Brooks City-Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Brooks City-Base was a United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

facility located in San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, 7 miles (11.3 km) southeast of Downtown San Antonio

Downtown San Antonio

Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, United States.Downtown is encircled by three numerical freeways, I-35, I-37, and I-10...

.

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 unique project between local, state, and federal government. The Brooks Development Authority is the owner, operator, and developer of the Brooks City-Base property whose mission is to redevelop the property into a science, business, and technology center. The Air Force is currently the largest tenant at Brooks City-Base.

Brooks (Air Force Base) was one of the oldest facilities in the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

, being established on 8 December 1917 as Kelly Field No. 5, being one of the initial World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

Army Air Service installations. Flying at Brooks, however predates its military establishment, as the facility was known as Gosport Field prior to the first Army airplanes arriving on 5 December 1917.

Major units

311th Air Base Group

Base support unit.

311th Human Systems Wing
311th Human Systems Wing
The 311th Air Base Group was a group of the United States Air Force based out of the now-closed Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, Texas.Its mission was to enhance and sustain human performance for dominant air and space power.-History:...

The 311th Human Systems Wing's mission was to improve combat power and efficiency in human performance, protection and support through the many facets of aerospace medicine. The wing produced products that assessed and managed health, safety and environmental risks for the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense. The wing trained more than 5,000 aeromedical personnel annually. Wing personnel managed more than 140 technical acquisition and sustainment programs.

History

On February 16, 1918 Brooks Field was named by the U.S. Army Signal Corps

United States Army Signal Corps

The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...

to honor San Antonio aviator Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr. Cadet Brooks died on November 13, 1917 when his Curtiss JN-4

Curtiss JN-4

The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...

nosed down as he prepared to land after a training flight at Kelly Field, TX. He was awarded his wings and commission posthumously.

From its founding until 1919, Brooks Field was used to train cadets in the Curtiss JN-4

Curtiss JN-4

aircraft, which was used for balloon and airship

Airship

An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...

training. The program was cancelled in 1922 when the U.S. Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

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

United States Army Air Service

The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...

and Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

. The Primary Flying School continued operation until 1931 when it moved to Randolph Field

Randolph Air Force Base

Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....

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

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, 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 new 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 (NASA) with Project Mercury

Project Mercury

In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...

and served as a back-up site for lunar samples

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

brought back to Earth on the Apollo

Project Apollo

The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...

missions between 1969–1972. The air evacuation program at Brooks AFB proved vital to the care of wounded personnel in the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

.

President John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

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

Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...

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 at Brooks City-Base ceased on 15 September, 2011. The Brooks Development Authority has demonstrated economic development success with projects including a 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) retail development, approximately 256000 square feet (23,783.2 m²) of research and distribution facilities for DPT Laboratories, the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases

South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases

The South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases was founded by the University of Texas at San Antonio at the former Brooks Air Force Base site in San Antonio, TX...

(an infectious disease research institute coordinated with the University of Texas at San Antonio

University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...

), an international pharmaceutical company, and a $25.5 million City/County emergency operations center which opened in the Fall 2007. Brooks City-Base deactivated the 311th Air Base Group on 1 Sept, 2011, and the remaining few USAF personnel had shuttered the base for good by the 15th of that month.

Historic Hangar 9

Brooks Field Hangar 9 was restored in 1969 to become the U.S. Air Force Museum of Aerospace Medicine

Museum of Aerospace Medicine

The Edward H. White II Museum of Aerospace Medicine is a museum of the United States Air Force and is located at Brooks City-Base, San Antonio, Texas....

. 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 [USA], 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
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

, March 21, 1946 – March 23, 1946
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

, March 23, 1946 – January 15, 1947
Air Defense Command, January 15, 1947 – December 1, 1948
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...

, December 1, 1948 – October 1, 1969
United States Air Force Security Service, April 18, 1949 - July 31, 1953
Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...

, October 1, 1959 – November 1, 1961
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...

, November 1, 1961 – July 1, 1992
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....

, 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

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

Post Office at 8060 Aeromedical Road closed in late May of 2011.

External links

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