The origins of K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base begin in the mid-1930s when Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer (1884–1944), a
civil engineer and Marquette County road commissioner, desired to build an airport which would aid the development of the Marquette area. The one factor which most likely influenced the establishment and final location of the airport was the growing mining industry in the local area. As the demand for iron ore increased, the need for travel increased. By 1937, air service became a necessity, and
county airport was built between Marquette and
Negaunee. The population of the area continued to grow, and by 1940, Sawyer realized the new Negaunee airport could not handle the ever-increasing demands. In 1941, the superintendent of the county highway department stepped out of his role and presented a plan for a new airport. The most significant landmarks on his proposed site were a hill of sand and a wealth of
blueberry patches. The board agreed with the idea. Shortly thereafter, the United States was drawn into
World War II. Local concern for the protection of the
Great Lakes inter-lake navigation
locks named
Soo Locks at the trans-border area of
Sault Ste. Marie prompted area citizens to propose that the
U.S. Army Air Forces take over the new airfield. At that time, the proposal was shelved.
K. I. Sawyer Airport Sawyer died in 1944, and the following year the airfield, consisting of a single airstrip, was completed and named
K. I. Sawyer Airport in his honor. It was used by private fliers until 1948 when Nationwide Airlines became the first commercial airline to operate flights out of the airport. Nationwide flew shuttles to
Detroit from Marquette, with stops in
Escanaba,
Iron Mountain, and
Menominee. In February 1954, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to enlarge its forces, and new bases were needed. The government entered into negotiations with the county for Sawyer's lease, and offered to build a $12 million jet base which could be jointly used by the USAF and Marquette-area citizens. The major stipulation made by the government was no more than 300 landings per month could be made by civilian aircraft. In January 1955, a public meeting was held in the county courthouse to discuss the proposed lease. Many at this meeting voted to adopt a resolution urging the Marquette City Commission to accept the government's offer.
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base On 24 Jan 1955, the U.S. government signed a
99-year lease. Almost immediately, construction of military support facilities began. About 850 people were employed during the construction of the base and another 262 were actively employed during the winter months. A letter from
Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott to
U.S. Senator Homer S. Ferguson was printed in
The Mining Journal and reported more than 900 military personnel were to be stationed at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base with an annual income in excess of $3 million. K. I. Sawyer Airport officially opened as a joint civil-military facility on 8 April 1956, and it was not long before the USAF proposed a $447,000 appropriation for construction of a civil airport in
Negaunee Township, which would allow the Air Force sole use of the base. USAF facilities constructed included a and runway. Additionally, the region's wide open airspace offers ease of operations for an extremely safe and delay free air traffic setting. The official opening of K. I. Sawyer AFB occurred on 8 May 1959, at which time the airfield became a strictly military operation.
Air Defense Command of the 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on Alert during the 1960s (59–0094) of the 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in flight in the early 1980s. Note the
Tactical Air Command emblem on the tail, replacing the squadron emblem. Upon activation, K. I. Sawyer was placed under the Jurisdiction of
Air Defense Command (ADC) on 8 April 1956. The
473d Fighter Group was activated as the host unit, under the ADC
4706th Air Defense Wing at
O'Hare International Airport, Illinois. The initial mission of the base was to act as a fighter-
interceptor defense against an enemy
bomber attack, the
484th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was activated on 8 June 1956, and authorized
F-89D Scorpion interceptors, however the 484th FIS was never equipped or manned as much construction was necessary to bring the airport up to USAF standards for a military airfield. In 1957, civilian commercial operations from the base moved to a new Marquette County Airport erected at the site of the old Negaunee Airport. The first aircraft assigned to K. I. Sawyer were
F-102 Delta Daggers from the
438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at
Kincheloe AFB, which were temporarily stationed at K. I. Sawyer during the summer of 1958. On 8 November 1958 the
Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector (SsmADS) was established at K. I. Sawyer AFB. The ADC command and control organization's mission was to operate the
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center (DC-14), which opened in 1959. The SAGE system was a network linking USAF (and later
FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for air defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a
Soviet nuclear attack. SsmADS also supported the
Antigo AFS (P-19) and
Calumet AFS (P-16) ADC
Ground-Controlled Interception (GCI) and warning stations Further expansion of the base occurred in 1959 when the runway was extended to its final length at . Prior to the expansion, ADC replaced the 473d Fighter Group with the
56th Fighter Wing, along with its
62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, to Sawyer as the host unit. The 56th FW received its first aircraft, a
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, in 1959, after the expanded runway was completed. The F-101s provided the SAGE unit with the required intercept and destroy capabilities that gave the base teeth. In 1961 the 56th Fighter Wing was discontinued and the host unit at Sawyer became the Sault Sainte Marie ADS. In a reorganization in 1964, SAC assumed jurisdiction of the base and ADC phased down its presence to a tenant organization. The 62d FIS came under the command and control of the
Duluth Air Defense Sector and the SsmADS was inactivated. Responsibilities for the SAGE system were switched to the Duluth ADS, (DC-10) or the
Detroit Air Defense Sector (DC-06). In 1969, Air Defense Command was redesignated as Aerospace Defense Command. In 1971, the 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and its F-101B was replaced with a new squadron and aircraft. The new squadron was the
87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (87 FIS), the "Red Bulls," which flew the
F-106A Delta Dart. The 87th maintained four
Lockheed T-33 aircraft to provide target support for the squadron interceptors, simulating Soviet bomber tactics. In addition, they flew
NORAD radar evaluation and logistic support sorties. ADC was disestablished in 1979 and all ADC aircraft assets were transferred to
Tactical Air Command (TAC) under a sub-organization known as Air Defense – Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). The 87 FIS and their F-106 aircraft remained based and maintaining a 24/7/365 alert status at Sawyer AFB. The 87th was scheduled to convert to the
F-15 Eagle in 1984. However, due to budget cuts the conversion was cancelled and the squadron was scheduled for inactivation on 1 October 1985 as the continental air defense mission in the United States was increasingly transferred to the
Air National Guard. When inactivated, the 87th FIS was the second-to-last F-106 squadron on active duty. On 4 September 1985, the last three F-106 Delta Darts from the 87th FIS departed K. I. Sawyer for
AMARC at
Davis-Monthan AFB at
Tucson, Arizona. Most of its aircraft were later converted to QF-106 target drones and expended as aerial targets over the
Gulf of Mexico as part of the "Pacer Six Program" during the late 1990s at
Tyndall AFB in western
Florida by the
82d Aerial Targets Squadron.
Strategic Air Command The
Strategic Air Command (SAC) became a tenant organization at K. I. Sawyer AFB on 1 August 1958 with the organization of the
4042d Strategic Wing. The 4042d SW was a
B-52H Stratofortress dispersal wing, a part of SAC's plan to disperse its big bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. Before receiving the
KC-135A tanker and heavy B-52H bomber aircraft of SAC, an all-weather, heavy-duty concrete runway was built, measuring thick and wide. It was extended in 1959 from , overruns of . There are also shoulders on each side of the runway, providing a paved width of . The two operational units to be assigned later to this wing were the
923d Air Refueling Squadron on 1 May 1960, and the
526th Bombardment Squadron on 1 June 1961. The refueling squadron's first KC-135A aircraft arrived 4 August 1960, and the unit was declared fully combat ready in November of that year. (SN ), the type assigned to the 410th Bomb Wing at K. I. Sawyer AFB taking off with
water injection to its
J-57 engines In April 1961, the 923d was inactivated and the
46th Air Refueling Squadron organized and activated as a replacement unit. The first B-52H aircraft assigned to the 526th arrived at Sawyer in August 1961. On 1 February 1963, the 4042d Strategic Wing was discontinued and the
410th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) organized and activated with no change in mission, personnel or aircraft. Also on that date, the
644th Bombardment Squadron was activated replacing the 526th, and the 46th Air Refueling Squadron was reassigned to the 410th. The majority of the wing's present support squadrons were also activated on this date as well. On 1 January 1964, SAC assumed jurisdiction of Sawyer AFB, with the 410th Bomb Wing becoming the host unit under the
4th Strategic Aerospace Division. K. I. Sawyer was one of three SAC bases in Michigan that operated the B-52: the others were
Kincheloe AFB to the east, near
Kinross, south of
Sault Ste. Marie, and
Wurtsmith AFB, in the northeast of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, near
Oscoda. The 410th and its subordinate units' mission was to operate at full readiness, and support activities included aircraft and vehicle maintenance, bombing crew and unit training, and air refueling support. The wing did not deploy bomber aircraft to Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War, as the B-52H was dedicated to strategic deterrence. However, the tanker aircraft and aircrews participated in the "Young Tiger"
TDY effort, and the bomber aircrews went through RTU (Replacement Training Unit) training to fly B-52Ds out of
Andersen AFB, Guam and
U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand and were active participants in many of the notable campaigns that took place in Southeast Asia, such as
Operation Arc Light. One Sawyer KC-135A (61–0313) became famous throughout the SAC community as "the glider" when it ran out of fuel on a short final approach prior to landing at its home base after flying practice approaches at nearby Kincheloe AFB to complete requalification training. The flight crew, with the exception of the instructor pilot, bailed out when the engines went quiet. The instructor pilot, who remained on board, landed the aircraft just short of the runway overrun, bounced and rolled to a stop on the runway. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service quickly and even the crew entry door (which separated from the aircraft during bailout procedures) was returned to the USAF by a local farmer. Other aircraft assigned to K. I. Sawyer over the years included
HH-43B and
HH-1H rescue helicopters of the 48th and 39th Air Rescue and Recovery Wings at
Eglin AFB, Florida at the K. I. Sawyer Helicopter (later re-designated Training) Annex, 14 March 1975 to 1 October 1977. SAC
FB-111 bombers assigned to the
509th Bombardment Wing (Medium) from
Pease AFB in
New Hampshire, on satellite alert at Sawyer in 1974 and 1975. In the early 1980s, K. I. Sawyer's B-52s were modified to carry the new Boeing
AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). In 1980, two B-52H crews assigned to the 644th Bomb Squadron (S-21 and S-31) were awarded the
Mackay Trophy for "executing a nonstop, around-the-world mission with the immediate objective of locating and photographing elements of the
Soviet Navy operating in the
Persian Gulf." The Wing Commander at this time was Col G. Alan Dugard, author of the 2011 book about the
Operation Linebacker II missions of 1972, titled "When the Wolf Rises."
Closure In
1993, the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission of the
federal government (
BRAC 1993) recommended the base for closure. The KC-135 tankers departed in October 1993 and the B-52H's were split between the two remaining B-52 bases,
Barksdale AFB and
Minot AFB; Sawyer's final B-52 left for Minot in November 1994. The last aircraft assigned to Sawyer were six
T-37 Tweet jet trainers of the
71st Flying Training Wing assigned to "Accelerated Copilot Enrichment Program" in 1977 and were later assigned to the "Companion Trainer Program" under
Air Combat Command. K. I. Sawyer AFB was officially closed at the end of September 1995. The closure of K. I. Sawyer had a major negative economic impact on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With 12,000 people, the base and the area around it functioned as the Upper Peninsula's second-largest city, and the U.S. Air Force's annual spending in the region totaled $157 million. , Marquette County was projected to lose 20 percent of its economy. In the end, the closure led to the loss of 5,000 jobs and 14,000 residents. , the town around the base had a reputation as a troubled area with a slew of abandoned and boarded-up buildings.
Legacy K. I. Sawyer was a favorite base among the SAC community. Although isolated and definitely northern, it was an attractive base for its pleasing
North Woods location and its proximity to outdoor activities off the base, including hunting, fishing, boating, and winter sports including
skiing at
Marquette Mountain (known as "Cliffs Ridge" before 1982), as well as the venues on site (base lake, ski hill, and others). While the base was sometimes referred to as "K. I.
Siberia" or "The Rock" and there was an abundance of
lake-effect snow, it was not the bitter sub-zero temperatures and wind chills and hot summers of the tree-sparse
North Dakota bases, or the confinement of the bases in the more established communities of the northeastern states. Locals maintained that the K. I. Sawyer runway was built over some of the best
blueberry fields in the state. Berry patches remained on many other parts of the base, and families of aircrew members often picked them near the alert barracks and the family center. A portion of the operational section of K. I. Sawyer AFB has been converted into
Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, which opened its passenger terminal for service as Sawyer International Airport in September 1999. It replaced the smaller
Marquette County Airport, just southwest of Marquette, as the region's primary civilian airport. decoy cruise missile, commemorating the former K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base. In recent years, a group of local citizens interested in preserving the historical significance of the base have collected six aircraft of the types used actively at various times through the base's history to be displayed near the airport. The program is known as the "Sawyer 6" project. The aircraft are part of the K. I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum, which also has exhibits in the base's former Silver Wings Recreation Center.
Previous names • Opened as: K. I. Sawyer Airport, 8 April 1956 • Redesignated: K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, 8 May 1959 – 30 September 1995
Major commands to which assigned •
Air Defense Command (ADC), 8 April 1956 •
Strategic Air Command (SAC), 1 January 1964 •
Air Combat Command (ACC), 1 June 1992 – 30 September 1995 (Tail Code: "KI")
Major units assigned •
56th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), 1 February 1951 – 1 January 1964 •
473d Fighter Group, 8 April 1956 – 1 October 1959 •
484th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 8 June 1956 – 16 February 1959 (not equipped) •
62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 August 1959 – 30 April 1971 •
87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 May 1971 – 1 October 1985 •
Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector, 8 November 1958 – 15 December 1963 •
4042d Strategic Wing, 1 August 1958 – 1 February 1963 •
526th Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1961 – 1 February 1963 •
923d Air Refueling Squadron, 1 May 1960 – 1 April 1961 •
410th Bombardment Wing, later 410th Wing, later 410th Bomb Wing, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1995 •
46th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 April 1961 – 8 October 1993 •
644th Bombardment Squadron, 1 February 1963 – 21 November 1994 ==Geography==