Volk Field Air National Guard Base
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Volk Field Air National Guard Base is a military airport located near the village of Camp Douglas, in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States., effective 2007-07-05 It is also known as the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC). The base also houses Camp Williams, which is supported by the Wisconsin Army National Guard.


History


Early history

The origin of the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) can be traced back to 1888 when the state adjutant general, General Chandler Chapman, purchased a site for a rifle range and offered it to the state for a camp. In 1889 the state legislature authorized the governor to purchase land near the site for a permanent training site to include a dedicated pistol, rifle, and artillery training range for the Wisconsin National Guard. By 1903 the camp had expanded to more than and was used for training by the then reorganized National Guard. In 1917 the site served as a major mobilization and training post for the 32nd Infantry Division which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard prior to its shipping to France as part of World War I. The site was named Camp Williams in 1927 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Williams, the chief quartermaster of the post from 1917 until his death in 1926. Camp Williams grew slowly following the First World War, but with the development of the airplane, the first hard-surface runways were constructed in 1935 and 1936. During World War II Camp Williams and Volk served as a mobilization and training station for elements of the 32nd Infantry Division which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard. In 1954 the federal government leased the field from the state of Wisconsin for use as a permanent field training site. That same year work began on the air-to-ground gunnery range near
Finley, Wisconsin Finley is a town in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 84 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Finley is located in the town. History Created in the 1890s from parts of Armenia and Kingston, Finley fir ...
. In 1957, the Wisconsin legislature officially designated the facility a permanent field training site and named it in memory of 1st Lieutenant Jerome A. Volk, the first
Wisconsin Air National Guard The Wisconsin Air National Guard (WI ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Wisconsin, United States of America. It is, along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin National Guard. As state militia units, the unit ...
pilot killed in combat in the Korean War. A small graveyard near the front gate contains three burial plots, those of Lt. Col. Charles R. Williams, Camp Williams' namesake; his son, Private Robert W. Williams, who died in France during World War I; and Brigadier General Hugh M. Simonson, Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard from 1977 until 1979. It also contains a memorial marker for Lt. Jerome Volk, for whom the installation was named, as his body was never recovered after being shot down over North Korea in 1951.


False alarm incident

During the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
, staff at the base were on the lookout for sabotage operations that might precede any Soviet nuclear first strike. Around midnight on 25 October 1962, a guard at the
Duluth Sector Direction Center The Duluth Air Defense Sector (DUADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 29th Air Division, being stationed at Duluth Airport, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 1 April 196 ...
west saw a figure climbing the security fence. He shot at it, and activated the sabotage alarm. This automatically set off similar alarms at all bases in the area. At Volk Field, the alarm was incorrectly wired, and the klaxon sounded, which ordered
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) nuclear-armed F-106A interceptors to take off. The pilots had been told there would be no practice alert drills due to DEFCON 3 status, and, according to political scientist Scott D. Sagan, they "fully believed that a nuclear war had just started". Since Volk Field did not have a control tower, its aircraft were dispatched from Duluth. Before the planes were able to take off, the base commander contacted Duluth and learned of the error. An officer in the command center drove his car onto the runway, flashing his lights and signaling to the aircraft to stop. The intruder was later identified as a bear, instead of the expected Soviet saboteurs. Note that the article is merely paraphrasing Sagan's book, with no new or independent information. Sagan writes that the incident had raised the possibility of an ADC interceptor accidentally shooting down a
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 ...
(SAC) bomber. ADC interceptor crews had not been given full information by the SAC of plans to move bombers to dispersal bases (such as Volk Field) or the classified routes flown by bombers on continuous alert as part of Operation Chrome Dome. Declassified ADC documents later revealed that "the incident led to changes in the alert klaxon system ..to prevent a recurrence".


Recent history

In 1989 the site was re-designated a Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC). During the 1990 Persian Gulf War, Volk Field was the primary point of embarkation for soldiers and equipment from nearby Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The 128th Air Control Squadron, Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation system (ACMI), Air Base Operability and Ability to Survive and Operate (ATSO) training missions were added in 1991. Since 2006 Volk Field, along with Fort McCoy, has served as the primary location for Patriot Warrior, the largest annual training exercise for
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a 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 commiss ...
.


Facilities

Volk Field has one asphalt and concrete paved runway (9/27) measuring 9,000 x 150 ft (2,743 x 46 m). The Runway's Edge is the installation's all ranks club and provides hot food and drinks. The Wisconsin National Guard Museum is located at Volk Field. It contains aircraft, helicopters, artillery, and armored vehicles used by the Wisconsin National Guard over its existence. Camp Williams is the home of the United States Property & Fiscal Office for the
State of Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Mich ...
, as well as the Army National Guard's Consolidated State Maintenance Facility.


Wisconsin National Guard Museum

The Wisconsin National Guard Museum is located at Volk. It is housed in one of the former Officer's Quarters built in the late 19th-Century. The museum is open to the public five days a week. It also hosts a large air park with many former
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 ...
aircraft from several states, as well as artillery, helicopters, and tanks formerly of the Wisconsin National Guard. * F-4C Phantom II - ex-
New York Air National Guard The New York Air National Guard (NY ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of New York, United States of America. It is, along with the New York Army National Guard, an element of the New York National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...
aircraft, last serving with the
107th Fighter Wing 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
at Niagara Falls Air National Guard Base. S/N 63-7594 *
F-105B Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vie ...
- "Xanadu" ex-
486th Fighter Squadron The 486th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It activated during World War II and was assigned to the 352nd Fighter Group of VIII Fighter Command. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theat ...
(Air Force Reserve) aircraft. The last F-105B to fly. S/N 57-5838. *
A-7D Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was ...
- ex- Puerto Rico Air National Guard. Developed cracks in the wing spar while on a training mission to Volk in 1991 and left behind when the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing redeployed back to Puerto Rico. S/N 70-0982. * F-84F Thunderstreak - ex-
Illinois Air National Guard The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...
last flown by the 183rd Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 51-9365 *
F-86H Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing ...
- ex- New York Air National Guard aircraft with the
174th Tactical Fighter Group The 174th Attack Wing (174 ATKW) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gaine ...
. Displayed in colors of Wisconsin Air National Guard's 176th Interceptor Squadron. S/N 53-1358 * P-51D Mustang ex-Wisconsin Air Guard aircraft. Last flew with the
109th Fighter Squadron The 109th Airlift Squadron (109 AS) is a unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard 133d Airlift Wing located at Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station, Minnesota. The squadron is equipped with the C-130H Hercules. The 109th AS is the ...
. Served with the 8th Air Force during World War II. S/N 44-72989 *
F-100C Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
ex- Iowa Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 132nd Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 54-2106 * F-15B Eagle ex-
Louisiana Air National Guard The Louisiana Air National Guard (LA ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is, along with the Louisiana Army National Guard, an element of the Louisiana National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Louisiana A ...
aircraft. Last flew with the
159th Fighter Wing The 159th Fighter Wing (159 FW) is a unit of the Louisiana Air National Guard, stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Co ...
. S/N 77-0159 * A-10A Thunderbolt II ex- Air Force Reserve aircraft. Last flew with the 434th Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 77-0244 * F-102A Delta Dagger ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. S/N 56-1273 *
TF-102A Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main pur ...
ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. S/N 56-2353 * KC-97G ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the
128th Air Refueling Wing The 128th Air Refueling Wing (128 ARW) is a unit of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, stationed at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If activated to federal service in the United States Air Force, the wing is operat ...
. S/N 52-0905 *
AH-1G 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 ...
ex- 8th Cavalry aircraft. S/N 70-16000 *
UH-1H Huey The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...
ex- Wisconsin Army National Guard aircraft. Served in Vietnam with the 361st Aviation Company. S/N 66-16171 * M4A3 (75mm) Sherman R/N 3055802 * M48 Patton S/N 3748 * M60A3 R/N 09A06670, S/N 3688A


See also

* List of nuclear close calls *
Wisconsin World War II Army Airfields In Wisconsin multiple airfields were constructed and used by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. The main purpose of these installations was for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers. A majority of the Wi ...


References


Further reading

* *


External links


Volk Field Air National Guard Base (ANGB)
(official site) *Wisconsin Airport Directory: *
{{Aviation in Wisconsin Airports in Wisconsin Installations of the United States Air National Guard Buildings and structures in Juneau County, Wisconsin Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Wisconsin