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From YouTube: The History of Keesler Air Force Base 2020
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A
Mississippi
was
a
very
different
place.
75
years
ago
in
the
late
30s,
the
average
household
income
was
right
around
1,000
dollars
annually
and
most
were
lucky
to
have
that
after
the
last
decade
of
depression,
dust
bowls
and
prohibition,
Biloxi
fared
well
during
these
times,
thanks
to
its
seafood
industry,
which
shielded
the
coast
from
the
worst
effects
of
the
Great
Depression
by
the
mid
to
late
30s,
even
the
seafood
industry
had
slowed
to
a
crawl
and
Biloxi
desperately
needed
an
economic
shot
in
the
arm.
B
Streets
were
either
just
sand
or
those
that
were
built
up
for
the
heavy
foot
traffic.
It
was
covered
with
fresh
oyster
shells
from
the
oyster
plants
in
Biloxi
and
in
the
morning
we
might
get
a
little
shower,
and
in
the
afternoon
when
the
hot
90
degrees
Sun
came
out,
the
stench
from
the
sorcerer
shells
were
sickening.
B
A
A
Army
Air
Corps
stationed
number
eight
was
designated
Keesler
Field
in
honor
of
second
lieutenant
Samuel
Reeves
Keesler
jr.,
a
mississippi
world
war.
One
war
hero
Keesler,
grew
up
in
Greenwood
Mississippi
and
fought
in
World
War
one
as
an
aerial
observer
with
the
Army
Air
Service.
He
was
killed
in
1918
after
his
plane
crashed
behind
German
lines.
It
was
customary
to
name
bases
after
fallen
war,
heroes
from
the
era
and
second
lieutenant
Samuel
Reeves
Keisler
jr.
was
a
perfect
fit
shortly.
Afterwards.
A
A
Many
of
the
graduates
went
right
into
teaching
bar
wide,
so
Keesler
was
directly
responsible
for
the
growth
of
airpower.
During
that
era,
the
Air
Force
became
its
own
branch
of
the
military.
In
late
1947
and
in
January
of
1948,
Keesler
became
an
official
Air
Force
Base
shortly
after
Keesler
was
designated
an
Air
Training
Command
installation
after
the
war,
Keesler
had
proven
itself
as
a
training,
mecca
and
took
charge
of
the
radar
school
and
radio
operations
by
the
early
1950s
Keesler
shifted
his
focus
away
from
airplane
and
mechanics
courses
and
focused
more
on
training
in
technology.
A
C
Was
greeted
to
open
bay
barracks,
which
we
had
at
basic
military
training
because
they
had
not
completed
to
triangle
at
that
time,
so
we
did
what
they
called
in
those
days
back
locked
for
about
three
weeks.
That
was
additional
duties,
everything
from
Ship
Island
one-week,
building
everything
to
anything
on
the
base
that
they
needed
it
because
we
were
self-contained.
C
A
C
Was
a
raucous
raucous
area
I'm
telling
you
they
had
a
lot
going
on
in
Biloxi,
they
had
nightclubs,
they
had
joints
outside
the
gate.
We
always
had
to
go
in
uniform,
have
a
have
a
pass
and
had
to
check
in
on
time,
but
there
was
a
lot
going
on
in
Biloxi,
yet
you
ride
the
buses
and
it
was
more
or
less
segregated
you
sometimes
in
the
front,
sometimes
in
the
back,
but
it
was
a
totally
different
thing.
It
and
Keesler
was
a
mainstay
for
Biloxi
the
mainstay.
A
D
Matter
who
you
are
from
where
you
may
have
come
for
their
officer,
airmen,
civilian
or
representatives
of
a
foreign
government
as
you
travel
along
Mississippi's,
Gulf,
Coast
past
the
historic
Biloxi
lighthouse,
you
have
one
thing
in
common:
you
are
nearing
the
electronics
center
of
the
airport's
heat
slur,
Air
Force
Base
to
join
the
students
rank
from
basic
training.
You
remember
tip
hundreds
of
questions,
an
interview
and
the
results
showed
you
have
the
aptitude
to
become
an
electronic
technician.
A
Thanks
in
large
part
to
the
space
race
of
the
60s,
Keesler
was
utilizing
technology
and
techniques
that
required
significant
computing
power
and
safe
air-conditioned
structures
to
house
them.
Cody
Brian,
Jones,
Hughes
and
Maltby
halls
were
state-of-the-art
training
facilities
erected
at
that
time
to
replace
the
many
smaller
world
war
ii
era.
Buildings
that
dot
at
the
base,
as
the
lengthy
campaign
in
Vietnam,
was
winding
down.
Keesler
offered
ample
opportunities
for
the
large
number
of
troops
coming
home
to
lead
young
Airmen
and
train
the
future
of
the
Air
Force
I
bought.
E
A
car
followed
us
over
there
station
wing
in
Vietnam.
You
know
you
could
buy
it
and
it's
waiting
for
you
in
San
Francisco.
Of
course,
that
was
good
because
I
got
off
the
airplane,
got
the
car
and
drove
out
so
I
didn't
have
anybody
throwing
stuff
at
me
or
anything,
because
those
were
still
the
years.
We
were
bad
guys.
A
A
F
A
A
G
F
Today's
facilities
are
amazing
when
I
came
back
after
Katrina
and
saw
the
kind
of
dorms
our
Airmen
are
living
in
I
couldn't
believe
it.
We
have
entry
control,
everybody
is
internal
to
the
facility.
You
don't
have
to
worry
about
external
threats.
Everything
is
just
modern.
We
have
cameras.
Now
we
have
alarm
systems,
we
have
all
kinds
of
things
to
ensure
their
safety,
so
they
can
just
focus
on
their
airmanship
and
their
technical
training.
F
A
Bounced
back
following
the
devastation
of
Hurricane
Katrina
major
renovations
to
almost
every
structure
were
completed.
Keesler
now
has
stunning
new
on
and
off
base
housing,
a
new,
state-of-the-art
commissary
in
exchange,
new
dorms
and
a
luxurious
Bay
Breeze
Events
Center.
Just
a
few
years
after
its
devastation,
Keesler
won
the
coveted
Air
Force
installation,
Excellence
Award,
and
received
a
million
dollars
for
standard
of
living
upgrades.
A
H
H
As
a
instructor,
we
receive
men
and
women
all
ages,
all
walks
of
life.
They
come
to
us
to
basic
military
training
at
Lackland,
Air,
Force
Base,
and
from
that
very
first
minute,
we
start
laying
that
foundation
of
our
core
values.
Air
Force,
core
values,
teamwork,
leadership
from
the
very
beginning
it
starts
from
the
beginning,
but
throughout
all
the
eight
and
a
half
weeks
we
need
every
minute
of
it
and
it's
all
important
from
the
basics
of
drill.
It's
teaching
team
work
and
we're
relaying
that
to
them.
H
Yes,
we
are
marching
around
and
learning
different
drill
movements,
but
also
it's
teaching
you
how
to
be
a
team
and
teaching
you
how
to
react
to
different
commands
at
any
time.
Our
main
goal
is:
we
want
them
to
become
motivated,
capable
Airmen
after
eight
and
a
half
weeks
that
when
we
send
them
off
to
technical
training,
they're
still
motivated
they're
still
ready
to
go
and
they
hit
the
ground
running
at
whatever
base
they
go
to
for
the
next
skill
and
they
tiel's
grab
them
and
they
harness
that
energy
and
they
just
continue
on
what.
I
We're
finding
is
that
these
Airmen
they
really
truly
want
to
be
driven
by
something
greater
than
themselves.
They
want
to
be
a
part
of
a
team,
and
when
we
get
this
Airmen
from
basic
military
training,
our
main
goal
is
yes
to
reinforce
those
standards,
but
also
help
them
identify
to
that.
That
thing
that's
bigger
than
themselves.
We
know
what
the
core
values
are.
I
Right
I
mean
we
have
to
be
the
ones
that
are
ultimately
caring
about
that
Airmen
and
their
long-term
success
as
well,
and
that
that's
a
that
beyond
words.
Hopefully,
if
in
the
MTL
school
house,
if
we
train
them
right,
they're
gonna
go
out
there
and
they're
going
to
get
after
it
with
the
right
mentality
of
taking
care
of
an
airman
and
knowing
the
impact
that
they
can
truly
have.
And.