Page 37 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2016

observer, was wounded in France during combat with German aircraft and crash landed. He died the next day from his wounds. Lt. Keesler was awarded the WWI Victory Medal with Silver Star for his gallantry.
Following World War II, the Air Force became a separate branch of service
in 1947. Thus, Keesler Army Air Field became Keesler Air Force Base.
Since its inception, Keesler’s
mission has been training. Now, 81st Training Wing unit personnel train approximately 2,600 students daily
in 31 initial skills, seven enlisted medical specialties, graduate medical education, and another 300-plus technical training courses. Students include Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel along
with Defense Department civilians and international students from allied nations. Keesler graduated its one millionth student on June 11, 1968.
Keesler was also an Air Force basic training center twice in its first 25 years of operation, and provided flight training at various times.
As the mission evolved and changed, so did the way it was maintained. “We received our first computers in 1958,” said Arnold. “We used them
to process the training students’ next assignments.”
Just as Keesler has been involved
in training for 75 years, it’s also been heavily involved in the community. In Fiscal Year 2014, Keesler provided an estimated $1.65 billion economic impact to Mississippi through jobs, contracts, services and retirees’ pensions. A commitment to serve
is evident as Keesler personnel volunteered more than 139,000 hours to agencies and events on base and in local communities.
“The most significant link between Keesler now and Keesler in the past
is its community involvement,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Charles Teston, a 31-year Air Force veteran. “When I was here in 1954 for airborne radio operator training, we built many things on and off base. We upgraded the World War II-era barracks in the base training area and built structures on Ship Island.”
The past few years have been
an active, but rewarding time for
Team Keesler as the base continues
to “Train, Develop and Inspire the World’s Best Airmen!” The base
was the Commander-in-Chief’s Installation Excellence Award recipient for 2013; recognized as the top U.S.
Air Force installation in the world. Each year, Team Keesler provides
Air Expeditionary Forces to support contingency and humanitarian operations around the globe.
“The training I got here carried me through three tours in Vietnam,” Teston said, “and the discipline, order and community ties have stayed with me.”
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE will celebrate 75 years of training excellence throughout 2016. Its impact to the Gulf Coast community is signi cant.
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