History

A Short History of Little Rock Air Force Base
Over the years, the men and women of the Jacksonville community have developed and cultivated a high level of pride in their local base. This stems from both the base's unique origins, and the important missions and aircraft that have been assigned to Little Rock AFB over the years. From the beginning, the base has played a major role in accomplishing the Air Force mission while carving out a rich heritage along the way.

A community project
In late 1951, after learning of the Air Force's desire for a new base in the central United States, local leaders wrote to the Secretary of the Air Force urging consideration of the Little Rock area. The Air Force was warm to the idea, but Congress would not allocate funds to purchase property with so many surplus bases from World War II. In an ambitious move, the local leaders convinced Pentagon officials that funds would be raised locally, and the land purchased and donated to the Air Force. In January 1952, the Air Force accepted and local officials went to work.

By the end of September 1952, the Pulaski County Citizens Council (the forerunner of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council) had collected almost $1 million, through immense fund-raising efforts, and began buying property from more than 150 landowners near Jacksonville. That same month, the Air Force announced plans to build a $31 million jet bomber base on the site. The fundraising and purchase process took nearly 18 months, but the land needed most urgently was purchased first, and construction began Dec. 8, 1953.

The Air Force assigned the base to Strategic Air Command. By August 1954, SAC had identified the newly established 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, flying RB-47 Stratojet reconnaissance aircraft and KC-97 aerial refueling aircraft as the first organization assigned to the base. SAC also assigned the new 384th Bombardment Wing, flying B-47 Stratojet bombers.

The first Airmen began arriving in 1954, but no living quarters were available. Instead, the Airmen were scattered throughout the community, some in temporary quarters at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, and others at the Little Rock YMCA and even in the homes of local citizens. Housing shortages would continue for many years.

A B-58 Hustler in flight. (U.S. Air Force photo) In January 1955, the 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing officially activated at the not-yet-completed base, followed by the 384th Bombardment Wing in August. Neither wing had aircraft yet.

Col. Joseph A. Thomas arrived as the first base commander in February 1955. His primary duty was to oversee and coordinate construction. Tragically, barely five months after assuming command, Colonel Thomas died in the crash of the base's only aircraft, a C-45 assigned for administrative transportation. Before his death, Colonel Thomas was able to oversee the completion of much of the essential infrastructure. Thomas Avenue and the Thomas Community Activities Center were dedicated in honor of his service.

At 8 a.m. on Sept. 10, 1955, the base officially opened to air traffic. In a special ceremony, local leaders and personnel welcomed the 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. Three RB-47s specifically thanked the community for its support through their names: "Razorback," "City of Little Rock" and "City of Jacksonville." (Although this was the defining moment, these aircraft were actually not the first RB-47s to land at base. Two aircrews had landed three days prior for a one-night familiarization visit. Paint crews, still working on the runway, took a break as the aircraft made their final approach.)

A month later, on Oct. 9, 1955, Secretary of the Air Force Donald A. Quarles and Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, SAC commander, and about 85,000 visitors dedicated the new base. By that date, 90 buildings were either finished or in the final phase of construction, but the base was far from complete.

Strategic operations during the Cold War
During these early years, the 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flew reconnaissance missions. Crew members and maintainers provided an "eye in the sky," launching missions from Little Rock AFB to various operating locations around the world. Prior to the U-2 Dragon Lady, the B-47 was the plane of choice to overfly and photograph potential adversaries. For most of the 1950s, nothing could touch a Stratojet. Surface-to-air missiles were in their infancy and neither anti-aircraft artillery, nor enemy fighters, could climb to the Stratojet's altitude. For a time, it flew almost anywhere with impunity.

While the 70th was a photographic reconnaissance organization, other RB-47s equipped with sensitive monitoring equipment flew at, and sometimes over, the Soviet Union border. This would prompt the Soviets to activate their defenses, which the RB-47 crews monitored and recorded.

This data then formed the basis for effective war plans to be carried out by bomb wings like the 384th. This method of testing a potential enemy was extremely perilous. Aircrews were pushed to the limits. Assigned bomber alert duties, the 384th Bombardment Wing spent countless days and nights with their aircraft armed, fueled, and ready to go at a moment's notice. 384th aircrews also commonly participated in "reflex" operations, continually rotating to forward locations around the world. Both wings maintained a high state of readiness for any potential Cold War crises. By mid-1957, there were more than 5,500 military personnel and 300 civilian employees assigned to Little Rock AFB.

This large increase in personnel in such a short time compounded the ongoing housing problem, especially for military members with families. Accordingly, the Air Force hired Miles Construction to build 1,535 family housing units. By May 1, 1959, all of them were either occupied or ready for occupancy. From 1958 to 1961, the 70th Strategic Recon naissance Wing took on a training mission in addition to its reconnaissance missions. The wing was also briefly assigned an operational bombing mission in the B-47, but was subsequently discontinued in 1962 before being assigned to Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Today, the 70th Intelligence Wing at Fort Meade, Md. carries on the wing's lineage. Many of the 70th's aircrew members were transferred to the 384th, along with responsibility for the base itself.

In January 1961, construction began on 18 underground silos to house Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. While construction on the silos continued, the 308th Strategic Missile Wing activated, organized and began preparing for its strategic deterrence role at Little Rock AFB. Three years later, the 308th completed its first full operational day with missiles on alert in all 18 silos.

Work on the Titan II silos took three years; on Jan. 1, 1964, the 308th completed its first full operational day with missiles on alert in each of the 18 silos. Qualified crews would staff and support the missiles 24 hours a day for the next 23 years.

In 1962, the Arkansas Air National Guard arrived at Little Rock AFB. Formerly operating out of Adams Field in Little Rock, the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron began moving operations out to the base, bringing with it a venerable tradition as a combat unit. Just a month later, it was reorganized under the 189th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, flying RF-101s.

In response to the Pueblo Crisis of 1968, the group's 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was activated and deployed in its RF-101 reconnaissance planes to Japan. There, Arkansas' Airmen provided tactical reconnaissance services during an extended period of diplomatic tension. The era of the Stratojet at Little Rock AFB ended Sept. 1, 1964, when the 384th Bombardment Wing was discontinued and inactivated. (Though not an active wing today, the 384th served from 2003 to 2004 as an Air Expeditionary Wing out of Bahrain.) The same day the 384th was discontinued, the 43rd Bombardment Wing arrived at Little Rock AFB from Carswell AFB, Texas. Rather than a newly organized unit, the 43rd arrived from Carswell AFB, Texas, with a proud history of aerospace accomplishments, including the first non-stop flight around the world, a 47-hour flight endurance record, and a string of other records. They brought with them a new jet bomber: the supersonic B-58 Hustler. Once at Little Rock, the wing added KC-135 refuelers to its inventory. For the next five-and-a-half years, the 43rd carried out its mission of strategic bombardment readiness and air refueling. In mid-1969, however, the Air Force began to retire the aging fleet of B-58s. On Jan. 31, 1970, the 43rd Bombardment Wing retired its last B-58 and officially inactivated.

The arrival of the Hercules
Five weeks later, the headquarters of the 64th Tactical Airlift Wing assumed duties as the base's host unit. Along with the 64th came the 4442d Combat Crew Training Wing. Both wings flew the C-130 Hercules, a small, agile transport plane. The base was transferred to Tactical Air Command. The 308th Strategic Missile Wing, meanwhile, continued to staff and operate the missile silos north of the base.

On May 31, 1971, in a move more symbolic than substantial, the 64th inactivated, and the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing moved in. Officially, the 314th had moved from Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in the Republic of China, but the wing moved without personnel or equipment, and the subordinate units at Little Rock AFB were simply reassigned from the 64th to the 314th. Unit names and emblems changed, but the mission and personnel remained the same.

Shortly thereafter, the 4442d Combat Crew Training Wing inactivated, and the 314th absorbed its training role. The next major change occurred Jan. 31, 1972, when the base welcomed the 834th Air Division. The additional layer of command soon proved superfluous and the division was inactivated Dec. 31, 1974, though not before it and the 314th transferred from TAC to Military Airlift Command.

The regular Little Rock AFB units enjoyed relative stability for the next 13 years; the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing flew and trained C-130 air and maintenance crews and the 308th Strategic Missile Wing stood alert with Titan II ICBMs. However, major changes in the Arkansas Air National Guard continued to bring alterations to the base.

In 1976, the 189th Air Guardsmen transitioned to a refueling mission and began an around-the-clock alpha alert for SAC providing refueling assets to a wide variety of tanker task forces. In 1986, the unit finally assumed its current mission: tactical airlift training in the C-130. The change was a true implementation of the Total Force concept, as the base's Air Force and Air National Guard wings began working together on a common mission: the training and employment of the world's best C-130 combat airlifters.

On Aug., 18, 1987, after 23 years of around-theclock duty, the 308th Strategic Missile Wing quietly inactivated, going into history as the last unit to perform operational duty with Titan II missiles. The crews had spent more than 14 million man-hours on watch underground, with countless millions more invested by support crews above ground, to maintain the United States' strategic deterrence.

On June 1, 1992, the base and 314th Airlift Wing were assigned to the new Air Mobility Command, the successor to MAC. Only 16 months later, the wing was again reassigned to Air Combat Command, a new command created to combine functions from SAC and TAC. On April 1, 1997, the base's commands were again shaken up as the 314th was reassigned to Air Education and Training Command. At the same time, the 463rd Airlift Group was activated at the base as a tenant under AMC. The purpose of these changes was to move the C-130 schoolhouse under AETC while retaining AMC's operational control over C-130 airlift. Operationally, the base remained a hive of activity throughout the 1990s. Little Rock provided assets to operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch, which enforced the subsequent no-fly-zones over Iraq. Other humanitarian and peacekeeping missions included Provide Comfort in Iraq, Provide Relief and Restore Hope in Somalia, Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The present
In the first decade of the 21st Century, Team Little Rock was busier than ever, providing C-130 combat airlift across the globe in support of major combat and humanitarian missions, as well as training C-130 crews from around the world. The 314th, 189th, and 463rd all provided substantial support to rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Personnel and aircraft also sustained several missions connected with the Global War on Terror.

The future of combat airlift arrived at Little Rock on March 19, 2004, when the first activeduty C-130J was delivered to the base. The C-130J incorporates state-of-the-art technology to reduce manpower requirements and lower operating and support costs while flying faster and farther than previous models. The new model will extend the life and relevance of the C-130 well beyond its already long tenure as one of the longest serving military aircraft types in history.

On Oct. 1, 2008, the 19th Airlift Wing was activated at Little Rock, and took over the duties, personnel, and aircraft of the inactivating 463rd Airlift Group. Reflecting an increase in AMC assets on the base, the 314th AW also relinquished its host wing duties to the 19th AW and Air Mobility Command. For more than four decades, Little Rock Air Force Base has truly been the Home of C-130 Combat Airlift. Its planes and crews have delivered troops, cargo and support to the thick of the fight anywhere, at any time. No matter their background or branch of service, our nation's C-130 Combat Airlifters come here first to train. Some stay to employ what they have learned, and some return to teach and lead the next generation of combat airlifters. But no matter what path brings them here, they all arrive to find a mission-focused team of professionals, a warm and welcoming community, and a proud heritage of service to the nation and each other.  read more...