Eielson Air Force Base History
The base's beginnings
More than 50 years ago surveyors first staked out the land that would someday be Eielson Air Force Base. It was 1943; Japanese had invaded the Aleutian Islands, the Russians were asking for American aircraft to help their military defend the homeland and the Allies had yet to get the upper hand in Europe or the Pacific.
But as one looks back at the origins of the base, it becomes apparent Mother Nature - more than Uncle Sam - prompted the opening of Eielson and its expansion to the premier Air Force installation in the Interior of Alaska.
The war years
During the years prior to World War II, the Interior had already welcomed an Army Air Forces installation. Ladd Field, now Fort Wainwright, was created in 1939 primarily as a site for cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment. Only Interior Alaska offered the consistently cold temperatures needed.
The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, forced the temporary halt on testing at Ladd since the military needed all aircraft for the defense of Alaska.
Testing resumed less than a year later. Along with testing aircraft, the military also tested clothing, equipment and other materials.
But by 1943 testing had become a second priority. Ladd had found itself a busy hub for fighters and bombers destined for the "Forgotten 1,000 Mile War" in the Aleutians or en route to Soviet forces as part of the Lend-Lease Program.
Ladd was the turn-over point for large numbers of aircraft and pilots who made the arduous trip from Montana through the Northwest Territories into the Interior.
In August and September 1942, the first Soviet pilots and civilians of the Soviet Purchasing Commission arrived in Fairbanks and were housed at Ladd Field. There they checked out in aircraft ranging from P-39 Air Cobras to B-25 Mitchell bombers.
The first lend-lease flight took place Sept. 3, 1942, and these flights continued through August 1945. In all nearly 8,000 aircraft passed through Alaska, were turned over to the Russians and ferried over the "air bridge."
The aircraft were completely stripped of everything except basic instrumentation and armament. With no navigational aids, flights would take off from Ladd Field and fly the first leg to Galena on the Yukon River.
After refueling the pilots would fly to Nome. From there it was only a short hop across to Russia.
Still dozens of planes were lost because of bad weather. And the weather proved to be a danger to the ferrying of aircraft into Fairbanks, according to Randy Acord, a pilot with Cold Weather Test at Ladd.
"We had problems in the winter of 1942. It was a very cold winter," Acord said. "Ice fog became a problem for airplanes landing at the field.
"The airplanes, which were coming in from Great Falls, Mont., for the war effort and Lend-Lease were sometimes unable to make it to Ladd. And many of the aircraft didn't have enough fuel to make it back to Big Delta to use Allen Field as an alternate.
"Therefore, the military decided to build an auxiliary field somewhere close but south of Ladd Field so it could be used as a weather-alternate."
Military planners chose the site where Eielson sits today for a few reasons. The government had withdrawn the acreage in 1939 for use for a flood control project and channel, Acord said, so the government already owned the land. Also, the terrain around the proposed site was free of approach hazards for the arriving aircraft. The nearest hills, low ones at that, were approximately six miles from base.
Part of the acreage was eventually set aside for flood control, and the remainder was transferred to the War Department in 1943.
"In the early summer of 1943, surveyors started to lay out the air base which was to be the weather auxiliary," Acord said.
The Army completed construction of the original base in October 1944. The base consisted of approximately 600 acres with housing for 108 officers and 330 enlisted.
It eventually featured a 10-bed dispensary, two parallel runways 6,625 feet long by 150 feet wide and Birchwood Hangar, long a fixture on base.
Mile 26
The base was dubbed "Satellite" or "Mile 26" by some workers and "26-Mile Strip" by the brass. One story had it the base was named 26-Mile Strip because of its proximity to one of the 13 Army telegraph stations that linked Fairbanks with Valdez as part of the Army's WAMCAT, or Washington-Alaska Military Communications and Telegraph, system. However, according to Acord, the reason for the naming was even simpler. Once built, the gate to the base was constructed at the south end of the runway, so people traveling from Fairbanks would have to go to the south end.
"That drive measured out to be exactly 26 miles, so the base was then known as 26-Mile Strip," Acord said.
However it received the name, it stuck even though the north end of the base was only about 23 miles from Fairbanks.
According to Acord, the new base was used for many purposes by Cold Weather Test out of Ladd. And whenever a flight of lend-lease aircraft landed at 26-Mile Strip, the Russians were never allowed to go down and pick up any of them.
American pilots based at Ladd Field were transported down to 26-Mile Strip. Crews would warm the aircraft, if needed, and the pilots, one of whom was Acord, would ferry the planes to Ladd where they were transferred to the Russians.
"26-Mile Strip was a great asset to the war effort as far as safety was concerned," Acord said.
However, at war's end, the number of military personnel in Alaska dropped, many of the small airfields used on the lend-lease route were shut down, and 26-Mile Strip was put into caretaker status - mothballs. No decision was made regarding its use.
The Cold War
In 1946, with the onset of the Cold War looming, there came a time for a large bomber base in the Interior, said Acord, who by that time had left the military and settled down in the local area as a civilian pilot.
The military chose a site for the new base 29 miles south of Nenana.
"The area was surveyed, the runway was laid out at 14,500 feet long, the railroad siding was constructed, two temporary warehouses were built and two wells were drilled," Acord said.
"But around that time, we had a series of about 30 earthquakes; one of them turned out to be quite severe. And it showed a fault ran across approximately the center of the runway.
"The engineers became very concerned about this, because if they were to build a big bomber base, and the runway got damaged, it would be very expensive to repair."
The military still needed a long runway to accommodate the planned deployment of Strategic Air Command intercontinental bombers. Ladd was ruled out because its main runway had already been extended from its original 5,000 feet to 9,200 feet and now was bounded by river banks thanks to a bend in the Chena.
"The runway couldn't be expanded unless it crossed over the river, only toward the
Fairbanks side, which would create more noise in town," Acord said.
In two ways Mother Nature had again forced military planners to look toward the site of 26-Mile Strip.
"All the funds left from the aborted construction near Nenana were transferred to 26-Mile Strip, and the expansion began. The existing west runway was expanded to the same length of the runway south of Nenana - 14,500 feet long," Acord said.
That was not the last of the site south of Nenana, though. A year later the military began awarding contracts for constructing defense early warning radar and communication installations throughout the state. Since the 16,000 acres had already been withdrawn, Acord said, the military decided to go ahead with the construction of Clear Air Force Station, which remains today.
But 26-Mile had now become a full-fledged Air Force installation.
The Air Force is created
On Sept. 18, 1947, the Air Force gained its independence from the Army as a separate branch with President Truman's signing of the National Security Act of 1947.
The newly created Air Force now had two bases near Fairbanks. Ladd Field was home to fighter-interceptors providing air defense in the Interior, and in November the first Strategic Air Command bombers arrived at 26-Mile with the deployment of the 97th Bomber Group from Smokey Hill Air Force Base, Kan.
Shortly afterward, on Feb. 4, 1948, the Air Force changed the name of 26-Mile Post to
Eielson Air Force Base in honor of famed Arctic aviation pioneer Carl Ben Eielson.
Eielson had been a famous "bush pilot" in the Interior during the 1920s. In 1928, he and Australian explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins made the first flight over the polar ice cap from the North Slope to Spitzbergen, Greenland, a 2,200-mile route. The flight earned Eielson the Distinguished Flying Cross and the 1928 Harmon Trophy for the greatest American aviation feat of the year.
However, one year later during a flight in a furious blizzard in the winter of 1929 to rescue stranded passengers and $1 million in furs aboard a freighter caught in the ice off the Siberian coast, Eielson and his mechanic, Earl Boland, were killed. Searchers discovered their bodies and the wreckage 79 days later on a small island off the Siberian coast.
The transfer of Ladd Field
The 97th Bomber Group departed Eielson in March 1948, but other Strategic Air Command units followed. Eielson played host to B-29s, B-36s and finally B-47s. In fact, the largest hangar on Eielson today, now used for the Air Force's Cope Thunder exercises, was originally built to house two B-36 "Peacekeeper" bombers, the largest bomber ever in Air Force inventory.
During these years, the Air Force had mixed emotions about having two air bases - Ladd and Eielson - so close together, Acord said. After the Korean War, the Air Force began to look at ways to cut costs.
The Air Force decided to transfer Ladd to the Army and move its operations to Eielson.
On. Jan. 1, 1961, Ladd Field was returned to the Army and became Fort Wainwright.
The future
The Air Force has seen many changes at Eielson, and many missions and aircraft have come and gone. Since its early days, Eielson has also been home to weather reconnaissance aircraft, tactical units from Alaskan Air Command, aerial tankers and, most recently, F-16s, A-10s and OA-10s as part of the 354th Fighter Wing, flying close air support and forward air control missions for nearby ground units.
Strategically, Eielson's location allows units based here to respond to hot spots in Europe faster than units at bases on the East Coast. The same is true for Korea and the Far East. Eielson units can respond quicker than many of the units based in California.
Eielson also has an important mission thanks to its close working relationship with the Army in Alaska - specifically, the 6th Infantry Division (Light) at Forts Wainwright, Greely and Richardson.
A 1940 census reported that 1,000 military people lived in Alaska that year. Today, Eielson alone has almost three times that number of military people.
The military in Alaska has roughly 24,000 active-duty people in the state, helping to explain why its $1.5 billion in spending annually ranks second only to the oil industry.
And with Alaska's strategic location, recognized in the 1920s and 1930s by Air Force pioneers like Generals Henry "Hap" Arnold and Billy Mitchell - the vision of Eielson's future certainly outshines its humble beginnings, and may someday outshine its historic past.
"Alaska is the most central place in the world for aircraft, and that is true of Europe, Asia or North America. I believe in the future, he who holds Alaska will hold the world, and I think it is the most strategic place in the world."
- Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell appearing before House Committee on Military Affairs in early 1935, which was holding hearings regarding the strategic needs of the fledgling U.S. Army Air Corps and the establishment of new bases for frontier defense.
Significant people and events
June 11, 1944 - An L-5 was the first aircraft to land at Mile 26.
August 1947 - Although his main objective was a look at Ladd Field, Army Air Forces Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold toured Mile 26 in anticipation of the arrival of operational units.
March 6, 1949 - The 375th Reconnaissance Squadron was the first operational squadron assigned to Eielson Air Force Base.
Feb. 21, 1951 - The 58th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium, Weather) replaced the 375th. The unit earned the nickname "Pole Vaulters" for their frequent trips over the North Pole. The unit flew WB-29 and WB-50 aircraft until its inactivation in 1958.
Sept. 7, 1951 - One officer and two airmen died in a C-47 crash about five miles southeast of the base. It was the first fatal accident involving an aircraft assigned to Eielson.
Jan. 11, 1952 - Captain Ernie Walker, for whom the Eielson theater was named in 1953, died in a C-47 crash 40 miles southeast of Fort Yukon Village. The wreck was not found until July. Evidence indicated at least two of the crewmembers survived the crash, but perished in the bitter cold.
Jan. 25, 1952 - What was believed the largest single-dorm facility in the Air Force opened. Dubbed the 750-man barracks, the building would later be known as Ptarmigan Hall and in 1970, Amber Hall.
July 1952 - Second Lieutenant Jean Mills was Eielson's first WAF.
Dec. 12, 1952 - Eielson officials approved plans to rename Boundary and First avenues as Broadway and Flightline avenues, respectively. Many other streets assumed the names we know them by today, including Kodiak, Arctic, Wabash and Central.
May 29, 1954 - Former 8th Air Force commander and World War II hero Gen. Jimmy Doolittle visited Eielson.
Aug. 30, 1954 - Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott dedicated the Baker Field House. Home to a well-equipped gymnasium and a variety of other offices, the $2.37 million facility was named after Capt. Charles F. Baker, a WB-29 pilot for the 58th Reconnaissance Squadron killed in a crash the year before.
January 1955 - During Operation Snowbird, 1st Lt. William Caffrey lost the canopy from his F-86 and his helmet at 32,000 feet. Still 100 miles from base, the 720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron pilot descended until he blacked out from lack of oxygen. After recovering consciousness, the radio-less flyer regained control of the aircraft; only to realize he didn't know where he was. He eventually found himself near Eielson, and landed the plane uneventfully. He suffered frostbite on his ears and hands.
Nov. 29, 1955 - A stricken F-84 slammed into Eielson family housing, killing 15. Seven of the victims were children, including the first triplets known to be born in the Fairbanks area.
December 1955 - January 1956 - An F-100 and B-52 arrived for cold weather testing. In September 1956, an RB-47 arrived for a 190-day cold weather test. Eielson would host a number of tests over the coming years, most recently the C-17 in 1994.
Aug. 31, 1956 - A 58th Reconnaissance Squadron WB-50, recently dubbed the "Golden Heart" in honor of the City of Fairbanks, crashed into the Susitna River near Willow. All 11 aboard died.
April 17, 1956 - While practicing touch-and-go landings, the front landing gear of a KB-29P buckled, sending the temporary duty aircraft careening across the Eielson runway into a snowbank. Towing operations damaged the aircraft even more, and base officials decided to condemn the aircraft and strip it of usable parts. Several years later, the story goes, the KB-29 was hauled to a gravel pit off Transmitter Road, where a lake formed around the dilapidated aircraft. It subsequently became known as "Lady of the Lake."
It's a good tale, but alas, not the origin of the Lady of the Lake. The "Lady," it turns out, is just a worn out B-29 formerly belonging to Eielson's 58th WRS. It broke down in September 1954 and was declared a permanent loss due to wear and tear Nov. 15. It is likely that because of the impending phase-out of the B-29 in favor of the B-50, base officials decided not to repair the aircraft. Air Force records show it dropped from the inventory due to a ground accident in May 1955, although no available evidence suggests it was fixed after November or that it was ever in any accidents. When it was towed to its present location is unknown.
June 29, 1956 - Gen. Curtis LeMay toured Eielson.
Dec. 2, 1956 - The Bob Hope Christmas show performed at the base. Joining Hope were Mickey Mantle, Ginger Rogers, Mitzi Gaynor, Jane Powell and Les Brown, among others. Hope performed at Eielson three times in the 1950s.
July 20, 1957 - Sixty years after his birth, Air Force officials, community and state dignitaries, and members of Carl Ben Eielson's family gathered at the base to dedicate a memorial to the Arctic pilot. Originally located just outside the main gate, its present location is the corner of Broadway and Central.
Sept. 9, 1958 - While flying as a relief navigator aboard an SC-47, Maj. Charlie Pennell of Eielson's 11th Aviation Depot Squadron died in a crash at Elmendorf. Pennell Elementary School would later be named after him.
Sept. 11, 1958 - Screen star Mary Martin entertained Eielson personnel. Three months later, the Harlem Globetrotters performed.
Feb. 1, 1959 - Capt. Perry Amidon, suspecting an out-of-control aircraft, ejected from his B-58 Hustler at 24,000 feet. The aircraft's pilot thought otherwise, however, and landed the plane at Eielson a few minutes later. Amidon, helicoptered back to the base about an hour later, was unhurt.
Sept. 18, 1959 - The base dedicated Taylor Junior High School in honor of A2C Shelby C. Taylor, who died trying to free a co-worker from a power line at Quarry and Ski Lodge roads. His work-mate was also killed.
Feb. 27, 1963 - Air policeman A2C Roy L. Hursey was killed at his post when a KC-135 from Castle Air Force Base, Calif., exploded directly over the entry control gate. Officials speculated that had the plane blown up fifty feet on either side of the building, it would not have been seriously damaged. The entry control building would later be named after Hursey.
Sept. 30, 1965 - An Eielson helicopter crew rescued two Baptist ministers after their light plane crashed between Nome and Moses Point. Throughout the 1960s, Eielson crews averaged numerous rescues each year.
1967 - The Eielson fire department beat out 174 other Air Force bases to win the Grand Award. Conferred by the National Fire Protection Association, it was the highest award attainable by a fire department.
Nov. 17, 1967 - The quick response of the 5010th Support Group to the Chena River Flood (Aug. 12 - 21, 1967) and the subsequent help provided to Fairbanks and other communities led to the unit's third Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
June 5, 1969 - A Rivet Amber KC-135 assigned to Eielson crashed in the Bering Sea minutes after leaving Shemya Air Force Base. Nineteen crewmembers died. Amber Hall, the headquarters building at Eielson, was named for the crew a year later.
Aug. 23, 1969 - Air Force officials, community and state dignitaries, and family members gathered to dedicate the re-built monument to Ben Eielson. The original monument was destroyed by the 1963 explosion, which killed A2C Hursey. Among the guests at the ceremony was Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, who provided the keynote speech.
July 8, 1971 - When Lt. Col. James O. Swanson became commander of the reincarnated 25th Tactical Air Support Squadron, he had a borrowed desk, a telephone, and a promise for nine aircraft and accompanying personnel. It took two months to get the first O-2A "Mosquito," and the unit's complement of 14 officers and eight noncommissioned officers would not be complete until June 1972.
Aug. 16, 1974 - The comptroller released a study noting a 20 to 30 percent increase in housing costs in the Fairbanks area since pipeline construction began in May 1973. The report anticipated a continuing rise through 1977, when the pipeline was scheduled to be complete.
Sept. 4, 1974 - Eielson and Elmendorf began receiving mail like bases in the continental United States when Alaska lost its military post offices.
1975 - The Eielson Air Force Base dining hall facility earned the Hennessy Trophy, an annual Air Force award recognizing excellence in food service operations. Eielson earned the award in the "multiple operation" category.
Dec. 7, 1975 - All crewmembers died when a KC-135 assigned to Plattsburgh Air Force Base, N.Y., crashed after takeoff from Eielson.
Nov. 29, 1975 - President Gerald R. Ford stopped at Eielson during a tour of Interior Alaska.
February 1977 - Cold weather testing of the A-10 took place through the end of the month. As part of the test, the aircraft participated in the "Jack Frost" exercise, which Eielson played host to.
July 8, 1977 - Eielson firefighting, medical and support personnel quickly responded to explosions and fire at Alaska pipeline Pump Station No. 8 to help local emergency response crews.
Oct. 1, 1981 - The 343rd Composite Wing replaced the 5010th Combat Support Group as Eielson's host-unit. The activation of the 343rd ended more than 30 years of the 5010th.
Feb. 27, 1985 - An RC-135 belonging to Eielson's 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing crashed near Valdez, killing all three aboard. Exactly one month later, a 25th Tactical Air Support Squadron pilot died while flying an Air Warrior mission in California.
Oct. 25, 1986 - The 168th Air Refueling Squadron of the Alaskan Air National Guard activated at Eielson. Later elevated to group status, and in 1995 to a wing, the 168th flies KC-135 aircraft. As the only Arctic-based tanker group in PACAF, the 168th transfers more fuel than any other Air National Guard refueling unit. It often participates in Cope Thunder exercises. In 1994, the 168th boasted over 700 full and part-time guardsmen.
Sept. 20, 1989 - Two people died when an Alaskan Air National Guard KC-135E caught fire on the Eielson flightline. Five others escaped with minor injuries.
June 17-28, 1991 - Pacific Air Force's premier flying training exercise, Cope Thunder, came to Eielson. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippine Islands prompted the move; the subsequent closing of Clark Air Force Base, Cope Thunder's host since 1976, brought the exercise to Alaska permanently. Through 1995, Eielson served as the main operating base for 16 Thunder exercises.
Sept. 1, 1992 - The 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing ended a quarter of a century tenure at Eielson. The 6th would later be activated as an Air Base Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 19, 1993 - Capt. Glen S. Porter of the 18th Fighter Squadron and Maj. (Dr.) Robert D. Verdone, a base flight surgeon, were killed when the F-16D Porter was piloting crashed 20 miles east of Eielson while participating in a training mission. Exactly three months to day after this crash, Capt. Luis F. Jordan, also of the 18th Fighter Squadron, died when his F-16C crashed about 60 miles east of Eielson.
Aug. 20, 1993 - The 354th Fighter Wing became host unit when the 343rd Wing inactivated.
Jan. 1, 1994 - Detachment 1 of the 210th Rescue Squadron activated at Eielson. Det. 1 flew the HH-60G helicopter. Throughout most of its history, Eielson hosted helicopters dedicated to search and rescue.
March 20-26, 1994 - Eielson Air Force Base hosted Arctic SAREX 94, a joint search-and-rescue exercise featuring American, Canadian and Russian personnel. The first exercise of its kind in the United States, Arctic SAREX tested the interoperability of the participants' search and rescue units, as well as established military-to-military contacts among the three countries.
July 15, 1994 - Colonel Ronald E. Keys was promoted to Brigadier General, becoming the first of his rank to command Eielson Air Force Base.
February 1995 - Eielson took possession of the first twelve of a planned 366 "801 housing" military family housing units, including the general-officer quarters.
Aircraft operating at Eielson Air Force Base
65th Fighter Squadron (1946-47; Det. 1950-1)
P-51 (1946-47); F-80 (1950-1); T-33 (1950-51)
375th Recon Squadron (1949-51)
B/RB/WB-29 (1949-51); C-47 (1949-51)
58th Weather Recon Squadron (1951-58)
WB-29 (1951-56); WB-50 (1955-58)
5010th Combat Support Group (1949-81)
L-20 (by 1952-60); T-33 (by 1957-81); VC/SC/C-47 (by 1952-59, 1962-69); C-123 (1965-66, 1969-71); CH/SH/HH-21 (1960-69)
40th Air Refueling Squadron (1959-61)
KC-97 (1959-61)
720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1954-55)
F-86 (1954-55); T-33 (1954-55)
455th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1955)
F-86 (1955)
Det 3, 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (1960-69)
F-102 (1960-69); F-106 (1965-69)
Det DC, 43 TFS, 21st Composite Wing, (1970-1982)
F-4 (1970-1982)
Det 1, 55th Weather Recon Squadron (1960-68)
WB-47 (1960-68)
4157th Strategic Wing (1962-67)
KC-135 (1962-67); RC-135 (1962-67)
6th Strategic Recon Wing (1967-92)
KC-135 (1967-92); RC-135 (1967-92)
Det 1, 5040th Helicopter Squadron (1969-76); Det 1, 71st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (1976-80)
HH-21 (1969-70); HH-3 (1970-80)
25th Tactical Air Support Squadron (1971-89)
O-2A (1971-86); OV-10 (1986-89)
11th Tactical Air Support Squadron (1991-93)
OA-10 (1991-93)
18th Fighter Squadron
A-10 (1981-91); F-16 (1991-Present)
355th Fighter Squadron
OA-10 (1993-Present); A-10 (1994-Present)
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