| Randolph Air Force Base
| |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC) | |
| near San Antonio, Texas | |
 Airphoto of Randolph AFB
| |
| Type | Air Force base |
| Built | 1928-1930 |
| In use | 1930-present |
| Controlled by | U. S. Air Force |
| Garrison | Air Education and Training Command 12th Flying Training Wing |
Randolph Air Force Base (Randolph AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force located in Universal City, Texas, near San Antonio. An Air Force Base ( AFB) is a Military base of any of a number of Air forces including the United States Air Force (USAF and the South African Universal City is a city in Bexar and Guadalupe Counties in the U Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Randolph AFB was dedicated in June 20, 1930, as a flying training base and continues in that mission today. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It serves as headquarters of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and is known as "the Showplace of the Air Force" because of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture in which all structures including hangars were constructed. Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) was established July 1 1993 with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural movement that came about in the early 20th century starting in Florida as a regional expression related The symbol of the base is a large water tower atop Building 100, housing the 12th Flying Training Wing (12 FTW) headquarters, known throughout the Air Force as "the Taj Mahal" or simply "The Taj". An AETC unit, the 12 FTW is the host wing for Randolph.
Randolph AFB operates parallel runways on either side of its main installation facilities and conducts 24-hour-a-day flight training operations.
Tenant units of Randolph AFB also include the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC), Air Force Manpower Agency, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Field Investigations Region 4 and the Air Force Recruiting Service. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI is a Field Operating Agency (FOA of the United States Air Force that provides professional investigative services
Contents |
History
The idea for Randolph began soon after passage in the United States Congress of the Air Corps Act of 1926, which changed the name of the Army Air Service to the Army Air Corps, created two new brigadier general positions and provided a five-year expansion program for the under-strength Air Corps. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC was the predecessor of the U Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. One of the new general officer positions was given to Frank P. Lahm, who was placed in charge of all flying training. Frank Purdy Lahm ( November 17, 1877 &ndash July 7, 1963) was an American aviator in the United States Army.
General Lahm established the Air Corps Training Center and set up its headquarters at Duncan Field, next to Kelly Field, Texas. Kelly Field Annex (Formerly Kelly Air Force Base is a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. He soon learned that the facilities at Kelly and Brooks Fields were not sufficient for proper training. Brooks City-Base is a former United States Air Force base located 7 miles southeast of San Antonio, Texas. The buildings, erected during World War I with a life expectancy of five years, had no suitable areas for ground training, and the living quarters were inadequate. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All San Antonio's rapid growth was also beginning to interfere with flying training operations. The Air Corps soon decided that an additional training field was needed, and a site north of San Antonio was chosen for the new field.
In 1926 and 1927, 1st Lt Harold Clark designed Randolph while assigned as dispatch officer in the Kelly Field motor pool, although the War Department received the land in 1928. The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch Having trained as an architect prior to entering the military, Lieutenant Clark sketched his ideas of a perfect "Air City" on the back of old dispatch sheets. After learning a new field was to be built, Lieutenant Clark took his drawings to General Lahm, who was so impressed with the designs he appointed him to be the architect in charge of the Randolph Field project. It was, at the time, the largest construction project undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since the Panama Canal. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the
Once the site for the field was selected, a committee decided to name the base after Captain William Millican Randolph, a native of Austin and graduate of Texas A&M, who was killed on February 17, 1928, in the crash of an AT-4 on takeoff from Gorman Field, Texas. Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a Coeducational public Research University located in College Station Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ironically, Captain Randolph was serving on the committee to select a name for the new field at the time of his death. Captain Randolph is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Fort Sam Houston is a US Army post in San Antonio Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam" it is named for the first President of the Republic of
Randolph Field was dedicated June 20, 1930, with an estimated 15,000 people in attendance and a fly-by of 233 planes, possibly the largest assembly of military aircraft in the world. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Early in 1931, the School of Aviation Medicine from Brooks Field and the first cadets from the Air Corps Flying School at Duncan Field, then a part of Kelly AFB, began relocating to Randolph. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. By the autumn of 1931, Randolph was ready for business. On October 1, the Air Corps Training Center moved its headquarters from Duncan Field to Randolph. The flying school at Brooks Field transferred to Randolph on October 20, while the school at March Field transferred on October 25. The School of Aviation Medicine also transferred from Brooks Field during 1931. Because of its architectural beauty and its centralized flight training functions, Randolph received the unofficial nickname "West Point of the Air. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, "
Basic flying training continued until March 1943, when the central instructors school took over. For the next two years, training instructors for the Air Corps' ground training and primary, basic and advanced flying training was the main mission. Randolph produced 15,396 instructor graduates from this course before it moved to Waco Field in 1945. Waco (ˈweɪkoʊ is a city in and the County seat of McLennan County, Texas. When the central instructors school moved to Waco Field it was replaced by the Army Air Force pilot school, which specialized in transition training for B-29 bomber pilots, copilots and engineers. Primary pilot training returned to Randolph from Goodfellow Field in December 1945. Goodfellow Air Force Base is a non-flying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas.
Like many military installations during World War II, Randolph fielded an intercollegiate football team, nicknamed the Ramblers. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1943, under Coach Frank Tritico, the team achieved a 9-1-0 record, and was tapped to play in the January 1, 1944 Cotton Bowl, where they battled the University of Texas at Austin to a 7-7 tie. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Cotton Bowl Classic is a United States College football Bowl game played annually since 1937 at the self-named stadium in Dallas Texas [1] In the 1944 season, with such players as former All-American and National Football League Rookie of the Year Bill Dudley, as well as eight other former NFL players[2], the team went undefeated and untied in 11 games, and was voted #3 in the nation by the Associated Press poll. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley (born December 24, 1921 in Bluefield, Virginia) is a former professional American football The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio
The Army Air Force also planned to return basic pilot training to Randolph on February 1, 1946. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Even though basic training transferred from Goodfellow Field in February 1946, the Army Air Force suspended all pilot training when it found itself desperately short of maintenance personnel. After the Air Force became a separate service (September 18, 1947) Randolph Field was officially renamed Randolph Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
When the suspension was lifted in March 1948 and Randolph resumed its pilot training mission, the Air Force reshaped pilot training into two separate four-month phases. Primary pilot training moved on in December 1950. Basic pilot training changed over to nine new contract schools in July 1951.
Randolph became the Air Force's Instructor Pilot (IP) training base and had that as its primary mission until requirements for new pilots during the Vietnam War revived its basic training function. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
From 1967-1971 1,269 pilots earned their wings at Randolph. Also, Randolph produced pilots in two unique classes. During World War II, Class 42-X gave 235 pilots their wings in an experimental course. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Class 62-FZ produced 25 pilots who completed their training in the new T-38A, then undergoing test and evaluation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
Before the current 12th Flying Training Wing, the 3510th Flying Training Wing was the host unit at Randolph. The 3510 FTW started out as the 3510th Basic Pilot Training Wing on August 28, 1948. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This unit became the 3510th Combat Crew Training Wing on January 1, 1952 and then the 3510 FTW on June 11, 1952. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 12th Flying Training Wing (12 FTW) replaced the 3510 FTW on May 1, 1972. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Today, the 12 FTW provides instructor pilot training and refresher/recurrency training in the T-6A Texan II, T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The wing also operates the T-1A and the T-43A in support of Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training (SUNT), a mission it assumed following the BRAC closure of Mather AFB, California and inactivation of the 323d Flying Training Wing. For the civil use of this facility after 1993 see Sacramento Mather Airport Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB was an United States Air Force SUNT trains prospective USAF Navigators/Combat Systems Officers destined for the B-52 Stratofortress, E-3 Sentry, E-8 Joint STARS, RC-135, non-PACER CRAG KC-135 Stratotanker, and various models of the C-130 Hercules (i. Combat Systems Officer is the new term for US Air Force navigators who attend Combat Systems Officer training at either Randolph AFB, TX or Naval Air Station WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout e. , C-130, AC-130, EC-130, HC-130, MC-130, etc. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Lockheed AC-130 Gunship is a heavily-armed ground attack airplane The Lockheed EC-130 Commando Solo is a modified C-130 Hercules used to conduct psychological operations (PSYOP and civil affairs broadcast missions The HC-130 is an extended-range Combat Search and rescue version of the C-130 Hercules transport WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ), as well as prospective Naval Flight Officers enroute to fly land-based U. A Naval Flight Officer (NFO in the United States Navy and Marine Corps is an officer of the line meaning they can screen for command in the Naval aviation S. Navy P-3C Orion, EP-3 Aries and E-6 Mercury aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Lockheed EP-3E ARIES II is the signals reconnaissance version of the P-3C Orion, operated by the United States Navy. The Boeing E-6 Mercury is an American military Aircraft. It operates as an airborne command post and communications center relaying instructions The 12 FTW also provides training to numerous NATO/Allied officer students via SUNT, as well as supporting Marine Corps and Coast Guard enlisted navigator training via the Marine Aerial Navigation School (MANS). Marines (from the English adjective marine, meaning of the sea, from Latin language mare, meaning sea via French adjective A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea Advanced Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) training is also conducted by the 12 FTW for those navigators/CSOs destined for eventual assignment as USAF EWOs.
Historic District
Randolph Field Historic District, located at the center of Randolph Air Force Base, is a National Historic Landmark. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the The district consists of 397 buildings and other features, most of which were built between 1929 and 1932, in an area of approximately 405 acres (1. 6 km²).
Recent events
Randolph has completed major renovations on the Base Commissary as well as completely re-paving Harmon Drive, the main entrance to the base leading to "The Taj". Plans include the building of a brand new Base Exchange which is managed by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (or AAFES) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense.
See Also
External links
- Randolph AFB Home Page - official site. In today's United States Air Force, nearly every Airman and Officer has spent some of their military service being trained in Texas. Air Training Command (ATC is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force.
- View Historic photos of Randolph Field from the 1930s hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- GlobalSecurity.org: Randolph AFB
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- National Historic Landmark Nomination form
- Official press release of NHL designation
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