Kingsley Field Air Force Base, Oregon
The 173rd Fighter Wing (FW) of the Oregon Air National Guard occupies 61 acres of leased land on the Klamath Falls International Airport, located approximately 4 miles southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The mission of the 173rd FW is to train the best air-to-air combat pilots, train flight doctors and serve Oregon and the Nation in times of peace and war. The unit currently flies the F-15. The 173rd FW occupies 5 administrative, 1 dorm, 1 services and 66 industrial buildings totaling approximately 484,981 square feet with 485 full-time personnel. A unit training drill is conducted once a month and results in a surge of up to a total of 750 personnel.
The Klamath Falls Airport is located in southern Oregon halfway between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California on the east side of the Cascade Mountains 60 miles south of picturesque Crater Lake National Park. The Klamath Falls Airport offers commercial air service as well as full general aviation services and is home to the Oregon Air National Guard 173rd Fighter Wing.
In 1928 the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The airport was known as the Klamath Falls Municipal Airport and consisted of gravel runways and one Fixed Base Operator. In 1942 the airport was selected as a site for a Naval Air Station, and in 1945 the airport transferred back to civilian use. In 1954 the airport was selected as a site for U.S. Air Force Base. In 1957 the airport was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of Lieutenant David Kingsley. David R. Kingsley, an Oregon World War II hero, was killed in action on June 23, 1944 after a bombing mission over the oil fields of Ploesti, Rumania. In 1978 the Department of Defense chose to close Kingsley Field Air Force Base.