Sheppard Air Force Base is a
United States Air ForceThe 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 five miles (8 km) north of the
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of
Wichita FallsWichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, in
Wichita CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 131,664 people, 48,441 households, and 32,891 families residing in the county. The population density was 210 people per square mile . There were 53,304 housing units at an average density of 85 per square mile...
,
TexasTexas 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...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the largest training base and most diversified in
Air Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
. The base is named in honor of Texas Senator John Morris Sheppard, a supporter of military preparations before
World War IIWorld 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 host unit at Sheppard is the
82d Training WingThe 82d Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas where it also is the host unit....
(82 TRW), which provides specialized technical training, medical, and field training for officers, Airmen, and civilians of all branches of the military, other DoD agencies, and foreign nationals.
The
80th Flying Training WingThe 80th Flying Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.-Mission:...
(80 FTW), also at Sheppard, conducts the Euro-
NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program, the world's only multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for both USAF and NATO.
As of June 2010,
Brigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Darryl W. Burke is the commander of the 82d Training Wing, and he concurrently serves as the installation commander of Sheppard AFB.
ColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Kevin B. Schneider is the commander of the 80th Flying Training Wing.
Sheppard AFB shares one runway with
Wichita Falls Municipal AirportWichita Falls Municipal Airport is an airport located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. The airport is joint use in that its runways and taxiways are shared with Sheppard Air Force Base...
under a joint civil-military arrangement.
82d Training Wing
The 82 TRW is a non-flying wing that conducts all technical training at Sheppard. The 982d Training Group, under the 82d TRW, provides instruction in a wide range of specialties at Sheppard and also at more than 60 Air Force installations worldwide. The 82d Support Group, 82d Logistics Group, and 82d Medical Group support these organizations.
80th Flying Training Wing
The 80th FTW mission is to provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance. It is home of the
Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. It is a uniquely manned multinational organization with a USAF wing commander and a German Air Force operations group commander in the top two leadership positions. Command and operations officers' positions in the flying training squadrons rotate among the participating nations, while the commander of the 80th Operations Support Squadron is always from the USAF.
Additionally, officers from all 13 participating nations fill subordinate leadership positions throughout the wing. Nine nations--
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, The
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
,Spain and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
--provide instructor pilots based on their number of student pilots.
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
do not have student pilots in training, but do provide one instructor pilot. As an example of this totally integrated structure, an American student pilot may have a Belgian instructor pilot, a Dutch flight commander, a Turkish section commander, an Italian operations officer, and a German squadron commander.
Operational training squadrons are:
- 88th FTS
The 88th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
"Lucky Devils" (T-38C)
- 89th FTS
The 89th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates the T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
"Banshees" (T-6A)
- 459th FTS "Dragons" (T-6A)
- 469th FTS
The 469th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing and is based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.-History:...
"Bulls" (T-38C)
- 90th FTS
The 90th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 80th Flying Training Wing based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
"Boxing Bears" (T-38C)
- 97th FTS "Madcats"...AFRC
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
Associate Instructor Pilot program (T-6A and T-38C)
History
Sheppard Air Force Base is named in honor of Senator John Morris Sheppard of Texas (1875–1941), chairman of the
Senate Military Affairs CommitteeThe Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
from 1933 until his death on 9 April 1941. Senator Sheppard helped lead the fight for military preparedness before the
attack on Pearl HarborThe 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...
.
Base operating units
- 62d Base HQ and Air Base Sq, 4 August 1941 - 1 May 1944
- 3706th AAF Base Unit, 1 May 1944 - 30 September 1946
- 3706th AAF Base Unit, 15 August 1948 - 28 August 1948
- 3750th Air Base Gp, 28 August 1948 - 1 January 1973
- 80th Flying Training Wing, - 1 January 1973–present
Major commands assigned
- AAF Technical Training Comd, 13 March 1942 - 31 July 1943
- AAF Training Comd, 31 July 1943 - 1 July 1946
- Air Training Command, 1 July 1946 - 31 August 1946, 1 August 1948 - 1 July 1993
- Air Education and Training Command 1 July 1993–present
World War II
Sheppard AFB has been providing top-notch instruction in a diverse array of Air Force specialties for more than half a century. It was established as Sheppard Field on 300 acres (1.2 km²) just south of
Kell FieldWichita Falls Municipal Airport is an airport located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. The airport is joint use in that its runways and taxiways are shared with Sheppard Air Force Base...
. A Texas cattleman sold the land to the U.S. Army for one dollar.
It was officially opened as an
Army Air CorpsThe 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...
training center on 17 October 1941, following the arrival of the first military members on 14 June. As the Army Air Corps became the Army Air Forces, facilities were completed sufficiently to allow the first class of 22 aviation mechanics to enter training that October; the class graduated February 23, 1942.
During World War II, then-Sheppard Field conducted basic training, and it also trained glider mechanics, technical and flying training instructors and
B-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
flight engineers. In addition to the basic flying training, the base also provided advanced pilot training.
Sheppard Field reached its peak strength of 46,340 people while serving as a separation center for troops being discharged following World War II from September through November 1945. Sheppard Field was deactivated August 31, 1946 and declared surplus to the War Department's needs. It was transferred to the jurisdiction of the
Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
April 30, 1947. Over the next two years the
National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
used the base.
USAF Training Center
Control and accountability for Sheppard Field was transferred to the Department of the Air Force August 1, 1948 and was reactivated August 15, 1948 to supplement Lackland AFB, Texas, as a basic training center renamed as Sheppard AFB. Basic training was discontinued in June 1949, but was resumed from July 1950 to May 1952.
Over the next three decades three training schools were stationed at the base training students in aircraft maintenance,
transportTransport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
ation,
communicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
,
civil engineeringCivil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, Aircrew Life Support and field training.
The aircraft mechanics school was transferred to Sheppard from Keesler AFB, Mississippi in April 1949 to make room for expansion of electronic training at that base. The school was renamed the Department of Aircraft Maintenance Training within the 3750th Technical School. During the Korean War (1950–1953) several airmen from such places as Greece and Turkey were trained as mechanics.
Comptroller, transportation, and intelligence training moved to Sheppard from Lowry AFB, Colorado, in the fall of 1954. Communications, refrigeration, air conditioning, and power production operator and repairman training were transferred here from F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming in 1959. Intelligence training returned to Lowry in February 1962. Training in certain missile systems began at Sheppard in 1957 and was conducted there through September 1985 when Titan II training operations were terminated following that weapon system's retirement.
The 3950th Technical Training Wing was designated the Sheppard Technical Training Center January 1, 1959. It has had two subsequent name changes and is now the 82d Training Wing.
Helicopter pilot training was transferred from Stead AFB, Nevada in October 1965, with H-19, H-43, Bell TH-1F, CH-3C and HH-3E helicopters used for training. Additional training in airborne firefighting was also conducted, given the role of the USAF HH-43 aircraft as a local rescue and aircraft firefighting asset at selected air force bases in the United States and at air bases overseas.
The 3630th Flying Training Wing was activated in 1965, and it assumed the helicopter training program. It began providing undergraduate pilot training in the T-37 and
T-38The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
for the then-West German Air Force (
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
) in August 1966. Helicopter training was discontinued in 1971 when the U.S. Army assumed responsibility for training Air Force helicopter pilots at
Fort RuckerFort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, Alabama.
The 3630th Flying Training Wing also provided undergraduate pilot training for pilots of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force from 1971 to 1975. The Wing designation was changed to the 80th Flying Training Wing in 1973.
The 80th Flying Training Wing began conducting the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program in 1981. This one-of-a-kind program includes 13-NATO countries.They are: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Approval to conduct the program was recently extended through the year 2005.
The Air Force School of Health Care Sciences offered training in
dentistryDentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
,
medicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
,
nursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
(to include
flight nurseA Flight Nurse is traditionally a specialty where highly trained Registered Nurses provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and critical care to all types of patients during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopter and propeller aircraft or jet aircraft.Flight Nurses are...
training), and health-services administration. The population of the base had declined to 3,825 in 1990.
In February 1992, restructuring and downsizing of the Air Force caused a realignment and renumbering of units at Sheppard. Some of the training wings were redesignated as groups, and the technical training groups became squadrons.
Strategic Air Command
Between 1960 and 1966 the
Strategic Air CommandThe 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...
(SAC) had training units stationed at the base that conducted
aerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
rescue schools and weather instruction. In addition, The 494th Bombardment Wing, a Strategic Air Command operational wing of
B-52D StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
bombers and
KC-135A StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
aircraft, previously designated as the 4245th Strategic Wing, was based at Sheppard from 1963 to 1966.
In July 1969, Detachment 1,
2nd Bombardment WingThe 2d Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale...
, with four B-52 aircraft, became a tenant organization at Sheppard and remained until 1975. These aircraft rotated as part of SAC’s dispersal concept and utilized the SAC Alert Facility on the northwest end of the airfield.
BRAC 2005
The
Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) proposed a major realignment of the base, as part of the
Base Realignment and ClosureThe preliminary 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It is the fifth Base Realignment and Closure proposal generated since the process was created in 1988. It recommends closing 33 major United States military bases and...
program announced on May 13, 2005. DoD recommended to relocating to Eglin AFB,
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, front-line and instructor-qualified maintenance technicians and logistics support personnel to stand up the Air Force’s portion of the
F-35 Lightning IIThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
(Joint Strike Fighter) Initial Joint Training Site there. This recommendation would establish Eglin Air Force Base as the Initial Joint Training Site that would teach entry-level aviators and maintenance technicians how to safely operate and maintain the new F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 487 jobs (295 direct jobs and 192 indirect jobs) over 2006-2011 in the Wichita Falls, TX, Metropolitan Statistical Area (0.5 percent).
See also
- Texas World War II Army Airfields
In today's United States Air Force, many personnel have spent some of their military service being trained in Texas during World War II. Be it basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, technical training, officer training, or flight training at other facilities across the state...
Other sources
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office
The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
External links
- Sheppard AFB, Texas from GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- Sheppard AFB Vets Database Searchable database of Sheppard AFB Vets at GI Search]
- The Handbook of Texas - Sheppard Air Force Base (source of History), tshaonline.org
- BRAC 2005: Closings, Realignments to Reshape Infrastructure, defenselink.mil
- Base list leaves Texas cities relieved or rethinking plans, a May 2005 Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
article
- How to earn an ENJJPT slot from an Air Force Commissiong source, wantscheck.com