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    Offutt Air Force Base
    Offutt Air Force Base
    Offutt Air Force Base
    Ebook204 pages36 minutes

    Offutt Air Force Base

    By Justman, Ben and CMSAF (Ret.) James M. McCoy

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    About this ebook

    The year is 1888, and Pres. Grover Cleveland has just signed into law a bill that will lead to the establishment of Fort Crook. In 1948, that Army post gained a new name: Offutt Air Force Base. The history of Offutt Air Force Base is truly unlike that of any other military installation. In the face of adversity, it has overcome challenges during the United States rise to global prominence, was active during the golden age of flight, and served as a wartime bomber plant. The base remained ever vigilant during the Cold War and continues to do so as a combatant of 21st-century threats. Its remarkable existence of nearly 125 years can serve as a road map of US history. Today, the 55th Wing serves as the host unit for Offutt Air Force Base; its motto, Videmus Omnia ( We See All ), can also be applied to the saga of the base.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateOct 27, 2014
    ISBN9781439648070
    Offutt Air Force Base
    Author

    Justman, Ben

    Ben Justman, of the Sarpy County Museum, with the grateful assistance of Offutt Air Force Base, has searched through numerous archives, including that of the Sarpy County Museum, as well as personal collections to present this book that vividly depicts the historical lineage of Offutt Air Force Base.

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      Book preview

      Offutt Air Force Base - Justman, Ben

      Museum

      INTRODUCTION

      The legacy of Offutt Air Force Base begins long before there was an Air Force, before the first motorized heavier-than-air flight, before modern rocketry, and, certainly, before the first programmable electric computer. It was, in a way, a simpler time, and yet the world of 1888 was a complex and fragile one. That year, plans were laid for the future military post in Sarpy County, Nebraska, not far from the Missouri River. It gained a name, Fort Crook, in 1891, following the death of Maj. Gen. George Crook, who had been a West Point graduate and 38-year veteran of the Army. Construction and planning took several years, and it was not until 1896 that the fort transformed from the Nebraska plain to a state-of-the-art late-19th-century US military installation. The Omaha Daily Bee went as far as calling it the finest and most conveniently arranged post in the United States Army.

      The fort received its first tests when its men went off to Cuba during the Spanish-American War and, later, to the Philippines. Many men returned. Some did not. It again encountered the winds of war during World War I, where the most famous casualty associated with the fort actually had no firsthand physical connection at all. American pilot Jarvis Offutt lost his life during World War I. In 1924, a small flying field was erected at Fort Crook and named in his honor.

      By December 7, 1941, a date that lives in infamy, Fort Crook had become a well-oiled machine, ready to help bring the war to an end just as America had entered it. The Glenn L. Martin Company had utilized the base to construct an aircraft production facility. The Martin bomber plant at Fort Crook is one of the quintessential home front narratives of World War II. Workers there built more than 2,000 bombers. Their efforts aided in bringing about an end to the war quite literally: the pair of modified B-29 bombers that dropped the atomic bombs over Japan were both constructed and customized at Fort Crook.

      The year 1948 brought about the biggest historical change to the post. The Army flag was lowered, and, on January 13, 1948, the newly sewn US Air Force flag was raised. Fort Crook was no more. Offutt Air Force Base was now on the map. While the change was smooth and seamless, it presumably took more than a change-of-address form to complete the process. The transformation could be argued as inevitable, with Offutt’s deep history of aviation, but this was in the years immediately following World War II. The US military had reached an apex in May 1945 with eight million personnel. By 1948, that number had dwindled to less than 550,000. At war’s end, most men went home, married their sweetheart, had children, forgot about the war, and worked hard to enter the serene fairy-tale life of the 1950s. Offutt, like so many other American military installations that did their duty during those tumultuous years, could have simply shuttered up overnight.

      However, Offutt did not melt away into civilian life. The Soviet Union ensured that. Rather, it faced a new challenge to peace and stability in this country and abroad. From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent of Europe, Winston Churchill stated in his now-famous speech.

      The same year the Air Force assumed command, Offutt became home to Strategic Air Command. SAC became a fixture not just within the military community but also within American culture during the Cold War years. The role of Offutt grew in size and scope during this time. The Air Force Weather Agency, Looking Glass Operations, National Emergency Airborne Command, 3902d Air Base, 55th Wing and other units have all had a role in that. To accommodate the influx, entire new housing developments dedicated to airmen and their families were constructed. Yet it could all have disappeared in the blink of an eye had nuclear deterrence failed. By 1992, with America’s adversary in checkmate, SAC stood down. The United States Strategic Command, a new command with a new role and mission, stepped up.

      Today, Offutt Air Force Base has greatly changed from its early days as Fort Crook, when the newspaper bragged of a wagon road to connect the 10-mile distance between the fort and Omaha. It has gone from a base of a few hundred men to a combined military and civilian workforce of over 10,000. However, there is a crucial main artery of continuity throughout the entire timeframe: national defense. Offutt Air Force Base has, does, and always will continue to serve in the defense of this nation and its allies in order to help promote global peace.

      The saying goes, Once you get Offutt, you never get off it. Offutt can be a place where men and women spend two or three years in their military careers or it can be a place where they stay for the near duration. Either way, the experiences at Offutt have shaped countless individuals, communities, and this country as a whole. It is a very active institution with a vital mission, but also one with a deep tradition and a rich past, much of which has been included within this book.

      The majority of the photographs in this volume can be found within the archives at the Sarpy County Museum, and, unless otherwise noted, they are courtesy of the museum’s collection. Further images stem from the office of the 55th Wing historian, various regimental historical organizations, and generous community members. This book can only begin to draw upon the nearly 125-year history of Offutt AFB. There are many more images and stories out there. They are put away in

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