Editing Fort Wainwright (section)

== History ==
In the 1930s Alaska was a vast undefended region where Alaska's territorial delegates to congress lobbied to obtain a better defense strategy. Then-Lt. Col. [[Henry "Hap" Arnold]] led a flight of [[Martin B-10|B-10]] bombers from Washington D.C. to Alaska in 1934 scouting for potential airfields. His report recommended the establishment of an air base at Fairbanks which could support cold weather testing and serve as a tactical supply depot.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

In 1935, Congress passed the Wilcox National Air Defense Act which authorized the construction of new airbases including one in Alaska for cold weather testing and training. March 1937, President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] withdrew public land for the Army in [[Executive Order 7596]] as the location for the airfield and the base. Congress approved appropriated funds in 1939 for the construction of '''Ladd Field''', named after [[Arthur K. Ladd|Maj. Arthur Ladd]], an Army Air Corps pilot who perished in an airplane crash in South Carolina while under sealed orders.

=== World War II ===
==== Cold-weather test station ====
[[File:Testing flying clothing 1941 (USAF).jpg|thumb|Cold weather test of flight clothes Ladd Field, 1941]]

The construction of Ladd Field began in earnest early in 1940, prompted by the declaration of war in Europe months before. During its first two years of operations, Ladd Field's mission was as a cold-weather test station. The station commander of the '''Cold Weather Test Station''' was Maj. Dale V. Gaffney. The cold weather station focused primarily on testing aircraft performance and maintenance. Its major goal was to develop standard procedures for servicing and operating aircraft in subzero temperatures and to test various airplane parts and fluids. The testing program looked at other aspects of arctic operations to include clothing, communication, equipment, survival gear, medical issues, and ground support.<ref name=":2" />

During 1940–1942, Ladd Field was devoted to research and considered an "exempt station" from combat. In June 1942, Japan bombed Dutch Harbor, on the Aleutian Island of Unalaska, and occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska. The Cold Weather Test Station was deactivated and Ladd Field came temporarily under control of the 11th Air Force who fell under the Alaska Defense Command. By fall of 1942, the Cold Weather test Station was reactivated and became an exempted research station again.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Price |first1=Kathy |title=The World War II Heritage of Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska |date=May 2004 |publisher=Center for Ecological Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Consultation |url=https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404175552/https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref>

==== Lend-Lease program ====
[[File:Nd A20 Final Check Kay Kennedy Collection Cir 1942 Land-Lease.jpg|thumb|[[Lend-Lease]] program final check, 1942]]

In 1942, under [[Lend-Lease]] agreements, the United States provided war planes and materials to the Soviet Union to use against Nazi Germany. Ladd Field was selected as the transfer point for Lend-Lease aircraft transiting the Alaska-Siberia (ALSIB) route. More than 7,900 aircraft were eventually delivered to Soviet pilots waiting at Ladd field who would then fly them to Nome and across Siberia to the eastern war front. To facilitate this mission, Ladd Field was transferred to the Air Transport Command (ATC) for the remainder of the war.

Under the ATC, Ladd field expanded with a new hangar and runway along with hundreds of temporary building to house the large workforce needed to support the mission. By June 1945 Ladd Field was capable of billeting 4,555 troops. Cold weather testing continued its mission as a tenant unit on Ladd. The conclusion of WWII marked the end of the Lend-Lease Program in September 1945. Military personnel left Alaska and Ladd Field was transferred from ATC back to 11th Air Force.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Lend-Lease Operations 1942-1945 |publisher=Fort Wainwright Directorate of Public Works Cultural Resource Management Office}}</ref>

==== Women's Army Corps (WAC) ====
[[File:1945 Aug 10 WAC Review Wiker.jpg|thumb|[[Women's Army Corps|WAC]] Review Ladd Field, 1945]]

1st Lt. Woodall was the first [[Women's Army Corps|WAC]] to be stationed at Ladd Field, arriving in January 1945 to work as an aerial photographer with the Cold Weather Test Detachment. At Ladd Field, her duties included establishing the Extreme Temperature Operations Unit (ETOU) laboratory that tested photographic equipment on military aircraft. This required her to cross the Arctic Circle in a B-29 at high altitude making her the first armed forces female to fly to the arctic. The 1466th AAF Base Unit Squadron W arrived at Ladd Field in April. Maj. Betty Etten Wiker, then a 1st Lieutenant (1st Lt.) served as the WAC commanding officer at Ladd Field. The WAC served in various positions, from office work to performing field duty as medics and airplane mechanics. One tenth of the Ladd Field WACs were assigned duties within Army Airways Communication System (AACS). The WAC departed from Ladd Field in December 1945 after the end of the Lend-Lease Program.<ref>{{cite book |title=Their War, Too: The Women's Army Corps and Ladd Field |publisher=Fort Wainwright Directorate of Public Works Cultural Resource Management Office}}</ref>

==== Cold War ====
In 1945, rivalry developed between the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] resulting in the [[Cold War]]. The proximity of the Soviet Union to Alaska in a post-war long-range bomber age spurred the development of the Arctic front. The Arctic would encompass many activities for the Department of Defense to include use as a forward deployment zone and as a first line of defense in the region. In 1947, due to the National Securities Act, the Air Force was designated as a separate branch from the Army. Ladd Field was renamed '''Ladd Air Force Base''' commanded by the 11th Air Force. During this time [[Eielson Air Force Base|Eielson airfield]] was established to supplement Ladd AFB with a separate B-36 bomber mission.

In the early years of the Cold War, Ladd AFB's missions included; assessing the Soviet presence in the Arctic by strategic reconnaissance; supplying a regional air defense asset; improvement of the practice of polar navigation; and continued cold weather testing of equipment, clothing and human performance. In 1948, the Army sent the [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]] to Ladd AFB with a mission of ground defense.<ref name=":3">{{cite book |last1=Price |first1=Kathy |title=Northern Defenders: Cold War Context of Ladd Air Force Base Fairbanks, Alaska 1947-1961 |date=January 2001 |publisher=Center for Ecological Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite web |title=Ladd Air Force Base Cold War Historic District (Cold War, 1947-1961) |url=https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404175552/https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref>

During the Korean War in 1950 and through to 1957 Ladd AFB saw a rise in tempo and an increase in their logistics operations. The base became the logistical support center for Alaska's defense projects. Research expanded creating an ice station research center to analysis and track polar ice packs; perform geophysics projects and expand communication networks. The 4th Infantry Regiment provided the combat mission man power through 1956.

[[File:B-29 WITH DOG TEAM (USAF).jpg|thumb|[[B-29]] with dog team at Ladd AFB (USAF)]]

By 1957, [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s (ICBMs) and satellites reduced the role for Ladd AFB. In 1960, with two major airbases in close proximity, coupled with economic pressures, the Air Force stopped flying operations at Ladd and reassigned them to [[Eielson Air Force Base|Eielson AFB]] and to [[Elmendorf Air Force Base|Elmendorf AFB]] in Anchorage. The Air Force transferred Ladd to the Army on 1 January 1961, and the installation was renamed '''Fort Wainwright''' after WWII General, [[Jonathan M. Wainwright (general)|Jonathan M. Wainwright]].

In 1963, the [[171st Infantry Brigade (United States)|171st Infantry Brigade]] (mechanized) was activated at Fort Wainwright to defend Eielson AFB. Several elements of the 171st IN (Mech) deployed to [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] in 1966. In 1969, the 171st Infantry transitioned from mechanized to light infantry and were subsequently inactivated in 1972 from Fort Wainwright. Ladd Field was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) on 4 February 1985. Ladd Air Force Base was designated as '''Ladd Air Force Base Cold War District''' and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on the same day. In 1986, Fort Wainwright expanded their mission beyond the Arctic to support world-wide deployments. USARAL was discontinued in 1974. This left the [[172nd Infantry Brigade (United States)|172nd Infantry Brigade]] at [[Fort Richardson (Alaska)|Fort Richardson]] to assume control of the Army in Alaska, reporting directly to FORSCOM at Fort McPherson, Georgia. In 1986, the [[6th Infantry Division (United States)|6th Infantry Division]] (light) was assigned to Fort Richardson and assumed the role of overall Army Command in Alaska from the 172nd Infantry Brigade. The 6th ID provided a rapid-deployment worldwide strike force and participated in worldwide training events.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />

=== Post–Cold War ===
[[File:Howitzer practice (51257089543).jpg|thumb|Soldiers train on the [[M119 howitzer]] in Yukon Training Area in 2021.]]

In 1994, U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK) was activated and replaced the 6th Infantry Division, reestablishing the Alaskan Command. The 2004 Army Modernization Plan, created to facilitate deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, created modular brigade combat teams. This configuration transformed the 172nd Infantry Brigade at Fort Richardson into the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 25th Infantry Division (1/25 SBCT) stationed at Fort Wainwright becoming its dominant warfighting unit. The newly transformed 4/25 BCT (Airborne) remained at Fort Richardson. The mission of the 1-25 SBCT (no "/" is used for this unit) was to deploy rapidly 'to a designated contingency area of operation by air and [conduct] operations either as a separate Brigade Combat Team or under the control of a contingency force headquarters." Equipped with wheeled [[Stryker]] armored vehicles, the brigade filled the gap between light forces like the 4/25 BCT (Airborne) and heavy, armored units.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Siedler |first1=William J |title=The Coldest Front: Cold War Military Properties in Alaska Revised and Expanded, U.S. department of Defense: Legacy Resource management Program |orig-date=February 1996 |date=August 2012}}</ref> In June 2022, U.S. Army Alaska reflagged to the 11th Airborne Division subsequently making the former 1-25 and 4-25 1st Infantry Brigade and [[2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division|2nd Infantry Brigade]] of the 11th Airborne Division, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Angels" fly high once again as U.S Army resurrects WWII 11th Airborne Division in Alaska |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/%E2%80%9Cangels%E2%80%9D-fly-high-once-again-as-us-army-resurrects-wwii-11th-airborne-division-in-alaska/ar-AAYhLsr |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=MSN |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Training and recreation areas====
Fort Wainwright manages over 1.6 million acres of training and recreation land. Training areas include Tanana Flats, Yukon, Donnelly, Black Rapids and Gerstle River. Seasonally, these areas can be used by the military and the public for recreation activities by obtaining a Recreation Access Permit. The U.S. Army Recreation Tracking Systems (USARTRAK) has been established to facilitate public access on Fort Wainwright training lands and allows recreational users to check in by phone or online. The USARTRAK website has updated training area map information depicting impact areas and off limit areas. It also shows when and where certain training areas will be temporarily restricted during training exercises.

Fort Wainwright manages specialized outdoor recreation areas in the cantonment area to include Chena Bend Clubhouse and Golf Course, Birch Hill Ski and snowboard Area, Fischer Skeet range and two RV and tent campgrounds. Fort Wainwright also manages the Seward Military Resort located on the Kenai Peninsula.