Lowery AFB, Randolph AFB, Fort Des Moines Recruiting, O'Hare Field AFR

• Lowery Air Force Base (Colorado): • Opened in 1938, Lowry AFB was named after 2nd Lt. Francis Lowry, a Denver native and World War I aviator killed in action. • It became a key site for technical training, especially in aerial photography and missile systems, including the Titan ICBM program. • During WWII, over 57,000 military photographers and support personnel were trained at Lowry. • The base was home to the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1955 to 1958, before the Academy moved to its permanent campus in Colorado Springs. • After its closure in 1994, the site was redeveloped into a mixed-use community, preserving some historic structures like the Lowry Hangar No. 1. • Randolph Air Force Base (Texas): • Nicknamed the "Showplace of the Air Force" for its unique Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and central administration building known as the "Taj Mahal." • Opened in 1931, Randolph was designed as a model training base and remains a key pilot training center to this day. • It features a rare circular layout, with runways and buildings radiating from the central tower. • Randolph’s central tower historically housed both water tanks and the control tower, a unique engineering solution at the time. • Many famous WWII and Cold War aviators trained at Randolph, which is now part of Joint Base San Antonio. • Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School (Iowa): • In 1917, Fort Des Moines was the site of the first officer training camp for African American men, commissioning over 600 black officers for WWI. • In WWII, it was the first training center for the newly formed Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs), later the Women’s Army Corps (WACs). • The fort’s history as a trailblazer for integration and gender equality in the military is commemorated by the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center. • O'Hare Field Air Force Reserve (Illinois): • Originally known as Orchard Place, the airfield was renamed O'Hare in honor of WWII Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Cmdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare. • From 1947 to 1999, O'Hare Field hosted the 928th Airlift Wing and other Air Force Reserve units, operating C-130 Hercules aircraft for tactical airlift missions. • During the Cold War, the Air Defense Command maintained alert fighter interceptors at O'Hare to protect the Chicago area. • In the 1990s, military operations ceased as the airfield expanded into the world’s busiest commercial airport, but a memorial and static displays remain to honor its military heritage.