Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of

Downtown San Antonio Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It also serves as the urban core of Greater San Antonio, a metropolitan area with nearly 2.5 million people. In addition to being encircled by Loops 1604 ...

. In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed

Brooks City-Base Brooks is a mixed-use development that was founded on the former Brooks Air Force Base when the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eig ...

when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority as part of a unique project between local, state, and federal government. The Brooks Development Authority is now the owner and operator of the property, and is redeveloping it as a science, business, and technology center. The Air Force was the largest tenant at Brooks City-Base.

Units

Major units

* 311th Air Base Group * 311th Human Systems Wing

Tenant units

* Air Force Audit Agency *

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...

History

On February 16, 1918, Kelly Field No. 5 became a separate post and named Brooks Field by the

Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the aerial warfare service of the United States from 1914 to 1918, and a direct statutory ancestor of the United States Air Force. It absorbed and replaced the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and co ...

to honor San Antonio aviator Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr. The first commander of Brooks Field was Lt. Col. H. Conger Pratt, who until the preceding October had been a cavalryman. From its founding until 1919, Brooks Field was used to train cadets in the

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for t ...

aircraft, which was used for balloon and

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

training. The program was cancelled in 1922 when the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

re-evaluated the usefulness of balloons and airships. After the cancellation of the airship training, the 11th School Group was formed at Brooks Field as the Primary Flying School for the Air Service and Army Air Corps. The Primary Flying School continued operation until 1931 when it moved to

Randolph Field Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Uni ...

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

B-25 The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

bomber. After the war, Brooks Field became the home to several tactical and reserve units, and 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 and served as a back-up site for

lunar samples Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

brought back to Earth on the

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

missions between 1969 and 1972. The air evacuation program at Brooks AFB proved vital to the care of wounded personnel in the Vietnam War. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

dedicated the School of Aerospace Medicine on November 21, 1963, the day before he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. This was Kennedy's last official act as president. 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.

BRAC

Following the 1995 BRAC, when Brooks AFB was removed from the

Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...

list, city, state, military, and community planners began several years of hard work to develop a plan to privatize approved the gradual transition in ownership of Brooks AFB from the Air Force to the Brooks Development Authority. This transition came into full effect on July 22, 2002, when the Brooks Development Authority assumed control of the newly named Brooks City-Base. In 2005, Brooks City-Base was once again placed on the BRAC list. Air Force operations ceased on 15 September 2011.The Brooks Development Authority has demonstrated economic development success with projects including a retail development, approximately of research and distribution facilities for DPT Laboratories, the South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (an infectious disease research institute coordinated with the University of Texas at San Antonio), an international pharmaceutical company, and a $25.5 million City/County emergency operations center which opened in the Fall 2007. Brooks City-Base deactivated the 311th Air Base Group on 1 Sept, 2011, and the remaining few USAF personnel had shuttered the base for good by the 15th of that month.

Historic Hangar 9

Brooks Field Hangar 9 was restored in 1969 to become the U.S. Air Force Museum of Aerospace Medicine. This museum is to display the early history of Brooks Field and to preserve and display an extensive collection of photographs and equipment related to aviation and aerospace medicine.

Previous names

* Gosport Field, prior to December 5, 1917 * Signal Corps Aviation School, Kelly Field #5, December 5, 1917

Major commands

USAAC/USAAF * Department of Military Aeronautics, 1918-unk (later, Director of Air Service) * Air Corps Training Cen, September 1, 1926 (also Eighth Corps Area SA 1921–1940) * Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Cen, December 11, 1940 – May 1, 1942 * Gulf Coast AAF Training Cen, May 1, 1942 – July 1, 1943 * AAF Central Flying Training Comd, July 31, 1943 – December 1, 1945 * Continental Air Forces, December 1, 1945 – March 21, 1946 United States Air Force * Strategic Air Command, March 21, 1946 – March 23, 1946 * Tactical Air Command, March 23, 1946 – January 15, 1947 *

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

, January 15, 1947 – December 1, 1948 *

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...

, December 1, 1948 – October 1, 1969 *

United States Air Force Security Service Initially established as the Air Force (USAF) Security Group in June, 1948, the USAF Security Service (USAFSS) was activated as a major command on Oct 20, 1948 (For redesignations, see Successor units.) The USAFSS was a secretive branch of the ...

, April 18, 1949 - July 31, 1953 *

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...

, October 1, 1959 – November 1, 1961 *

Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...

, November 1, 1961 – July 1, 1992 *

Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Com ...

, July 1, 1992 – September 1, 2011

Base operating units

USAAS/USAAC/USAAF * 67th Aero Squadron (Service), April 6, 1918 – June 27, 1918 * Squadron "B" Brooks Fld, June 27, 1918 – November 14, 1918 * Flying School Det, Brooks Fld, November 14, 1918 – May 1919 * Air Corps Balloon and Airship School, Brooks Fld, c. May 1919 – June 1922 * 11th School Group (Primary Flying School), c. June 1922 – July 1931 :46th and 47th School Squadrons, 62nd Service Squadron * 62d Service Sq, c. July 1931 – August 1936 * 8th Air Base Sq, c. September 1936 – c. June 1939 * Unknown, July–August 1939 * 63d Air Base Gp, Sp, September 1, 1940 – November 1, 1941 * 53d Air Base Sq, November 1, 1941 – June 27, 1942 * 53d Base HQ and Air Base Sq, June 27, 1942 – May 1, 1944 * 2510th AAF Base Unit, May 1, 1944 – November 30, 1945 * 306th AAF Base Unit, November 30, 1945 – September 26, 1947 United States Air Force * 306th AF Base Unit, September 26, 1947 – August 28, 1948 * 2595th Base Service Sq, August 28, 1948 – February 1, 1949 * 2595th Air Base Gp, February 1, 1949 – January 1, 1954 * 2577th Air Force Reserve Flying Training Cen, January 1, 1954 – September 15, 1954 * 2577th Air Reserve Flying Training Cen, September 15, 1954 – April 8, 1958 * 2577th Air Base Gp, April 8, 1958 – October 1, 1959 * 3790th Air Base Gp, October 1, 1959 – July 1, 1961 * Human Systems Center July 1, 1992 – October 1, 1998 * 6570th Air Base Gp, October 1, 1961 – July 1, 1992 * 648th Air Base Gp, July 1, 1992 – May 1, 1994 * 311th Human Systems Wing

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service Post Office at 8060 Aeromedical Road closed in late May 2011.Post Office Location - BROOKS AFB
" '' United States Postal Service''. Retrieved on April 16, 2009.

References

Sources

* Mueller, Robert (1989). Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6 * Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4. * Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5 * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004. * *

External links

USAF Brooks City-Base
(official site)
Brooks City-Base / Brooks Development Authority
(official site)
U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM)

Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary

Google Map of Brooks City-Base
* http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Air-Force-era-at-Brooks-ends-2150025.php {{Navboxes , list = {{Tactical Air Command {{USAAF Training Bases World War II {{San Antonio {{TXMilitary 1917 establishments in the United States Military in San Antonio Bases of the United States Air Force Military facilities in Texas Airfields of the United States Army Air Service Airfields of the United States Army Air Corps Initial United States Air Force installations Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas Buildings and structures in San Antonio