Volk Field Air National Guard Base | |
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Part of Air National Guard (ANG) | |
Located near: Camp Douglas, Wisconsin | |
Main entrance to Volk Field displaying a former Wisconsin Air National Guard P-51D Mustang
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Coordinates | N 43° 55.685' W 90° 15.810' |
Type | National Guard Training Base |
Code | KVOK |
Site information | |
Owner | Wisconsin Air National Guard |
Controlled by | United States Air Force |
Site history | |
Built | 1888 |
In use | 1888 – present |
Volk Field Air National Guard Base | |||||||||||
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1998 USGS Photo
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
Operator | U.S. Air Force | ||||||||||
Location | Orange, near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 912 ft / 278 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 43°56′20″N 090°15′13″W / 43.93889°N 90.25361°W | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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Location | 101 Independence Dr, Camp Douglas, WI 54618 |
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Type | Aviation Military History |
Volk Field Air National Guard Base (IATA: VOK, ICAO: KVOK, FAA LID: VOK) is a military airport located near the village of Camp Douglas, in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. It is also known as the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC). The base also houses Camp Williams, which is supported by the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
The origin of the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) can be traced back to 1888 when the state adjutant general, General Chandler Chapman, purchased a site for a rifle range and offered it to the state for a camp. In 1889 the state legislature authorized the governor to purchase land near the site for a permanent training site to include a dedicated pistol, rifle, and artillery training range for the Wisconsin National Guard.
By 1903 the camp had expanded to more than 800 acres (3.2 km2) and was used for training by the then reorganized National Guard. In 1917 the site served as a major mobilization and training post for the 32nd Infantry Division which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National prior to its shipping to France as part of World War I.
The site was named Camp Williams in 1927 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Williams, the chief quartermaster of the post from 1917 until his death in 1926. Camp Williams grew slowly following the First World War, but with the development of the airplane, the first hard-surface runways were constructed in 1935 and 1936.
During World War II Camp Williams and Volk served as a mobilization and training station for elements of the 32nd Infantry Division which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard.