Peterson going strong as 65th anniversary approaches

Published Jan. 4, 2007
By Robert F. Dorr

PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- With the breathtaking Rocky Mountains in the background, Peterson Air Force Base has long been a fixture in Air Force life.

Originally Colorado Springs Army Air Field, the base was renamed in late 1942 for 1st Lt. Edward J. Peterson, a Coloradoan killed that year in the crash of an F-4 Lightning, the reconnaissance version of the P-38 fighter.

Today, Peterson is home to the North American Air Defense Command, Air Force Space Command, and U.S. Northern Command. But the 1,277-acre base has its roots in the urgency that gripped the nation as it entered World War II.

The base was established May 6, 1942. Initially, it conducted photo-reconnaissance training in the F-4 and the F-7, the recce version of the B-24 Liberator. But a new mission came along in October 1943 when the 383rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was located at Peterson Field to train B-24 bomber crews.

Retired Air Force Chief Warrant Officer Four Jim Chastain, 88, of Roy, Utah, arrived in 1942 "when Pete Field was just sagebrush, jack rabbits and rattlesnakes," he said. "Some of my squadron mates lived in the Kauffman Building"---a familiar base landmark---"and took baths at the city auditorium. I was billeted in a small government building near the present Air Force Academy."

Former Staff Sgt. Samuel Scott, 86, of Troy, Ohio, was among those who trained in the B-24 at Peterson. Scott became a ball turret gunner, flying 19 missions over Europe before being shot down and imprisoned for the remainder of the war.

While preparing for war at Peterson, though, Sergeant Scott experienced a loss as tragic as any that came later in combat.

On March 27, 1944, Sergeant Scott was loading his gear aboard a B-24 for a night mission with his assigned crew. Aware that Sergeant Scott's girlfriend, Evelyn Tecklenburg, was visiting, B-24 pilot 1st Lt. Leslie Porter told him he wouldn't be needed.
"Go spend some time with Evelyn," Lieutenant Porter said. "We'll fly this one without you."
That night, for reasons never explained, the B-24 flew into a mountain. Lieutenant Porter and all his crew were killed. Sergeant Scott married Ms. Tecklenburg just after the war, and they are still married today.

Later in 1944, Peterson lost its bomber training function and began training fighter pilots in the P-40N Warhawk. After briefing hosting an instructors' school, the base was deactivated in December 1945.

It was activated again for two brief periods between 1948 and 1949, and reopened permanently in 1951. It was named Peterson Air Force Base in 1976.

The Strategic Air Command assumed control of the base in 1979. Three years later, officials activated Air Force Space Command at Peterson, followed by activation of the 1st Space Wing in 1983. Peterson became the hub of Air Force's space activity. After several command changes, the base's space operations came under the 21st Space Wing, activated in 1992.

Peterson celebrates its 65th anniversary this year.

(Reprinted with permission, courtesy Air Force Times)

(Robert F. Dorr, an Air Force veteran, lives in Oakton, Va. He is the author of "Air Combat," a history of fighter pilots.)

Peterson marks 65 years