Volk Field Air National Guard Base is a military
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
located near the village of
Camp Douglas, in
Juneau County,
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 M ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
[, 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
The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to the United States Army in time of war or national emergenc ...
.
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
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 ...
, 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. 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 pilot killed in combat in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
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
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
in 1951.
False alarm incident
During the
Cuban Missile Crisis, staff at the base were on the lookout for
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
operations that might precede any
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
nuclear first strike. Around midnight on 25 October 1962, a guard at the
Duluth Sector Direction Center 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 (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
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. (DEFCON is not mentioned in the 2010 and newer document)
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and spe ...
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 (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
Operation Chrome Dome was a United States Air Force Cold War-era mission from 1960 to 1968 in which B-52 strategic bomber aircraft armed with thermonuclear weapons remained on continuous airborne alert and flew routes to points on the Soviet ...
. 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
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, Volk Field was the primary point of embarkation for soldiers and equipment from nearby
Fort McCoy, Wisconsin
Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation on between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin, in Monroe County. In 1909, there were two separate camps named Camp Emory Upton and Camp Robinson; in 1926, these camps were joined together to form Camp ...
.
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.
Facilities
Volk Field has one
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 ...
and
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
paved
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 ...
(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, 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 aircraft from several states, as well as artillery, helicopters, and tanks formerly of the Wisconsin National Guard.
*
F-4C Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...
- ex-
New York Air National Guard aircraft, last serving with the
107th Fighter Wing at
Niagara Falls Air National Guard Base. S/N 63-7594
*
F-105B Thunderchief - "Xanadu" ex-
486th Fighter Squadron (Air Force Reserve) aircraft. The last F-105B to fly. S/N 57-5838.
*
A-7D Corsair II - ex-
Puerto Rico Air National Guard
The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) — es, Guardia Nacional Aérea de Puerto Rico— is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Puerto Ri ...
. 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
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. S/N 70-0982.
*
F-84F Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
- ex-
Illinois Air National Guard last flown by the
183rd Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 51-9365
*
F-86H Sabre - ex- New York Air National Guard aircraft with the
174th Tactical Fighter Group. Displayed in colors of Wisconsin Air National Guard's
176th Interceptor Squadron. S/N 53-1358
*
P-51D Mustang
Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts.
Allison-engined Mustangs
NA ...
ex-Wisconsin Air Guard aircraft. Last flew with the
109th Fighter Squadron. Served with the
8th 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 Forces ...
during
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 ...
. S/N 44-72989
*
F-100C Super Sabre ex-
Iowa Air National Guard
The Iowa Air National Guard (IA ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Iowa, United States of America. It is, along with the Iowa Army National Guard, an element of the Iowa National Guard.
As state militia units, the units in the Iowa Air ...
aircraft. Last flew with the
132nd Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 54-2106
*
F-15B Eagle ex-
Louisiana Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the
159th Fighter Wing. S/N 77-0159
*
A-10A Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
ex- Air Force Reserve aircraft. Last flew with the
434th Tactical Fighter Wing. S/N 77-0244
*
F-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 purpo ...
ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. S/N 56-1273
*
TF-102A Delta Dagger 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 ex- 8th Cavalry aircraft. S/N 70-16000
*
UH-1H Huey ex-
Wisconsin Army National Guard
The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to the United States Army in time of war or national emergenc ...
aircraft. Served in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
with the 361st Aviation Company. S/N 66-16171
*
M4A3 (75mm) Sherman R/N 3055802
*
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun Tank: M48. It was designed as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, M4 Sherman, M46 and M47 Patton tanks, and w ...
S/N 3748
*
M60A3
The M60 is an American second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 tank series was never officially ...
R/N 09A06670, S/N 3688A
See also
*
List of nuclear close calls
A nuclear close call is an incident that might have led to at least one unintended nuclear detonation or explosion, but did not. These incidents typically involve a perceived imminent threat to a nuclear-armed country which could lead to retal ...
*
Wisconsin World War II Army Airfields
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