Laughlin Air Force Base

by Robert Thomas Marcell

Overview

Today, Laughlin Air Force Base is one of the busiest pilot-producing bases in the world. Named after Jack Thomas Laughlin, the base traces its history back to 1942. During World War II, the base was called Laughlin Field and trained bomber pilots in the B-26 Marauder. The base closed in 1945, after the war, but reopened again as an Air Force base in 1952 to train fighter pilots for the Korean War. It then took on a Cold War mission from 1957 to 1963. During this time, the base was home to the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which flew the U-2 spy plane. The 4080th played a key role in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. From 1961 onward, however, Laughlin has served primarily as an undergraduate pilot training base, helping hundreds of brave men and women, every year, earn their wings as military aviators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467107099
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/20/2021
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Robert Thomas Marcell is a practicing historian with historical training from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Chicago. The Laughlin Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Del Rio, Texas, dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Laughlin Air Force Base at the Laughlin Heritage Foundation Museum. The images that make up this book come from the collections of Laughlin Air Force Base and the Laughlin Heritage Foundation.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Laughlin Air Field: 1942-1945 11

2 Laughlin Air Force Base: 1952-1957 23

3 The Spy Plane Years: 1957-1963 37

4 Earning One's Wings: 1961-1972 49

5 The 47th Flying Training Wing: 1972-1994 63

6 Laughlin Today and Laughlin Tomorrow: 1994-2020 85

7 Laughlin Air Force Base: Air Park and Heritage 111

Index 127