World War II The installation was named Homestead Army Air Field on 16 September 1942 as a base for the
United States Army Air Forces during
World War II, and construction began the next day. Homestead opened as an
Air Transport Command (ATC) ferry airfield in November; ATC pilots were trained at the base from February 1943 in the
C-46,
C-54 and
C-87 aircraft. The base was heavily damaged by a
hurricane in September 1945, resulting in its inactivation on 14 December 1945. When the
U.S. Air Force was established as a separate service on 18 September 1947, the old Homestead AAF lay in ruins.
Cold War and Vietnam War Reactivated for the
Cold War as a
Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, an advance team arrived at the old base in the summer of 1954 and initiated clean-up and reconstruction efforts. The installation was renamed as Homestead Air Force Base on 1 February 1955 and the
379th Bombardment Wing (379 BMW) was activated at Homestead AFB on 1 November 1955. The 379 BMW replaced the 4276th Air Base Squadron, the latter unit having overseen the reconstruction of the base, and spent the next few months becoming organized and manned. The 379 BMW received
B-47E Stratojet and
KC-97G Stratofreighter aircraft in April 1956 and began training for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations. The
U.S. Navy also established
Naval Security Group Activity Homestead (NAVSECGRUACT Homestead) as a tenant command at Homestead AFB in June 1957. The
19th Bombardment Wing (19 BMW) moved to Homestead AFB from
Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida in April 1956 and also flew the B-47 and KC-97. The 379 BMW moved to
Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan without equipment in January 1961 in preparation for transition to the
B-52H Stratofortress and
KC-135A Stratotanker. In 1960, three
Air Force Reserve (AFRES) units previously located at
Miami International Airport, the
301st Air Rescue Squadron with its
SA-16 (later redesignated as HU-16) Albatross amphibious air-sea rescue aircraft and the
435th Troop Carrier Wing (435 TCW) and its 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (76 TCS) with
C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft relocated to Homestead AFB. The stay at MacDill AFB and NAS Key West for the fighter aircraft was short-lived as the 31 FW, 482 FW, and 125 FW Det 1 returned to Homestead in March 1994 while the 301 RQS aircraft and personnel permanently remained at Patrick AFB, eventually evolving into the present day
920th Rescue Wing. During this time, Homestead AFB was placed on the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission's initial base closings list, potentially dooming the base to closure. However, the BRAC Commission recommended retaining Homestead AFB and rebuilding and realigning the installation as an AFRES installation. In February 1995, Homestead ARS again faced potential closure from the 1995 BRAC, which sought to close the ravaged station. The civilian community, including state and federal government leaders, rallied in support of the station, and launched a fight for the station's survival. The BRAC Commission subsequently withdrew Homestead ARS from the closure list in June 1995. In 1997, AFRES was redesignated from a Field Operating Agency to
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), an Air Force Major Command (MAJCOM), and Homestead ARS became an AFRC installation. In December 2003, Homestead ARS was again redesignated to its current name of
Homestead Air Reserve Base. == Based units ==