Richard I. Bong AFB
| Richard I. Bong Air Force Base | |||||||||||
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Remains of Bong AFB, 14 April 2000
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Location of Richard I. Bong Air Force Base
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | United States Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Brighton, Kenosha County, Wisconsin | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 803 ft / 244 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°38′14.62″N 88°8′56.81″W / 42.6373944°N 88.1491139°W | ||||||||||
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Richard I. Bong Air Force Base is an unfinished Air Force Base built during the late 1950s. It was named after the famous aviator, Major Richard Ira Bong, of World War II fame.
The base was originally intended to be an air defense fighter base for the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. It was conceived in the early 1950s and construction began in the mid-1950s. Construction had barely begun when the base was transferred to the Strategic Air Command. Eventually, the base was considered obsolete as it had become apparent to Air Force officials that the base would be rather redundant with installations nearby that would soon have space for more units. The base was abandoned in 1959 and disposed of the following year.
The base is not to be confused with the planned renaming of Spokane Air Force Base, Washington as Bong Air Force Base, which was the planned name of that facility until General Muir Fairchild died on active duty in 1950, cementing "Fairchild" onto the name of the current Fairchild Air Force Base.
The idea of an air force base for the Chicago area began in 1951 when it was realized that the air traffic at O'Hare International Airport would soon oversaturate control facilities. The United States Air Force then instructed the Air Defense Command to study the possibility of locating a base which would house two fighter-interceptor squadrons within a 70-mile radius from the city. The aim of the base was to protect the Milwaukee and Chicago areas from attack by Soviet bombers. A survey team then selected a site south of the unincorporated community of Kansasville, Wisconsin. On August 30, 1954, the Air Defense Command requested funds for development of the site. The 56th Fighter-Interceptor Group was scheduled to move to the base as soon as it was completed.
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