Kelly Air Force Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kelly Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in San Antonio, Texas. In 2001, the runway and land west of the runway became "Kelly Field Annex" and control of it was transferred to the adjacent Lackland Air Force Base. The remaining 1,873 acres (7.58 km²) of land, including hangars and industrial facilities previously known as the "San Antonio Air Logistics Center", is operated by the Greater Kelly Development Authority (a political subdivision of the State of Texas, now renamed the Port Authority of San Antonio) as the KellyUSA business park. As of 2006, there are still some isolated USAF activities on KellyUSA subordinate to Lackland, as well as a substantial tract of military family housing.
A large warehouse on the grounds of KellyUSA is being used to house refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Portable toilets and temporary air conditioning have been installed. The first refugees began to arrive on September 2, 2005.
[edit] History
Kelly Air Force Base traces its beginnings to 1916, when Major Benjamin Foulois selected the site for a new aviation field. Initially, the site was called the South San Antonio Aviation Camp. In June 1917, it became Camp Kelly, then Kelly Field, in honor of Lt. George E.M. Kelly, who crashed while attempting to land an aircraft at Fort Sam Houston on 1 May 1911. During World War I, Kelly Field served as a reception and testing center for recruits and as a training center for pilots and others. During the war, Kelly developed into a huge industrial complex that stored and distributed material and modified or repaired aircraft. Over the next 40 years, this mission expanded into a worldwide logistics and support capability. Kelly Field was renamed Kelly Air Force Base in 1948 after the Air Force became a separate branch of the Armed Services.
Kelly was closed because the Base Realignment and Closure Commission round of 1995 decided the base's workload should be consolidated with that of other Air Force depots. At the same time McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif., was also closed. Instead of shifting all workloads, some were "outsourced" or "privatized" by the Clinton administration.
KellyUSA has now renamed the logistic center Port San Antonio in line with its business strategy of becoming the largest inland port in South Texas.
