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Grissom Air Reserve Base (ARB)

Grissom Air Reserve Base (ARB), located approximately 65 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana, occupies close to 1,200 acres of land, and is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing (ARW). Grissom ARB was officially opened 1 July 1942 by the U.S. Navy as Bunker Hill Naval Air Station. Following the Korean War, Bunker Hill was closed by the Navy. Bunker Hill Air Force Base was formally opened in June 1954 as a Tactical Air Command (TAC) Base and was home to the 433rd Air Base Squadron and the 323rd Fighter-Bomber Wing. In 1955, the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron joined the base along with the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the 8th Air Force claimed jurisdiction in September 1957. In May 1959, the 305th Bomb Group, with B-47's in tow, arrived followed by KC-135 Stratotankers later that same year.

The base was renamed Grissom Air Force Base on 12 May 1968 after Lieutenant Colonel Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. Colonel Grissom, one of the original seven astronauts and a native of Mitchell, Indiana, was killed in his Apollo capsule while it was still on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy, Florida. In January 1970, the 305th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) replaced the 305th Bomb Group, making Grissom one of the largest tanker bases in the country. In 1971, the 434th Special Operations Wing along with its A-37 aircraft joined the installation, adding a Reserve unit to the base. In 1978, a second Air Force Reserve unit also joined the base. Due to Air Force mission changes, one reserve and one active duty unit left the installation in 1994, and Grissom AFB transitioned to Grissom ARB.

Today, Grissom ARB is the home of the 434th ARW and is one of only five Air Reserve Command Bases in the United States. The 434th is equipped with 22 KC-135 Stratotankers and is one of the key aerial refueling units in the Air Force Reserve. The 434th ARW consists of three major organizations: the 434th Operations Group, the 434th Logistics Group, and the 434th Support Group.

The land once occupied by Grissom AFB is not all used by the 434th ARW. Approximately 1,345 acres were turned over to the Grissom Redevelopment Authority (GRA) in 1994 when the active-duty portion of the base was closed. The GRA is a community-based council created in an effort to preserve the land, buildings, and jobs that may have been lost when the base was closed. Known as Grissom Aeroplex, the former base now consists of the 434th ARW, a Cost Plus World Market distribution center, Franklin Power Products, and Marburger Foods. Additionally, Aspen Square Management purchased the 1,100 homes that were previously base housing. Following renovation, the homes will be put up for sale or lease. A State correctional facility was built on a corner of the property and was opened in the fall of 1999, creating an additional 500 jobs for personnel in the local community. The idea is to create a town out of what was once known as Grissom AFB, and to provide jobs and housing enabling the local community the opportunity to continue to flourish.