UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY — It's the Air Force's birthday and we're celebrating by taking a look at their history in Colorado Springs.
Of course, the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is located just north west of city limits.
According to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, before the U.S. Air Force's creation in 1947, the Army and Navy maintained their own aerial units.
The Pioneers Museum says the Army leased most of the city airport in 1942, built new barracks and renamed the site Peterson Field. The city then leased the old Methodist Sanatorium complex on East Boulder Street to the Army for an aerial photography reconnaissance unit.
In June, 1943, the Army Air Forces established the ENT Air Force Base and moved the Second Air Force to the site of the old sanatorium, according to the Pioneers Museum. The U.S. Air Force continued to use the site until 1949.
The ENT Air Force Base reopened in 1951 as the Air Force Air Defense Command. It was established as a response to concerns about the Soviet Union during the Cold War. According to the Pioneers Museum, it oversaw radar stations along the coast and in Canada.
In September, 1957, due to the threat of intercontinental missiles, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was formed to control continental air defense. The Pioneers Museum says NORAD was headquartered at the ENT Air Force Base.
According to the Pioneers Museum, the remainder of the base was built out in a barrack-like structure. As the the Air Force consolidated facilities, the ENT Air Force Base was closed in 1976.
The Pioneers Museum says the city and the Department of Defense made a land swap in 1978. The ENT Air Force Base was exchanged for land adjacent to Peterson Air Field.
The ENT Air Force Base became the Olympic Training Center with some of the barracks repurposed for athletes, and the U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters moved into the old NORAD building.
To learn more about the ENT Air Force Base, visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum's website.
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