Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) is a closed 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...

 Base located 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Sacramento

Sacramento

Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...

 at Rancho Cordova, California

Rancho Cordova, California

Rancho Cordova is a city in Sacramento County, California, USA, that incorporated in 2003. It is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The population was 64,776 at the 2010 census. Rancho Cordova is the Sacramento area's largest employment sub-center, with a daily influx of over 45,000...

 on the south side of U.S. Route 50.

Mather AFB was closed on October 1, 1993 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) and reopened in 1995 as Sacramento Mather Airport

Sacramento Mather Airport

Sacramento Mather Airport , also known as simply Mather Airport, is a county-owned public-use airport located 10 nautical miles east of the central business district of Sacramento, in the city of Rancho Cordova, California, United States...

.
The United States 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...

 Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps

Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps

The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...

, activated Mills Field on February 21, 1918 as a pilot training base that was surrounded by ranch land and vineyards.