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Base to celebrate 90 years

  • Published
  • By Courtesy of Historian
  • 375th Airlift Wing History Office
01/19/2007 --  On June 14, 1917, the U.S. War Department paid seven land owners $7,400 to lease the 623.992 acres that would become Scott Field. It was of the first aviation station constructed as part of the U.S. World War I effort. Thus began the rich history of what is Scott Air Force Base today.

In June of this year, Scott will celebrate its 90th birthday. For nine decades, Scott has been a critical asset first for the U.S. Army Air Corps and then forthe U.S. Air Force.
Initially an aviation training field, Scott set a major milestone in August of 1918 when a Scott Field military aircraft was used to airlift a cadet with a broken leg. It was the first ever aeromedical evacuation.

In 1921, Scott was host to yet another military first. Scott's primary training mission became lighter-than-air operations. It was the home of the Air Service Balloon and Airship School. Though the mission only lasted until the program was disbanned by the Army in 1937, Scott remains the only military installation where servicemembers were trained in lighter-than air operations.

During World War II, Scott Field grew and became one of the Air Corps‚ major training installations with a new mission of training radio operators-mechanics after the Radio School relocated to Scott Field Sept. 19, 1940.This marked the beginning of Scott Field's communications training era.

When the Army Air Corps became the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 18, 1947, Scott Field became Scott AFB. In keeping with its training history, the Headquarters Air Training Command relocated to Scott.

During the Korean Conflict, not only did Scott's communication training mission expand, but its overall training mission grew to include the personnel field.

In October 1957, the primary mission of Scott - for the first time since its beginning - was not longer training. Control of Scott AFB moved from under Air Training Command to the Military Air Transport Service. To make room for its new mission, all of the training schools relocated to other bases.
During the following years, several tenant units called Scott AFB home to include Airways and Air Communications Service, Air Weather Service, the 798th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, and the 85th Fighter- Interceptor Squadron. Even before it became one of Scot AFB's primary missions, the base was involved with aeromedical evacuation. Because of its central location, Scott AFB coordinated with military hospitals on the west coast on the number of available beds and special equipment east of the Mississippi River.

While the mission of the host wing at Scott AFB had revolved around running the base and supporting the tenant units, the Cold War, Space Age, Cuban Missile Crisis and the Southeast Asia Conflict forced the host wing and Scott AFB's major tenants to evolve into global organizations.

From June 1, 1964 to Jan. 1 1966, the current host wing, redesignated the1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing, was also responsible for all military aeromedical evacuations in the United States.

After this time, a new host wing took on the roll of maintaining the
base and supporting the tenant units. However, the size of the military aeromedical evacuation mission required its own wing, so the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing absorbed the mission and equipment of the 1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing. Additionally, when the Air Force Communications Service relocated to Scott AFB, the base had the distinction of hosting the headquarters of two major commands, Military Air Transport Service and Air Force Communications Service.

In the period after the Southeast Asian conflict, the primary mission of Scott and the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing grew. On April 1, 1978, Scott AFB gained the responsibility for the worldwide aeromedical evacuation mission. This was followed by the assumption of operational support for all airlift missions throughout the U.S. on
March 15, 1978. Additionally, the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing took on the responsibility of host wing for Scott AFB. While its mission and structure has gone through some changes, the redesignated, 375th Airlift Wing continues as the host wing for Scott AFB.

Today, Scott AFB is home to the 375th AW and more than 66 associate units.

What started as a few hundred acres for Army aircraft training has grown to cover more than 3,500 acres of land, employ nearly 6,000 active duty servicemembers from every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, more than 2,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen and more than 5,500 civilians. Including military family members and area retirees, Scott serves a community of more than 39,000 members and has total economic impact of more than $1.7 billion.

Scott AFB also thrives largely thanks to a committed and dedicated local community who have supported the servicemembers stationed here since Scott Field's beginning.

In 2007, remember to celebrate the heritage of all past military members and look toward Joint Total Force horizons as Scott Field celebrates its 90th birthday, and the U.S. Air Force marks its 60th year as an independent branch of the Armed Forces.