Harrisburg Air National Guard Base | |||||||
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Middletown, Pennsylvania in the United States of America | |||||||
Coordinates | 40°11′37″N 076°45′48″W / 40.19361°N 76.76333°W | ||||||
Type | Air National Guard Base | ||||||
Site information | |||||||
Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||
Operator | US Air Force (USAF) | ||||||
Controlled by | Pennsylvania Air National Guard | ||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||
Website | www.193sow.ang.af.mil | ||||||
Site history | |||||||
Built | 1917 | (as Middletown Airfield)||||||
In use | 1917 – present | ||||||
Garrison information | |||||||
Current commander | Colonel Terrence L. Koudelka, Jr. | ||||||
Garrison | 193d Special Operations Wing | ||||||
Airfield information | |||||||
Identifiers | IATA: MDT, ICAO: KMDT, FAA LID: MDT, WMO: 725115 | ||||||
Elevation | 94.4 metres (310 ft) AMSL | ||||||
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Airfield shared with Harrisburg International Airport Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Harrisburg Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Harrisburg International Airport, (IATA: MDT, ICAO: KMDT, FAA LID: MDT) Pennsylvania. It is located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard facility is sited on the location of the former Olmsted Air Force Base, which was closed in 1969. The 193d Special Operations Wing operates Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando Solo II aircraft. Today the airfield is split between civilian activities, Harrisburg IAP (MDT) and military activities, which now carry the Harrisburg ANGB title. After Olmsted AFB closed in 1970 major civilian air activities moved from Capital City Airport, near Harrisburg over to the former Olmsted site.
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Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Overview
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Transcription
I am Commander Cathy Macer. I am the commanding officer of the Boston Military Entrance Processing Station. MEPS is the place where applicants come to process into the Armed Forces, and we are responsible for ensuring quality accessions into the Armed Forces during both peacetime and during times of mobilization. Well, the day starts, given that the applicant has stayed at a contract hotel overnight, they are given a wakeup call at 4:00 in the morning. Breakfast there at the hotel, and then so they're here at the MEPS shortly after 5:00 in the morning. My name is Staff Sgt. Michael Lyle. I am the MEPS liason when it comes to anybody for the Air Force. The applicant comes in in the morning and sits down with the liasons, and we will go over what their day is going to entale and what they should expect and, yeah, normally at about 5:15, 5:30 when they do show up, we are the first face that they get to see in the morning. Long gone are the days where applicants are herded into various, you know, large rooms and impersonally treated. We have moved into a red carpet treatment for our applicants where they are treated with dignity and respect. Good morning, everybody. I'm Sgt. 1st Class Kethum. I'm operations NCRC here at the Boston MEPS. we reassure them throughout the day all the time. I mean, yeah, they they first come up on the floor, you know, they come very early in the morning. Once we get them signed into the MEPS, we get them all in one area, and we give them the morning brief. Once we get done here, you're going to go to the medical, folks. You're going to get a medical briefing, and you're going to run through that process, okay? Once the briefing is done, you're going to get an exam. You're going to meet with the physicians, okay? And you're going to go through that. Once you're done with the medical, you're going to go down to your service liaisons. You're going to sit down with a counselor, and you guys are going to negotiate a job. Once that's complete, you'll come over to the processing section. ll right, we'll do what we have to do over there, get you ready to swear in, take the Oath of Enlistment and then we'll set up the transportation to take you home. When they do understand the entire process, then we try to make sure that everybody is on the same page, and that if there are any concerns, hopefully then the individual feels comfortable enough to raise them before we get started on the day. That way, they have a nice smooth process. They know where they're going, where they're coming from, and then when they come back to see us, they're in a good mood because they know one more spot is done. I've tried going to school, I've tried regular jobs and just nothing excited me. I've always wanted to join the Military. I went through college, and the, you know, the economy is not the greatest thing right now, but I've always wanted to join. Family full of Marines. My uncle did 32, my father did 23 and it'll be awesome to join as well, become a part of a brotherhood. And you know, I found some opportunities that can be used with my degree, all that kind of stuff, and they offer a lot of gainful things for what I want to do in the future. We are privileged to have them come into the Military. This is a voluntary service. This is not a draft era, and so it is uh... important to us and to each of my staff to treat those who are interested in serving their country with the utmost respect that they deserve.
Middletown Air Depot
The installation saw its first military use by the United States Army Signal Corps in 1898. The first known use of the field by military aircraft was when Middletown Airfield opened in 1917 as a supply depot and maintenance center for Signal Corps aircraft.
The first airplanes landed in 1918 at Middletown Air Depot, when it was under the administration of the Signal Corps of the United States Army.[2] In 1939, it was still known by this name. Middletown had an abundance of engine and airframe shops and a supply distribution system that made it a significant facility, but a poor runway that, it was felt, would be too expensive to improve.[3] It would involve claiming marsh land and portions of the Susquehanna River (both of which have since been accomplished) and the Air Force leadership at that time determined that more land for supply and maintenance buildings was needed.[3]
After World War I and the reconstitution of the United States Army Air Service in 1922, the facility became a logistics and maintenance support of Air Service aircraft and equipment through its host unit, the Middletown Air Depot (later Middletown Air Materiel Area under the U.S. Army Air Corps). During World War II, numerous U.S. Army Air Forces transport and reconnaissance units were organized and formed at Olmsted Army Airfield. Once equipped, they were reassigned to training bases. The Middletown Air Depot-cum-Middletown Air Material Area was a major support installation to the U.S. Air Force and its predecessor organizations for decades.
Renaming for Robert Olmsted
The installation was renamed in honor of 1st Lieutenant Robert Sanford Olmsted, U.S. Army Air Service, on 11 March 1948. First Lieutenant Olmsted was killed in a ballooning accident over the village of Loosbroek, Netherlands on 23 September 1923 while competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup.[4][5][6] Olmsted remained in the race despite threatening weather which caused some competitors to drop out. Lightning struck the S-6 over Nistelrode, the Netherlands, killing Olmsted.[7]
Beginning on 11 August 1948, the 147th Flight Service Squadron of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) began operations of the Olmsted Flight Service Center.
During the 1948–1949 Berlin Airlift, the U.S. Supply Depot at Olmsted AFB provided emergency support supplies for the airlift operations.[8]
In 1958, Olmsted was designated as prime support depot for the T-38 Talon advanced jet trainer then under development and the L-27, later designated the U-3 Blue Canoe, support aircraft.
Olmsted AFB and the Middletown Air Depot's last assignment was with Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC), and the base and depot were closed on 30 June 1969.
Closure of Olmsted AFB
Initially turned over to Pennsylvania Air National Guard after active-duty closure, much of the former Olmsted AFB flight line area was redeveloped into the Harrisburg International Airport under the ownership of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
In 1998, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania transferred ownership of the airport to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA).[2] In addition, in 1966, much of the former Air Force property was converted into The Pennsylvania State University—The Capital College, otherwise known as the Harrisburg Campus. This campus was originally chartered as a graduate and upper division school.
Major commands to which assigned
- Army Signal Corps, Aviation Section, 16 June 1917
- Bureau of Aircraft Production, 20 May 1918
- Army Air Service, 4 June 1920
- Air Corps Materiel Division, 15 October 1926
- Air Corps Maintenance Command, 29 April 1941
- Air Service Command, 17 October 1941
- Army Air Forces Materiel and Services on July 14, 1944
- Redesignated: Army Air Forces Technical Service Command on August 31, 1944
- Redesignated: Air Technical Service Command on July 1, 1945
- Redesignated: Air Materiel Command on March 9, 1946
- Redesignated: Air Force Logistics Command on April 1, 1961
- Inactivated on 30 June 1969
Known units assigned
Known base operating units were:
- 4149th Air Base Unit
- 2843d Air Base Wing
- 4112th Air Force Base Unit
Known major service units:
- Middletown Air Service Command, later Middletown Air Materiel Area
Known operational units assigned were:
- Eleventh Air Force (Air Defense Command), 13 June 1946 – 1 July 1948
- 60th Transport Group, 1 December 1940 – 21 May 1941
- 61st Transport Group, 1 December 1940 – 9 July 1941
- 315th Transport Group, 14 February 1942 – 18 June 1942
- 168th Air Transport Group, 16 February 1964 - 8 January 1966
- 168th Military Airlift Group, 8 January 1966 - 1 Jun 1967
- 168th Tactical Electronic Warfare Group, 8 January 1966 - 6 October 1980 (PA ANG unit that remained post-closure; current 193rd Special Operations Wing)
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Role and operations
The PA ANG's 193d Special Operations Wing consists of:
- 193d Special Operations Squadron flies the Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II, a multirole aircraft.[9] The squadron previously flew the EC-130J Commando Solo, a specially-modified four-engine Hercules transport. The 193d Special Operations Squadron conducted information operations, psychological operations and civil affairs broadcasts.
Other components of the Wing are located at State College and at Muir Army Airfield at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Harrisburg Field Air National Guard Base.[10]
United States Air Force
- Pennsylvania Air National Guard
- 193rd Special Operations Wing
- Headquarters 193rd Special Operations Wing
- 193rd Special Operations Group
- 193rd Special Operations Squadron – MC-130J Commando II
- 193rd Special Operations Support Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Group
- 193rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Operations Flight
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Mission Support Group
- 193rd Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Communications Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Force Support Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Security Forces Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Medical Group
- Detachment 1
- 193rd Air Operations Group
- 93rd Air Intelligence Squadron
- 193rd Air Communications Squadron
- 193rd Combat Operations Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Wing
See also
Notes
- ^ "Airport Diagram – Harrisburg Intl (MDT)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Harrisburg International Airport". GlobalSecurity.Org/. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ a b Knight, Glenn B. (2000). "The Lititz Air Force Base". Lititz Record-Express. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Luchtballon op Loosbroek" [Hot air balloon on Loosbroek] (in Dutch). Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ "First photos of International Balloon Race which resulted in five deaths". Hagley Digital Archives. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, ISBN 0-912799-38-2, page 174.
- ^ Provan, John, and Davies, R. E. G., "Berlin Airlift: The Effort and the Aircraft", Paladwr Press, McLean, Virginia, ISBN 1-888962-05-4, page 40.
- ^ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. April 2023. p. 17.
- ^ "Units". 193rd Special Operations Wing. US Air Force. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.