United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
facility located in
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, southeast of
Downtown San Antonio
Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, and the urban core of Greater San Antonio, a metropolitan area with nearly 2.5 million people.
Downtown San Antonio is encircled by Texas State Highway Loop 1604, 16 ...
.
In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority as part of a project between local, state, and federal government. The Brooks Development Authority is now the owner and operator of the property, and is redeveloping it as a science, business, and technology center; the U.S. Air Force was the largest tenant at Brooks City-Base before the departure of its operations in 2011.
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research and development detachment of the United States Air Force Air Force Materiel Command, Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of direct- ...
History
On February 16, 1918, Kelly Field No. 5 became a separate post and named Brooks Field by the
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the aerial warfare service of the United States from 1914 to 1918, and a direct statutory ancestor of the United States Air Force. It absorbed and replaced the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps, Aer ...
to honor San Antonio aviator Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr. The first commander of Brooks Field was Lt. Col. H. Conger Pratt, who until the preceding October had been a cavalryman.
From its founding until 1919, Brooks Field was used to train cadets in the Curtiss JN-4 aircraft, which was used for balloon and
airship
An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...
training. The program was cancelled in 1922 when the U.S. Army re-evaluated the usefulness of balloons and airships.
After the cancellation of the airship training, the 11th School Group was formed at Brooks Field as the Primary Flying School for the Air Service and Army Air Corps. The Primary Flying School continued operation until 1931 when it moved to
Randolph Field
Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Bexar County, Texas, ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio).
Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the United ...
in San Antonio. After the Primary Flying School's departure, Brooks Field became the new home for the Aerial Observation Center.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Brooks Field housed the School for Combat Observers and the Advanced Flying School (Observation). The program remained in operation until 1943 when it was disbanded. Training in the school then switched to twin-engine aircraft, subsequently training pilots to fly the B-25 bomber.
After the war, Brooks Field became the home to several tactical and reserve units, and in 1948, Brooks Field formally became Brooks Air Force Base.
Since the early 1950s, Brooks AFB has been the home for the Aerospace Medical Center, which would include the School of Aerospace Medicine (SAM). In 1957, SAM scientists moved into the newly completed center at Brooks AFB. SAM aided the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...
(NASA) with
Project Mercury
Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
and served as a back-up site for lunar samples brought back to Earth on the
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
missions between 1969 and 1972. The air evacuation program at Brooks AFB proved vital to the care of wounded personnel in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
President John F. Kennedy dedicated the School of Aerospace Medicine on November 21, 1963, the day before he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. This was Kennedy's last official act as president.
After the Vietnam War, the base's mission narrowed to one centered on specific research related to U.S. Air Force fliers and personnel. In 1991, the Air Force was selected to house the Armstrong Laboratory, which included the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, the Air Force Drug Testing Laboratory, the Harry G. Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, the Air Force Occupational and Environmental Health Laboratory, and the laboratory functions of SAM.
BRAC
Following the 1995 BRAC, when Brooks AFB was removed from the
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
list, city, state, military, and community planners began several years of hard work to develop a plan to privatize approved the gradual transition in ownership of Brooks AFB from the Air Force to the Brooks Development Authority. This transition came into full effect on July 22, 2002, when the Brooks Development Authority assumed control of the newly named Brooks City-Base.
In 2005, Brooks City-Base was once again placed on the BRAC list. Air Force operations ceased on 15 September 2011. The Brooks Development Authority has demonstrated economic development success with projects including a retail development, approximately of research and distribution facilities for DPT Laboratories, the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (an infectious disease research institute coordinated with the
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,Museum of Aerospace Medicine. This museum is to display the early history of Brooks Field and to preserve and display an extensive collection of photographs and equipment related to aviation and aerospace medicine.
Previous names
* Gosport Field, prior to December 5, 1917
* Signal Corps Aviation School, Kelly Field #5, December 5, 1917
Major commands
USAAC/USAAF
* Department of Military Aeronautics, 1918-unk (later, Director of Air Service)
* Air Corps Training Cen, September 1, 1926 (also Eighth Corps Area SA 1921–1940)
* Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Cen, December 11, 1940 – May 1, 1942
* Gulf Coast AAF Training Cen, May 1, 1942 – July 1, 1943
* AAF Central Flying Training Comd, July 31, 1943 – December 1, 1945
* Continental Air Forces, December 1, 1945 – March 21, 1946
United States Air Force
*
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
, March 21, 1946 – March 23, 1946
*
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...
, March 23, 1946 – January 15, 1947
*
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...
Air Training Command
The Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated ...
, October 1, 1959 – November 1, 1961
*
Air Force Systems Command
The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems.
AFS ...
, November 1, 1961 – July 1, 1992
*
Air Force Materiel Command
The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force System ...
, July 1, 1992 – September 1, 2011
Base operating units
USAAS/USAAC/USAAF
* 67th Aero Squadron (Service), April 6, 1918 – June 27, 1918
* Squadron "B" Brooks Fld, June 27, 1918 – November 14, 1918
* Flying School Det, Brooks Fld, November 14, 1918 – May 1919
* Air Corps Balloon and Airship School, Brooks Fld, c. May 1919 – June 1922
* 11th School Group (Primary Flying School), c. June 1922 – July 1931
:46th and 47th School Squadrons, 62nd Service Squadron
* 62d Service Sq, c. July 1931 – August 1936
* 8th Air Base Sq, c. September 1936 – c. June 1939
* Unknown, July–August 1939
* 63d Air Base Gp, Sp, September 1, 1940 – November 1, 1941
* 53d Air Base Sq, November 1, 1941 – June 27, 1942
* 53d Base HQ and Air Base Sq, June 27, 1942 – May 1, 1944
* 2510th AAF Base Unit, May 1, 1944 – November 30, 1945
* 306th AAF Base Unit, November 30, 1945 – September 26, 1947
United States Air Force
* 306th AF Base Unit, September 26, 1947 – August 28, 1948
* 2595th Base Service Sq, August 28, 1948 – February 1, 1949
* 2595th Air Base Gp, February 1, 1949 – January 1, 1954
* 2577th Air Force Reserve Flying Training Cen, January 1, 1954 – September 15, 1954
* 2577th Air Reserve Flying Training Cen, September 15, 1954 – April 8, 1958
* 2577th Air Base Gp, April 8, 1958 – October 1, 1959
* 3790th Air Base Gp, October 1, 1959 – July 1, 1961
* Human Systems Center July 1, 1992 – October 1, 1998
* 6570th Air Base Gp, October 1, 1961 – July 1, 1992
* 648th Air Base Gp, July 1, 1992 – May 1, 1994
* 311th Human Systems Wing
Government and infrastructure
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
List of United States Army airfields
The United States Army maintains various aircraft and support facilities, including airfields, even after the creation of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch, service branch in 1947.
Active United States and territories
...
* Mueller, Robert (1989). Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
* Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
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