Sioux City and the Air Force

The area surrounding Sioux City has a peaceful history. There were no major battles with Indians and no Civil War battles. Sioux City did play a major role during World War II as a training center for B-17 and B-24 bomber crews. Sioux City Army Air Force Base opened on July 5th, 1942. Bomber crew members would complete their specialized training as pilots, navigators, bombadiers, and gunners at various schools around the United States then come together for training as a crew at Sioux City before deploying to units in Europe.(1)

During the 1960’s Sioux City Air Force Station protected the central United States by providing air defense with fighter aircraft and radar. That role ended in 1966. Sioux City still serves our country with an active Air National Guard unit.(2)

Although the base was always called Sioux City, it is actually adjacent to Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. A major portion of present day Sergeant Bluff was once military housing for Sioux City Air Force Station.

For a detailed history of the units please follow the links in the text.

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References

1. Sioux City AAF, IA - Tribute to the 445th Bomb Group. http://445bg.org/sioux-city-aaf---sioux-city,-ia.html , referenced 28 Aug 2013.
2. Sioux City Air Defense Sector - Wikipedia, the ffree encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_City_Air_Defense_Sector, referenced 28 Aug 2013.