Home » News » Story View

Wonderfull Utah

Printer Friendly

E-mail This Article

Text bigger | smaller

Bookmark and Share...

Add News Feed to...

What is an RSS feed?

Story Photos

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 |

No Comments [ Add Comment ]

By Mitch Shaw
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau

ref=http://www.standard.net/ASP/7Wonders.swf target=_blank>View the locations of the Seven Wonders of the Top of Utah.

Hill Air Force Base lands on state, country's radar

HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- Hill Air Force Base's impact is felt in every community throughout the Top of Utah.

It's the largest single-site employer in the state, but base officials say it has provided much more than just employment.

"Hill Air Force Base has been one of the largest economic engines for Utah since World War II," said Col. Scott Chambers, 75th Air Base Wing commander. "But the mission at Hill is really like no other. That's what really sets us apart."

On nearly 7,000 acres just south of Ogden and adjacent to Clearfield, Roy and Layton, Hill is an entity of its own.

As a logistics-material base, it provides the Air Force with services that keep military weapons systems ready to defend the United States and its interests for years to come.

Hill provides worldwide engineering and logistics management for the F-16Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

The base also performs depot maintenance on the F-16, A-10 and C-130 Hercules, and the F-22 Raptor aircraft.

But with 19,000 civilian employees and 5,000 airmen, "this installation injects tremendous growth into the Utah economy," said base historian David Kendziora.

Hill has a $500 million payroll, and the current value of base acreage, buildings, equipment and inventories exceeds $4.5 billion.

The base's roots date back to 1920, but it wasn't until WWII that it began to see signs of what was to come.

"World War II really brought tremendous growth to Hill Field (it became Hill Air Force Base in 1948)," Kendziora said. "During the war, Hill peaked at about 23,000 military and civilian personnel, which is close to what it has today."

During the war, Hill Field was a critical maintenance and supply base geared to support the war effort.

Hill personnel were responsible for structural repair and engine overhaul that rehabilitated and returned thousands of warbirds to combat.

"Hill Field really had folks that contributed directly to the Allied victory," Kendziora said.

"The history of this base really reflects the history of the entire United States Air Force. During World War II, Hill was especially instrumental in developing the planes that were critical in strategic bombardment, which obviously played a huge part in the war."

Hill -- named after Major Ployer P. Hill, a military pioneer who died while piloting the B-17 prototype -- also played major roles in the Korean conflict, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Gulf War and the current war on terror.

Hill's Utah Test and Training Range, in the state's West Desert, has provided airmen with a world-class preparation area right in their own backyard.

With 2,675 miles of ground space and more than 19,000 miles of air space, the UTTR is the largest piece of supersonic-authorized and restricted airspace in the continental U.S.

The Air Force, Army and Marines all use the site for disposal of explosives, testing of experimental military equipment, and ground and air military training exercises.

"The UTTR is a national treasure," Chambers said. "Having the Air Logistics Center and the training range in one location is incredibly unique."

The UTTR may be Hill's biggest asset, but it's not the only treasure at Hill.

The aerospace museum has attracted visitors for more than 20 years. It was founded in 1981 as a part of the United States Air Force Heritage Program and opened in 1986.

The museum moved to its current facility on 30 acres on the northwest side of the base in 1991 and hosted its 1 millionth visitor in spring 1996.

Over the past five years, the museum has hosted an average of 180,000 visitors per year.

"We are one of the largest Air Force museums in the United States," said museum director Scott Wirz. "And we really have an awesome collection of planes."

The museum exhibits more than 80 military aircraft, missiles and aerospace vehicles, as well as aerospace ground equipment, military vehicles, uniforms and other artifacts.

Wirz said the museum is a microcosm of Hill's existence and serves as a humble reminder of what the base really stands for.

"Hill Air Force Base is historic," he said. "We try to capture that history here.

"It's important that people know about the things that have come before them and made their lives possible."

Hill Air Force Base and Museum

Directions to base: A gate pass is required. Take Exit 331 off Interstate 15. Head northeast on Hill Field Road, which becomes Southgate Avenue.

Directions to museum: A gate pass is not required to visit the museum. Simply take Exit 338 off Interstate 15 in Roy and enter museum grounds through the gate.

Museum hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week, except for New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Admission: Free, but donations accepted.

There are no comments for this page.