Charleston, South Carolina – Airmen at the newly built Charleston Air Force Base staged a dedication ceremony 72 years ago Thursday, recognizing the base’s full operational status.
There was a Charleston Army Air Field before to this, but it was declared surplus during World War II and officially returned to the City of Charleston in 1948.
The Korean War compelled the Air Force to reassess. Congress authorized a $28 million public works package to launch troop carrier operations, and the city consented to a joint-use agreement in 1952.
The new base was called Charleston Air Force Base in June 1953 and was officially activated two months later.
The dedication ceremony occurred on November 13, 1953.
Decades later, it became Joint Base Charleston in 2010, when the 628th Air Base Wing was created to provide installation support for Naval Weapons Station Charleston in Goose Creek.
