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Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona is one of the most active military bases in the United States. It is operated by the Air Force and located within the city limits of Tucson. The objective of this base is simple – it constantly trains professional pilots and prepares them for the eventuality of a potential war. The same pilots are also used in various humanitarian operations, depending on the situation.
History
The base is named in the memory of two different pilots who died in different accidents. They were both among the best pilots during World War I. Samuel H. Davis died in 1921, in Florida, while Oscar Monthan was killed in Hawaii, in 1924. Tucson saw its first airfield in 1919. It was owned and controlled by the municipality. As the area was glowing and the city was growing in population and popularity, the Air Force decided to purchase a little extra land and built the base in 1927. The first military activities began the same year. The base is one of the few in the world where both civilian and military air operations were held at the same time. The first customer of the base was Jimmy Doolittle, who was about to get the Medal of Honor years later, after playing a major role in the Tokyo attacks from 1942. Everything went well in the area until the beginning of the ’40s. The military operations required more and more civilian personnel and equipments while preparing for World War II.
As World War II began, there was no such thing as a civilian airport in the area. Everything was captured and run by the Air Force in a preparation for World War II. The first corps included multiple bombers. At the same time, the base was renamed to Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona. Although most airfields on the US territory were abusively used after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, this one was intensively used before the attacks as well. Over 20 bombardment groups joined, trained and left the base throughout World War II. After the war, the base activity was significantly reduced. Due to the climate and the soil, it was turned into a storage site.
Over the years, nothing spectacular happened. These days, the base is not just a storage site, but is also had a major role in the so called war against terrorism. It was involved in three different operations with a major success rate.
Units
Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona is the home of the 355-th Contracting Squadron. At the same time, it hosts 11 more divisions and subdivisions. Over the history, close to 50 other divisions came and left this camp.
Housing and facilities
The housing and facilities system is similar to any regular city. You have all the services you can think of, starting with a professional health care system and ending with a wide variety of entertainment ways and schools. You may opt for the privatized housing system or for the army based system. The privatized one is almost instant compared with the months you have to wait for a house given by the army.