McChord Field
McChord Air Force Base | |||||||||
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Near AMSL | |||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
McChord Field (still referred to as McChord AFB by some as of 2023) is a
The McChord AFB facility was consolidated with the
62d Airlift Wing
The 62nd Airlift Wing (62 AW) is the host unit at McChord AFB. It is assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force and is composed of more than 7,200 active duty military and civilian personnel. It is tasked with supporting worldwide combat and humanitarian airlift contingencies. Aircraft of the 62d fly around the globe, conducting airdrop training; it also carries out the Antarctic resupply missions.[4]
Components
The
Other wing components are the 62d Maintenance Group, 62d Operations Group, 62d Comptroller Squadron, and 62d Medical Squadron.
Tenant units
Other major units stationed at McChord Field are:
- 446th Airlift Wing (Air Force Reserve Command)
- Western Air Defense Sector
- 22nd Special Tactics Squadron
- 262d Cyberspace Operations Squadron
- 361st Recruiting Squadron
- 373d Training Squadron
McChord Air Museum
The McChord Air Museum, operated by the McChord Air Museum Foundation, exhibits 17 aircraft as well as artifacts related to the history of the airbase.[5]
History
Origins
In 1917, the citizens of
On 28 February 1938 the airfield was officially transferred to the federal government. Three years after the transfer, on 3 July 1940, the airfield was renamed McChord Field,[7][8] in honor of Colonel William Caldwell McChord,[9] who had been killed in an accident near Richmond, Virginia on 18 August 1937. Col. McChord, (1881–1937), rated as a junior military aviator in 1918, died while trying to force-land his Northrop A-17 near Maidens, Virginia. At the time of his death, he was Chief of the Training and Operations Division in HQ Army Air Corps. Tacoma Field was renamed McChord Field, 17 December 1937.[10] Over the subsequent two decades McChord Field grew to roughly 3,000 acres (12 km2), encompassing the northern tip of the 70,000 acres (280 km2) Ft. Lewis. It became independent of Ft. Lewis in 1947 following the creation of the Air Force under provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 and was subsequently named McChord AFB.[6]
World War II
In 1940, McChord Field became the headquarters of the
Following the Japanese attack on
With the departure of the 17th Bomb Group, the mission of McChord Field became supporting the
Nearly all new heavy bomb groups organized after Pearl Harbor were organized and trained at Second Air Force Bases, by II Bomber Command operational training units (OTU) then were deployed to combat commands around the world. McChord trained numerous bombardment squadrons during the war, receiving graduates of AAF Training Command's flight and technical schools and forming them into operational squadrons which were then sent on to second and third phase training prior to being deployed to the overseas combat air forces.[6]
Starting in mid-1943 the training of B-17 and B-24 replacement crews began to be phased out, as the Second Air Force began ramping up training of
McChord also had large maintenance facilities for Air Technical Service Command during the war, serving as a
Following the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, McChord redeployed thousands of troops arriving from the European theater to the Pacific as part of Air Transport Command in anticipation of invading the Japanese home islands scheduled for November 1. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 forced the surrender of Japan, cancelling the planned operation altogether.[6]
Cold War
In 1945 McChord was designated as a permanent station by the Army Air Forces. It was assigned to
Air Defense Command
- see also: 25th Air Division
On 1 August 1946, McChord was assigned to the new
The
Other interceptor squadrons stationed at McChord were:
- 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
- 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
- 318th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
- 465th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
- 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
The base was the location of the first of twenty-eight stations built by ADC as part of the permanent air defense radar network, and was the top-priority site for ADC radars.
In 1958, a
The ADC radar site (P-1) was deactivated 1 April 1960 and repositioned to
SeADS was inactivated on 1 April 1966 and the SAGE headquarters combat center came under the 25th Air Division. The Command Center (CC-3) was active until 30 June 1966 when it was inactivated as part of an ADC reorganization. The Data Center (DC-12), with its
Today, the successor organization to the 25th AD, the
Military Airlift Command
In 1947
On 6 October 1949, the 62nd received its first four-engine Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport. By Thanksgiving of that same year, the Wing was equipped entirely with C-54s, and its designation was changed from 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Medium), to (Heavy). On 1 June 1950, the Wing was inactivated due to budget reductions. However, as a result of the Korean War, on 17 September 1951, the Wing was once again activated at McChord AFB. Shortly thereafter, the Group and its three flying squadrons, the 4th, 7th, and 8th, again assigned to the Wing, returned to McChord. Not two years had passed, however, before the Wing was once again on the move. Now flying the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.[6]
During 1952 and 1953, the 62nd airlifted troops, blood plasma, aircraft parts, ammunition, medical supplies, and much more, to the Far East, in support of the war in Korea. In April 1954, the 62nd transported a replacement French garrison to Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina. Operation Bali Hai saw the Globemasters fly around the world in a period of 8 to 10 days. By 1955 the Cold War was well under way, and the
The 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Heavy) was reassigned to the Military Air Transport Service Continental Division on 1 July 1957 as TAC realigned its transport units. Meanwhile, the Air Force reorganized the structure of its wings, and the 62nd Troop Carrier Group, was inactivated 8 January 1960 when squadrons were assigned directly to the wing as part of the Air Force tri-deputate reorganization.[6]
During the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958, and subsequently through 1962 the 62d TCW supported scientific stations in the Arctic Ocean by airlanding and airdropping supplies on the drifting ice. It helped transport United Nations troops and supplies to the Congo in 1960. In 1963 the wing assumed responsibility for worldwide airlift of nuclear weapons and associated equipment, continuing this mission through early 1971.[6]
In 1968, McChord AFB was relieved of its assignment to the subsequently renamed Aerospace Defense Command and was reassigned to Military Airlift Command (MAC) as one of three MAC bases in the western United States operating the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. ADC, and later Tactical Air Command (TAC) continued to maintain a fighter alert detachment at McChord with Convair F-106 Delta Dart and later McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle aircraft.[6]
On 18 September 1969 a United States Air Force twin engine Douglas C-47 Skytrain crashed just after takeoff from McChord. It came down in the wooded area just south of the runway. Five men died and seven other men were injured.[13]
In 1975, TAC divested itself of its Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical airlift fleet, transferring all tactical airlift wings, groups and squadrons to MAC. For the 62 AW, this resulted in a significant increase in the wing's total mission capabilities beyond strictly strategic airlift with the arrival of the 36th Tactical Airlift Squadron (36 TAS) and their C-130E aircraft and personnel from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.[6]
In 1980, following the eruption of Mount St. Helens, a 36 TAS C-130 crew provided communications support during the search for survivors. One week after St. Helen's first eruption, a second one occurred. All of the base's flyable aircraft were evacuated following reports that ash was drifting northwest toward McChord. In 1988 McChord became involved in combating devastating Yellowstone National Park forest fires, carrying troops from Fort Lewis to the fire areas.[6]
In 1991, Clark Air Base in the Philippines was evacuated due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. By 16 June, the evacuation order was issued and the first plane load of evacuees arrived at McChord on the 18th. In 1992, with the disestablishment of Military Airlift Command, McChord became an Air Mobility Command base. In November of that same year, two McChord C-141 Starlifters, participating in an air refueling training mission over north central Montana, collided in mid-air, killing all 13 crewmen.[6]
From the 1990s
As the
McChord has been the host base for the Air Mobility Rodeo in 1998, 2005, 2007 and 2009.
On 1 February 2010 it again joined with
Like most US military installations, McChord is closed to the general public, other than during their annual Open House.
The McChord Field Historic District was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on 12 December 2008.[6]
Major commands to which assigned
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Major units assigned
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, it has a total area of 15.0 km2 (5.8 sq mi).
It is located adjacent to
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | 4,538 | — | |
2000 | 4,096 | −9.7% | |
2007 (est.) | 4,351 |
As of the census
There were 1,004 households, out of which 77.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.9% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.5% were non-families. 2.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.46 and the average family size was 3.49.
On the base the population was spread out, with 36.3% under the age of 18, 22.2% from 18 to 24, 39.5% from 25 to 44, 1.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.1 males.
The median income for a household was $35,319, and the median income for a family was $35,205. Males had a median income of $23,004 versus $22,216 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,454. About 5.5% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.
See also
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord
- Washington World War II Army Airfields
- United States general surveillance radar stations
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Airport Diagram – McChord AFB / Field (KTCM)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ http://www.yelmonline.com/articles/2010/01/29/first_report/doc4b621f185558c546289521.prt [dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "62nd Airlift Wing". Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "McChord Air Museum". 30 September 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "OUR HISTORY - MAINPAGE". McCHORD AIR MUSEUM HOMEPAGE. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "M'Chord airport dedicated today". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 3 July 1940. p. 2.
- ^ "Huge crowd sees 2000-acre $18,000,000 air field dedicated". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press photo. 4 July 1940. p. 2.
- ^ William Caldwell McChord
- ^ ISBN 0-912799-53-6, page 391.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
- ^ "Accident description". 19 September 1969. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ "Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base merge to create Joint Base Lewis". Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ 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
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 January 2008.