Brooks Air Force Base
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in San Antonio, Texas. In 2002 it was renamed Brooks City-Base.
History
The U.S. Army Signal Corps established Brooks Field on February 16, 1918. It was named after San Antonio aviator, Sidney Johnson Brooks Jr.
Instructors at Brooks Field trained cadets in Curtiss JN-4 aircraft. Flight training continued at the field until 1919, at which point balloon and airship training was introduced at Brooks Field. The program at Brooks Field was canceled in 1922 as the U.S. Army reevaluated the usefulness of balloon and airships.
Brooks Field became the Primary Flying School for the Army Air Corps. The Primary Flying School continued operation until 1931 when it moved to Randolph Field in San Antonio. After the Primary Flying School's departure, Brooks Field became the new home for the Aerial Observation Center.
During World War II, Brooks Field housed the School for Combat Observers and the Advanced Flying School (Observation). The program remained in operation until 1943 when it was disbanded. Training in the school then switched to twin-engine aircraft subsequently training pilots to fly the new B-25 bomber.
In 1948, Brooks Field formally became Brooks Air Force Base.
Since the early 1950s, Brooks AFB has been the home for the Aerospace Medical Center, which would include the School of Aerospace Medicine (SAM). In 1957, SAM scientists moved into the newly completed center at Brooks AFB. SAM aided the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with Project Mercury. The air evacuation program at Brooks AFB proved vital to the care of wounded personnel in the Vietnam War.
After the Vietnam War the base's mission narrowed to one centered on specific research related to U.S. Air Force fliers and personnel. In 1991, the Air Force was selected to house the Armstrong Laboratory, which included the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, the Air Force Drug Testing Laboratory, the Harry G. Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, the Air Force Occupational and Environmental Health Laboratory, and the laboratory functions of SAM.
In 1995, military planners, as a part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), approved the gradual transition in ownership of Brooks AFB from the Air Force to the City of San Antonio.
On July 22, 2002, the City of San Antonio assumed control of the newly named Brooks City-Base.
External Links
Brooks City-Base (http://www.brooks.af.mil/)
