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The (/ðə,ðiː/(listen)) is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. The is the most commonly used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words.^[1] It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender.^[a] The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers.

Pronunciation

In most dialects, 'the' is pronounced as /ðə/ (with the voiced dental fricative/ð/ followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as /ðiː/ (homophone of pronoun thee) when followed by a vowel sound or used as an emphatic form.^[2]

Modern American and New Zealand English have an increasing tendency to limit usage of /ðiː/ pronunciation and use /ðə/, even before a vowel.^[3][4]

Sometimes the word 'the' is pronounced /ðiː/, with stress, to emphasise that something is unique: 'he is the expert', not just 'an' expert in a field.

Adverbial

Definite article principles in English are described under 'Use of articles'. The, as in phrases like 'the more the better', has a distinct origin and etymology and by chance has evolved to be identical to the definite article.^[5]

Article

The and that are common developments from the same Old English system. Old English had a definite article se (in the masculine gender), sēo (feminine), and þæt (neuter). In Middle English, these had all merged into þe, the ancestor of the Modern English word the.^[6]

Geographic usage

An area in which the use or non-use of the is sometimes problematic is with geographic names:

• notable natural landmarks – rivers, seas, mountain ranges, deserts, island groups (archipelagoes) and so on – are generally used with a 'the' definite article (the Rhine, the North Sea, the Alps, the Sahara, the Hebrides).
• continents, individual islands, administrative units and settlements mostly do not take a 'the' article (Europe, Jura, Austria (but the Republic of Austria), Scandinavia, Yorkshire (but the County of York), Madrid).
• beginning with a common noun followed by of may take the article, as in the Isle of Wight or the Isle of Portland (compare Christmas Island), same applies to names of institutions: Cambridge University, but the University of Cambridge.
• Some place names include an article, such as the Bronx, The Oaks, The Rock, The Birches, The Harrow, The Rower, The Swan, The Valley, The Farrington, The Quarter, The Plains, The Dalles, The Forks, The Villages, The Woodlands, The Pas, the Vatican, The Hyde, the West End, the East End, The Hague, or the City of London (but London). Formerly e.g. Bath, Devizes or White Plains.^[7]
• generally described singular names, the North Island (New Zealand) or the West Country (England), take an article.

Countries and territorial regions are notably mixed, most exclude 'the' but there are some that adhere to secondary rules:

• derivations from collective common nouns such as 'kingdom', 'republic', 'union', etc.: the Central African Republic, the Dominican Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United Arab Emirates, including most country full names:^[8][9]the Czech Republic (but Czechia), the Russian Federation (but Russia), the Principality of Monaco (but Monaco), the State of Israel (but Israel) and the Commonwealth of Australia (but Australia).^[10][11][12]
• countries in a plural noun: the Netherlands, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Philippines, the Comoros, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and The Bahamas.
• Singular derivations from 'island' or 'land' that hold administrative rights – Greenland, England, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island – do not take a 'the' definite article.
• derivations from mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, etc., are sometimes used with an article, even for singular, (the Lebanon, the Sudan, the Yukon, the Congo).^[13] This usage is in decline, The Gambia remains recommended whereas use of the Argentine for Argentina is considered old-fashioned. Ukraine is occasionally referred to as the Ukraine, a usage that was common during the 20th Century, possibly originating with Ukrainian immigrant scholars not fluent in English referring to the country as so.^[14]Sudan (but the Republic of the Sudan) and South Sudan (but the Republic of South Sudan) are written nowadays without the article.

Abbreviations

Since 'the' is one of the most frequently used words in English, at various times short abbreviations for it have been found:

• Barred thorn: the earliest abbreviation, it is used in manuscripts in the Old English language. It is the letter þ with a bold horizontal stroke through the ascender, and it represents the word þæt, meaning 'the' or 'that' (neuter nom. / acc.).
• þͤ and þͭ (þ with a superscript e or t) appear in Middle English manuscripts for 'þe' and 'þat' respectively.
• yͤ and yͭ are developed from þͤ and þͭ and appear in Early Modern manuscripts and in print (see Ye form).

Occasional proposals have been made by individuals for an abbreviation. In 1916, Legros & Grant included in their classic printers' handbook Typographical Printing-Surfaces, a proposal for a letter similar to Ħ to represent 'Th', thus abbreviating 'the' to ħe.^[15]

In Middle English, the (þe) was frequently abbreviated as a þ with a small e above it, similar to the abbreviation for that, which was a þ with a small t above it. During the latter Middle English and Early Modern English periods, the letter thorn (þ) in its common script, or cursive form, came to resemble a y shape. As a result, the use of a y with an e above it () as an abbreviation became common. This can still be seen in reprints of the 1611 edition of the King James Version of the Bible in places such as Romans 15:29, or in the Mayflower Compact. Historically, the article was never pronounced with a y sound, even when so written.

The word 'The' itself, capitalised, is used as an abbreviation in Commonwealth countries for the honorific title 'The Right Honourable', as in e.g. 'The Earl Mountbatten of Burma', short for 'The Right Honourable Earl Mountbatten of Burma', or 'The Prince Charles'.^[16]

References

1. ^Norvig, Peter. 'English Letter Frequency Counts: Mayzner Revisited'.
2. ^'the – definition'. Merriam Webster Online Dictionary.
3. ^Ladefoged, Peter; Johnson, Keith (2010). A Course in Phonetics (6th ed.). Boston: Wadsworth. p. 110.
4. ^Hay, Jennifer (2008). New Zealand English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 44.
5. ^'the, adv.1.' OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2016. Web. 11 March 2016.
6. ^'The and That Etymologies'. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
7. ^Why is it called The Hague?
8. ^Countries: Designations and abbreviations to use
9. ^'FAO Country Profiles'. www.fao.org.
10. ^Using ‘the’ with the Names of Countries
11. ^List of Countries, Territories and Currencies
12. ^UNGEGN World Geographical Names
13. ^Swan, Michael How English Works, p. 25
14. ^Ukraine or 'the Ukraine'? by Andrew Gregorovich, infoukes.com
15. ^Missed Opportunity for Ligatures
16. ^'The Prefix 'The'. In Titles and Forms of Address, 21st ed., pp. 8–9. A & C Black, London, 2002.

Notes

Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAALID: VPS) is a United States Air Force base in the western FloridaPanhandle, located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.

The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing).^[2][3] The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Command and Control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems.

Eglin AFB was established 86 years ago in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It is named in honor of Lt. Col.Frederick I. Eglin(1891–1937), who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 attack aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Alabama.

History[edit]

Creation and World War II[edit]

Much of the base was part of a National Forest until the outbreak of war in Europe when a proving ground for aircraft armament was established at Eglin. The U.S. Forest Service ceded over 340,000 acres of the Choctawhatchee National Forest to the War Department on 18 October 1940.

Eglin Air Force Base evolved from the 1933 creation of the Valparaiso Airport, when an arrowhead-shaped parcel of 137 acres (0.55 km²) was cleared for use as an airdrome.^[4]

In 1931, personnel of the Air Corps Tactical School, newly relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama, sought a location for a bombing and gunnery range. They saw the potential of the sparsely populated forested areas surrounding Valparaiso and the vast expanse of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico.

From October 1941 to October 1945, an AAF Fixed Gunnery School operated at the base, supervised by the 75th Flying Training Wing.

At its peak during World War II, the base employed more than 1,000 officers, 10,000 enlisted personnel and 4,000 civilians.^[5]

Postwar[edit]

After the war, Eglin became a pioneer in developing the techniques for missile launching and handling; and the development of drone or pilotless aircraft beginning with the Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon, an American copy of the V-1. The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group was activated at Eglin Field, Florida, on 6 February 1946, operating out of Auxiliary Field 3. By March 1950, the 550th Guided Missiles Wing, comprising the 1st and 2nd Guided Missile Squadrons, had replaced the 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group. The 2nd Guided Missile Squadron, SSM, had 62 pilots manning 14 B-17s, three B-29s, and four F-80 Shooting Stars, yellow-tailed drone aircraft used in the role of testing guided missiles.

In December 1955, the Air Munitions Development Laboratory was reassigned from the Wright Air Development Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to the Air Force Armament Center at Eglin by Headquarters Air Research and Development Command. The responsibility for development of guns, bombs, rockets, fuses, guided missile warheads and other related equipment in the armament field was transferred from the Dayton, Ohio facility at this time. Work on nuclear weapons was not included in this mission.^[6]

1960s[edit]

The USAF Special Air Warfare Center was activated 27 April 1962,^[7] with the 1st Combat Applications Group (CAG) organized as a combat systems development and test agency under the SAWC. The 1st CAG concentrated on testing and evaluation of primarily short-term projects which might improve Air Force counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. The Special Air Warfare Center, located at Hurlburt Field, undertook to develop tactical air doctrine while training crews for special air warfare in places like Southeast Asia. By mid-1963, SAW groups were in Vietnam and Panama.^[8]

The USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center was activated on 1 November 1963. It would be re-designated as the USAF Air Warfare Center on 1 October 1991.^[9]

With the increasing U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s, the need for increased emphasis on conventional weapons development made Eglin's mission even more important. On 1 August 1968, the Air Proving Ground Center was redesignated the Armament Development and Test Center to centralize responsibility for research, development, test and evaluation, and initial acquisition of non-nuclear munitions for the Air Force. On 1 October 1979, the center was given division status. The Armament Division, redesignated Munitions Systems Division on 15 March 1989, placed into production the precision-guided munitions for the laser, television, and infrared guided bombs; two anti-armor weapon systems; and an improved hard target weapon, the GBU-28, used in Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War. The Division was also responsible for developing the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), an Air Force-led joint project with the U.S. Navy.

Late Cold War era[edit]

The Air Force Armament Museum was founded on base in 1975. In 1981 the original building housing the museum was condemned and the facility closed until 1984.

Selected on 27 April 1975, the installation served as one of four main U.S. Vietnamese Refugee Processing Centers operated by the Interagency Task Force for Indochina Refugees, where base personnel housed and processed more than 10,000 Southeast Asian refugees, the first 374 of which arrived on board a Northwest Orient Boeing 747 on 4 May 1975.^[10]

In 1978, the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center assumed responsibility for the USAF Air Ground Operations School. In the same year, the Electronic Warfare Evaluation Program became another one of the USAFTAWC's weapons system evaluation programs, and resulted in the activation of the 4487th Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron in 1990.^[9]

Construction began in 1984 on the Bob Hope Village, the only retirement facility that caters to enlisted military, opening in February 1985. Residents pay below market value for the 256 independent apartments. Col. Bob Gates, Bob Hope's USO pilot, was key in getting the comedian's support for the undertaking, as well as lending his name to the project. He was named an honorary board member of the foundation in 1978 and held benefit concerts for nearly two decades.^[11][12]

Post Cold War[edit]

During a 1992 reorganization, the Air Force disestablished Eglin's parent major command, Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) and merged its functions with the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC). The newly created major command from this merger, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), remains Eglin's parent command to this day. The Development Test Center, Eglin's host unit, became part of AFMC on 30 June 1992.^[13] The 46th Test Wing replaced the 3246th Test Wing in October 1992.

On 10 August 1994 construction began on the All Conflicts' Veterans War Memorial on the site of the old POW/MIA memorial on the western end of Eglin Boulevard. The memorial was dedicated on 15 August 1995.^[14]

As part of the military drawdown in the 1990s, the Air Force inactivated the 33d Fighter Wing's 59th Fighter Squadron on 15 April 1999. The wing lost six aircraft and consolidated the remaining aircraft into the 58th and 60th Fighter Squadrons. Originally selected for inactivation in 1997, Air Force officials delayed the decision in recognition of the Nomads' connection with Khobar Towers. The 59th reactivated as the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron on 3 December 2004, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 59th falls under the 53rd Test Management Group at Eglin.^[15]

In July 2012 the Air Armament Center (AAC) was inactivated. The center had planned, directed and conducted test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and commanded and controlled systems. It operated two Air Force installations, providing host support not only to Eglin, but also Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. It had included the Armament Product Directorate (Eglin AFB, FL), the 46th Test Wing (Eglin AFB, FL), the 96th Air Base Wing (Eglin AFB, FL), and the 377th Air Base Wing (Kirtland AFB, NM).

The US Navy's VFA-101 'Grim Reapers' deactivated on 23 May 2019 after seven years of F-35C training.^[16]

Base railroad[edit]

Initial construction of a railroad line into the region had been discussed as early as 1927 as part of the Choctawhatchee and Northern Railroad, though military-use proposals didn't come forward until 1941. German POWs were used in clearing and grading the alignment during World War II. There was one commercial customer served by the line, a lumber pulp yard at Niceville which is now community athletic fields. The line was later abandoned in the late 1970s and the southern end, west of State Road 285, lifted by the mid-1980s.

Role and operations[edit]

Eglin is an Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) base serving as the focal point for all Air Force armaments. Eglin is responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment and sustainment of all air-delivered non-nuclear weapons.

The base plans, directs, and conducts test and evaluation of U.S. and allied air armament, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems.

Severe-weather testing of aircraft and other equipment is carried out here at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory.

The residential portion of the base is a census-designated place; its population was 8,082 at the 2000 census. Eglin Air Force Base had 2,359 military family housing units. Unmarried junior enlisted members generally live in one of Eglin's seven dormitories located near the dining hall, chapel, base gym, enlisted club, and bus lines on base. Each individual unit generally handles dormitory assignments. Bachelor officer quarters are not available. Several units and one dormitory were being renovated in 2011. The base covers 463,128 acres (1,874.2 km² / 723.6 sqm).^[17]

Major units[edit]

96th Test Wing (96 TW)[edit]

The 96 TW is the test and evaluation wing for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Command and Control (C2) systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems. The Eglin Gulf Test Range provides approximately 340,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) of over water airspace. The 96 TW supports other tenant units on the installation with traditional military services as well as all the services of a small city, to include civil engineering, personnel, logistics, communications, computer, medical, security. The 96 TW reports to the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB.

33d Fighter Wing (33 FW)[edit]

The 33d FW 'Nomads' is the largest tenant unit at Eglin. The 33 FW is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II, organized under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force. First established as the 33d Pursuit Group, the wing's contribution to tactical airpower during its 50-year history has been significant with participation in campaigns around the world, while flying various fighter aircraft. Reactivated at Eglin on 1 April 1965 with F-4C Phantom IIs, the wing operated, successively, F-4D and E models into the 1970s before transitioning to the F-15 Eagle. As of 1 October 2009, the 33d FW transitioned to a training wing for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The final F-15s assigned to the 33d departed the base in September 2009.^[18] As the first of its kind in the Department of Defense, the joint wing is responsible for F-35 JSF pilot and maintainer training for the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. The first of 59 F-35s arrived from Fort Worth, Texas on 14 July 2011.^[19]

58th Fighter Squadron[edit]

The 58th FS 'Mighty Gorillas' are authorized to operate 24 assigned F-35A aircraft, planning and executing a training curriculum in support of Air Force and international partner pilot training requirements. The F-35A is a conventional-takeoff-and-landing low-observable multi-role fighter aircraft, designed with 5th-generation sensors and weapons, and is able to perform air superiority, air interdiction and close air support missions. The F-35A made its first flight on 15 December 2006.

53d Wing (53 WG)[edit]

The 53 WG is headquartered at Eglin and serves as the Air Force's focal point for operational test and evaluation of armament and avionics, aircrew training devices, chemical defense, aerial reconnaissance improvements, electronic warfare systems, and is responsible for the QF-4 Phantom II Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) program and subscale drone programs (located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida). The wing tests every fighter, bomber, unmanned aerial vehicle, and associated weapon system in the Air Force inventory. The wing reports to the USAF Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) to Headquarters, Air Combat Command (ACC).

49th Test and Evaluation Squadron[edit]

Squadron attached to the 53d Wing but located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The squadron plans, executes and reports ACC's weapon system evaluation programs for bombers (B-52, B-1 and B-2) and nuclear-capable fighters (F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16). These evaluations include operational effectiveness and suitability, command and control, performance of aircraft hardware and software systems, employment tactics, and accuracy and reliability of associated precision weapons. These weapons include air-launched cruise missiles, standoff missiles, and gravity bombs. Results and conclusions support acquisition decisions and development of war plans. The unit also performs operational testing on new systems and tactics development for the B-52.

Armament Directorate[edit]

The Armament Directorate, located at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is responsible for management of air and ground dominance weapon system programs. Led by the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons, the directorate concurrently reports to the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW)[edit]

AFRL/RW develops, demonstrates, and transitions science and technology for air-launched munitions for defeating ground fixed, mobile/relocatable, air and space targets to assure pre-eminence of U.S. air and space forces. The directorate conducts basic research, exploratory development, and advanced development and demonstrations. It also participates in programs focused on technology transfer, dual-use technology and small business development.

7th Special Forces Group (7th SFG)[edit]

In 2011, the United States Army's 7th Special Forces Group relocated to a newly constructed cantonment on the Eglin Air Force Base reservation from Fort Bragg, as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round realigning Fort Bragg. It is tasked with conducting special operations in Latin America.

Tenant units[edit]

Tenant units at an Air Force installation are units which have a mission that is significantly different than that of the host unit, and rely heavily upon the host unit for day-to-day operations (sewer, power, security, recreation).

6th Ranger Training Battalion (6th RTB)[edit]

Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field No. 6 (Biancur Field) is the site of Camp James E. Rudder and the home of the U.S. Army's 6th Ranger Training Battalion. The 6th RTB conducts the final phase of the U.S. Army Ranger Course. The entire course is 61 days long and is divided into three phases. Each phase is conducted at different geographical and environmental locations.

20th Space Control Squadron (20 SPCS)[edit]

Dating Site For Women In Zephyrhills Fl

The mission of the 20 SPCS is to detect, track, identify, and report near earth and deep space objects in earth's orbit, and provide space object identification data in support of United States Space Command's space control mission. A unit of the United States Space Force (USSF), the men and women of the 20th SPCS operate and maintain the AN/FPS-85 radar, the Space Force's only phased-array radar dedicated to tracking earth-orbiting objects.

323 Squadron RNLAF[edit]

Royal Netherlands Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation squadron, operates 2 F-35A

486th Flight Test Squadron (486th FLTS)[edit]

This unit, which is apparently not a test squadron at all, operates Boeing C-32Bs in discrete missions for the United States Department of State's Foreign Emergency Support Team.

919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW)[edit]

The 919 SOW, located about five miles (8 kilometers) south of Crestview and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Eglin main at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field No. 3 (Duke Field) and is the only special operations wing in the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). In wartime or a contingency, the 919 SOW reports to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) at Hurlburt Field, Florida, its gaining major command.

AFOTEC Det 2[edit]

The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center stood up Detachment 2 at Eglin to provide realistic operational testing for new and modified weapon systems.

Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)[edit]

The Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD) is a Navy-managed command, jointly staffed by Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps personnel. NAVSCOLEOD opened its new consolidated training facility in April 1999.

Joint Deployable Analysis Team (JDAT)[edit]

Directorate of the Joint Staff, JDAT conducts field analysis of C2 information systems and procedures producing decision-quality data to improve Joint C2 integration and interoperability.^[20]

Scheduled airline service[edit]

Eglin is also one of the few military air bases in the U.S. to have scheduled passenger airline service as the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is co-located on the base property.

Based units[edit]

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Eglin Air Force Base.^[21][22]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Eglin, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

For units permanently based at Eglin's auxiliary airfields, see the airfield's respective page (Biancur Field, Duke Field and Hurlburt Field).

United States Air Force[edit]

Previous names[edit]

• Established as Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base, 14 June 1935

(spelling changed on 1 February 1937 from 'Valparaiso' to 'Valpariso' and on 1 March 1937 back to 'Valparaiso')

• Eglin Field, 4 August 1937
• Eglin Field Military Reservation, 1 October 1940
• Eglin Field, 28 December 1944
• Eglin Air Force Base, 24 June 1948–present

Major commands to which assigned[edit]

• Air Corps Training Center, 9 June 1935 – 27 August 1940
• Southeast Air Corps Training Center, 27 August 1940 – 1 April 1942

Also assigned to Commanding General, Fourth Corps Area, United States Army, June 1941-1 April 1942

• Chief of the Army Air Corps (Direct subordination), 19 May 1941 – 1 April 1942
• AAF Proving Ground Command**, 1 April 1942 – 1 June 1945
• AAF Center, 1 June 1945

Re-designated: AAF Proving Ground Command, 8 March 1946

Re-designated: Air Proving Ground Command, 10 July 1946 – 20 January 1948

• Air Materiel Command, 20 January 1948 – 1 June 1948
• Air Proving Ground, 1 June 1948

Re-designated: Air Proving Ground Command, 20 December 1951 – 1 December 1957

• Air Research and Development Command, 1 December 1957

Re-designated: Air Force Systems Command, 1 April 1961 – 1 July 1992

• Air Force Materiel Command, 1 July 1992–present

** Discontinued 8 March 1946. Not related to later AAF Proving Ground Command^[23]

Major units assigned[edit]

Eglin auxiliary fields[edit]

A number of auxiliary fields were constructed on the Eglin reservation during World War II, many of which are still in service in various roles, either in support of flight operations or special test activities.

• Auxiliary Field 1 (Wagner Field)

Work on Auxiliary Field 1 began 27 November 1940.^[24] Auxiliary Field 1 is named Wagner Field for Maj. Walter J. Wagner, former commanding officer for the 1st Proving Ground, Eglin Field, who was killed 19 October 1943 in the crash of a Douglas XA-26B, s/n 41-19588,^[25] 9 miles east of Eglin Field, Valpariso, FL. Much of the Doolittle Raid and Operation Credible Sport training took place here. The U.S. Navy used the field as an auxiliary facility for pilot training out of Whiting Field for a time, dating from early 1960.^[26] A proposal by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to build a multi-million dollar research installation for testing rocket fuels and components at Field 1 in early 1960 was dropped in mid-February, the chief reason for consideration being abandoned 'was the possibility the military would have other uses for the field in the near future.'^[27] It is also known as Site C-5. Range C-72 extends SE from Wagner Field.

• Auxiliary Field 2 (Pierce Field)

Auxiliary Field 2 is named Pierce Field for Lt. Col. George E. Pierce, killed 19 October 1942 while piloting a North American B-25C-1 Mitchell which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) S of Destin, Florida.^[28]Joe Baugher cites date of 19 October 1942 for loss.^[29] It is also known as Site C-3. Between November 1966 and 1970, it was the site of the 560th Civil Engineering Squadron, also known as the Civil Engineering Field Activities Center, for the training of RED HORSE personnel.

• Auxiliary Field 3 (Duke Field)

Auxiliary Field 3 is named Duke Field for 1st Lt Robert L. Duke, killed in the crash of a Curtiss A-25A-20-CS Shrike near Spencer, Tennessee, on 29 December 1943. He was assigned as Assistant A-3 of Eglin Field.^[30] Used as the set for the fictional 918th Bomb Group in the 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High. Field 3 was long-associated with drone operations of the 3200th and 3205th Drone Groups. Aircraft were 'sanitized' (stripped of all identification) here for the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba.

• Auxiliary Field 4 (Peel Field)

Auxiliary Field 4 is named Peel Field for 2nd Lt. Garland O. Peel Jr., who died in the take-off crash of a Martin B-12AM^[28] of the 387th School Squadron, 2 January 1942, when he suffered engine failure.^[31] He was a gunnery school instructor at Eglin.^[32] Peel Field was utilized for the filming of scenes for the 1944 film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.^[33] Wartime temporary housing for NCOs located here was razed in the 1960s. In the early 1960s, while in a moribund state, one of the runways was used as an unofficial auto drag strip by local civilians. The ramp of the non-flight-rated facility now serves as a vehicle park for aircraft and armor after being expended as targets on the Eglin ranges.

• Auxiliary Field 5 (Piccolo Field)

Auxiliary Field 5 is named Piccolo Field for Capt. Anthony D. Piccolo, who died in the crash of a North American AT-6A-NT Texan^[34] on 6 October 1942. Piccolo was the commanding officer of the 386th Single Engine Gunnery Training Squadron at Eglin. Today, the area is due north of Field Four and serves as a microwave station. A 60-foot radar antenna was installed here in April 1961. On most base maps, it is identified as Site C-4.^[32]Doolittle Raid training was conducted here.

• Auxiliary Field 6 (Biancur Field)

Auxiliary Field 6 is named Biancur Field for 1st Lt. Andrew Biancur, a test pilot of the Medium Bombardment Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, killed 8 January 1944 in the crash of a Northrop YP-61-NO Black Widow at Eglin Field. The U.S. Army Ranger facility Camp Rudder is located here. It is designated Site B-6. The X-43A-LS low-speed demonstrator underwent testing out of Auxiliary Field 6 in November 2003.^[35]

• Auxiliary Field 7 (Epler Field)

Auxiliary Field 7 is named Epler Field for Col. Robin E. Epler, deputy commander (Technical) of the Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida, killed 28 January 1944 in the crash of a Douglas A-20G-10-DO Havoc one-mile (1.6 km) NE of Crestview, Florida. It is designated Site B-12.

• Auxiliary Field 8 (Baldsiefen Field)

Auxiliary Field 8 is named Baldsiefen Field for 2nd Lt. Richard Edward Baldsiefen, a gunnery instructor at Eglin, killed 4 March 1942 along with Lt. John W. Smith, in the crash of a North American AT-6A-NA Texan^[34] which came down at Auxiliary Field 4.^[36] It is designated Site C-52C.

• Auxiliary Field 9 (Hurlburt Field)

Auxiliary Field 9 is named Hurlburt Field for Lt. Donald Wilson Hurlburt, killed 1 October 1943 when his Lockheed AT-18-LO Hudson gunnery trainer^[37] crashed during take-off at Eglin. After flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress combat missions from Great Britain and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Hurlburt was assigned in mid-1943 to the First Proving Ground Electronics Test Unit at Eglin Field. Field 9 was named in his honor by base commander General Grandison Gardner. Hurlburt's nephew was Captain Craig D. Button (noted for his mysterious flight and crash of an A-10 Thunderbolt on 2 April 1997). An official history of Eglin AFB's early years cites 2 October 1943 as the date of this accident.^[38]

• Auxiliary Field 10 (Dillon Field)

Auxiliary Field 10 is the westernmost of the wartime Eglin airfields, located in Santa Rosa County, and is named Dillon Field for Capt. Barclay H. Dillon, test pilot of the Fighter Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, killed 2 October 1943 when his Lockheed P-38J-5-LO Lightning crashed 13 kilometres (8 mi) W of Milton, Florida.^[28] Field 10 was later named Eglin Dillon Airdrome.^[38] Now used primarily for U.S. Navy basic flight training, the Navy refers to it as Naval Outlying Landing Field Choctaw (NOLF).^[32] It is also used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle [UAV] training,^[39] and it is expected that F-35 Lightning IIs assigned to the 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base will utilize NOLF Choctaw for training.^[40]

• Auxiliary Field 11 is an unconfirmed name for a RED HORSE unsurfaced east–west airstrip that shows up on Google Earth in Walton County.
• The Santa Rosa Island Range Complex is part of the Eglin overwater range that provides 86,500 square miles of overwater airspace that is jointly used for a variety of test and evaluation activities and training exercises.

Demographics[edit]

Eglin employs more than 8,500 civilians and approximately 4,500 military, with an additional 2,200 jobs due to move to Eglin under the 2005 BRAC.

As of the census^[41] of 2000, there were 8,082 people, 2,302 households, and 2,262 families residing on the base. The population density was 2,640.1 people per square mile (1,019.8/km²). There were 2,320 housing units at an average density of 757.9/sq mi (292.7/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 71.8% White, 14.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 4.2% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.

There were 2,302 households, out of which 79.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.8% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 1.7% were non-families. 1.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.50 and the average family size was 3.51.

On the base the population was spread out, with 43.5% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 39.6% from 25 to 44, 1.6% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males.

The median income for a household on the base was $31,951, and the median income for a family was $31,859. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $19,176 for females. The per capita income for the base was $10,670. About 4.5% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older.

National historic status[edit]

There are two U.S. National Historic Landmark Districts with connections to the base: Camp Pinchot and Eglin Field.

On 6 October 1997, the McKinley Climatic Laboratory was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Notable residents[edit]

• Author Hunter S Thompson was stationed on Eglin from 1956 until 1958 during his enlistment with the Air Force.
• Infielder Jay Bell was born in the base hospital in 1965.
• NASCAR Cup Series driver Aric Almirola was born in Eglin in 1984.

Eglin AFB in pop culture[edit]

• Movies that have been filmed in part at Eglin Air Force Base or its outlying auxiliary airfields, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo in 1944, Twelve O' Clock High in 1949, On the Threshold of Space in 1955 and Search for Paradise in 1956.^[42]
• Thirteen airmen assigned to the 48th Recovery Squadron played a part in the James Bond movie Thunderball. The airmen, all highly skilled paratroopers, assisted in a sky diving scene filmed in Miami Beach. They jumped out of an HC-97 in Biscayne Bay at an altitude of 1,500 feet. A quote from TSgt Lewis Roberts said, 'We played the good guys and were helping James Bond destroy the villains who were about to blow up the East Coast.'^[43]
• Several Tom Clancy novels refer to 'raking the sand traps on the officers' golf course' at Eglin as a common activity for low-security prisoners at the associated Federal Prison Camp, Eglin, now closed.
• F-15 Eagles from Eglin's 33rd Fighter Wing, 59th Fighter Squadron, were used in the filming of the 1997 movie Air Force One.^[44]
• Eglin AFB appears as the default airport in the simulation software Prepar3D.

Environment[edit]

Flora and fauna[edit]

The forests and shores of Eglin Air Force Base are at the center of one of the most biodiverse locations in North America. Over 50 species threatened in Florida are found on the base, including sea turtles that nest on its white-sand beaches and red-cockaded woodpeckers that thrive in its longleaf pine forests. The base has a natural resources management team that constantly monitors important species within the base with the goal of balancing their national defense mission with environmental stewardship.^[45] Longleaf pine forest, a forest type reduced to 5% of its former range in the last few centuries, covers 200,000 acres (810 km²) of the base. Part of this forest, 6,795 acres (27.50 km²), is old growth, making the base home to one of the most extensive old-growth longleaf pine forests in the world.^[46]

Climate[edit]

Warm, subtropical weather lasts longer than the average summer. The annual precipitation ranges from 25 to 60 inches (640 to 1,520 mm). Year-round, the average temperatures run:

January – March: 60–69 High and 42–51 Low
April – June: 76–88 High and 58–72 Low
July – September: 86–98 High and 70–77 Low
October – December: 63–79 High and 44–69 Low

The area gets only 50 to 60 days of annual precipitation or more rainfall. There are few days without sunshine, which allows year-round outdoor activities.

Noise[edit]

Dating Site For Women In Zephyrhills Florida

In order to deal with the high noise levels of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, officials from Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties are studying which homes, businesses and public buildings will require additional noise protection.^[47]

Civil rocketry[edit]

Eglin Air Force Base was also a launch site for civil rockets of NASA. There are three launch pads: one at 29.6700 N, 85.3700 W at Cape San Blas; and two on Santa Rosa Island at 30.3800 N, 86.7400 W and 30.3800 N, 86.8170 W. Rockets launched here have included Arcas, Nike Cajun, Nike Apaches, and Nike Iroquois.^[48] This site was formerly operated by the 4751st ADMS with CIM-10 Bomarcs, which inactivated in 1979. In the 1940s, captured V-1 flying bombs and American copies, Republic-Ford JB-2 LOONs, were launched out over the Gulf of Mexico from these sites. Two concrete launch ramps were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. A rusting Loon launch ramp still exists at Auxiliary Field 1, Wagner Field.

Eglin is known to have been used for 441 launches from 1959 to 1980, reaching up to 686 kilometers altitude.^[49]

See also[edit]

• Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport – co-located with Eglin AFB

Notes[edit]

1. ^'Airport Diagram – Eglin AFB (KVPS)'(PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
2. ^'Eglin missions remain, but under new names'. Eglin Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
3. ^'96th Test Wing Fact Sheet'. Eglin Air Force Base. 96th Test Wing Public Affairs Office. March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
4. ^Angell, p. 46D.
5. ^Hutchinson, Leonard Patrick, 'History of the Playground Area of Northwest Florida', Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, Florida, 1st ed., 1961, no Library of Congress card number, no ISBN, p. 84.
6. ^Special, 'From Dayton, Ohio – Munitions Lab Is Transferred to Eglin AFAC', Playground News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 15 December 1955, Vol. 9, No. 97, p. 1.
7. ^Mueller, Robert, 'Air Force Bases Vol. 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982', United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, ISBN0-912799-53-6, p. 136.
8. ^Wolk, Herman S., 'USAF Plans and Policies R&D for Southeast Asia 1965–1967,' Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., June 1969, pp. 3–4,
9. ^ ^abEglin Air Force Base – Fact Sheet (Printable) : HISTORY OF THE 53RD WINGArchived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
10. ^Braxton, Sheila, 'Refugees Arrive; 514 Due in Today', Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Monday 5 May 1975, Volume 30, Number 75, page 1A.
11. ^Moore, Mona, '25 years of Hope: Village's annual luau will honor Col. Bob Gates, pilot for comedian Bob Hope', Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 29 May 2010.
12. ^25 years of Hope: Village's annual luau will honor Col. Bob Gates, pilot for comedian Bob Hope Government > Government Bodies & Offices from. AllBusiness.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.^{[dead link]}
13. ^Wenzel, Tracy, Daily News Staff Writer, 'Eglin host unit is reorganized', Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 1 July 1992, Vol. 47, No. 146, p. 1B.
14. ^Factsheets : Historical Eglin events in AugustArchived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
15. ^Reorganization, technology, triumphs and tragedies: Eglin in the '90s eglin, tragedies, 90s – News. TheDestinLog.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011. Archived 16 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
16. ^'Strike Fighter Squadron 101 Deactivates'. US Navy. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
17. ^'Organization Facilities'. Airman the Book. United States Air Force. L (1). Winter 2006. Archived from the original on 20 March 2006.
18. ^Franks, Staff Sgt. Bryan, 33d Fighter Wing Public Affairs, 'First of the F-15C Eagles fly away', The Eglin Dispatch, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 11 June 2008, Vol. 2, No. 28, p. 2.
19. ^First F-35 arrives at Eglin Air Force Base eglin, first, afb – Northwest Florida Daily NewsArchived 16 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Nwfdailynews.com (14 July 2011). Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
20. ^'Jdat'. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
21. ^'Units'. Eglin Air Force Base. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
22. ^'Aircraft and Squadrons of the US Air Force'. United States Air Force Air Power Review 2018. Key Publishing: 74, 80, 88, 90, 92. 2018.
23. ^'AFHRA Air Proving Ground Command'. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012.
24. ^History of Eglin Air Force Base. Air Armament Center Office of History Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
25. ^[1]. AviationArchaeology.com. Retrieved on 26 November 2016.
26. ^Crestview, Florida, 'Navy Will Start Using Field 1 at Eglin AFB Soon', The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 11 February 1960, Volume 46, Number 6, page B-4.
27. ^Crestview, Florida, 'Area Loses Proposed Projects – Rocket Facility East And Navy Auxiliary Jet Field West Cancelled', The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 18 February 1960, Volume 46, Number 7, page A-1.
28. ^ ^abcUSAAF/USAF Accidents for FloridaArchived 7 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
29. ^1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-6722 to 41-13296). joebaugher.com. 27 August 2011
30. ^Angell, p. 111.
31. ^January 1942 USAAF Accident Reports. Aviationarchaeology.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
32. ^ ^abcFactsheets : Eglin Air Force Base HistoryArchived 27 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Eglin.af.mil. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
33. ^Eglin in the movies. (PDF) . Retrieved on 31 October 2011. Archived 15 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
34. ^ ^abUSAAF/USAF Accidents for Florida. Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
35. ^NASA.gov. Researchernews.larc.nasa.gov. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
36. ^Crestview, Florida, 'Two Eglin Field Flyers Die in Crash Wednesday', Okaloosa News-Journal, 6 March 1942, Vol. 28, No. 7, p. 1.
37. ^USAAF/USAF Accidents for Florida. Accident-Report.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.
38. ^ ^abAngell, p. 105.
39. ^Section 16 – Eglin Air Force Base Joint Land Use StudyArchived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. webgis.co.okaloosa.fl.us
40. ^Master Sergeant Russell P. Petcoff (29 July 2010). 'Eglin chosen as preferred alternative F-35 base'. Eglin.af.mil. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
41. ^'U.S. Census website'. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
42. ^'Crew Is Shooting Cinerama Movie at Eglin APGC,' Playground News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 25 October 1956, p. 1.
43. ^'Thirteen Eglin Airmen Featured in Bond Movie,' Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 21 July 1965, p. 3.
44. ^'Local crew called on to defend 'Air Force One (film),' Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 13 July 1997, p. 1B.
45. ^Tech. Sgt. Mark Kinkade (August 2004). 'Eglin's Other World'. Airman Magazine of America's Airforce. Archived from the original on 19 March 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
46. ^Mary Byrd Davis (23 January 2008). 'Old Growth in the East: A Survey. Florida'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 February 2009.
47. ^'Counties to study reducing F-35 noise'Freedom Communications, 4 November 2010 Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
48. ^'Eglin'. Encyclopedia Astronautica. Mark Wade.
49. ^Eglin. Astronautix.com. Retrieved on 31 October 2011.

References[edit]

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: 'Eglin Air Force Base'.
• Angell, Joseph W., 'History of the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command – Part One – Historical Outline 1933–1944', The Historical Branch, Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida, 1944, reprint by Office of History, Munitions Systems Division, Eglin AFB, Florida, 1989
• Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978) Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Vol. 1, Post-World War Two Fighters, 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN0-912799-59-5
• Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988) Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1988, ISBN0-16-002260-6
• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN0-912799-02-1).
• Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
• This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: 'Airman magazine online, Organization facilities list'.
• Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
• Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
• Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
• Pfau, Richard A., and Greenhalgh Jr., William H., 'The Air Force in Southeast Asia: The B-57G Tropic Moon III 1967–1972', Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1978
• * This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: 'Eglin Air Force Base Tenant Joint Staff'.

External links[edit]

• ElginLife.com – 96th Force Support Squadron
• The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Hangar No. 1)
• The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Storehouse & Company Administration)
• The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Motor Repair Shop)
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAA airport information for VPS
  • AirNav airport information for KVPS
  • ASN accident history for VPS
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KVPS