Carswell Air Force Base, Texas
Origin of current name: Named in honor of Maj Horace Seaver Carswell Jr (1916-1944), Medal of Honor winner. Returning from an attack on enemy shipping in the Sorth China Sea on October 26th 1944, Major Carswell attempted to save a crewmember whose parachute had been destroyed by flak. He remained at the controls of his crippled bomber and died while crashlanding the B-24 near Tungchen, China.
Date current name was assigned to base: January 29, 1948
Previous Names: AAF Combat Crew School, Tarrant Field (aka Tarrant Field and Tarrant Field Airdrome), July 1st 1942; Fort Worth Army Airfield, July 29th 1942; Griffiss Air Force Base, January 13th 1948.
Date Established: April 9, 1942
Date Occupied: August 20, 1942
Construction Began: March 17, 1942
Changes in Capability: Transition training in medium and heavy bombers 1942-1945; N-S 8,200-foot extra heavy-duty runway completed August 1946; 600 Wherry off-base housing units completed spring 1951; apron warm-up pad and extension of runway and taxiway constructed January 1952; new operations building and control tower completed October 1956; new facilities enabled start of B-52 training and operations January 1958, and of B-58 operations March 1958; major flightline and runway repair project completed December 1963; facilities adapted to accommodate KC-135s 1964-1965, and FB-111s during 1968-1971; Wherry housing project remodeled September 1978; consolidated aircraft maintenance hangar completed April 1980; construction of civil engineering shop complex underway October 1980.
Base was Decommissioned on September 30, 1993
History:
Carswell AFB was selected for closure under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 during Round II Base Closure Commission deliberations. As part of the Department of Defense's 1991 consolidation efforts, the decision was made to relocate the 7th Bomb Wing from Carswell AFB. During a 1992 Air Force-wide reorganization, the famed Strategic Air Command was officially disestablished. First-stage closure activities were initiated in 1992; all aircraft were relocated to Barksdale AFB by January 1993. The B-52 Stratofortress was the last bomber to leave Naval Air Station JRB Fort Worth (then Carswell AFB) in 1993. The base ceased operations on September 30, 1993, and was transferred to the Air Force Base Conversion Agency (AFBCA) for property distribution and reuse. On October 1, 1993, the Air Force Reserve 301st Fighter Wing assumed base responsibilities, establishing Carswell as an Air Reserve Base. In 1993, Congress directed the establishment of the nation's first joint reserve base under the Base Realignment and Closure authority. The base was realigned and renamed the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Carswell Field (NAS Fort Worth JRB) on October 1, 1994, when the U.S. Navy assumed control of the property.