However, Friday’s event included an impressive anniversary cake, flight demonstrations by FA-18 jets as well as the station’s vaunted search and rescue helicopter. There were also dips in the pool, and hot dogs and hamburgers were served to guests.
Despite some minor issues at the main gate where some guests may have been mistakenly turned away, the event went on and was basically over at about 1:30 p.m.
The base commander, Capt. Douglas Peterson welcomed his visitors and gave short remarks. He then initiated a brief history of the base and handed out buttons or stickers to those who answered correctly.
The local Navy installation was commissioned on Saturday, July 8, 1961, the year that President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. A crowd of thousands showed up of military personnel, local residents, and several distinguished guests. At the time, the new base was considered the U.S. Navy’s largest and most modern jet base. In 1961 dollars, the base probably cost $100 million. In current bucks, that’s about $1 billion.
The base’s primary function was to train fighter jet pilots and crew, which would remain its primary role in 2022.
When commissioned in 1961, the base covered 28 square miles and employed more than 5,000 people with salaries totaling more than $30 million annually ($280 million in 2022 dollars). The base has more than doubled its workforce since 1961, with roughly 11,800 jobs and an annual payroll of $478 million.
Currently, NAS Lemoore averages more than 210,000 flight operations annually, and more than 3,700 students are trained annually.
Photos by Gary Feinstein, Feinsteinfotos
