Gray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military
airfield
An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
located within
Joint Base Lewis–McChord
Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62nd Airlift Wing located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis–Mc ...
(formerly
Fort Lewis) near
Tacoma, in
Pierce County, Washington, United States.
Overview
Used to support
Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...
on numerous occasions in the 1970s. Army helicopters were also used to insert search-and-rescue
ARteams into inaccessible areas on the east, north, and west sides of the mountain, lowering rangers to the ground by a cable device known as a "jungle penetrator." Helicopters began assisting with high altitude (above 10,000 feet) SAR operations in the 1980s. Helicopters were also used for "short haul" rescue operations, in which a ranger and litter were carried in a sling below the helicopter to the scene of the accident.
* Elements of
1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (AH-64E)
The Washington Army National Guard
66th Theater Aviation Command
The 66th Theater Aviation Command is an aviation command of the United States Army National Guard, previously designated as an aviation brigade. It may comprise two aviation brigades (the 185th Aviation Brigade (MS ARNG) and the 449th Aviation ...
trains at Grey AAF and provides transportation support for fighting wildfires.
History
The field is named in honor of Captain
Hawthorne C. Gray, who died during a free balloon flight starting from
Scott Field,
Belleville, Illinois, on November 4, 1927. Captain Gray (1889–1927) served as a private in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and after the war attended balloon and flying schools, receiving a commission. He then joined the
Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
and the Airship School where he made test flights. Captain Gray became a pioneer in stratospheric flight, setting a U.S. altitude record of 29,000 feet on his first flight. He reached higher heights, including 42,000 feet on the fatal November flight on which he died of
oxygen deprivation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...
.
Origins
In October 1921
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 th ...
"Jenny" biplanes flew from the Naval Station at Sand Point (Seattle) to a grass airfield at what was then called "Camp Lewis", located at a site just west of today's Gray AAF. In 1922 the primitive field moved forward with the erection of a steel hangar, Hangar Number 1. The Camp Lewis field found itself in competition with Navy aviation at Sand Point, as both sought to be the region's primary military airfield.
Camp Lewis advocates pushed for it to be a major dirigible and fixed-wing field. Progress in that direction occurred in 1923 with the erection of a Mooring Mast. This mast, located in the northern portion of the camp, would serve to dock arriving dirigibles. The tied up here on May 17, 1924, as a crowd of 15,000 watched. ''Shenandoah'' made a second visit on October 18, 1924, tying up during the evening, following delays waiting for the fog to lift. At noon the next day the navy dirigible departed for
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, where it arrived 40 hours later. The USS ''Shenandoah'' was the only dirigible to visit Camp Lewis. Weather conditions, with fog and cloud cover issues, favored other landing sites.
In 1926, the War Department observing aviation expansion overseas requested additional aviation funding. Congress provided monies for a five-year plan to bring the army air services to 2,200 fighters and to increase the number of aircrews. Camp Lewis received funding in 1927 to build a second hangar. Also, on September 13 that year the famous aviator
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
made a low level pass over the maneuver and training field (today Watkins Parade Ground) simulating an attack. This demonstration of air power encouraged the use of airplanes in infantry support. The new airfield construction was part of the larger permanent construction that gave the camp permanence and a new designation of Fort Lewis.
The Fort Lewis airfield housed observation planes. A communications building and photography building were completed in 1933. In October 1933 the
86th Observation Squadron arrived with three planes. The
91st Observation Squadron
The 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, currently assigned to the 67th Cyberspace Wing at Kelly Annex, part of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
The 91st delivers cyber warfare capabilities to combata ...
replaced the 86th in June 1936 as a seven-plane squadron. A photography section was also added at this time. The major expansion came in April 1938 with a Public Works Administration project to construct new runways and buildings.
The 1938 construction included two paved runways (a main runway at 6,175 feet in length and east–west at 2,300 feet in length), a boiler plant, headquarters building, metal balloon hangar, six-plane hangar, corrugated-iron hangar, storehouse, flight-surgeon office, and film-storage building. The metal balloon hangar had served at
Fort Casey
Fort Casey State Park is located on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington state. It is a Washington state park and a historic district within the U.S. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve.
Admiralty Inlet was considered so strate ...
, Washington, since May 1921. Workers disassembled the hangar, placed it on a truck, and drove to Fort Lewis where the same workers reassembled the structure.
World War II
The 91st Observation Squadron and aircraft of the 3rd Balloon Squadron operated out of the Fort Lewis airfield. They trained in observing enemy positions and supporting the division. The Fort Lewis field was renamed Gray Army Airfield on April 12, 1938. During 1940, the 91st Observation Squadron departed and the 116th Observation Squadron flying 0-47 observation aircraft moved in. The 116th was a Washington National Guard unit activated in 1940.
With World War II, Gray Army Airfield received 1.7 million dollars for new hangars and improved facilities. As the war approached Gray AAF units trained with ground forces. The GAAF 116th Observation and 116th Photo Squadrons had six observation planes,
O-47 and
O-49s. The 116th flew anti-submarine patrols. Joining in the antisubmarine patrols was the 123d Observation Squadron activated from the
Oregon National Guard
The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...
. It was equipped with
BC-1 and
O-46 observation aircraft.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings. A number of the GAAF shop and support buildings were demolished to make room for temporary wood-frame barracks on what had been the field's southwest corner. Two of the early hangars and support buildings along the main runway remained in use. One new hangar, today Building 3063, was completed in 1942. This is the only surviving building from World War II and the oldest structure at the airfield. A new concrete apron was added around the World War II hangar. During World War II, the control tower sat on the west side of the field; today an improved tower stands on the east side.
The
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces.
It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...
. 4131st Army Air Force Base Unit used GAAF as the
CONUS hub for the Alsskan
West Coast Wing, ferrying supplies, equipment and aircraft to Eleventh Air Force at
Elmendorf Field Elmendorf may refer to:
People with the surname
*Dave Elmendorf, former NFL player
* Douglas Elmendorf, 2009-2015 director of the Congressional Budget Office
* Lucas Conrad Elmendorf, a United States Representative from New York
* Steven Elmendorf, ...
, near Fairbanks. Also used by
Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot; primarily to service aircraft being sent to
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
Postwar era
The Army Air Force closed its facilities in 1947. Jurisdiction transferred to
Department of the Army for observation and Liaison aircraft at
Fort Lewis. Following the war Gray Army Airfield housed the
2d Infantry Division aviation assets, observation planes, and support aircraft. The 2d Infantry Division served at Fort Lewis until the Korean War. During the interwar years GAAF activities were limited. The GAAF planes participated in maneuvers and training.
Cold War
During the Korean War, GAAF continued in the role as a training and division support field. On the field could be seen
L-19 Bird Dog
The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...
and other observation planes. The L-19 proved to be easy to fly and reliable, with more than 3,000 produced. Pilots trained in L-19s for
Forward Air Controller
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC).
...
(FAC) roles—directing artillery fire and infantry movement. The 2d Infantry Division began testing helicopters in early 1949 and had nine here. On November 22, 1950, the 2d Aviation Company introduced helicopters,
H-13 Sioux's, into the Korean War. Attached to the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), the helicopters transported wounded.
After the Korean War, the 2d Aviation Company, of the 2d Infantry Division, which had been the first helicopter unit in Korea, returned to Fort Lewis with observation/spotter aircraft L-19 Bird Dogs, and L-20 Beavers, as well as H-23 Raven helicopters. Again GAAF served division aviation assets. The
4th Infantry Division came to Fort Lewis in 1956 with its aviation unit.
During the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, GAAF not only trained helicopter units, but fixed-wing aircraft units as well. One fixed-wing unit, the 244th Aviation Company (aerial surveillance) activated here on September 15, 1966. The 244th flew
OV-1 Mohawk aircraft with the mission of "finding the enemy."
Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the
9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972. The division itself held a day-long reactivation ceremony at the field on May 26, 1972. Army Chief of Staff, General
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland (March 26, 1914 – July 18, 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from ...
(1914–2005) attended the ceremony. The event included fly by's, tactical air strike exhibits, helicopters demonstrating air assault, and soldiers rappelling from helicopters.
The 9th Cavalry Brigade (Air Assault) in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.
The AH ...
helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam. They were equipped with rockets, guns, and grenade launchers for close fire support. A post-Vietnam air-supported infantry dominated GAAF operations. This required new supporting facilities, including maintenance hangars and other facilities. In February 1981 a new operations center opened. Three hangars were constructed between 1985 and 1988.
August 1984 saw GAAF become one of few test centers for the
UH-60 Blackhawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...
helicopters. The Blackhawks were ferried across the United States from their Connecticut factory. The initial group of 14 made the cross-country trek, which took one week, with 28 hours of flying time.
Modern era
During the 1990s, three aviation units served at GAAF: C Company 214th Aviation Regiment (15 CH-47s), 54th Medical Detachment (seven HU-1VHs), and the Fort Lewis Flight Detachment (two C-12s, four Uh-1Hs). These units flew a total of 5,000 to 7,000 hours per year. The 54th Medical Detachment flew real medical evacuation flights as well as training. The combat units also assisted in fire fighting, local disaster relief, and other assistance missions.
Another innovative aircraft came to GAAF in the fall of 2000. D-Troop, the 14th Cavalry Battalion, introduced
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) flights. The cavalry soldiers learned how to fly the UAV and learned its reconnaissance and attack potential. In the War on Terrorism the UAV has become a critical and effective tool.
GAAF units have served in Iraq with Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, returning from a 15-month deployment on April 17, 2004. Serving in Balad, Iraq, the company with their CH-47 Chinooks performed transportation and supply missions. The 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, with UH-60 Blackhawks, recently supported infantry units in Iraq. Chief Warrant Officer Scott Oswell of the 4th was killed in a crash of his OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter in Iraq on July 4, 2007. The next month one of the unit's UH-60 Blackhawk crashed, killing its crew. The 4th Squadron has returned to GAAF and has resumed training for future actions.
Since 2005 the field has been experiencing another major expansion. This includes the activation of a Special Operations Aviation Battalion on July 16, 2006. The battalion is equipped with MH-47 Chinook's and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. A new complex has been constructed for the Special Operations forces.
F Company 2nd Battalion,
135th General Support Aviation Battalion (formerly A Company, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment (1996-2008) & B Company 1st Battalion, 214th General Support Aviation Battalion (2008-2016)), conducts high-altitude search-and-rescue operations. Based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Gray Army Airfield, the Army Reserve aviation unit transports National Park Service emergency search-and-rescue teams to and from the mountain. The company inherited the SAR mission in July 1998, when the active-Army unit tasked with the responsibility was inactivated. During regular training sessions before and during the climbing season, the unit's CH-47 Chinook helicopters fly to Kautz Creek near the base of the mountain to pick up the SAR teams. Then the combined group performs insertion and extraction drills at locations from roughly 10,000 feet to the summit at 14,410 feet above sea level. SAR missions are varied. F Company participated in a search for a missing snowboarder on the southeast side of the mountain. Hampered by foul weather and heavy cloud cover, the mission extended into several days as Chinook pilots and crew-members transported SAR teams and flew search patterns, working routes, crevasses and tree lines where the snow-boarder might be. The victim never was found. Another mission involved two climbers who lost vital equipment during a climb on the Liberty Ridge ice face, at 13,000 feet. They requested help by cell phone, but the first Chinook sortie was turned away by an intense squall line, requiring additional flights to drop off and later pick up rescue teams.
Facilities
![KGRF-FAA-23 FEB 2023](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/KGRF-FAA-23_FEB_2023.svg)
Gray Army Airfield resides at
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...
of 300 feet (91 m) above
mean sea level
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value (magnitude and sign) of a given data set.
For a data set, the '' ari ...
. It has one
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...
designated 15/33 with an
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...
surface measuring 6,125 by 150 feet (1,867 x 46 m).
Units
*
![16_Avn_Bde_SSI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/16_Avn_Bde_SSI.jpg)
16th Combat Aviation Brigade
**
![16_Avn_Bde_DUI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/16_Avn_Bde_DUI.jpg)
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC)
**
![229 Avn Rgt DUI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/229_Avn_Rgt_DUI.png)
1st Battalion (Attack),
229th Aviation Regiment
The 229th Aviation Regiment is an aviation unit of the United States Army.
229th Assault Helicopter Battalion and 229th Aviation Battalion
The unit was constituted on 18 March 1964 in the Regular Army as the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, ...
,
AH-64E Apache
**
![158 Avn Rgt DUI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/158_Avn_Rgt_DUI.jpg)
2nd Battalion (Assault),
158th Aviation Regiment ,
UH-60 Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...
**
![6CavRegtDUI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/6CavRegtDUI.PNG)
4th Squadron (Air Cavalry),
6th Cavalry Regiment
The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviatio ...
,
AH-64E Apache and
RQ-7 Shadow
The AAI RQ-7 Shadow is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the United States Army, Australian Army, Swedish Army, Turkish Air Force and Italian Army for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage assessment ...
**
![46 Spt Bn DUI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/46_Spt_Bn_DUI.png)
46th Aviation Support Battalion
*
![U](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/U.S._Army_Special_Operations_Aviation_Command_SSI_%282013-2015%29.png)
U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command
**
![US_Army_4th_BN-160th_SOAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/US_Army_4th_BN-160th_SOAR.svg)
![160th_SOAR_emblem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/160th_SOAR_emblem.svg)
4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
See also
*
Washington World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Washington for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of Second Air Force or the A ...
References
External links
Gray Army Airfieldat GlobalSecurity.org
*
*
{{Airports in Washington
Airports in Washington (state)
United States Army airfields
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Technical Service Command
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Washington (state)
Transportation buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington
Joint Base Lewis–McChord