Contact Information
Andersen Air Force Base Guam is one of the few US military bases that can brag about being located in a living paradise. It is a little over 6 km far from Yigo, in the northern part of Guam. Guam is a territory run by a civilian government, but still belonging to the United States of America. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean. The general objective of this base is to provide full support to the USAF air forces. The base was established as North Field. It was renamed in the memory of James Roy Andersen, who died in 1945, at 41 years old. These days, the place is operated by the Air Force, under John Doucette’s command. The US Air Force currently controls four bomber locations throughout the world. The Guam base is one of them, therefore it is extremely important, regardless of the importance of the little island. All of these four locations have been actively involved in every conflict led by the United States of America, whether it was in Europe, Asia or Pacific. There is only one more such base located in the area, somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The airspace above Guam is almost entirely unrestricted. Other than that, the place is relatively close to the Medinilla Island, a bombing range located around 250 km away. These two reasons turn the Andersen base into an excellent training place.
History
The history of Andersen AFB dates back to the winter of 1941. The little island was attacked by the Empire of Japan a few hours after the extremely powerful attacks on Pearl Harbor. It took less than 2 days for the Japanese armies to take over the island. During the war, it constantly hosted around 15000 Japanese troops. Guam was released from the Japanese occupation by the United States of America. Prior to the invasion, the island was constantly bombed for almost 2 weeks. The Americans invaded the island from South to North. Many Japanese warriors remained in the area and fought back for years. After taking over the island, the place seemed excellent for a new base. This one was the first one in the area. It was a good strategic point close to Japan. The base was built and opened in the same year – 1944.
Andersen Air Force Base Guam played a major role in the upcoming American conflicts due to its position. It was actively involved in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In the modern times, the base obtained a few premieres for the history. For instance, it is the place where the first B 2 aircraft crashed due to a mechanical error. Both pilots ejected, but the $1.4B plane was completely destroyed in one of the most expensive accidents in the Air Force history.
Units
Among a few tenant and associate units, Andersen AFB Guam is currently the home of the 36-th Wing. The 36-th Wing is a non flying unit that supports all the USAF operations. It consists of a few different groups.
