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Although it is relatively new compared to many US military facilities built prior to World War I, NAS Fallon is the first military base dealing with both air to ground and air to air military operations. It is located pretty close to Fallon, in the western part of the state. It is spread over 84000 acres, containing training fields for both ground and air sessions, not to mention about the bombing ranches. It is also the place where TOPGUN is located. Civilians only know TOPGUN from the famous movie starring Tom Cruise. For a military soldier, TOPGUN is equal to the Naval Fighter Weapons School. It is hosted on site since 1966. The base has an unofficial name too – Van Voorhis Field, in the memory of Bruce Van Voorhis, who was decorated with the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. He was killed in 1943, at 38 years old. He was awarded with the medal after his death.
History
The history of this base starts with a small airfield that was opened in 1942. It was a defensive measure taken by the United States of America against a potential invasion from Japan. Soon after it was opened, the place was taken over by the US Navy. It was used for training sessions since then, except for a 5 years break between 1946 and 1951. During these years, the base was operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Although the naval air station was useful during all the conflicts of the United States of America, it was never “worked on” until 1972. The first day of the year came with a huge plan to improve and upgrade the facility. It was the time when the US Navy finally realized the importance of this base, not to mention about its strategic location. By the end of the 20-th century, NAS Fallon Nevada could brag with one permanent unit only – the Desert Bogeys. The Desert Bogeys used this place as a home from 1987 until 1996.
TOPGUN was relocated to the base in 1996, following a few reconstructions due to a base closure and realignment commission. Some bases were closed, others had to change their objectives, while others needed to merge in order to remain operational. At the same time, this one was actually improved. More schools and units were brought at the base during those years.
These days, a wide part of NAS Fallon is an actual museum, including radars, armored vehicles or exotic equipments used in other parts of the world. This is the only area that is open to civilians.
Housing
The Commanding Officer at NAS Fallon has been given the responsibility to deal with the housing opportunities for the newcomers. The students attending any of the on site schools will be hosted in the camps around them, without any applications. Things are different for troops and superiors. They need applications and have to wait in order to get on top of the waiting list. If they miss two returning calls, their applications are canceled. If you are a pet lover, you are allowed to 2 pets only. They must not be exotic animals.