DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita County. Now, every great institution has a beginning that almost wasn't — and Sheppard Air Force Base is no exception. Cast your mind back to July 1940.
The U.S. Army Air Corps was out scouting for a place to build a technical training school, and they had their eye on Call Field, a former World War I flight training base. Good history on that land.
Good bones, you might say. One problem: that site was not available. So the Army Air Corps did what you do in Texas — you look around, and you find another way.
Kell Field turned out to be a viable alternative. The local chamber of commerce stepped up, led an effort to purchase tracts of land adjoining Kell Field, and before long the pieces were falling into place. Then came April 17, 1941, and the new installation received its name — Sheppard Field — in honor of U.S.
Senator Morris Sheppard, who had died just eight days earlier. Eight days. The ink on that dedication was barely dry before the man it honored was gone.
Two months later, on June 19, 1941, the War Department approved a dual training mission for Sheppard Field. An Aviation Mechanics School, yes — but also a basic training center. Two jobs, one base.
And then December 7, 1941 arrived, and the whole world changed. After the U.S. entered World War II, the frequency and length of training classes continued to grow dramatically, accommodating thousands upon thousands of aviation mechanics. Thousands.
The place was humming. In September 1942, Sheppard Field received a Glider Mechanic School, and later started a glider classification school for pilots. Then came the airfield's first flight training courses, in 1944.
By October 1945, Sheppard Field had reached a peak strength — and here's a number worth sitting with — forty-six thousand personnel. Forty-six thousand souls on one installation, while it was also serving as an Army Air Forces separation center. That is a city.
And then the war wound down. On August 31, 1946, the War Department placed Sheppard on inactive status. Just like that — quiet.
Nearly two years passed. Then, on August 1, 1948, Sheppard Field opened again, this time in answer to the Cold War. Two years after that reopening, it became a permanent air force base, and it was finding its footing in a brand new kind of conflict.
In 1955, the U.S. Air Force made Sheppard the primary training center for the Atlas Ballistic Missile System. Not a supporting role — the primary center.
And it didn't stop there. Sheppard also became the prime center for the Jupiter and Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles, and later the Titan Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, right on through the mid-1980s. Additional Cold War missions brought a B-52 bomber wing of the Strategic Air Command, a helicopter flying training air training command, and the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program — ENJJPT — to the base as well.
From a stretch of Texas land the Army nearly passed on entirely, to a permanent installation at the center of America's Cold War arsenal. That's the story the marker tells — and it's one worth knowing as you roll through Wichita County.
What the marker says
In July 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps evaluated Call Field, a former World War I flight training base, as a potential site for a technical training school. That site was not available. However, Kell Field was a viable alternative and the local chamber of commerce led an effort to purchase tracts of land adjoining Kell Field. On April 17, 1941, the new installation was named Sheppard Field, in honor of U.S. Senator Morris Sheppard, who had died eight days earlier. On June 19, 1941, the War Department approved a dual training mission for Sheppard Field. Along with its Aviation Mechanics School, Sheppard also served as a basic training center. After the U. S. entered World War II on December 7, 1941, the frequency and length of training classes continued to grow dramatically to accommodate thousands of aviation mechanics. In September 1942, Sheppard Field received a Glider Mechanic School and later started a glider classification school for pilots. This was followed by the airfield's first flight training courses in 1944. In October 1945, Sheppard Field reached a peak strength of 46,000 personnel, while serving as an Army Air Forces separation center. On August 31, 1946, the War Department placed Sheppard on inactive status. Nearly two years later, on August 1, 1948, Sheppard Field opened again in response to the Cold War, becoming a permanent air force base two years later. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force made Sheppard the primary training center for the Atlas Ballistic Missile System. The base also became the prime center for the Jupiter and Thor intermediate range ballistic missiles, as well as the Titan Intercontinental ballistic missile until the mid-1980s. Additional Cold War missions included a B-52 bomber wing of the strategic air command, a helicopter flying training air training command, and the Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011