McGuire Air Force Base
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McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
, is a
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 eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
base in Burlington County,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
. It was consolidated with two adjoining US Army and Navy facilities to become part of
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
(JB MDL) on 1 October 2009. The McGuire Air Force Base
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) is located in portions of both New Hanover Township and North Hanover Township.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, p. III-5, August 2012. Accessed 18 June 2013.
As of the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, the McGuire Air Force Base CDP had a total population of 4,522.


Overview

The host unit at McGuire AFB is the
87th Air Base Wing The 87th Air Base Wing is the host wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), New Jersey and its headquarters are on the McGuire Air Force Base portion of the Joint Base. The wing provides installation support to commands at McGuire Air ...
(87 ABW),
United States Air Force Expeditionary Center The United States Air Force Expeditionary Center is the Air Force's Center of Excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education. It consists of nine units with approximately 14,000 Airmen in 28 countries. History The U ...
, AMC. The 87 ABW provides installation management to all of JB MDL. The wing also provides mission-ready, expeditionary Airmen to support Unified Combatant Commanders in ongoing military operations. The wing consists of more than 3,100 officers, enlisted, and civilian personnel from the Air Force, Army and Navy. The 87th Air Base Wing is commanded by Colonel Bridget V. Gigliotti. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Tony B. Jenkins. McGuire originated in 1941 as Fort Dix Army Air Force Base. Closed briefly after
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 opposin ...
, it reopened in 1948 as McGuire Air Force Base. The base was named after Major Thomas B. McGuire Jr.,
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient, and the second leading ace in American history.


Units

The 305th Air Mobility Wing, 108th Air Refueling Wing (ANG), 621st Contingency Response Wing, and the 514th Air Mobility Wing (AFRC), has supported every major type of air mobility mission over the past 15 years. The following units are assigned to McGuire AFB: *
87th Air Base Wing The 87th Air Base Wing is the host wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), New Jersey and its headquarters are on the McGuire Air Force Base portion of the Joint Base. The wing provides installation support to commands at McGuire Air ...
*
305th Air Mobility Wing The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command. It generates, mobilizes and deploys C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft. ...
* 514th Air Mobility Wing ( AFRC) * 108th Air Refueling Wing ( New Jersey ANG) *
Marine Aircraft Group 49 Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation unit based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey that is currently composed of squadrons that fly the MV-22B, CH-53E, AH-1Z, UH-1Y, UC-35D and UC-12F/W aircr ...
(MAG-49) ( U.S. Marine Corps Reserve / 4th Marine Aircraft Wing) * Marine Helicopter Light Attack Squadron 773 (HMLA-773) ( U.S. Marine Corps Reserve /
MAG-49 Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation unit based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey that is currently composed of squadrons that fly the MV-22B, CH-53E, AH-1Z, UH-1Y, UC-35D and UC-12F/W aircr ...
) * Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 64 (VR-64) (
U.S. Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called R ...
) McGuire is the only base in both the Air Mobility Command and the entire
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
hosting three AMC-gained flying wings of the Regular Air Force,
Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
and
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
. McGuire is also host to: *
United States Air Force Expeditionary Center The United States Air Force Expeditionary Center is the Air Force's Center of Excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education. It consists of nine units with approximately 14,000 Airmen in 28 countries. History The U ...
(USAF EC)—physically located on Fort Dix *
621st Contingency Response Wing The 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW) is a United States Air Force rapid response expeditionary wing, based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Travis Air Force Base, California highly-specialized in training and rapid ...
(CRW) *373rd Training Squadron (373 TRS), Detachment 1 *AMC Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) McGuire hosts the flying needs of its mission partners on JB MDL. Air Force and civilian AMC-contracted aircraft use McGuire's two
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 concrete, as ...
s to facilitate this mission. Many hundreds of thousands of Air Force, Army,
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
, and
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
personnel have left the United States for overseas locations from McGuire AFB. Airplanes from McGuire have provided the flyovers for
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
games and
Major League Baseball All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
and
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
games played in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
at the end of the
National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
. These same planes were also responsible for the
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...
flyover and missing-man formation which came at the end of opera star Renee Fleming's rendition of the National Anthem.


History


Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire, Jr

McGuire Air Force Base was established as Fort Dix Airport in 1937 and first opened to military aircraft on 9 January 1941. On 13 January 1948 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 eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
renamed the facility McGuire Air Force Base in honor of Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire Jr., (1920–1945).
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient and second place American
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
of
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 opposin ...
, Major McGuire died on 7 January 1945 when his
P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
spun out of control and crashed on Negros Island in the Philippines as he attempted to aid his wingman during an aerial dogfight.


World War II

Flight operations to support Camp Dix at an adjacent airfield took place as early as 1926. Facilities and runways to support an air mission began in 1937 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project. This was on newly acquired land for the great Army Air Forces expansion approved by the Roosevelt Administration. This nascent airfield and wooden structures was named "Rudd Field." To meet the requirements for a possible world war, Rudd Field was renamed
Fort Dix Army Air Base A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in 1939, and underwent massive expansion from 1940 to 1941. Runways constructed consisted of three concrete surfaced, 7100x150(N/S), 7100x150(NE/SW), 5400x150(E/W), and one macadam surfaced, 8100x150(NW/SE). The base had its first permanent
Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
occupant in November 1941 when the 59th Observation Group took up station on 14 November. Initially during 1941–42 the Group operated a wide range of aircraft, including the BC-1A, L-59, O-46, O-47, O-49 Vigilant, and O-52 Owl, engaging in antisubmarine patrols along the East coast. After the United States' entry into
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 opposin ...
, Fort Dix Army Air Base was used as a training and facility for numerous service units under First Air Force. Once organized and prepared for overseas duty, these units provided support and technical sections for the group requirements as a whole: ''Flying control'', ''Ordnance'', ''airfield security'', ''firefighting'', ''
Post Exchange An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examp ...
'' (PX), ''Special Services'', ''Mail'', ''Transportation'' (" motor pool"), ''Communications'', ''
Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
'', ''Gunnery instruction'', ''Personal Equipment'', and ''Weather'' (
Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
). The service group also had its own
mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...
section. The service group had approximately 30 officers and 300 to 400 enlisted men. This training continued until 1944. In late 1942,
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...
(AAFASC) took up tenant status at Fort Dix AAB. The
378th Bombardment Group 378th may refer to: * 378th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Army Air Forces unit * 378th Fighter Squadron, active United States Air Force unit * 378th Troop Carrier Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit See also *378 (number) * ...
patrolled with a mission to search for German
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
s in the coastal waters of the Atlantic Coast and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys off the east coast with
Douglas O-46 The Douglas O-46 was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps and the Philippine Army Air Corps.
and
North American O-47 The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a t ...
light observation planes. In August 1943, this mission was turned over to the United States Navy. Air Technical Service Command began using the base in 1943 overhauling, servicing and preparing aircraft for overseas shipment to North Africa and to the United Kingdom. This mission continued until the end of the war in 1945, then received returning aircraft from Europe and arranged their shipment to operational bases or to storage locations. Part of this mission was the temporary basing of returning combat (primarily bombardment) groups from the overseas combat theaters and, with the Army Service Forces coordinating their inactivation. Fort Dix Army Air Base was phased down in the fall of 1945 and was placed on Temporary Inactive Status on 15 February 1945; which changed to Inactive Status on 1 March 1946. Jurisdiction of the base was transferred to
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
at Andrews Field, Maryland on 1 August 1947, the base remaining in inactive status.


United States Air Force


Strategic Air Command

Fort Dix Army Air Base was taken out of inactive status and activated as a primary installation on 29 August 1948. Initially reactivated under
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
, the facility underwent a modernization program to convert the World War II base into a base for postwar jet aircraft. In addition, support facilities were upgraded from World War II temporary wooden structures to permanent structures for long-term use. SAC activated the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at the newly re-designated McGuire Air Force Base on 10 November 1948. The 91st SRW was a long-range photographic reconnaissance unit equipped with a mixture of R
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
es and R
B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
es equipped with wide variety of photographic reconnaissance and mapping cameras in the bomb bays. It moved to
Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
, Louisiana, on 1 October 1949.


Air Defense Command

With the departure of the 91st SRW, control of McGuire AFB was reassigned to
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 au ...
(ConAC). ConAC assigned the base to
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...
(ADC), at the time an operating agency of ConAC. ADC took jurisdiction of the base on 1 January 1951 with its re-establishment as a separate major command. The 52d Fighter Wing, All Weather was assigned to the base, being moved from
Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...
, Long Island on 4 October 1949. Equipped with very long-range
F-82 Twin Mustang The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the North American P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter ...
s, the 52d Fighter Group, All Weather engaged in interceptor training missions against SAC B-29 and
B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...
bombers simulating air defense missions against incoming Soviet
Tupolev Tu-4 The Tupolev Tu-4 (russian: Туполев Ту-4; NATO reporting name: Bull) is a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid-1960s. It was reverse-engineered from the American Boeing B-29 ...
bombers. The 52d remained at McGuire until 6 February 1952, when it was inactivated along with the F-82s. The Twin Mustangs of the 52d FW were replaced by the ADC
4709th Defense Wing The 4709th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was ...
on 1 February 1952. Under the
Eastern Air Defense Force The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History EADF was ...
, the 4709th DW (later Air Defense Wing), controlled interceptor squadrons at McGuire, as well as at
Suffolk County AFB Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base is an air defense military installation located at civilian public-use Francis S. Gabreski Airport, located just north of Westhampton Beach, New York. It is currently the home base of the New York Air ...
and
Stewart AFB Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histor ...
, New York, and
Dover AFB Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest air ...
, Delaware. Interceptor squadrons stationed at McGuire were the
2d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 2nd Fighter Training Squadron, sometimes written as 2d Fighter Training Squadron, is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 325th Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Originally constituted in 1940 as the '' ...
and 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. These were replaced in 1955 by the
332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 4683rd Air Defense Wing at Thule Air Base, Greenland, where it was inactivated on 31 May 1965. The squadron was first organize ...
and 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. These squadrons flew a variety of ADC interceptors in the 1950s, starting with the
F-94 Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...
in 1952, upgrading to the
F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
in 1953, and finally the interceptor
F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...
later in 1953.
Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
took over jurisdiction of McGuire AFB on 1 July 1954 and took over the flight line of McGuire in 1956, with the ADC interceptors being reassigned. Air Defense Command became a tenant organization on the base, with the 4709th ADW being re-designated as first the 4621st Air Defense Wing on 1 April 1956, and shortly afterwards as the New York Air Defense Sector (NYADS) on 1 October 1956 under the 26th Air Division. The NYADS was in large part responsible for one of the foundational projects of the computer era: the development of the SAGE (
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. S ...
) air defense system, from its first test at
Bedford, Massachusetts Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,383 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. History ''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information ...
, in 1951, to the installation of the first operational Data Center (DC-01) at McGuire AFB in 1957, becoming operational on 1 July 1958. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. Developed by
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(MIT) engineers and scientists, SAGE monitored North American skies for possible attack by manned aircraft and missiles for 25 years. The heart of the system, the
AN/FSQ-7 The AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, referred to as the Q7 for short, was a computerized command and control system for Cold War ground-controlled interception used in the USAF Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense network. The ...
computer, was the first computer to have an internal memory composed of "magnetic cores," thousands of tiny ferrite rings that served as reversible electromagnets. SAGE also introduced computer-driven displays, online terminals, time sharing, high-reliability computation, digital signal processing, digital transmission over telephone lines, digital track-while-scan, digital simulation, computer networking, and duplex computing. The NYADS was reassigned from 26th AD on 1 April 1966 to First Air Force, until 30 September 1968 when both the sector was inactivated along with DC-01, when budget restrictions along with when technology advances allowed the Air Force to shut down many SAGE Data Centers. The SAGE network, however, remained active until 1983. In 1959, Air Defense Command deployed the
CIM-10 Bomarc The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of North ...
surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
to McGuire AFB. The Bomarc was the only surface-to-air missile ever deployed by the United States Air Force. All other U.S. land-based SAMs were and are under the control of the United States Army. The Bomarc site was located ESE of the main base in a separate facility, and was manned by the 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron, activated on 1 January 1959. Two models of the Bomarc were deployed to McGuire, the liquid-fueled CIM-10A (28 missiles), and later the CIM-10B (56 missiles). The supersonic Bomarc missiles were the first long-range anti-aircraft missiles in the world, and were equipped with a W40 nuclear warhead. The site at McGuire went operational in 1959 under the NYADS. Within a year of becoming operational, a Bomarc-A with a nuclear warhead caught fire on 7 June 1960 following the explosive rupture of its onboard helium tank. While the missile's explosives didn't detonate the heat melted the warhead, releasing plutonium which the fire crews then spread around. The Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission cleaned up the site and covered it with concrete; fortunately, this was the only major incident involving the weapons system. The Bomarc site remained in operation under successor organizations after the inactivation of the NYADS. After its closure in 1972, the accident resulted in the site remaining off limits to the present day, primarily due to low levels of plutonium contamination. Due to the accident, the McGuire complex has never been sold or converted to other uses and remains in Air Force ownership, making it the most intact site of the eight in the United States. It has been nominated to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. With the closure of the Bomarc site, the by then renamed
Aerospace 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 ina ...
ended its activities at McGuire AFB. The large SAGE DC-01 blockhouse is now the headquarters of the 621st Contingency Response Wing and previously housed the 21st Air Force/Expeditionary Mobility Task Force.


Strategic airlift

On 1 July 1954,
Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
(MATS) took over jurisdiction of McGuire Air Force Base. Through its successor organizations,
Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...
(MAC) in 1966 and since 1992 as
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
(AMC), the primary mission of McGuire has remained the strategic airlift of personnel and equipment worldwide. MATS activities at the base began on 1 July 1954 with the
1611th Air Transport Wing The 1611th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 8 Ja ...
being activated. The 1611th ATW flew primarily
C-118 Liftmaster The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...
(Navy
R6D The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with t ...
) transports worldwide throughout its existence. It received
C-135 Stratolifter The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367-80 jet airliner (also the basis for the 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the ...
s in 1962 and was upgraded from a medium to a heavy transport wing. It supported Air Force Reserve associate units beginning in 1961. The wing also operated Aerial Port and Port of Embarkation for the Northeast United States, primarily for European flights. Tenant units of MATS (and later MAC) at McGuire were the Air Weather Service and
Air Rescue Service The United States Air Force Combat Rescue School (for most of its existence, either Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), was an organization of the United States Air Force. The school was established in 1946 as ''Air ...
squadrons. On 1 June 1955, MATS moved the Eastern Transport Air Force (EASTAF) to McGuire from
Westover AFB Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Established at the outset of World War II, today West ...
, Massachusetts when SAC and
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
took over. EASTAF was one of three components of MATS worldwide airlift force, controlling all Air Force strategic airlift operations between the Mississippi River and the east coast of Africa and in Central and South America. On 1 January 1966 MATS was discontinued and its assets were assigned to the new
Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...
(MAC). The 1611th ATW was discontinued and its mission taken over by the
438th Military Airlift Wing The 438th Air Expeditionary Wing was a United States Air Force unit operating in Afghanistan and assigned to United States Air Forces Central. The wing trained Afghan Air Force members, including pilots. Subordinate units * 438th Air Exped ...
. EASTAF was re-designated as the 21st Air Force. 21st AF continued the mission of EASTAF, controlling MAC airlift wings at
Dover AFB Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest air ...
, Delaware and Charleston AFB, South Carolina and well as McGuire. Depending upon command organization at different times, airlift and airlift support units in Europe, the Azores, Bermuda and throughout the southeastern United States also reported to 21st AF. The 438th MAW completed the replacement of the prop-driven transports of MATS with the new Lockheed
C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the ...
. For the next 30 years, the 438th MAW and transported military cargo, mail and passengers worldwide, particularly in the Eastern United States, Atlantic, European and Mediterranean areas, with frequent special missions to the Arctic, the Antarctic, South America, the Far East, and to Southeast Asia combat areas during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, 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 Vie ...
. From 1967, McGuire was the best-known C-141 Starlifter base in the world, possessing up to a quarter of MAC's fleet of that aircraft until its retirement in 1994. On 1 December 1991, the wing was redesignated as the 438th Airlift Wing and implemented the objective wing organization. On 1 June 1992, it was assigned to the new
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
.


Modern era

On 1 October 1994, the 438th Airlift Wing was inactivated, being replaced at McGuire by the
305th Air Mobility Wing The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command. It generates, mobilizes and deploys C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft. ...
which was transferred from
Grissom AFB Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located about north of Kokomo in Cass and Miami counties in Indiana. The facility was established as a U.S. Navy installation, Naval Air Station Bunker Hill, in 1942 and was an active ...
, Indiana when Grissom was realigned via BRAC action to the Air Force Reserve Command. The C-141 was retired in 2004, being replaced by the
C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
. The 21st Air Force, coupled with the stand up of the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group (621 AMOG) and its later reorganization to the
621st Contingency Response Wing The 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW) is a United States Air Force rapid response expeditionary wing, based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Travis Air Force Base, California highly-specialized in training and rapid ...
(621 CRW), partnered with the 305 AMW and spearheaded virtually every contingency over the past 14 years, from Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR in the Balkans to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. McGuire itself, through its support organizations, has also been a key component in the transport of materials and personnel to global crisis points. In 1999, McGuire served as the lead staging base for the evacuation of Kosovo refugees in Operation OPEN ARMS; McGuire was the rally and staging point for FEMA operations in New York City after the 11 September 2001 attacks; in 2005, the base lent key support for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. On 1 October 2003 the Twenty-First Air Force was re-designated as the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, reflecting its expanded mission due to the outbreak of the
Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
. In 2006, McGuire AFB hosted over 1,800 Lebanese Americans evacuated from the battles there between Israel and Hezbollah insurgents. In 2008, McGuire assumed responsibility for the no-fail "Red Ball Express" aerial port mission, supplying efforts in ENDURING FREEDOM. Today the men and women of McGuire AFB continue to be at the forefront of operations, with regular deployments of airlift and aerial refueling aircraft as well as support elements for combat operations. McGuire hosted a rapidly assembled STRATCOM Joint Task Force satellite recovery team with no prior notice in February 2008, winning praise for its flexibility and support. Team McGuire remains engaged in providing direct combat support to two regional conflicts and provided personnel, resources and aircraft. Due to a
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
(DoD) initiative, McGuire will be the lead service in the first tri-service Joint super-base, combining its infrastructure support with the support of Fort Dix (Army) and
Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base headquartered approximately ...
(Navy). Additionally, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) identified several units to be added to Team McGuire over the next few years, including contingents from every service branch. Construction of many new facilities, a beautification effort, and new privately owned contract family housing, make McGuire one of the premier Air Force installations.


Major commands to which assigned

* First Air Force, 3 July 1942 * Air Service Command, 13 October 1942 * First Air Force, 1 May 1944 *
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 ...
*, 1 June 1945 *
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
*, 30 April 1947 *
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 au ...
, 1 October 1949 *
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...
:
Eastern Air Defense Force The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History EADF was ...
, 1 January 1951 *
Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
: Eastern Transport Air Force, 1 July 1954 : Redesignated:
Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...
:
Twenty-First Air Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...
, 8 January 1966 *
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
:
Twenty-First Air Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...
, 1 June 1992 – 1 October 2003 :
Eighteenth Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...
, 1 October 2003 – 7 January 2011 :
United States Air Force Expeditionary Center The United States Air Force Expeditionary Center is the Air Force's Center of Excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education. It consists of nine units with approximately 14,000 Airmen in 28 countries. History The U ...
, 7 January 2011 – present * McGuire put on temporary inactive status, 15 February 1946; inactive status, March 1946; transferred to jurisdiction of Selfridge Fld,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, 1 May 1947; transferred to jurisdiction of
Andrews AFB Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, 1 August 1947; transferred from jurisdiction of Andrews Fld to Topeka AFB,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, 16–28 August 1948; reactivated as primary installation, 29 August 1948. During inactive status, field remained under major command jurisdiction.


Major units assigned

* 15th Bombardment Squadron, 14 October 1941 – 1 February 1942 * 59th Observation Gp, 1 November 1941 – 18 October 1942 * 95th Air Base Sq, 10 February 1942 : Redesignated: 95th Base HQ and Air Base Sq, 20 June 1942 – 1 April 1944 * 14th Fighter Group, 19 July – 6 August 1942 * 377th Bombardment Group, 14 October – 9 December 1942 *
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
, 29 June – 5 August 1942 * 4107th AAF Base Unit, 1 April – 1 May 1944 * 116th AAF Base Unit, 1 June 1944 – 31 May 1945 * 453d Bombardment Group, 12 June – 12 September 1945 * 455th Bombardment Group, 9 June – 12 September 1945 * 4149th AAF Base Unit, 1 December 1944 – 26 February 1946 * 592d AAF Base Unit, 25 May 1945 – 15 February 1946 * 4202d Base Service Sq, 1 August – 10 November 1948 * 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 20 July 1948 – 30 September 1949 * 21st Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1967 * 4621st Air Defense Wing (SAGE), 1 April 1956 : Re-designated: New York Air Defense Sector, 8 January 1957 – 1 April 1966 * 52d Fighter Group (Air Defense), 4 October 1949 – 6 February 1952 * 52d Fighter All-Weather Wing, 1 January 1951 : Re-designated: 52d Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1 May 1951 – 6 February 1952 * 71st Missile Warning Wing, 21 July 1969 – 30 April 1971 * 84th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 10 October 1949 – 2 June 1951 (AFRES) *
84th Fighter All-Weather Wing The 84th Combat Sustainment Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah from 2005 to 2014. Its history dates back to the 84th Fighter Wing of 1949. Its mission was to provide system support manager functions f ...
, 1–2 June 1951 (AFRES) * 4709th Air Defense Wing, 1 February 1952 – 18 October 1956 * 568th Air Defense Group, 1 February 1952 : Re-designated: 568th Air Defense Group, 16 February 1953 – 1 July 1954 * 4730th Air Defense Group, 1 February 1957 – 1 August 1959 * 2d Fighter-All Weather squadron, 1 January 1951 : Re-designated:
2d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 2nd Fighter Training Squadron, sometimes written as 2d Fighter Training Squadron, is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 325th Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Originally constituted in 1940 as the '' ...
, 1 May 1951 – 18 August 1955 *
332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 4683rd Air Defense Wing at Thule Air Base, Greenland, where it was inactivated on 31 May 1965. The squadron was first organize ...
, 18 August 1955 – 1 January 1960 * 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 31 August 1977 * 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 1 January 1959 – 31 October 1972
46th Squadron shoulder patch
*
1611th Air Transport Wing The 1611th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 8 Ja ...
, 1 July 1954 – 8 January 1966 * Aerial Port of Embarkation, 15 April 1955 – 15 February 1978 * Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service : Redesignated: Twenty-First Air Force, 1 June 1955 – 1 October 2003 : Redesignated: 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, 1 October 2003 – 19 March 2012 * Naval Air Transport Squadron Three (VR-3), 16 July 1957 – 19 July 1967 * Naval Air Transport Wing, Atlantic, 15 May 1958 – 1 March 1966 * 305th Air Refueling Squadron, 15 January 1960 – 25 March 1965 * 514th Military Airlift (later Air Mobility) Wing, 15 March 1961–present * 903d Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Group, 28 December 1962 – 1 July 1973 * 108th Tactical Fighter (later Air Refueling) Wing, 1 July 1965–present * 438th Military Airlift (later Airlift) Wing, 8 January 1966 – 1 October 1994 *
305th Air Mobility Wing The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command. It generates, mobilizes and deploys C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft. ...
, 1 October 1994–present *
621st Contingency Response Wing The 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW) is a United States Air Force rapid response expeditionary wing, based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Travis Air Force Base, California highly-specialized in training and rapid ...
, March 2005–present * 87th Air Base Wing, 3 March 2009–present Mueller, Robert (1989). Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. ,


Aircraft flown


Hazardous waste

In July 2007, the
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
issued an order to the US military to clean up the contaminants at McGuire AFB. Areas requiring cleanup include
landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
s, fire training areas,
pesticide Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...
mixing shops, fuel storage and leak areas, underground tanks and fuel lines, a PCB (
polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...
) spill site, and a wastewater treatment plant sludge disposal area.


McGuire Air Force Base CDP

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the McGuire Air Force Base CDP had a total area of 5.364 square miles (13.893 km2), including 5.359 square miles (13.879 km2) of land and 0.005 square miles (0.014 km2) of water (0.10%).Gazetteer of New Jersey Places
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Accessed 18 June 2013.
US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Accessed 4 September 2014.
The population was 4,522 at the 2020 census.


Demographics


Census 2020

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''


Census 2010

DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for McGuire AFB CDP, New Jersey
,
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Accessed 18 June 2013.


Census 2000

As of the
2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...
U.S. Census website
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Accessed 4 September 2014.
there were 6,478 people, 1,498 households, and 1,466 families residing in the base. The population density was 1,208.3/km2 (3,131.0/mi2). There were 1,652 housing units at an average density of 308.1/km2 (798.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the base was 69.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 18.9%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.7% Native American, 2.8%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 3.2% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 5.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
people of any race were 8.7% of the population.DP-1 – Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for McGuire AFB CDP, New Jersey
,
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Accessed 18 June 2013.
There were 1,498 households, out of which 79.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.0% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.1% were non-families. 1.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.51 and the average family size was 3.53. In the base the population was spread out, with 35.6% under the age of 18, 22.8% from 18 to 24, 39.9% from 25 to 44, 1.6% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 130.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 153.3 males. The median income for a household in the base was $36,347, and the median income for a family was $36,136. Males had a median income of $22,000 versus $21,659 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,364. About 5.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. The base is also the site of basic encampment for the New Jersey Wing of the
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...
. Cadets in encampment are educated on life in the military, careers in the United States Air Force, and principles of aviation.


Education

The
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district.
Text list
/ref> Students attend area school district public schools, as the
Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...
(DoDEA) does not operate any schools on that base. Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following for their respective grade levels, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice:
North Hanover Township School District The North Hanover Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district which serves children in pre-Kindergarten through sixth grades from North Hanover Township and from the McGuire Air Force Base unit of Joint Base M ...
(PK-6),
Northern Burlington County Regional School District The Northern Burlington County Regional School District is a comprehensive regional school district serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from four communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. Students are served fro ...
(7-12), and
Pemberton Township School District Pemberton Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district headquartered in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.Jacobstown. As of the 2014–15 school year, the district and its four schools had an enrollment of 1,230 students and 112.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.District information for North Hanover Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
. Accessed 7 December 2016.
It is the largest K-6 school district in Burlington County. Schools in the district (with 2014–15 school enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
) are Discovery Elementary School (grades PreK-K; 294 students) in McGuire AFB Atlantis Elementary School (1–2; 236) in McGuire AFB Clarence B. Lamb Elementary School (1–4; 425) in Jacobstown and Upper Elementary School School (5–6; 272) in Jacobstown.Our Schools
, North Hanover Township School District. Accessed 8 January 2017. "Two schools, Discovery School and Atlantis School, are located in the Falcon Courts North Section of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The Upper Elementary School and the C.B. Lamb Elementary School are located in the Jacobstown section of North Hanover Township."
Northern Burlington County Regional School District students are served from Chesterfield Township, Mansfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township, along with children of USAF personnel based at McGuire AFB. The schools in the district (with 2014–15 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
) are Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (758 students) and
Northern Burlington County Regional High School Northern Burlington County Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from four communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Northern ...
for grades 9–12 (1,355 students).


Transportation

New Jersey Route 68 Route 68 is a state highway located in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving as the main connector between the New Jersey Turnpike and the Fort Dix entity of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL). It runs from C ...
links the base to U.S. Route 206 near the latter's interchanges with the
New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
, U.S. Route 130 and Interstate 195.
New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
provides service to and from
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
on the 317 route.Burlington County Bus / Rail Connections
New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
, backed up by the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
as of 26 June 2010. Accessed 18 June 2013.


See also

*
New Jersey World War II Army Airfields During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in New Jersey for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers. Most of these airfields were under the command of First Air Force or the Ar ...
*
List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations United States general surveillance radar stations include Army and USAF stations of various US air defense networks (in reverse chronological order): *Joint Surveillance System (JSS), with radar stations controlled by joint FAA/USAF ROCCs beginnin ...


References


Bibliography

* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ). * Ravenstein, Charles A. ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977''.
Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
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Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
: Office of Air Force History 1984. . * Mueller, Robert, ''Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982'', Office of Air Force History, 1989 * A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado * Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
Information for McGuire AFB, NJ
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External links


Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
(JB MDL) official website
Team McGuire
webpage (JB MDL official website)
McGuire—Retiree Activities Office
webpage (JB MDL official website)
Air Mobility Command
official website
"The Last Great Ace" book written about Maj. Thomas B. McGuire written by Charles A. Martin
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuire Air Force Base Installations of the United States Air Force in New Jersey Radar stations of the United States Air Force Installations of Strategic Air Command Installations of the United States Air National Guard Airports in New Jersey Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Burlington County, New Jersey Aerospace Defense Command military installations Radioactively contaminated areas Superfund sites in New Jersey Military Superfund sites New Hanover Township, New Jersey North Hanover Township, New Jersey