Stewart Air National Guard Base

Infobox Military Structure
name=Stewart Air National Guard Base
Formerly Stewart Air Force Base
partof = New York Air National Guard
location=Located near Newburgh, New York


caption= Stewart Air National Guard Base,1994

Location of Stewart ANGB
coordinates= Coord|41|30|15|N|74|06|17|W|type:airport_region:US|display=inline
type=
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built=1942
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used= United States Army Air Forces (1942-1945)
United States Air Force (1950-1969)
Air National Guard/Various Reserve Units (1970-Present)
demolished=
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controlledby=
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events=:"Not to be confused with Sewart Air Force Base".:"For the civil use of this facilty, see Stewart International Airport"

Stewart Air National Guard Base is the home of the 105th Airlift Wing (105 AW) of the New York Air National Guard. The former Stewart Air Force Base is also known as Newburgh-Stewart IAP and Stewart International Airport. The military portion of this now-joint civil-military airport is known as Stewart Air National Guard Base (Stewart ANGB).

Overview

Located two miles west of Newburgh, New York. The 105th Airlift Wing's mission is to provide peacetime and wartime inter-theater airlift operations using the C-5A “Galaxy” cargo aircraft. Newburgh is approximately 60 miles north of New York City, NY and 100 miles due south of Albany, the capital of New York State. The air national guard base encompasses 267 acres (107 ha) and contains 36 buildings, amounting to approximately 757,000 square feet (68,130 m²). There is no family or transient military housing, with military personnel residing outside of a 50 miles radius normally being billeted in nearby hotels and motels under military contract arrangements.

The day-to-day base population of Stewart ANGB is approximately 660 full-time personnel, comprised of both Air Reserve Technician (ART) and Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) personnel. This is further augmented on a daily basis by a fluctuating number of traditional part-time air national guardsmen. Because of the operational flying mission, most of the wing's personnel are funded for, and perform, additional military duty in either a drilling status or an active duty status far in excess of the typical ground-based reserve or national guard unit. One weekend each month, the wing's population surges to over 1,600 personnel in response to the monthly required Air National Guard unit training assembly (UTA) by nearly all of the wing's personnel.

Stewart ANGB is also host to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452), a unit of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, flying the KC-130T Hercules aircraft.

History

Major USAF Units Assigned (1950-1969)

* Air Defense Command: Headquarters, Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 Aug 1950 - 1 Jul 1960: 32d Air Division, 1 Sep 1950 - 1 Feb 1952: 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 Aug 1955-1 Aug 1959:: 330th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1952 - 1959 (F-80, F-86A/F/D/L):: 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1954 - 1955 (F-86D) :: 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1955 - 1958 (F-86D/L): 64th Air Division, 1 Jul 1960 - 1 Jul 1963: First Air Force, 1 Apr 1966-31 Dec 1969: 26th Air Division, 15 Jun 1964 - 1 Apr 1966

* 904th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Group (AFRES): 336th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Squadron, 15 Mar 1961 - 31 Dec 1969

Operational History

Origins

Stewart Airfield was named in honor of a Scottish-born sea captain, Lachlan Stewart, who skippered schooners, packets and other sailing vessels in the years 1850-1870. The original tract of land was donated by his son, Samuel L. Stewart, to the City of Newburgh in 1930 for use as a municipal airport. It was at this time that plans were being laid to establish a flying facility for the Air Corps detachment then stationed at the United States Military Academy.

Accordingly, on October 29, 1941, the Stewart Field lands were made part of West Point with the exchange of the city’s deed for a U.S. Treasury Department check in the amount of one dollar.

On August 25, 1942, Stewart Field was officially dedicated as the "Wings of West Point" when 245 West Point cadets began their basic flying instruction at the partially constructed post, which rapidly developed during the latter years of World War II.

During the war, the main AAF unit at Stewart was the 320th Army Air Force Base Unit. The airfield was under the command of the Air Education and Training Command.

Cold War

When the Air Force became a separate department in 1947, the base was turned over to the United States Air Force became part of Air Defense Command beginning in 1951. “Stony Lonesome,” as the area was once called, increased to about 1,500 acres and had a garrison strength of some 3,000 personnel.

Stewart Air Force Base was home to the 4603rd Air Base Group, which had the overall responsibility of maintaining and running the base. Assigned to the 4603rd was the 4713th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, flying B-57 Canberra aircraft. The pilots and electronic warfare officers of the 4713th tested the effectiveness of the NORAD (North American Air Defense Command) SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) system by substituting for an attacking enemy over Greenland, Alaska, the continental U.S. and its seaward approaches. The B-57s were equipped with well over a ton and a half of electronic countermeasures equipment used in attempting to jam NORAD’s various electronic defense systems.

Also headquartered at Stewart AFB was the 26th Air Division which was responsible for the aerospace defense of 6,000,000 square miles of North America, including 24 eastern states, Puerto Rico and Greenland. Stewart was also home to the First Air Force Reserve Region Headquarters, which was responsible for more than 10,000 reservists assigned to units in New York, New Jersey and the New England states.

In 1970 with the drawdown of the Aerospace Defense Command, the Air Force released Stewart back to civilian control. To the original 1,552-acre facility, the state of New York added an additional 8,600 acres, which was designated for future development as well as a 4.7-mile long noise buffer zone.

Stewart International Airport is the nation’s second largest airport in total area. The main runway is 12,000 feet long. New York Air National Guard interest in the base began in the late 1970s, leading to the stationing of the 105th Airlift Wing here in 1983 and a new base development project. Completion of Stewart’s new Guard facilities came about in late 1987.

In 1998, the United States Marine Corps became a tenant of the 105th with the establishment of Marine Air Refueler and transport squadron (VMGR) 452. The unit operates 14 KC-130T aircraft. The U.S. Military Academy also had a Army Sub-Post located at Stewart, but closed it in late 1999 after new, expanded facilities were constructed at West Point.

ee also

* New York World War II Army Airfields

References

* Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).

External Links