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Offutt Air Force Base (Offutt AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force and a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census. It is home to the headquarters of the United States Strategic Command, the Air Force Weather Agency, and the 55th Wing. Its legacy includes the construction of the first two bombers to drop atomic bombs and nearly 30 years as the aerial command center for the United States in case of nuclear war during the Cold War.
History The history of Offutt AFB started in 1890 when Fort Crook was commissioned by the Department of the Army. Fort Crook was an Army Depot in Bellevue, Nebraska, first used as a dispatch point for Indian conflicts on the Great Plains. The fort's namesake was Maj. Gen. George Crook, a Civil War General and Indian Fighter. The oldest surviving part of Fort Crook is the parade grounds and surrounding brick buildings that were constructed between 1894 and 1896. These brick buildings are still in active use today as squadron headquarters, quarters reserved for high-ranking generals (Generals Row), and Nebraska’s oldest operational jail. The first glimpse of the fort's future came in 1918 when the the 61st Balloon Company of the Army Air Corp was assigned to Fort Crook at the close of World War I. In 1921, an airfield was built at the Fort as a refueling stop for mail and transcontinental flights and in 1924 airfield was was officially named Offutt Field in honor of 1st Lt. Jarvis J. Offutt. Offutt was an American pilot who was killed while flying with the Royal Air Force in France during World War I. In 1940 the Army Air Corps chose Offutt Field as the site for a new bomber plant that was to be operated by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The plant's construction included a two mile-long concrete runway, six large hangars, and a 1.7 million square-foot aircraft-assembly building. 531 B-29 Superfortresses and 1,585 B-26 Marauders were built at the Martin-Nebraska bomber plant before the end of World War II. Among the bombers were the Enola Gay and Bockscar that dropped the first atomic weapons to be used in a military action (against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan). In 1948, Offutt Field transferred to the new Department of the Air Force and became Offutt Air Force Base. Later that same year, the 3902d Air Base Wing became the host unit at Offutt. During the same year, Offutt gained international prominence when it became the host base for the Headquarters of Strategic Air Command. Offutt was chosen for its strategic central position in the USA; allowing long-range, nuclear-armed bombers to (then) stay safely out of range of hostile missiles or bomber aircraft. Offutt's population and facilities grew dramatically to keep pace with the increased operational demands during the Cold War. Several new buildings were erected, including more than 2,000 family housing units. During the Cold War a general and various support from the base were airborne 24-hours a day on an EC-135 from February 3, 1961 to July 24, 1990 in Operation Looking Glass for 281,000 hours creating an Airborne Command Post in case of war. The Operation carried on without any accidents. The 3902d Air Base Wing was deactivated in 1986, and the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing assumed host-unit responsibilities. Increased defense spending during the 1980s brought additional operational improvements to Offutt, including the Bennie Davis Aircraft Maintenance Hangar, and a new command center for Headquarters SAC. In 1992 the Air Force reorganized its military unit structure. The Strategic Air Command was deactivated, and on June 1, the unified U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), was established. The 55th Strategic Wing then became the 55th Wing, under the newly created Air Combat Command. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, George W. Bush who was in Florida at the time first flew to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and then to Offutt en route back to Washington, DC. Bush arrived at 2:50 PM (Eastern), conducted a video conference in an underground command bunker and left for Washington, DC at 4:30 PM. In 2005, Offutt began several major renovations. The on-base "Wherry" housing area was demolished and replaced with new housing. A new fire house, mini-mall, and post office were completed in 2006. Additionally, the Air Force Weather Agency broke ground on a new facility which is scheduled to be completed in 2008. Geography Offutt AFB is located at (41.113520, -95.928399). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.3 km² (4.3 mi²). 10.9 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.22%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 8,901 people, 2,304 households, and 2,255 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 816.3/km² (2,113.1/mi²). There were 2,429 housing units at an average density of 222.8/km² (576.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.97% White, 10.44% Black or African American, 0.69% Native American, 2.73% Asian, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 4.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.38% of the population. There were 2,304 households out of which 79.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.5% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.1% were non-families. 1.9% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.61 and the average family size was 3.64. In the CDP the population was spread out with 41.9% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 39.7% from 25 to 44, 1.4% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,742, and the median income for a family was $36,619. Males had a median income of $25,391 versus $21,593 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $11,580. About 4.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. | ||||||||
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