Otis Air National Guard Base
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Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) (ICAO is KFMH) is an Air National Guard station located within the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), a military training facility, located on the upper western portion of Cape Cod.
From 1955 through 1972 the US Air Force operated Otis Air Force Base on MMR, and these operations included the use of petroleum products and other hazardous materials such as fuels, motor oils, and cleaning solvents and the generation of associated wastes. Consistent with practices of other industries at the time, it was common practice for many years at MMR to dispose of such wastes in landfills, drywells, sumps, and the sewage treatment plant. Spills and leaks also occurred. These activities have resulted in serious impacts to the Upper Cape’s groundwater resources.
In 1973 the Massachusetts Governor appointed the Otis Task Force to oversee a phase-down of military activities at MMR. The major concern of Cape residents was the fate of base property and impacts on the local economy as military activities decreased.
According to the 102nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs office Otis Air National Guard Base is named for pilot, flight surgeon, and eminent Boston City Hospital surgeon, Lt. Frank "Jesse" Otis, a member of the 101st Observation Squadron who was killed on Jan. 11, 1937 when his Douglas O-46A crashed while on a cross-country training mission.
In 1938, the landing field area at Camp Edwards was named Otis Field in memory of the Boston flying physician. Ten years later the base was renamed Otis Air Force Base in his honor. Until 1973, it was the largest Aerospace Defense Command base in the world and is the only base named for a doctor
In 1977, Otis AFB was officially redistributed with the establishment of boundary lines which divided the complex into several installations, all within the confines of the original base. Established was Otis Air National Guard Base, Camp Edwards, and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Together they form the Massachusetts Military Reservation.
In 1978, the Air Force returned with the construction of the Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) near the Cape Cod Canal. PAVE PAWS is designed to detect airborne ballistic missiles and monitor orbiting satellites.
The host unit on Otis ANGB is the 102nd Fighter Wing (Air Combat Command). Also on Otis is the 253rd Combat Communications Group and the 202nd Weather Flight.
The 102nd Fighter Wing was the first U.S. Air Force unit over New York City immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
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