Goodfellow Air Force Base is a nonflying
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
base located in
San Angelo, Texas, United States. As part of
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trainin ...
, Goodfellow's main mission is
cryptologic and
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as the ...
training for the Air Force,
Space Force,
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Coast Guard,
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
, and
Marine Corps. Military firefighters are also trained here as part of the 312th Training Squadron. It is the home of the
17th Training Wing
The 17th Training Wing (17 TRW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. The wing is also the host unit at Goodfellow. It was a ...
. The base is named for
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
John J. Goodfellow Jr.
History
Goodfellow's history traces to the days before the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawa ...
, but its name registered the valor and sacrifice of an earlier conflict. On 14 September 1918, First Lieutenant John J. Goodfellow Jr., of San Angelo, Texas, boarded his
Salmson 2A2
observation plane at
Gondreville Airfield in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
to conduct visual reconnaissance behind enemy lines. The mission was part of a larger undertaking just underway, a major American offensive intended to reduce the
German salient near
Saint-Mihiel. Unfortunately, adverse weather permitted observation only at a low altitude that exposed the lumbering Salmson to enemy pursuit. Three days later, the
offensive a success, the young pilot's remains were recovered from his ruined craft and interred at the
St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial
The St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial is located at the west edge of Thiaucourt ( Meurthe-et-Moselle), France. The cemetery contains the graves of 4,153 American military dead from World War I. The majority of these died in the Battle ...
near
Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle.
World War II
The peace that arrived two months later endured a mere two decades more. Constrained by neutrality legislation, but witness to the aggression across Europe, Africa, and Asia,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began a program of preparedness that included the construction of facilities dedicated to advanced air training. Several such bases were envisioned for
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and one, specifically, for the
Fort Worth-
Midland
Midland may refer to:
Places Australia
* Midland, Western Australia
Canada
* Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick
* Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Midland, Ontario
India
* Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...
-San Angelo triangle. Civic leaders from San Angelo immediately commended their community to the
U.S. War Department. A generous offer of sewage and electrical service, a railroad spur, and a 50-year lease on at one dollar per year easily decided the issue.
Construction of the new San Angelo Air Corps Basic Flying School began at once. Officially established on 17 August 1940, the base was ready for occupancy by 21 January 1941, and the first classes of students soon arrived. On 11 June 1941, in dedication to a young hero and in tribute to the community that shaped him, the base was officially renamed Goodfellow Field.
In the next four years, more than 10,000 trained pilots were graduated, and many were decorated for outstanding heroism in action against
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and
Japan.
United States Air Force
The
Axis collapse did not remove the need for the Goodfellow training. Pilots continued to be trained there, primarily for large, multiengine
piston and
turboprop aircraft, first on the
AT-6 Texan, the
T-28 Trojan, and then, beginning in 1954, on the twin-engine TB-25 and
B-25 Mitchell. The 3545th Basic Pilot Training Wing gave pilot instruction from 1948. On 3 September 1958, with nearly 20,000 aviators to its credit, Goodfellow graduated its last class of pilots.
Air Training Command (ATC) was transitioning to new
Cessna T-37 Tweet and
Northrop T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces.
The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the mo ...
aircraft for
Undergraduate Pilot Training that required minimum 8000-ft (2400-m)
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
lengths, far longer than Goodfellow's 5500-ft primary runways.
With the transfer of the base from ATC to the
U.S. Air Force Security Service (USAFSS), Goodfellow's mission became the training of Air Force personnel in the advanced cryptologic skills that the Security Service required. After the changeover, the 6940th Air Base Wing administered the base and later, after a name change, provided decryption training. Eight years later, in 1966, the mission expanded further to include joint-service training in these same skills for U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps personnel.
Although flight operations at Goodfellow decreased dramatically after 1958, minimal activities continued with both transient aircraft and locally based
Cessna U-3 Administrators (1958–1971),
DeHavilland U-6 Beavers (1960–1966),
Piasecki H-21, CH-21, and HH-21 Workhorse helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...
s (1958–1966), and
Cessna O-2 Skymasters (1972–1975). Goodfellow's runways were permanently closed in March 1975.
After 38 years of pilot and then intelligence training, Goodfellow's mission had apparently come to a close with the announcement in 1978 that the base would revert to ATC and was a candidate for closure. Since it was a single-mission facility, its mission could perhaps be executed more economically elsewhere. Nevertheless, the 3480th Technical Training Wing of Air Training Command was activated at the base on 1 July 1978. On 3 January 1984 the wing gained the suffix USAF Cryptological Training Center.
By then, senior intelligence personnel had already begun seriously to contemplate the consolidation of all Air Force-managed intelligence training at one location. The site selected for intelligence training consolidation was Goodfellow, and the base was designated a technical training center on 1 March 1985. The Goodfellow Technical Training Center continued to supervise the 3480th Technical Training Wing.
During the next three years, intelligence training consolidation brought to Goodfellow advanced imagery training from
Offutt Air Force Base,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
;
electronic intelligence operations training from
Keesler Air Force Base,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
; and targeting, intelligence applications, and general intelligence training from
Lowry Air Force Base,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, as a result of Lowry's identification for closure under
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the en ...
(BRAC). The successful completion of intelligence training consolidation on 30 June 1988 further facilitated the development of intelligence training integration, a multidisciplinary approach to the training of intelligence professionals.
In 1992, as part of Air Force size reductions, ATC was inactivated, replaced by the
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trainin ...
, which became base's "parent" major command. The 3480 Technical Training Wing was reduced to the 3480 Technical Training Group on 1 February 1992 and then redesignated as the 391 Technical Training Group on 15 September 1992.
On 1 July 1993, the 17th Training Wing was activated on Goodfellow AFB. With the change in name came a marked diversification and increase in Goodfellow's mission.
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the en ...
rounds one and two transferred special instruments training from the former Lowry AFB and fire protection training from the former
Chanute Air Force Base,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
, to Goodfellow. To support the increased training load, Goodfellow underwent extensive modernization and growth. With new training facilities, dormitories, dining halls, a
commissary, a youth center, and a physical fitness center.
On February 18, 1995 Louis Jones Jr., kidnapped
Private Tracie McBride from Goodfellow AFB before raping and murdering her.
[Court upholds death penalty in Jones' murder conviction]
" '' Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''. Wednesday, June 23, 1999. Retrieved on July 17, 2016.
Based units
These flying and notable nonflying units are based at Goodfellow Air Force Base.
Units marked GSU are geographically separate units, which although based at Goodfellow, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
Air Education and Training Command (AETC)
*
Second Air Force
**
17th Training Wing
The 17th Training Wing (17 TRW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. The wing is also the host unit at Goodfellow. It was a ...
(host wing)
*** 17th Comptroller Squadron
***
17th Training Group
17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number.
Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers.
In mathematics
17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...
**** 17th Training Support Squadron
**** 312th Training Squadron
**** 313th Training Squadron
**** 315th Training Squadron
**** 316th Training Squadron
*** 17th Medical Group
**** 17th Medical Operations Squadron
**** 17th Medical Support Squadron
*** 17th Mission Support Group
**** 17th Civil Engineer Squadron
**** 17th Communications Squadron
**** 17th Contracting Squadron
**** 17th Logistics Readiness Squadron
**** 17th Security Forces Squadron
**** 17th Force Support Squadron
United States Army
Training and Doctrine Command
*
111th Military Intelligence Brigade
**
344th Military Intelligence Battalion (GSU)
*** Alpha Company
*** Bravo Company
*** Charlie Company
*
U.S. Army Engineer School
** 1st Engineer Brigade
***
169th Engineer Battalion
**** Fire-fighter Detachment (GSU)
United States Marine Corps
* Marine Corps Detachment
United States Navy
Naval Education and Training Command
*
Center for Information Warfare Training (GSU)
Facilities
These are some of the facilities at Goodfellow AFB:
* Dining facilities
: Western Winds
: Cressman
* Recreation facilities
: Gymnasiums (2)
: Swimming pools (2)
: Bowling alley
: Movie theater
: Base library
* Several dormitories
Goodfellow AFB Library* Crossroads Chapel fellowship center
* Army, Navy, and Marine Corps tenant units
* Angelo Inn billeting
* Louis F. Garland Fire Academy
* Lakeside Recreation Center at
Lake Nasworthy
* Ross Medical Clinic
Miscellaneous
In April 1951,
Madonna's parents met for the first time when they attended the wedding of her maternal uncle, Sgt. Dale Fortin, at the airbase chapel.
Madonna by Andrew Morton
/ref>
See also
* List of United States Air Force installations
* Texas World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established numerous airfields in Texas for training pilots and aircrews. The amount of available land and the temperate climate made Texas a prime location for year-round military training. By ...
References
*
* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
*
External links
*
Go Goodfellow
– Base force support squadron
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Installations of the United States Air Force in Texas
Buildings and structures in San Angelo, Texas
Initial United States Air Force installations
USAF Air Training Command Installations
Military airbases established in 1940
1940 establishments in Texas