Bolling Air Force Base
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Bolling Air Force Base, in Southwest Washington, D.C., is named for Col. Raynal C. Bolling.
[edit] History
Bolling Field was officially opened July 1, 1918 and was named in honor of the first high-ranking air service officer killed in World War I, Col. Raynal C. Bolling. The tract of land selected for the base was scouted by William C. Ocker at the direction of General Billy Mitchell. The base began near Anacostia in 1918, as the only military airfield near the U.S. Capitol. Bolling Field served as a research and testing ground for new aviation equipment and its first mission provided aerial defense of the capital. It moved to its present location, along the Potomac in the city's southwest quadrant, in the 1930s.
In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson sent Bolling pilots on the first permanent airmail route from Washington, D.C. to New York, New York.
Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" returned to Bolling field in 1927 after its historic transatlantic flight. It was reassembled at Bolling for Lindbergh's goodwill flight to Mexico and South America.
In 1934, Lt. Col. Henry "Hap" Arnold led a bomber flight from Bolling Field on a 4,000-mile aerial journey to Alaska to demonstrate the capabilities of strategic long-range bombing missions. Carl Spaatz and Wiley Post also began or ended historic flights there.
The core units at Bolling Field at the beginning of 1939 were one housekeeping squadron, the base headquarters, the 14th Air Base Squadron and two air base maintenance squadrons -- the first and second staff squadrons.
For the duration of World War II, Bolling Field served as a training and organization base for personnel and units going overseas, and it became the aerial gateway to the nation's capital.
The Army Air Forces Headquarters and the Army's GHQ Air Force (later the Air Force Combat Command) moved to Bolling in March of 1941. After creation of the U.S. Air Force, Bolling Field was re-designated as Headquarters Command U.S. Air Force in 1948.
President Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt's official aircraft, "The Sacred Cow", retired from service at Bolling Air Force Base in 1961.
Bolling Air Force Base was assigned to the Military Airlift Command in 1976. In 1985, Bolling Air Force Base was designated the headquarters for the Air Force District of Washington. The Air Force District of Washington was re-designated as the 11th Support Wing in 1994 and re-named the 11th Wing in 1995. The Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff jointly directed reactivation of the Air Force District of Washington, effective January 1, 2005. The 11th Wing became its subordinate unit.
In July 1962, due to airspace congestion around National Airport, which has since been renamed "Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport", fixed wing flying activities left Bolling for nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Forty-four years after the dedication of Bolling Field, the last airplane departed July 1, 1962, carrying 33 passengers and six crew members bound for Andrews.
The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) was created and activated at Bolling on 1 October 1985 with the mission of providing administrative support to Air Force members. On 15 July 1994, AFDW was deactivated, but was reactivated 5 January 2005 to "provide a single voice for Air Force requirements in the National Capital Region" according to the base's website.
Bolling Field units also provides ceremonial support to the White House, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff, mainly through 11th Wing, The United States Air Force Honor Guard and The United States Air Force Band.
The Defense Intelligence Agency built its Defense Intelligence Analysis Center at Bolling Air Force Base and moved many of its operations there in 1987.
