| Foster Air Force Base |
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| victoria, texas | |
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HISTORY Originally known as Victoria Field, it was renamed in 1942 in memory of Lt. Arthur L. Foster, a United States Army Air Corps instructor killed in a crash at Brooks Field in 1925. Built at a cost of over $4 million, it was considered a major economic asset to the city of Victoria. The first class of cadets served under Lt. Col. Warren R. Carter. Cadets used the North American AT-6 "Texas" and Curtiss P-40 trainers to drill in aerial gunnery, though actual practice took place on ranges located on Matagorda Island and Matagorda Peninsula. After World War II , Foster Field was deactivated and the site was returned to its private owners. The field was reactivated as Foster Air Force Base, however, upon the commencement of the Korean War . In 1954, Foster AFB was designated headquarters for the Nineteenth Air Force . In August 1957, despite the fact that President Dwight D. Eisenhower appropriated funds for new construction at the base, the base was recommended for closure. At great cost to the local economy, the base was deactivated and closed in December 1958. |
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