McClellan Park in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

McClellan Air Force Base

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

1. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 1a - The 1930's

Click on photo to view the 1938 photo.

Inscription.
[Panel 1a:]
The 1930s With war clouds gathering over the Pacific, in 1936 Congress authorized the construction of the Sacramento Air Depot. The Army Air Corp envisioned that the new depot would support operations on the West Coast, as well as provide a staging area for aircraft and material bound for the Pacific.

Built under the supervision of the Army Quartermaster Corps, construction of the Sacramento Air Depot began in late 1936. The depot took shape rapidly, and the construction of the runway and most of the facilities was completed by the fall of 1938 at a cost of approximately six million dollars. In 1939 the base was formally named McClellan Field in honor of Major Hezekiah McClellan, an Army test pilot killed in an aircraft accident in 1936.

Looking west, this 1938 photograph shows the depot's supply warehouses and aircraft hangers nearing completion.

[Panel 1b:]
The 1930s In May 1936 the Army announced plans to close the Rockwell Air Depot, San Diego, California, and move its West Coast aircraft maintenance and supply facility to Sacramento. The transfer began in October 1938, and over the next four months the Army moved 357 Rockwell workers, along with four million pounds of parts and equipment,

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to the new Sacramento Air Depot.

During the fall and winter of 1938-1939 workers stocked the depot's fourteen large warehouses and readied its maintenance facilities. The Sacramento Air Depot began repairing aircraft in March 1939, at which time the depot's work force numbered 21 officers, 115 enlisted men, and 623 civilians.

This photograph, taken in March 1939, shows technicians repairing a Wright Cyclone engine on a B-17 bomber.

[Panel 2a:]
The 1940s During World War II the workers at McClellan repaired thousands of aircraft, most destined for duty in the Pacific. After the aircraft were overhauled, many were wrapped with a protective covering and towed to the depot's loading dock on the nearby Sacramento River. There they were loaded onto barges and transported to waiting cargo ships in the ports of Oakland and San Francisco.

The depot's output increased significantly as the war progressed, and its aircraft production lines operated continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During the war the depot repaired P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, and P-51 fighters, B-17, B-24, B-25, and B-29 bombers; and C-47 and C-54 transports.

In this 1944 photograph, the night shift workers in the foreground are repairing P-39 Airacobras;

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 1b - The 1930's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

2. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 1b - The 1930's

Click to view the 1939 photo.

the production line in the background is for P-40 Warhawks. The production lines were housed in Butler Hangar, now Building 360.

[Panel 2b:]
The 1940s McClellan grew rapidly during the 1940s. Employment at the base jumped from 760 people in September 1939 to 17,652 civilians and 4,350 military personnel in June 1943. Indicative of the pace of the expansion, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in a massive wave of new hiring--within three weeks of the attack the depot hired 2,500 new workers.

Despite an ever increasing workload, in September 1943 a nationwide manpower shortage prompted the depot to begin releasing its workers to the military and by June 1945 the depot's workforce had shrunk to 11,680. Although new production techniques had actually enabled the depot to increase production by 25 percent during that period, by 1945 the strain of unlimited overtime began to show and workforce efficiently began to decline.

This 1943 photograph shows McClellan maintenance division personnel posing with the first C-47 transport overhauled at the base.

[Panel 3a:]
The 1950s In January 1950, McClellan began a high priority program to overhaul 158 B-29 bombers. The project was completed in 1953, and with the departure of

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 2a - The 1940's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

3. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 2a - The 1940's

Click to view the 1944 photo.

the heavy bombers the focus of repair and maintenance activities at the base shifted primarily to fighter aircraft.

During the mid-1950s, McClellan's aircraft maintenance personnel completed one of the largest aircraft modification programs ever undertaken by the Air Force - the installation of new fire-control systems, automatic pilots and engines in 648 F-86D Sabre jet fighters. Later in the decade the base also overhauled fighters such as the F-100 Super Sabre and the F-104 Starfighter.

In this photograph from the early 1950s, workers overhaul B-29 bombers in the Directorate of Maintenance facility in Building 251.

[Panel 3b:]
The 1950s The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 sparked a resurgence of activities at McClellan. The Air Force launched a massive rearmament program, and the number of military and civilian personnel assigned to the base increased from 7,504 in 1950 to 17,720 in 1953. The rapid influx of new workers resulted in massive traffic jams and a shortage of parking on base, problems later resolved through the use of staggered work schedules and off-base parking.

McClellan Air Force Base played a key role in handling the flood of equipment and spare parts needed to support combat operations in Korea.

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 2b - The 1940's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

4. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 2b - The 1940's

Click to view the 1943 photo.

To meet the increased operational demands of the Cold War, and to provide logistics support for the Air Force's increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, during the 1950s McClellan built two huge new warehouses--Buildings 783 and 786--containing 1.5 million square feet of storage space, and also automated many of its supply management functions.

In this picture from the mid-1950s, workers package parts and supplies destined for shipments to Air Force facilities around the world.

Panel 4a:]
The 1960s The early years of the missile age found McClellan Air Force Base poised to undertake new missions. During the 1960s the base began to diversify its workload. Although aircraft repair and maintenance remained McClellan's signature activity, during the 1960s the base began developing new capabilities, including the repair of sophisticated ground communications-electronics equipment and electrical generators.

During the 1960s McClellan also began supporting the nation's space programs, and also helped maintain the United States missile and air defense radar systems.

In this photograph a technician adjusts an AN/APS-95 airborne search radar in an EC-121 Warning Star aircraft. Based at McClellan, the aircraft belonged to the 552nd

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 3a - 1950's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

5. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 3a - 1950's

Click to view the early 1950s photo.

Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing.

[Panel 4b:]
The 1960s As the pace of combat operations in Vietnam intensified, in 1965 McClellan began sending Rapid Area Maintenance (RAM) teams, composed of skilled Air Force and civilian personnel, to Southeast Asia to repair crash and battle damaged aircraft.

RAM team duty was difficult often hazardous, and all of the team members were volunteers. Working under primitive conditions, and frequently coming under enemy fire, over a ten-year period Air Force RAM teams repaired over 1,000 aircraft. In June 1965 four McClellan RAM team members--Leon Forcum, John Kilzer, Floyd McKinney and Leo Nelson--were killed during a terrorist attack in Saigon. They were the only McClellan employees ever to be killed in a combat zone.

In this June 1965 photograph a McClellan repair team stands in front of an AE-1 Skyraider that they repaired at the Bien Hoa airfield, Republic of Vietnam.

Panel 5a:]
The 1970's The evolution of aircraft technology, coupled with the end of America's involvement in Vietnam, brought widespread changes to McClellan's aircraft production lines during the 1970s.

Over the course of the decade the Air Force's famed Century Series aircraft-the F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief,

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 3b - 1950's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

6. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 3b - 1950's

Click to view the mid-1950s photo.

and F-106 Delta Dart-largely disappeared from McClellan's maintenance hangars. They were replaced by the new sweep-wing F-111 fighter-bomber and the rugged A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Air Force aircraft designed expressly for close air support.

In this photograph F-111s undergo repair in Building 251. Each F-111 overhaul took approximately 20,000 labor hours.

[Panel 5b:]
The 1970s The 1970s witnessed the continued diversification of McClellan's workload. In 1976 the Air Force reorganized many of its maintenance functions, and in the process designated McClellan as the technology repair center for all of the service's ground communications-electronics equipment, flight control accessories, and hydraulics. As a part of the same reorganization, the Air Force also directed that McClellan transfer its aircraft engine repair activity, a function the base had performed since 1938, to another air logistics center.

To handle the new workloads, during the 1970s the base built several new facilities. Between 1972 and 1979 construction crews completed work on McClellan's industrial Product Facility. Located in Building 243, the facility contained a new hydraulic and pneumatic components repair shop, aircraft component repair facilities, and

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 4a - The 1960's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

7. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 4a - The 1960's

Click to view the photo.

a plating shop.

Reflecting the expanded scope of McClellan's mission, this photograph shows a technician repairing electrical equipment at one of McClellan's repair shops.

[Panel 6a:]
The 1980s During the 1980s McClellan overhauled and repaired thousands of aircraft including F-111 and F-4 Phantom II fighter-bombers and A-10 and A-7 Corsair II attack aircraft. But away from the din of the production line, McClellan was also helping shape the Air Force of tomorrow. The base served as the logistics support manager for the F-117 Nighthawk fighter-bomber, and also played an integral role in the development of the Air Force's newest fighter, the F-22 Raptor.

To keep pace with the changing needs of the Air Force, McClellan also developed capabilities in new areas including cutting-edge technologies such as advanced composite materials, fiber optics, and very high-speed integrated circuits.

In this photograph, technicians overhaul an A-7 in Building 360. McClellan began performing A-7 depot maintenance in late 1987, and two years later became the A-7 system program manager.

[Panel 6b:]
The 1980s During the 1980s McClellan's new high technology workloads, coupled with the Reagan defense buildup and escalating Cold War tensions,

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 4b - The 1960's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

8. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 4b - The 1960's

Click on photo to view the 1965 photo.

led to a steady increase in the base's work force. The number of military and civilian personnel employed at the base increased from 16,409 in 1980 to 22,011 by the middle of the decade.

Representative of the base's new capabilities was the nondestructive inspection facility that opened in Building 248 in 1988. The facility used sophisticated robotic X-ray and neutron ray inspection systems to detect hidden structural flaws and corrosion in a variety of military aircraft.

McClellan's ground communications-electronics workload also expanded in size and complexity throughout the decade. One of the systems repaired at the base, the AN/MPS-T1 Electronic Warfare Range System. is pictured above.

[Panel 7a:]
The 1990s In August 1990 Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait. In response, the United States and its allies rushed military forces to the region to protect Saudi Arabia and expel the Iraqis from Kuwait.

McClellan's personnel played a vital role in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. During the conflict the base worked around-the-clock to accelerate the repair of aircraft, command and control systems, and thousands of commodity items. The base also served as a staging area for parts and supplies destined for Saudi Arabia, while

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 5a - The 1970's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

9. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 5a - The 1970's

Click to view photo.

approximately 300 of McClellan's military personnel served in the Gulf during the war.

Following the Gulf War the Air Force continued to respond to regional conflicts around the globe, including combat operations in the Balkans, and ongoing skirmishes with Irag. Although the pace of Air Force operations increased dramatically throughout the 1990s, its resources did not. Despite the austere environment, throughout the 1990s McClellan continued to meet the operational requirements of the Air Force.

Managed and repaired at McClellan, the A-10 aircraft proved to be devastatingly effective during the Gulf War and in operations over the Balkans. In this photograph an A-10 undergoes analytical condition inspection and repair at McClellan Air Force Base.

[Panel 7b:]
The 1990s Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. defense spending declined throughout the 1990s. In an effort to trim defense spending, in June 1995 the independent Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended the closure McClellan Air Force Base by July 2001.

Despite the efforts of their allies in the White House and in Congress, McClellan's supporters could not stave off closure. Within weeks of the closure announcement the Air Force began

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 5b - The 1970's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

10. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 5b - The 1970's

Click to view photo.

making plans for closing the base and transferring the workload to other facilities. At the same time the Air Force began working with Sacramento County's Local Redevelopment Authority to facilitate the conversion of McClellan from military to civilian use.

The decision to close the base placed new demands on McClellan's work force. In addition to the base's traditional maintenance and repair workload, McClellan's personnel now had to perform the manual tasks necessary to ready the installation for closure.

[Panel 8a:]
Base Closure - 2001 On July 13, 2001, the Air Force will close McClellan Air Force Base and transfer control of the property to Sacramento County. Preparing the base for closure, and converting it from military to civilian use, required years of planning by the Air Force, various federal agencies, and Sacramento's Local Redevelopment Authority.

Starting in 1998, the Air Force began to transfer McClellan's workload to other military and commercial facilities, a process that was scheduled to be completed by October 2000. At the same time the Air Force was preparing to leave, it was also working aggressively to ready the base's facilities and equipment for transfer to the Local Redevelopment Authority.

Although

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 6a - The 1980's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

11. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 6a - The 1980's

Click to view photo.

McClellan Air Force Base will cease to exist in July 2001, a number of government organizations will remain on the installation after closure including, the Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, the Defense Microelectronics Activity, and Headquarters of the Defense Commissary Agency's Pacific/Western Region. Their presence will help facilitate the conversion of the base from military to civilian use, and will also serve as a tangible reminder of McClellan's long and illustrious military heritage.

[Panel 8b:]
McClellan Air Force Base
1936 - 2001 On July 13, 2001, the Air Force will officially close McClellan Air Force Base after 65 years of operation. For its employees, and the people in the surrounding communities, the event will mark the end of an era.

Over the decades, the evolution of McClellan mirrored the changing requirements of national defense and the rabidly evolving mission of the Air Force. Over the course of more than 60 years the base expanded from 1,100 to nearly 3,000 acres, and the value of its land and facilities grew from $6 million to over $3 billion dollars. McClellan's increasingly sophisticated infrastructure reflected the

McClellan's work force also changed over time. Numbering less than 1,000 in 1939,

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 6b - The 1980's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

12. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 6b - The 1980's

Click to view photo.

at the height of World War II employment at the base swelled to nearly 22,000 people. Employment at McClellan remained high throughout the Cold War, and in 1967 it peaked at 26,326 military and civilian personnel.

When viewed against the rapidly changing backdrop of international affairs and military technology, throughout McClellan's long and distinguished history the base's most enduring constant was the dedication of its military and civilian personnel. For 65 years their skill, courage, and dedication was a vital component in the defense of the United States.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm • War, Cold • War, Korean • War, Vietnam • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #40 Ronald Reagan series list.

Location. 38° 39.773′ N, 121° 23.095′ W. Memorial is in McClellan Park, California, in Sacramento County. It is on Arnold Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in a small park area bordered on the north by McClellan Mall and on the south by Mitchell Street. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3404

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 7a - The 1990's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

13. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 7a - The 1990's

Click to view photo.

McClellan Mall, McClellan CA 95652, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in California’s Sacramento Metro,

in the Sacramento Valley,

and specifically in the Central Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named McClellan Air Force Base (here, next to this marker); Base Headquarters (within shouting distance of this marker); Base Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bachelors' Barracks and Post Exchange (about 400 feet away); Firehouse (about 700 feet away); Rapid Area Maintenance Team (about 800 feet away); POW/MIA (approx. 0.9 miles away); Walerga Assembly Center (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in McClellan Park.

Also see . . . History of McClellan Air Force Base. The California State Military Museum gives a detailed history.

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 7b - The 1990's image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Syd Whittle, July 6, 2012

14. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 7b - The 1990's

Click to view photo.

(Submitted on July 7, 2012.)

McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 8a - Base Closure 2001 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Syd Whittle, July 6, 2012

15. McClellan Air Force Base Marker - Panel 8a - Base Closure 2001

Click to view photo.

Panel 8b - McClellan Air Force Base 1936 - 2001 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Syd Whittle, July 6, 2012

16. Panel 8b - McClellan Air Force Base 1936 - 2001

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McClellan Air Force Base image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

17. McClellan Air Force Base

1936
This memorial is dedicated to the men and women of McClellan AFB whose sacrifice, courage and determination contributed immeasurably to the Nation’s defense
2001

McClellan Air Force Base Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Syd Whittle, July 6, 2012

18. McClellan Air Force Base Markers

Panels 1a - 4b are on the left. Panels 5a - 8b are on the right.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

19. McClellan Air Force Base Markers

Time Capsule Behind The Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

20. Time Capsule Behind The Marker

8 September 1986
On this date, fifty years ago, ground was broken for construction of the Sacramento Air Depot. To commemorate this 50th anniversary, the men and women at Sacramento Air Logistics Center and McClellan AFB have placed in this time capsule memorabilia from out generation. We leave a legacy of our “Pursuit of Excellence” to be opened on the 100th Anniversary, 8 September 2036.
Lee V. Greer, Major General, USAF
SM-ALC Commander
David S. Whitman, Colonel, USAF
Base Commander

The Cornerstone of the McClellan AFB image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

21. The Cornerstone of the McClellan AFB

- March 1940 –
Dedicated to the past, present, and to the future of the United States Air Force. – Civil Engineering Division

Dedicated Tree image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

22. Dedicated Tree

This tree was dedicated upon the completion of the Sacramento Air Depot and in memory of the Pioneers of California
By the Sacramento city and county Parlors of the Native Daughters of the Golden West
April 29, 1939

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, May 7, 2023

23. Dedicated Tree

Located at the opposite (east) end of the McClellan Mall.
The plaque is on the boulder to the left of the tree.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2012, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 3,332 times since then and 212 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on July 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 14, 15, 16. submitted on July 7, 2012, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 17. submitted on July 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 18. submitted on July 7, 2012, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 19. submitted on July 3, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 20, 21, 22, 23. submitted on July 5, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.