[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 36 (Thursday, March 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E490-E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARCH AIR BASE AND THE 50TH 
                 ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR FORCE RESERVES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 1998

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, the 43rd Congressional District has been 
fortunate to participate in the writing of United States military 
history. I take the floor today to praise and honor a military 
installation that is an important part of Riverside, California. For 
the past 80 years, March Air Reserve Base, as it is now called, has 
contributed to the defense of our country and made a lasting impression 
in the lives of many service men and women. The March community is 
currently celebrating a milestone--the 80th anniversary of the 
installation and the 50th anniversary of the Air Force Reserve.
  As March Air Force Base, it witnessed many advances in aircraft 
technology, from the JN-4D ``Jenny'' which landed there in 1917, to the 
KC-10 which was housed at the base in the 1980's. On March 20, 1918, 
March Field was officially named in honor of Second Lieutenant Peyton 
C. March, who had been recently killed in a flying accident. From 
there, Captain William Carruthers took over as the field's first 
commander. Following World War I, March Field was forced to close its 
doors due to budget cuts. With the creation of the Army Air Corps in 
1926, March Field soon reopened as a pilot training field, training 
such luminaries as Hoyt Vandenberg, Nathan Twining, Thomas Power and 
Curtis LeMay. March Field became an operational base in 1931 and in 
1949 became a part of the relatively new Strategic Air Command. From 
1949 through 1993, March Air Force Base served as an integral part of 
the Strategic Air Command and America's nuclear deterrent force, a 
logistical springboard for supplies and equipment during the conflict 
in Southeast Asia and an effective support for the United States' 
defensive posture. March Air Force Base received its first Reserve unit 
in 1960.
  In 1993, March Air Force Base was selected for realignment. Knowing 
how important the base has been historically and realizing its 
significance for the future, I fought vigorously to insure that it 
remained open. From its inception as a dirt air strip to today, the 
base has been a key element in the advancement of aviation and the 
growth of the modern Air Force. The impact of March Air Reserve Base's 
contributions to the community and the nation will be appreciated for 
many years to come. As March Air Reserve Base restructures, I want to 
offer them my full support, encourage them to look to their future as a 
large and important Air Force Reserve Base and look forward to their 
continued contributions to the defense of the United States.

[[Page E491]]



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