10/03/2024
I thought this was very interesting history..
Lubbock Citizens and area politicians began the quest for an Army Air Force base in 1932.
Reese Air Force Base (IATA: REE, FAA Location identifier: 8XS8) was a base of the United States Air Force located 6 mi west of Lubbock, Texas, about 225 mi WNW of Fort Worth. The base's primary mission throughout its existence was pilot training.
Construction of the Air Corps Advanced Flying School began in August 1941 on land located about 10 miles (15 km) west of the city of Lubbock. Designed for training large numbers of flying cadets, Lubbock Field consisted of three 6,500' asphalt runways arranged in a triangular (N/S, NE/SW, E/W) pattern. It also controlled several auxiliary landing fields:
The school name changed to the Lubbock Army Flying School before the first class of aviation cadets reported. Construction continued for over two years of base facilities, being finally completed in mid-1944.
World War II
The Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School opened in early 1942, with flying commencing from the new airfield on 8 February 1942. The official dedication of the base took place on 21 June 1942. The first group of Aviation Cadets (class 42-0) reported on 25 February 1942 and graduated as single-engine pilots on 29 April 1942. During World War II, the school used AT-7, AT-9, AT-l0, AT-17, and T -6 aircraft to train 7,008 pilots. Most of the graduates went on to fly multi-engined bombers, fighters, and other aircraft in every theater of the war. Late in 1943 a vast expansion in instrument pilot training resulted in an increased need for instructors in that area. The existing instructors school at Bryan AAF Texas, was not able to take on the additional load, so on 4 February 1944, Lubbock Field, formally became the site of a second AAF Instructors School (Instrument Pilot), although the first class of instructors had already begun training on 10 January. This was made possible by the simultaneous termination of the advanced two-engine program at Lubbock. In late November, the two schools transferred to Barksdale Field, Louisiana.
With the end of World War II in September 1945, most of the temporary training bases such as Lubbock were put on inactive status and eventually closed. The War Department closed Lubbock Army Air Field on 31 December 1945, however it was retained in a standby status, with jurisdiction of the field being assigned to Goodfellow Field, Texas. It remained under Goodfellow until May 1947 when it was transferred to Randolph Field, Texas, and subsequently placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers on 1 July 1949.
During the post-war years, the base was used as a meeting place for National Guard, Air Reserve, and Naval Reserve units. Barracks were converted to low rent apartment units for the use of veterans and their families while they attended $3.[1] Most of the veterans were attending nearby Texas Technological College and could not find housing elsewhere. Vegetable gardens sprang up on drill fields where men had marched, and children skated or rode bicycles on the empty runways
World events preceding the Korean War caused the reactivation of the base. Among these changes, the Air Training Command Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, became a part of Strategic Air Command, which meant the 3500th Pilot Training Wing stationed at Barksdale had to find a new home. Lubbock was the site chosen. Among the many promises made by the Lubbock community to have the local base reopened was an agreement to deed the land to the United States government. Reactivation of the base became a reality on 1 August 1949. A month later, on 1 September, the 3500th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Multi-Engine) moved from Barksdale to Lubbock. The reactivated base was named Reese Air Force Base in honor of 1st Lt Augustus Frank Reese Jr. (1917–1943), of Shallowater, Texas on 5 November 1949. Lieutenant Reese, assigned to the 1st Fighter Group, was killed on 14 May 1943 near Cagliari, Sardinia, when his Lockheed P-38 Lightning struck the ground after a strafing run on a train.
Modern era and closure
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission indicated the base for closure in 1995, as a casualty of the fifth round of base closure in the post-Cold War period.
The last class (97-04) graduated from Reese on 24 January 1997. During this last phase of operation, Reese had about 200 aircraft which were used in the Joint Specified Undergraduate Pilot Training Program. During its operational lifetime, the flying training school at Reese Air Force Base had trained a total of 25,349 pilots.
Reese AFB closed on 1 October 1997. AETC inactivated its host unit, the 64th Flying Training Wing on 30 September 1997. Reese’s flying training mission was divided among the remaining three undergraduate pilot training bases.
Currently, the city of Lubbock has designated it as a research and business park named Reese Technology Center. There is an office of the police academy there, and South Plains College uses some of the facilities for classes. The Reese Technology Center is also located on the site of the former base. In addition, the runways are used by model airplane pilots. It recently hosted "Jetfest", an event centered around model jet airplanes. The base is also unique in that it has a football field and track on its premises.
