Clark Air Force Base

​From 1903 to 1991m Clark Air Base was a military installation operated by the U.S. Army and the US. Air Force respectively.  Clark Air Base is in the Philippines on the Luzon Island. The base covered 14.3 square miles. Additionally, the military reservation extended north covering another 230 miles. The U.S. Army established the installation as Fort Stotsenburg in Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga in 1903. In 1919, it was renamed Clark Field after Harold M. Clark and became a landing field for the U.S. Army Air Corps medium bombers. Nine hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the base was attacked by Japanese forces. Many aircraft were destroyed. The American military evacuated the base on December 24th, 1941.  The Japanese took over the base and it was a major Japanese air operation. On January 31, 1945, the American forces took back possession of Clark Field. The base grew into a major air base during the Cold War, a launching pad for the Korean War and an essential logistics hub during the Vietnam War. In 1991, Mount Pinatubo volcano erupted. The Philippine government wanted $825 million annually for the U.S. to continue operations on the base. The U.S. Government decided not to renew the lease, therefore in November 1991, the U.S. Air Force lowered the last U.S. flag and transferred Clark Air Base to the Philippine government. Due to ongoing Chinse claim to the Philippine seas, the Philippine government agreed to the return of American military forces to Clark. Clark was notably the most urbanized military facility and was the largest American base overseas.
This week we salute Bill Cunningham. Bill was an U.S. Air Force Officer and served for three years. He is originally from Hysham, Montana. He went to Officer Candidate School at Montana State College. He received an Agricultural Engineering Degree. He is married and has two daughters and a son. His favorite memory of being stationed at Clark Air Base was that it was a happy place. He and his family had a house on the hill overlooking the Base and it was beautiful.