Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 3 60 McGuire Air Force Base McGuire Air Force Base was named after Major Thomas B. McGuire, who was born on August 1, 1920 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He left Georgia Tech University in his third year of studies to join the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and reported as an aviation cadet to Randolph Field. His natural abilities and impres- sive record in World War II bat- tles led him to become one of the finest pilots in Air Force history. He was killed on January 7, 1945 in a fierce battle over a Japanese- held airstrip near Negros Island, Philippines. McGuire was posthu- mously awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Purple Hearts, and fifteen Air Medals all before he was twenty-five years old. McGuire Air Force Base was dedicated in his honor in January 1948. Aircrews from McGuire transported troops and supplies to South Vietnam often under sniper fire during the Vietnam War and supported opera- tion HOMECOMING after, which brought home thirty-three POWs released by North Vietnamese com- munist forces, with the last POW arriving on April 4, 1973. Hundreds of base personnel par- ticipated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and provided humanitarian aid and relief to coun- tries such as Turkey, Kenya, Somalia, and Croatia. In 1991, crews from McGuire helped write history by airlifting Terry Anderson, the longest held Western hostage and the last of three remaining American hostages held by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups. Fort Dix Fort Dix is the third piece of the unique JDMDL puzzle. On June 1, 1917, Capt. George W. Mulheron and nineteen soldiers from Company C of the Twenty-sixth New Jersey Engineers arrived in Wrightstown armed with the mission to establish a camp dedicated to training U.S. Army soldiers for the Great War. The Wrightstown location was selected because of its proximity to the ports of Philadelphia, Trenton, and close to New York City. Originally named Camp 13, the name changed to Camp Dix on July 18, 1917 to honor Civil War Veteran Maj. Gen. John Adams Dix, who served as a United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, and Governor of New York who died in 1879. Camp Dix served as a training and staging center during World War I and World War II, and after the armistice, the site served as a demo- bilization center for Active Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard United. marines, coast guardsmen, civil- ians, and family members and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey. Many Department of Defense missions are located at JBMDL, including the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, the 174th Infantry Brigade, the 99th Regional Support Command, and the 514th Air Mobility Wing, as well as several federal, state, and local agencies such as the New Jersey National Guard, the United States Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Agriculture. Despite there being few ocean- related missions, the shore communi- ty is an integral part of JBMDL. "The support from community leaders and organizations plays an important role in bridging the connection between soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and those folks outside the base perimeter who may have always won- dered what's happening on the base," Warrick said. Active duty, reservists, and guards- men preserve the homeland defenses of the air, land, and sea of the United States while sustaining global con- tingency operations right here at the Jersey Shore as a part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. u Editor's Note: Joint Base McGuire-Dix- Lakehurst Naval Air Station and the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society are located on Route 547 in Lakehurst. Tours to expe- rience its amazing history are offered by the Historical Society every Wednesday and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from April through October. From November through March, tours are available every Wednesday and the second Saturday of the month. Tours include The Cathedral of The Air, The Hindenburg Crash Site, The Navy Lakehurst Heritage Center, The Ready Room, The POW-MIA Room, and Historic Hangar One. Due to security requirements, tour guests must pre-register two weeks prior by calling (732) 600-8055 or emailing tours@nlhs.com. No walk-ins or additions to the group will be accepted on the day of the tour. For more information, call the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society at (732) 323-6547 or visit www.nlhs.com. In March 1939, the site became a permanent U.S. Army Post, and its name was changed to Fort Dix. Fort Dix served as a Basic Training Center and an Infantry Training Center. In 1978, the first female Army recruits entered basic training at Fort Dix. The base also deployed troops in support of Operations Desert Shield and Storm, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Kosovo. In 1999, over 4,000 displaced people from Kosovo were helped by the base with resettling into new homes here in America. After merging to become JBMDL, Fort Dix was transformed into the U.S. Army Support Activity Fort Dix. The base continues to be one of the largest mobilization sites in the coun- try and a major training center for the northeastern United States for Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. Army Support Activity Fort Dix also plans and executes Army directed mission support. Today, JBMDL is home to more than 46,700 airmen, soldiers, sailors, JERSEY SHORE LANDMARKS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE, continued from page 59 The Hangar One Museum. 87th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

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