, the roar of the aircraft was almost drowned out by the wail of sirens and factory whistles as the planes passed over. As the planes circled the city, they dropped paper flyers for the American Red Cross, next, the formation flew to Camp Logan and then turned south toward Galveston Island. The entire flight took about an hour, during World War I, Ellington served as an advanced flight training base. As of 1918, Ellington had its own gunnery and bombing range on a peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico near San Leon. Within the year, however, this changed for the worse. By August 1918, Ellington Field recorded the most pilot fatalities of the 18 U. S. Army Air Service training bases in the United States, before the end of the war, approximately 5,000 men and 250 aircraft were assigned to the base. Ellington was considered surplus to requirements after World War I and the base was inactivated as an active duty airfield in January 1920, in May 1923, the War Department had ordered the small caretaker force at Ellington Field to dismantle all remaining structures and to sell them as surplus
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Ellsworth Air Force Base
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Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Commands Eighth Air Force. The 28 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strategic bomber wings in the United States Air Force, the other being the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas. Since 2015 the 28th Bomb Wing is commanded by Colonel Gentry Boswell, a controversial expansion of a bomber training area encompassing the Northern Plains known as the Powder River Training Complex began in 2008. Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S. D, the mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver combat power for global military response. It is divided into the 28th Operations Group, the 28th Maintenance Group, the 28th Mission Support Group, Ellsworths population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees. The bases sister city, Rapid City, has a population of just more than 62,500, there are about 3,800 military retirees in Western South Dakota. 28th Operations Group Provides combat-ready B-1 aircraft and crews to support Joint Chiefs of Staff taskings, including conventional theater operations and power projection. The 28th Operations Group has three squadrons under its command to assist in accomplishing its mission—the 28th Operations Support Squadron, the 34th Bomb Squadron, additionally, the group directs the implementation of plans supporting pre-planned and contingency mobility taskings in support of national objectives. 28th Mission Support Group Provides mission essential “city” services at home, additionally, the group supports the base community through fire protection, disaster preparedness, family support. Recreational opportunities are provided in the form of clubs, fitness facilities. 28th Medical Group Tenant Units Air Force Financial Services Center Area Defense Counsel Detachment 226 AFOSI Detachment 8,372 TRS Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base. It is named in honor of Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth, during World War II Ellsworth flew 400 missions in the China Burma India Theater. At the time of his death he commanded the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, on 2 January 1942, the U. S. War Department established Rapid City Army Air Base as a location for B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber units. The airfield had three runways, 7050x300, 7000x300, 7872x300. Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, the 88th Bombardment Group was reassigned to the new base in October 1942 to be the bases Operational Training Unit. The fields instructors taught thousands of pilots, navigators, radio operators and gunners from nine heavy bombardment groups, all training focused on the Allied drive to overthrow the Axis powers in Europe
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England Air Force Base
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England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located 5 miles Northwest of Alexandria and about 170 miles Northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Air Force Base in honor of Lt Col John Brooke England, the base was closed in 1992. The airfield and buildings are now Alexandria International Airport, the base was opened on 21 October 1942 and during the Second World War performed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircrew training. It was placed on inactive status on September 23,1946, although a cadre of Army. On 10 October 1950, the United States Air Force reopened Alexandria Air Force Base during the Korean War, the stations primary mission was tactical fighter operations for Tactical Air Command. ANG personnel trained at Alexandria AFB 1950/51, being replaced by active duty Air Force personnel in 1951/52, 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing,1 January 1953 –1 April 1959 Active duty Air Force wing activated at Alexandria AFB. Three operational squadrons being equipped with North American F-51D Mustang. Wing became first TAC unit to perform six-month TDY rotations with NATO at Aviano AB, Italy, with continuing to support NATO in France. Redesignated 366th Tactical Fighter Wing 1 July 1958, inactivated 1 April 1959 as part of a general budgetary reduction of USAF wings. Aircraft transferred to Air National Guard, 420th Air Refueling Squadron,18 March 1954 –4 October 1955. 1st Air Commando/Special Operations Wing 15 January 1966 –15 July 1969 317th, 319th, redesignated 1st SOW8 July 1968. Redesignated as Group,15 September 1970, inactivated July 1973 due to US withdrawal from South Vietnam. Upon group inactivation, 6th SOTS reassigned to 1st SOW at Hurlburt Field but remained at England AFB until inactivation, on 15 September 1970, the 4403d Tactical Fighter Wing, a temporary Major Air Command-Controlled unit, activated at England. With its subordinate 416th and 431st Tactical Fighter Squadrons, it absorbed returning North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft of 31st TFW from Tuy Hoa Air Base South Vietnam and it transferred aircraft and other assets to the Air National Guard. Acted as holding unit for arriving LTV A-7D Corsair II aircraft starting April 1972, the 4403d TFW and the 416th TFS both inactivated on 1 July 1972. On 1 July 1972, the 23d Tactical Fighter Wing reactivated at the base, without personnel or equipment, three A-7D tactical fighter squadrons formed. The wing re-equipped with Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in 1981, redesignated 23d Fighter Wing 1 October 1991. Alexandria AFB was base for Air Defense Command interceptor and radar units along the Gulf Coast, in 1959, the 332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, assigned to the 32d Air Division stationed F-102 Delta Dagger interceptors at the base between 1959-1960
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Ent Air Force Base
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The Ent Air Force Base was an Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 to build the base, was commanded by Major General Uzal Girard Ent for whom the base is named. The base was opened in 1951, from 1957 to 1963, the base was the site of North American Aerospace Defense Command, which moved to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. The base became the Ent Annex to the Cheyenne Mountain facility in 1975, the facility was closed in 1976. The Ent Air Force Base site later became the location of the United States Olympic Training Center, the first Air Defense Command was established on 26 February 1940 by the War Department. On 2 March 1940, it was put under the First Army Commander and it managed air defense within four geographic air districts. It was deactivated in mid-1944 when the threat of air attack seemed minimal, by the time of the United States Air Force creation in 1947, as a separate service, it was widely acknowledged the Air Force would be the center point of this defensive effort. The Air Force established the Continental Air Command under both the Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Command on 1 December 1948, at which time Commanding General Gordon P. Saville took command, the Air Defense Command was deactivated as a major command on 1 July 1950. The Air Defense Command was reconstituted by the United States Air Force 1 January 1951 to protect the United States air space, the portion of the country east of the 103rd meridian was managed by the Eastern Air Defense Force. The command for the Western Air Defense Force was at Ent Air Force Base, the functions included an early warning system to identify and respond to impending air attacks, including fighter interception. Subordinate Air Force commands were given responsibility to protect the regions of the United States. The Colorado Springs Tent Camp was the headquarters for the Second Air Force beginning early June 1943 and it was moved from Fort George Wright in the state of Washington to the more central location within the western half of the United States—the Second Air Force territory. The tent city was used for soldiers who worked on the conversion of the National Methodist Sanatorium for military use, beginning in 1943, the Second Air Force was commanded by Major General Uzal Girard Ent who became the Commanding General after having been the Chief of Staff. Ent retired due to disability in the line of duty, due to injuries he sustained in a B-25 crash in October 1944 during takeoff, Major General Robert B. Williams became the commanding officer of the Second Air Force in October 1944, he retired 1 July 1946. The facility became inactive when the 15th Air Force headquarters was assigned to March Air Force Base in November 1949. There were discussions about the city taking over the now unused property, on 1 January 1951, the Air Defense Command was reestablished at Mitchel Air Force Base, under the command of Commanding General Ennis Whitehead, later Lieutenant General. One week later the command was moved to Colorado Springs, the Ent Air Force Base, named for Major General Uzal Girard Ent, opened on 8 January 1951. The Air Defense Command inherited 21 fighter squadrons from Continental Air Command and 37 Air National Guard fighter squadrons assigned an M-Day air defense mission and it was also assigned four Air Divisions
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This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
