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~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Naval Air Station Key West, Florida 
Naval Air Station Key West is a naval air station and military airport located four miles east of the central business district of Key West, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. NAS Key West supports the needs of aviation units and is host to many tenant commands, including Fighter Composite Squadron 111, (VFC-111), Strike Fighter Squadron 106 (VFA-106) Detachment, the Caribbean Region Operations Center (CARIBROC), Naval Security Group Activity Key West, the Air Force's 6947th Electronic Security Squadron (6947 ESS), the U.S. Army's 749th Military Intelligence Company, the U.S. Army Special Forces Waterborne Operations Division (SFWOD) and Joint Interagency Task Force East (JIATF - East). 
NAS Key West is the U.S. Navy's premier training facility for tactical aviation squadrons. Local aerial ranges enable aviators to engage in training maneuvers within minutes of takeoff. The station is equipped with a sophisticated tactical combat training system which tracks and records combat aerial maneuvers. As a host facility, NAS Key West provides and maintains facilities and services for tenant commands, and ensures quality of life for all personnel. 
NAS Key West is the host facility for numerous tenant activities, including Joint Interagency Task Force South, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Training School to name a few. As in the past, NAS Key West continues to be frequently utilized for detachments by active and reserve U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadrons and U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard fighter and rescue squadrons for exercises and unit level and continuation training. The Naval Air Training Command also uses NAS Key West from time to time for training detachments of student strike pipeline aviators, including initial carrier qualifications.
U.S. Navy P-3C and E-2C aircraft also routinely conduct detachment operations at NAS Key West, primarily counternarcotics (CN) reconnaissance missions in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean basin in support of both the U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Interagency Task Force East (JIATF - East). Learn More About NAS Key West Base Here! Built in 1847 to aid to ships navigating dangerous reefs off the lower Keys, the Key West Lighthouse now stands sentinel over one of Florida's finest historical sites. 
The tower and nearby Keeper's Quarters have been faithfully restored and maintained as they were before the lighthouse was deactivated in 1969. Many of the historic elements remain, including the pipes used to deliver acetylene gas that powered the light before it was electrified in 1927. The clapboard bungalow where the keepers and their families lived while maintaining the beacon has been recreated in turn-of-the-century style with historic furniture, furnishings and photos that provide a sense of life in Key West during that formative time. Visit The Key West Lighthouse 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 |
