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~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Luke Air Force Base, Arizona 
Luke Air Force Base (IATA: LUF, ICAO: KLUF, FAA LID: LUF) is a United States Air Force base located seven miles west of the central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona. It is also about 15 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. Luke AFB is a major training base of the Air Education and Training Command, training pilots in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The 56th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Luke. It is part of Air Education and Training Command. The wing is composed of four groups of 27 squadrons, including eight fighter squadrons. There are several tenant units on base, including the 944th Fighter Wing, assigned to 10th Air Force and the Air Force Reserve.
The base population includes about 7,500 military members and 15,000 family members. With about 80,000 retired military members living in greater Phoenix, the base services a total population of more than 100,000.
 The base is named for the first aviator to receive the Medal of Honor– Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Born in Phoenix in 1897, the “Arizona Balloon Buster” scored 18 aerial victories during World War I (14 of these German observation balloons) in the skies over France before being killed, at age 21, on September 29, 1918. 
In 1940, the U.S. Army sent a representative to Arizona to choose a site for an Army Air Corps training field for advanced training in conventional fighter aircraft. The city of Phoenix bought 1,440 acres of land which they leased to the government at $1 a year effective March 24, 1941. On March 29, 1941, the Del. E. Webb Construction Co. began excavation for the first building at what was know then as Litchfield Park Air Base.
Another base known as Luke Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, released its name when the base was transferred to the Navy in June 1941, and the fledgling Arizona base was called Luke Field at the request of its first commander, Lt. Col. Ennis C. Whitehead, who went on to become a lieutenant general as commander of Air Defense Command in 1950. The first class of 45 students, Class 41 F, arrived June 6, 1941 to begin advanced flight training in the AT-6, although only a few essential buildings had been completed. Flying out of Sky Harbor Airport until the Luke runways were ready, pilots received 10 weeks of instruction and the first class graduated Aug. 15, 1941. Capt. Barry Goldwater served as director of ground training the following year. Learn More About The History Of Luke Air Force Base Here!
The mission at Luke Air Force Base is to train the world's greatest F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers, while deploying mission ready warfighters. The 56th Fighter Wing, one of the most highly decorated aviation units in history, traced its history to the 56th Pursuit Group which first activated Jan. 15, 1941, at Savannah Air Base, Georgia. Today, the 56th Fighter Wing, a unit which historically has proven to have fighter pilots second to none, continues a mission that has been identified with Luke AFB since 1941: "Training Fighter Pilots Second to None." 
The F-16 is the world's premier multi-role fighter; the product of high-end technology and inputs from fighter pilots the world over. It emphasizes flight performance--range, speed, payload, endurance and maneuverability--in the heart of the flight envelope where air combat occurs. The F-16 introduced many very successful technologies, such as fly-by-wire and relaxed static stability, which gives it a quantum leap in capability over other fighters and still makes it a fierce competitor today.
It has the range, payload, agility, and systems required to reach, locate, and destroy its targets as well as the survivability and sortie rates to return to the fight again and again. 
But the heart of the aircraft lies not in the cold hard metal frame or superior technology--it can be found in the everyday men and women that fly this outstanding machine every day. The students who are training to fly one of the world's most advanced and capable aircraft receive some of the most realistic training available at Luke Air Force Base. They go through a structured syllabus totaling over 265 hours of classroom training, 55 hours of simulator and 80 hours of flight time. Luke Air Force Base trains more than 470 F-16 pilots per year, and takes pride in each one of them. It is a process which develops well trained pilots that will go on to their first operational assignment ready for the fight. Learn More About Luke Air Force Base Here!
The dramatic and colorful military history of Arizona begins with the Spanish Conquistadors and continues to this day. There's something at the Arizona Military Museum for everyone--kids to seniors. Visitors can view over twenty-five authentic displays of everything from uniforms to weapons to armored vehicles, and as a result, gain a better understanding of the contributions made by Arizona veterans to the cause of freedom. 
The Arizona Military Museum has displays of uniforms, vehicles, artillery and miscellaneous mementos from military encounters dating all the way back to the Spanish Conquistadors. As visitors walk by these displays, progressing from the Civil War to the Indian and Spanish-American Wars, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and, finally, Desert Storm, the scope of Arizona's extensive military history takes shape. Learn More About The Arizona Military Museum Here!
FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.
Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun! We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity. We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon. We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way. God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always |