Troops heading to those wartorn countries leave portsmouth with a homemade hat, an embroidered starand a warm sendoff from americas surrogate family. Portsmouth air force base became pease air force base, in honor of capt. He served four years in the united states air force, most of that time assigned to the 10th tactical reconnaissance wing, raf, alconbury, the united kingdom, as an intelligence officer. New book chronicles portsmouths history news seacoastonline. The aircraft then circled the base for the next five hours while the crew attempted to fix. In 1988, pease was identified as one of several air force installations to be closed by 1991 as part of a base realignment and closure commission brac recommendation. Support civilian exposure in its mission to build awareness, accountability and assistance for everyone exposed to toxic contamination aboard u. Dec 06, 2018 the caption on the back of the upi photo offers only a sentence about crash of the air force kc 97 stratotanker that exploded on a local highway moments after taking off from pease air force base.
Tainted water at former air base has new hampshire families. Call the golf shop at 60343331 to book your tee time. The inspection for effects of frost action was performed on 1 june 1972. Thus did pease, a local boy, enter the pantheon of sac heroes. The pease greeters is a hearty group of volunteers that meet planes that stop briefly in portsmouth, new hampshire on their way to iraq and afghanistan. The young ladies have already for several years been funding free books for infants at six. Pease air force base so many changes over the years. Our militia history begins in 1679 when new hampshire. Former pease air force base newingtonportsmouth contact.
Airbridge, tanker task force and noble eagle operations from pease ang base, deployments to. From 1948 until closure in 1967, it was known as walker air force base. From 1941 to 1942, it was known as roswell army flying school. Our history and battle honors are, therefore, traced to both our militia roots and our air force roots. Pease air force base department of defense sites program nh. Pease was commissioned in the rafvr in september 1938. The 11,500 foot runway was not the biggest in the air force, but big enough to qualify pease as a backup landing site for the space shuttle. Civilian exposure is a fully taxexempt, transparent, 501c3 nonprofit organization. May 15, 2015 westover has a rich and important history to the military and in the community. The host wing at mather afb was the 323rd flying training wing, which trained air force, navy and marine corps personnel for the u. Pease is home to the new hampshire air national guard 157th air refueling wing which flies kc5r air refueling aircraft.
Andrew biscoe, superintendent of public affairs, westover told us more. Portsmouth, new hampshire on november 5, 1964, five u. Of the cold wars many symbols, none was more recognizable than the berlin wall. Pease angb is located about 12 miles from the portsmouth naval shipyard where there are amenities an active duty base offers. History of ogden air materiel area hill air force base, utah set of 6 volumes.
Pease afb closed in 1990 and is now an industrial and office park, although the pease air national guard, home of the 157 th air refueling wing, is still active there. Pease air force base pease afb occupies 4,255 acres in rockingham county. Brooks air force base the handbook of texas online. For all comprehensive military history collections. The pease tradeport previously operated as an air force base from 1956 to 1991. In september of that year, in a formal dedication ceremony, the name of the base was changed to pease air force base. Pease air force base was the first major installation actually to be closed under the recommendations of the 1988 commission on base closure and realignment.
From 1949 until 1958 operating units at the base included the 259th air base, 2577th air force reserve flying training center, the 2577th air base group, and the 3790th air base group. When the base was ordered closed in 1989, citizens from newington and the surrounding area, along with many environmental groups, threw their support behind the establishment of a wildlife refuge on 1054 acres of the former air base. The library name honors the pease family, both charlotte whose generosity enabled its construction, and her brother capt. While we were driving on our way upta maine, we took a small detour though pease air force base. In january of 1991, pease public library opened its doors at the foot of the common in downtown plymouth.
During its history, pease afb has been the home of the 100th bombardment wing and the 509th bombardment wing, whose mission is to develop and maintain. Air force base under the control of the strategic air command sac until 1991. Jack kelly is considered the man who brought golf to portsmouth. Newer portsmouth residents scratch their heads when asked about the incident today. The installation is approximately 220 acres in size and currently includes 40 facilities. The purpose of this report is to present the results of a condition survey performed at pease air force basee pafb, new hampshire, during 1418 august 1972. Construction of the strategic air command base was completed in 1956 and on march 31, 1991 pease afb was officially closed under. Active air force bases within the united states of america on 17 september 1982.
Now when i see the base today, areas of it look like a war zone, said. The pease international tradeport, which features an airport, hundreds of businesses and several day care centers, has been called a textbook example of how to redevelop an air base. Pease air force base department of defense sites program. Pease golf course is always a great experience, no matter what your handicap. In 1948, after the air force was separated from the army, the department of defense changed the name of the base to brooks air force base. The former pease air force base afb site is located in the towns of newington and greenland and the city of portsmouth. A 20year career intelligence officer in the air force, pease explains the techniques. All the kids came, all the kids getting out of the air force stationed at pease air force base.
Pease capt harl pease jr air force historical support. There he was a contemporary of djc colin pinckney 191842, another wellknown fighter pilot. From 1956 until its closure in 1991, pease air force base in southeastern new. Brooks air force base the handbook of texas online texas.
The history of aviation in new hampshire is told from the first balloon ascension over manchester in 1856 to the closure of pease air force base. Pease air force base portsmouthnewington nh civilian exposure. Today known as osprey landing and spinnaker point, the gentrified housing development is roughly half way between downtown portsmouth and the pease air force base, a former strategic air command post. Pease air national guard base portsmouth naval shipyard. The delivery brings pease s inventory to four jets. Portions of the former base now serve as the pease air national guard base and the portsmouth international airport at pease. For a short history of the new hampshire national guard. April 10, 1917 october 8, 1942 was a united states army air corps officer and a recipient of the united states militarys highest award, the medal of honor, for his actions during world war ii. Pease afb was developed in the early 1930s by the city of portsmouth as a 300acre municipal airport.
It occupies a portion of what was once pease air force base, a former strategic air command facility with a base related population of 10,000 and which was home to the 509th bomb wing 509 bw flying the general dynamics fb111a. Tainted water at former air base has new hampshire. May 15, 2005 the pentagons proposed military base closings have some people worried about the negative effects on local economies. Civilian exposure is a fully taxexempt, transparent. Pease air national guard base, portsmouth, new hampshire.
Victorville, ca once a fighter jet training base critical to the cold war, little remains of the former george air force base but rows of dilapidated houses, a dismantled military hospital and dangerous chemicals from pesticides, jet fuels and other hazardous wastes that have poisoned the water for decades. Pease air force base pease afb occupies approximately 4,365 acres of land in southeastern new hampshire. Walker air force base is a closed united states air force base located three miles 5 km south of the central business district of roswell, new mexico. See more ideas about maine, strategic air command and air force. The aircraft had risen to about 700 feet before it suddenly plunged into a swamp near the end of the runway and burst into flames. Pease is located in the new hampshire seacoast region between the city of portsmouth and the towns of newington and greenland, new hampshire. Military bases contamination will affect water for. He was the namesake for pease air force base, now pease air national guard base.
Air force kc97 tanker planes were scheduled to take off from pease air force base as part of an airborne refueling training mission. Pease air national guard base portsmouth, new hampshire. This article incorporates public domain material from the air force historical research agency. Pease air force base portsmouthnewington nh civilian. The facility officially closed in april 1991 under the defense base realignment and closure act of 1988. From 1942 to 1947, it was known as roswell army air field. Are you looking for someone who is or was in pease air force base. For personnel stationed at the former pease afb in newington, nh. Pease air force base history new england aviation history. In december 1988, pease afb was selected as one of the 86 military installations to be closed as part of the secretary of defenses commission on base realignment and closure. Two 157th air refueling wing kc46a pegasus aerial refueling tankers juxtaposed on the tarmac at pease air national guard base, n. Dec 15, 2015 the former pease air force base is located in portsmouth and newington, new hampshire.
Pease water contaminant investigation press releases. Pease water contaminant investigation press releases new. The former pease air force base is located in portsmouth and newington, new hampshire. Pease air force base the stratojet years by tom hildreth. Located on new hampshires seacoast pease air national guard base pease angb is less than an hour north of boston, ma and an hour south of portland, me. It is suspected that firefighting foam used by the air force starting around 1970 for plane crashes and training exercises contained pfcs that leached into the ground and consequently contaminated the well. For the duration of its time as an activeduty installation, pease served primarily as a bomber base, housing the b52 stratofortress among other aircraft. His gallantry, devotion to duty, and contempt for personal danger as a b17 pilot during world war ii earned him the congressional medal of honor. In voluntarily performing this mission captain pease contributed materially to the success of the group, and displayed high devotion to duty, valor, and complete contempt for personal danger. Little remains today to remind visitors of the history enjoyed by this former military base. From 1947 to 1948, it was known as roswell air force base. Pease air national guard base is a new hampshire air national guard base located at. It occupies a portion of what was once pease air force base, a former strategic air command facility with a baserelated population of 10,000 and which was home to the 509th bomb wing 509 bw flying the general.
Dec 01, 2019 portsmouth air force base became pease air force base, in honor of capt. The major command responsible for mather air force base until base closure was the air training command based at randolph afb in texas. The pentagons proposed military base closings have some people worried about the negative effects on local economies. Air force when the facility was active have contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment across the former base. The 509ths fb111s were transferred from sac to tac between june and december 1990, being redesignated as the f111g and converted into a tactical bomber. Pease air national guard base is a new hampshire air national guard base located at portsmouth international airport at pease in new hampshire. It is bordered on the east by the city of portsmouth, on the north by the town of newington, and on the southeast by the town of greenland. The first b47 aircraft assigned to the 100th bw arrived on april 19, 1956.
The image captures perfectly the sense of transitiona country on the movethat pervades so much of reeds work. Former home of 8th air force headquarters, 99th bomb wing, 499th bomb wing now air force reserve base link. Find great deals on ebay for pease afb and pease air force base. During the early years of the cold war, it became the largest base of the strategic air. Volunteer pease greeters give troops a homemade hat and a. With the end of the cold war, two new organizations rose, one of which was air combat command, the 509ths new higher headquarters. Westover has a rich and important history to the military and in the community.
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