Origins In 1917, the citizens of
Pierce County,
Washington approved a
bond measure for to buy of land to be donated to the
Federal Government for use as a
military reservation. This land became Camp Lewis (and later
Fort Lewis). Ten years later, in 1927, another bond measure was passed to establish an airfield just north of the military reservation. The airfield, named Tacoma Field, officially opened 14 March 1930. On 28 February 1938 the airfield was officially transferred to the federal government. Three years after the transfer, on 3 July 1940, the airfield was renamed McChord Field, in honor of
Colonel William Caldwell McChord, who had been killed in an accident near
Richmond, Virginia on 18 August 1937. Col. McChord, (1881–1937), rated as a junior military aviator in 1918, died while trying to force-land his
Northrop A-17 near
Maidens, Virginia. At the time of his death, he was Chief of the Training and Operations Division in HQ Army Air Corps. Tacoma Field was renamed McChord Field, 17 December 1937. Over the subsequent two decades McChord Field grew to roughly , encompassing the northern tip of the Ft. Lewis. It became independent of Ft. Lewis in 1947 following the creation of the Air Force under provisions of the
National Security Act of 1947 and was subsequently named McChord AFB. The 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group, the first postwar general surveillance radar organization was activated at McChord on 21 May 1947. Defensive warning radars became operational at McChord on 1 June 1950 with
World War II-era
AN/CPS-4 and
AN/CPS-5 radars being operated by the
635th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. ADC completed installation of two
AN/CPS-6B medium-range search and height-finder radars in February 1951. Performance of these new radars was deemed inferior to the World War II vintage models and the calibration process delayed operational readiness at this and other sites. An
AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was installed in the mid-1950s. In 1975, TAC divested itself of its
Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical airlift fleet, transferring all tactical airlift wings, groups and squadrons to MAC. For the 62 AW, this resulted in a significant increase in the wing's total mission capabilities beyond strictly strategic airlift with the arrival of the 36th Tactical Airlift Squadron (36 TAS) and their C-130E aircraft and personnel from
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Like most US military installations, McChord is closed to the general public, other than during their annual Open House. The
McChord Field Historic District was listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places on 12 December 2008.
Major commands to which assigned • Northwest Air District, c. 25 March 1940 • GHQAF, United States Army Air Corps, 7 June 1940 •
Second Air Force, 15 January 1941 •
Fourth Air Force, 26 January 1942 •
Continental Air Forces, 16 April 1945 : Redesignated:
Strategic Air Command, 21 March 1946 •
Tactical Air Command, 1 April 1946 •
Air Defense Command, 1 August 1946 •
Tactical Air Command, 1 July 1947 •
Continental Air Command, 1 December 1948 • Air Defense Command, 1 January 1951 :
Western Air Defense Force : Redesignated:
Aerospace Defense Command, 15 January 1968 •
Military Airlift Command, 1 July 1968 •
Air Mobility Command, 1 June 1992 – present
Major units assigned • 19th Air Base Group, 5 June 1940 – 4 June 1941 •
17th Bombardment Group, 24 June 1940 – 29 June 1941 •
5th Bombardment Wing, 19 October 1940 – 9 January 1941 • Northwest Air District, 18 December 1940 – 6 January 1941 •
12th Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941 – 18 February 1942 •
47th Bombardment Group, 15 January – 14 August 1941 • 44th Air Base Group, 15 January 1941 – 15 December 1942 •
42d Bombardment Group, 20 January 1942 – 16 March 1943 •
55th Fighter Group, 22 June 1942 – 23 August 1943 • 20th Altitude Training Unit, 10 April 1943 – 31 March 1944 • 464th AAF Base Unit, 1 April 1944 – 9 April 1946 •
491st Bombardment Group, 17 July – 8 September 1945 • 1st Bombardment Wing, 6 September – 7 November 1945 • 2d Bombardment Wing, 6 September – 7 November 1945 • 314th AAF Base Unit, 28 March 1946 – 16 August 1947 • 732d AAF Base Unit, 21 October 1946 – 3 June 1948 •
454th Bombardment Group, 27 April 1947 – 27 June 1949 •
456th Bombardment Group, 12 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 •
305th Bombardment Wing, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 •
445th Bombardment Group, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 •
62nd Troop Carrier Wing, 15 August 1947 – 20 April 1952 • 505th AC&W (RADAR) Group, 21 May 1947 – 26 September 1949 • 531st AC&W (RADAR) Group, 21 June 1948 – 5 July 1949 •
318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 28 November 1948 – 9 June 1953 •
302d Troop Carrier Wing, 27 June 1949 – 8 June 1951 •
317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 23 April 1950 – 15 August 1957 •
325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 20 April 1950 – 6 February 1952 • 1705th Air Transport Wing, 24 August 1950 – 1 October 1951 • 505th AC&W (RADAR) Group, 25 June 1951 – 6 February 1952 •
25th Air Division, 14 September 1951 – 30 September 1990 • 1705th Air Transport Group, 24 January 1952 – 18 June 1960 •
567th Air Defense Group, 16 February 1953 : Redesignated:
325th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 25 March 1960 •
4704th Defense Wing, 1 February 1952 – 8 October 1954 •
318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 30 September 1989 • 325th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 18 October 1956 : Redesignated: 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), 18 October 1956 – 1 July 1968 •
64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 August 1957 – 15 March 1960 •
Seattle Air Defense Sector, 18 January 1958 – 1 April 1966 •
62nd Troop Carrier (later Airlift) Wing, 13 June 1960 – present •
498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 July 1963 – 15 June 1966 • 941st Military Airlift Group, 9 November 1965 – 25 July 1989 •
939th Military Airlift Group, 25 July 1968 – 1 July 1973 • 4628th Air Defense Group, 1 July 1972 – 1 January 1975 •
446th Military Airlift (later Airlift) Wing, 1 July 1973 – present •
Northwest Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1987 – 31 December 1994 •
Western Air Defense Sector, 1 January 1995 – present ==Geography==