1940s: Abilene/Tye Army Airfield

Big Country Bastion - As the saying goes, "The Air Force wasn't born in West Texas, it got here as quickly as it could." Roots of Air and Space power in the Big Country can be traced back to Abilene Army Airfield. World War II saw the blossoming of "tent camps" throughout the United States and Abilene was no exception. Camp Barkeley, a few miles south of Abilene, became an Army infantry training camp for thousands of recruits. Army inductees were trained for various duties while there. Army Air corps cadets learned to fly trainers and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters while stationed at Tye Army Air Field, a Camp Barkeley adjunct.

When both installations were closed at the end of World War II, the deed to Tye Army Air Field was sold to Abilene for $1. The Texas National Guard used 1,500 acres of the former Army Air Field as a training facility. Following the outbreak of the Korean crisis, Abilenians called for a military installation. Armed with 1,500 acres and determination, civic leaders besieged Washington, D.C., and Pentagon officials with their request for a military installation. Proving beyond a shadow of a doubt they meant business, Abilenians raised $893,000 to purchase an additional 3,500 acres to provide a home for the military base they hoped would be in Abilene. Several prominent men were instrumental in convincing authorities of the suitability of Abilene. Oliver Howard, the late W.P. Wright Sr. and others worked in the city to promote interest in the military facility. Together with Senator Lyndon B. Johnson and Congressman Omar Burleson, civil leaders persuaded military and civilian officials to put a military base in Abilene. After letters and visits had been exchanged, the Department of Defense announced in July 1952 Congress had approved the $32,273,000 needed in appropriations for constructing a base in Abilene. The local community was interested in providing for the Air Force an exemplary relationship between the community and an Air Force base. After initial groundbreaking ceremonies on Sept. 24, 1953, construction of the base progressed rapidly.