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More than 150 years ago, MCAS Miramar was part of an enormous ranchero owned by Don Santiago Anguello, the former Mexican Army commandante of San Diego’s presidio. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico and eventually annexed the territories of California and New Mexico. Miramar’s military roots started in 1917, when the Army purchased the Miramar area and established Camp Kearny. Construction costs totaled $1.25 million, but few permanent structures were built. Most of Camp Kearny’s soldiers lived in tents, as more than 65,000 men trooped through the camp on their way to World War I battlegrounds. After the war, the camp was used as a demobilization center, and in 1920, it ceased to function as a military base and languished for 12 years. The Navy’s occupation of the area began in earnest in 1932, when the largest aircraft in the world came to Camp Kearny. A mooring mast was built at the camp for the dirigibles USS Akron and USS Macon. Both aircraft crashed as sea, and within only a few years, Camp Kearny was quiet once again. The Navy retained control of the area for several years but did not actively employ its services. When World War II began in Europe, the U.S. military began a precautionary buildup. Runways were constructed at the camp in 1940 and were put to heavy use when America entered the war in 1941. During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied Miramar. After World War II, all military facilities were combined and the base was redesignated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. This lasted just 13 months, however, when the Marines moved to El Toro in 1947. Miramar was then redesignated a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Only half of Miramar’s facilities were put to use, and the station literally began to deteriorate. Many buildings were sold as scrap during this period. Throughout its already illustrious history, Miramar had prepared and supported carrier groups and squadrons during World War II and the Korean War, but it was during the Vietnam War that Miramar met its greatest challenge — to train fighter air crews in air combat maneuvering and fleet air defense. This mission was accomplished through the creation of Top Gun, a graduated-level training school for fighter air crews. The school garnered fame throughout the military for its success. The movie “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise, with portions of the movie filmed aboard the air station, brought worldwide fame to “Fightertown, USA.” In 1993, a Base Realignment and Closure committee decision recommended that Naval Air Station Miramar be redesignated as a Marine Corps Air Station. The realignment involved relocating all Navy’s F-14 Tomcat and E-2 Hawkeye squadrons. Top Gun and the last F-14 squadron left the air station in 1996 to make way for Marines from MCAS El Toro and Marine Corps Air Facility Tustin. The first Marine squadrons, support units and their F/A-18 Hornets began making the move from MCAS El Toro in August 1994. On Oct. 1, 1997, Miramar once again became a Marine Corps Air Station as the Marines landed back home after a 50-year absence. The final chapter in the transition process was etched July 2, 1999, with the closing ceremony for MCAS El Toro and MCAF Tustin. This historic event marked an end to a 52-year presence in Orange County and signified the final step in a move that spanned nearly five years. With the move complete, all of Miramar’s fixed-wing F/A-18 and KC-130 Hercules squadrons, as well as its CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, are in place. Additionally, the support commands Marine Wing Support Group 37 and Marine Air Control Group 38 have been established. These achievements, combined with the near completion of approximately $400 million in construction, means that MCAS Miramar has taken its long-awaited, rightful place as the home of the Marine Corps’ West Coast air power. The air station covers more than 23,000 acres
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