Hickam Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force
facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam
.
saw the need for another airfield in Hawaii when Luke Field
on Ford Island became too congested for both air operations and operation of the Hawaiian Air Depot. 2225 acres (9 km²) of land and fishponds adjacent to John Rodgers Airport and Fort Kamehameha
were purchased by the War Department from the Bishop
, Damon
and Queen Emma
estates for a new air depot and air base at a cost of $1,095,543.78. It was the largest peacetime military construction project in the United States to that date and continued through 1941.
The Quartermaster Corps was assigned the job of constructing a modern airdrome from tangled brush and sugar cane fields adjacent to Pearl Harbor. The site consisted of ancient, emerged coral reef
covered by a thin layer of soil, with the Pearl Harbor entrance channel and naval reservation marking its western and northern boundaries, John Rodgers Airport (HIA today) to the east, and Fort Kamehameha on the south. The new airfield was dedicated on 31 May 1935 and named in honor of Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam
, a distinguished aviation pioneer who was killed in an aircraft accident the previous November 5 when his Curtiss A-12 Shrike
, 33-250, hit an obstruction during night landing practice on the unlighted field at Fort Crockett
in Galveston, Texas
and overturned.
Construction was still in progress when the first contingent of 12 men and four aircraft under the command of 1st Lt Robert Warren arrived from Luke Field on September 1, 1937. Hickam Field was completed and officially activated on September 15, 1938. It was the principal army airfield in Hawaii and the only one large enough to accommodate the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. In connection with defense plans for the Pacific, aircraft were brought to Hawaii throughout 1941 to prepare for potential hostilities.
The first mass flight of bombers (21 B-17Ds) from Hamilton Field, California arrived at Hickam on 14 May 1941. By December, the "Hawaiian Air Force" had been an integrated command for slightly more than one year and consisted of 754 officers and 6,706 enlisted men, with 233 aircraft assigned at its three primary bases: Hickam, Wheeler Field (now Wheeler Army Airfield
), and Bellows Field (now Bellows Air Force Station
).
ese Navy attacked O‘ahu's military installations on 7 December
1941, their planes bombed and strafed Hickam to eliminate air opposition and prevent U.S. planes from following them back to their aircraft carriers. Hickam suffered extensive damage and aircraft losses, with 189 people killed and 303 wounded.
During World War II
, the base became a major center for training pilots and assembling aircraft. It also served as the hub of the Pacific aerial network, supporting transient aircraft ferrying troops and supplies to—and evacuating wounded from—the forward areas—a role it would reprise during the Korean
and Vietnam
wars and earning it the official nickname "America's Bridge Across the Pacific".
and its successor, the Military Air Transport Service
(MATS), until 1 July 1957 when Headquarters Far East Air Forces completed its move from Japan
to Hawai‘i and was redesignated the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The 15th Air Base Wing, host unit at Hickam Field, supported the Apollo
astronauts in the 1960s and 1970s; Operation Homecoming
(return of prisoners of war from Vietnam) in 1973; Operation Babylift
/ New Life
(movement of nearly 94,000 orphans, refugees, and evacuees from Southeast Asia) in 1975; and NASA's space shuttle
flights in the 1980s and 1990s. Hickam is home to the 65th Airlift Squadron which transports theater senior military leaders throughout the world in the C-37B and C-40 Clipper
aircraft. In mid-2003, the 15th Air Base Wing (15 ABW) was converted to the 15th Airlift Wing (15 AW) as it prepared to beddown and fly the Air Force's newest transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III
. The first Hickam-based C-17 arrived in February 2006, with seven more to follow during the year. The C-17s will be flown by the 535th Airlift Squadron
.
On September 16, 1985, the Secretary of the Interior
designated Hickam Field a National Historic Landmark
, recognizing its key role in the World War II Pacific campaign. A bronze plaque reflecting Hickam's "national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America" took its place among other memorials surrounding the base flagpole. Dominating the area is a large bronze tablet engraved with the names of those who died as a result of the 1941 attack. Other reminders of the attack can still be seen. Bullet holes mark many buildings in use, including World War II era hangars and the base hospital., including the tattered American flag that flew over the base that morning. It is on display in the lobby of the Pacific Air Forces Headquarters building, whose bullet-scarred walls (the structure was a barracks
and mess hall known as "the Big Barracks" in 1941) have been carefully preserved as a reminder to never again be caught unprepared.
, and on the east by the airport complex. The original main gate is reached via Nimitz Highway (Hawaii Route 92
) from Honolulu, and it shares its western terminus with the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard's main gate. This part of Nimitz Highway can be reached from the expressway Interstate H-1
(Exit 15) southeast from Halawa or west from Honolulu (Exit 15B) and from Kamehameha Highway
(State Hawaii Route 99), the eastern termination of which is at Nimitz Highway.
The housing around the base is within the Hickam Housing CDP
. As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,471 people, 1,632 households, and 1,589 families residing at Hickam. The population density
was 4,419.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,703.5/km²). There were 1,718 housing units at an average density of 1,387.7 per square mile (534.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 66.2% White, 11.7% Black
, 0.6% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 1.0% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 8.3% from two or more races. 8.4% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
In 2000, there were 1,632 households out of which 73.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.9% were married couples
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.6% were non-families. 2.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 3.40.
On the base, the population was spread out with 40.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 45.5% from 25 to 44, 5.9% from 45 to 64, and 0.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household at Hickam was $42,298, and the median income for a family was $41,989. Males had a median income of $30,588 versus $23,548 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $15,039; 2.2% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.6% of those under the age of 18 and 25.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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 now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is a United States military facility adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy Naval Base Pearl Harbor, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:Joint Base Pearl...
, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam was a pioneer airpower advocate and an officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is named in his honor.-Background:...
.
History
History shows Hickam played a pivotal role in past Pacific operations - bullet-scarred walls are still visible from the December 7th, 1941 attack that pushed the U.S. into World War II.Origins
In 1934, the Army Air CorpsUnited 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...
saw the need for another airfield in Hawaii when Luke Field
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island was a military use airport on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, United States. Prior to 1962, it was designated as Naval Air Station Ford Island until its downgrade from NAS to NALF...
on Ford Island became too congested for both air operations and operation of the Hawaiian Air Depot. 2225 acres (9 km²) of land and fishponds adjacent to John Rodgers Airport and Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha was a United States Army military base that was the site of several coastal artillery batteries to defend Pearl Harbor starting in 1907 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-History:The eastern areas of the fort were in the district called Moanalua...
were purchased by the War Department from the Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
, Damon
Samuel Mills Damon
Samuel Mills Damon was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Mills Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845....
and Queen Emma
Queen Emma of Hawaii
Queen Consort Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonālani Naea Rooke of Hawaii was queen consort of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She ran for ruling monarch against King David Kalākaua but was defeated....
estates for a new air depot and air base at a cost of $1,095,543.78. It was the largest peacetime military construction project in the United States to that date and continued through 1941.
The Quartermaster Corps was assigned the job of constructing a modern airdrome from tangled brush and sugar cane fields adjacent to Pearl Harbor. The site consisted of ancient, emerged coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
covered by a thin layer of soil, with the Pearl Harbor entrance channel and naval reservation marking its western and northern boundaries, John Rodgers Airport (HIA today) to the east, and Fort Kamehameha on the south. The new airfield was dedicated on 31 May 1935 and named in honor of Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam was a pioneer airpower advocate and an officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is named in his honor.-Background:...
, a distinguished aviation pioneer who was killed in an aircraft accident the previous November 5 when his Curtiss A-12 Shrike
A-12 Shrike
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1....
, 33-250, hit an obstruction during night landing practice on the unlighted field at Fort Crockett
Fort Crockett
Fort Crockett is a government reservation on Galveston Island overlookingthe Gulf of Mexico originally built as a defense installation to protect the city and harbor of Galveston and to secure the entrance to Galveston Bay,...
in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
and overturned.
Construction was still in progress when the first contingent of 12 men and four aircraft under the command of 1st Lt Robert Warren arrived from Luke Field on September 1, 1937. Hickam Field was completed and officially activated on September 15, 1938. It was the principal army airfield in Hawaii and the only one large enough to accommodate the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. In connection with defense plans for the Pacific, aircraft were brought to Hawaii throughout 1941 to prepare for potential hostilities.
The first mass flight of bombers (21 B-17Ds) from Hamilton Field, California arrived at Hickam on 14 May 1941. By December, the "Hawaiian Air Force" had been an integrated command for slightly more than one year and consisted of 754 officers and 6,706 enlisted men, with 233 aircraft assigned at its three primary bases: Hickam, Wheeler Field (now Wheeler Army Airfield
Wheeler Army Airfield
Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
), and Bellows Field (now Bellows Air Force Station
Bellows Air Force Station
Bellows Air Force Station is a United States military reservation located in Waimanalo, Hawaii. Once an important air field during World War II, the reservation now serves as a military training area and recreation area for active and retired military and civilian employees of the Department of...
).
World War II
When the Imperial JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Navy attacked O‘ahu's military installations on 7 December
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
1941, their planes bombed and strafed Hickam to eliminate air opposition and prevent U.S. planes from following them back to their aircraft carriers. Hickam suffered extensive damage and aircraft losses, with 189 people killed and 303 wounded.
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...
, the base became a major center for training pilots and assembling aircraft. It also served as the hub of the Pacific aerial network, supporting transient aircraft ferrying troops and supplies to—and evacuating wounded from—the forward areas—a role it would reprise during the Korean
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Vietnam
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...
wars and earning it the official nickname "America's Bridge Across the Pacific".
Cold War
After World War II, the Air Force in Hawai‘i consisted primarily of the Air Transport CommandAir Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
and its successor, the Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(MATS), until 1 July 1957 when Headquarters Far East Air Forces completed its move from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to Hawai‘i and was redesignated the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The 15th Air Base Wing, host unit at Hickam Field, supported 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...
astronauts in the 1960s and 1970s; Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick...
(return of prisoners of war from Vietnam) in 1973; Operation Babylift
Operation Babylift
Operation Babylift was the name given to the mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the United States and other countries at the end of the Vietnam War , from April 3–26, 1975...
/ New Life
Operation New Life
Operation New Life was the U.S. military evacuation of about 110,000 Southeast Asian refugees displaced by the Vietnam War out of South Vietnam....
(movement of nearly 94,000 orphans, refugees, and evacuees from Southeast Asia) in 1975; and NASA's space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
flights in the 1980s and 1990s. Hickam is home to the 65th Airlift Squadron which transports theater senior military leaders throughout the world in the C-37B and C-40 Clipper
C-40 Clipper
-See also:-External links:* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* *...
aircraft. In mid-2003, the 15th Air Base Wing (15 ABW) was converted to the 15th Airlift Wing (15 AW) as it prepared to beddown and fly the Air Force's newest transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
. The first Hickam-based C-17 arrived in February 2006, with seven more to follow during the year. The C-17s will be flown by the 535th Airlift Squadron
535th Airlift Squadron
The 535th Airlift Squadron is part of the 15th Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing airlfit in the Pacific theater.-History:...
.
On September 16, 1985, the Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
designated Hickam Field a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, recognizing its key role in the World War II Pacific campaign. A bronze plaque reflecting Hickam's "national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America" took its place among other memorials surrounding the base flagpole. Dominating the area is a large bronze tablet engraved with the names of those who died as a result of the 1941 attack. Other reminders of the attack can still be seen. Bullet holes mark many buildings in use, including World War II era hangars and the base hospital., including the tattered American flag that flew over the base that morning. It is on display in the lobby of the Pacific Air Forces Headquarters building, whose bullet-scarred walls (the structure was a barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
and mess hall known as "the Big Barracks" in 1941) have been carefully preserved as a reminder to never again be caught unprepared.
Geography and Demographics
Hickam Field consists of 2850 acres (11.5 km²), valued at more than $444 million. It was originally bounded on the north by Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, on the west by the Pearl Harbor entrance channel, on the south by Fort KamehamehaFort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha was a United States Army military base that was the site of several coastal artillery batteries to defend Pearl Harbor starting in 1907 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-History:The eastern areas of the fort were in the district called Moanalua...
, and on the east by the airport complex. The original main gate is reached via Nimitz Highway (Hawaii Route 92
Hawaii Route 92
Route 92 is a major east–west highway on the island of Oahu which begins at exit 15 off Interstate H-1 in Honolulu and ends east of the Ala Wai Canal crossing in Waikiki. The western portion, west of Richards Street, is also known as the Nimitz Highway...
) from Honolulu, and it shares its western terminus with the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard's main gate. This part of Nimitz Highway can be reached from the expressway Interstate H-1
Interstate H-1
Interstate H-1 is the busiest Interstate Highway in Hawaii, United States, located on the island of O‘ahu. Despite the number, this is an east–west highway—the 'H'-series numbering reflects the order in which routes were funded and built. H-1 goes from Route 93 in Kapolei to Route 72 in...
(Exit 15) southeast from Halawa or west from Honolulu (Exit 15B) and from Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Starting from Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, it serves the island's older western suburbs, turning north across the O‘ahu Central Valley to the...
(State Hawaii Route 99), the eastern termination of which is at Nimitz Highway.
The housing around the base is within the Hickam Housing CDP
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
. As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,471 people, 1,632 households, and 1,589 families residing at Hickam. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,419.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,703.5/km²). There were 1,718 housing units at an average density of 1,387.7 per square mile (534.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 66.2% White, 11.7% Black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, 0.6% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 1.0% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 8.3% from two or more races. 8.4% of the population were Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
In 2000, there were 1,632 households out of which 73.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.6% were non-families. 2.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 3.40.
On the base, the population was spread out with 40.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 45.5% from 25 to 44, 5.9% from 45 to 64, and 0.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household at Hickam was $42,298, and the median income for a family was $41,989. Males had a median income of $30,588 versus $23,548 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $15,039; 2.2% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.6% of those under the age of 18 and 25.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
See also
- United States Pacific Air ForcesUnited States Pacific Air ForcesPacific Air Forces is a Major Command of the United States Air Force. PACAF is also the air component of the United States Pacific Command . PACAF is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii. It is one of two USAF Major Commands assigned outside of the Continental United States, the other...
- List of airports in Hawaii
- Hawaii World War II Army Airfields