EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE
Eglin Air Force Base is located in western Florida Panhandle, comprising over 640 square Eglin AFB is located about three miles southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County and 60 miles east of Pensacola, FL. This is a military friendly area and also a major tourist attraction due to the white sand beaches.
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE
HISTORY
Eglin Air Force Base was established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base.
Two unpaved runways, with a supply house at their intersection, were in use by 1935. "On 1 March 1935, application was made for a FERA grant to pave the runways and to build an office, a barracks 30 by 120, a mess hall and kitchen, and an oil storage building.
On 4 August 1937, it was named Eglin Field in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick I. Eglin, who was killed in a crash of his Northrop A-17 pursuit aircraft on a flight from Langley to Maxwell Field, Alabama. (1891–1937).
AXILLIARY FIELDS
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #1 – Wagner Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #2 – Pierce Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3 – Duke Field
Home for the 919th Special Operations Group (now Wing), the only Air Force Reserve special operations unit
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #4 – Peel Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #5 – Piccolo Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #6 – Biancur Field Home to Camp Rudder - host to the third and final phase of a nine-week training course, dubbed the “swamp phase”, of the U.S. Army Ranger School.
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #7 – Epler Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #8 – Baldsiefen Field
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #9 – Hurlburt Field Home to the Air Force Special Operations Command and the 1st Special Operations Wing
Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #10 – Dillon Field
POPULATION
Active Duty
9,470
Housing Facilities
2,300+
Contractors
2,957
NAF Employees
575
Civilian Employees
4,038
