Luke Field/Air Force Base and 56th Fighter Wing Heritage Pamphlet ...

39
2 September 2006 Sixteen-member team which included nine people from
56th Medical Group deployed to Guatemala where treated 7,500,
and give out more than 14,000 prescriptions.
14 September 2006 Mark Grace Thunderbolt Field officially dedicated. The new
baseball field in Fowler Park was a $300,000 project funded by
Summit Builders, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and former D-back
player, Mark Grace.
30 September 2006 Wing deployed 647 men and women from 41 specialties to
numerous locations within the nation and foreign sites to support
humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
31 October 2006 Class 06 C2L with two students in Transition course was last
class trained by 944th Fighter Wing.
4 October 2006 USAF announced new F-35 joint strike fighter to be based at
Eglin AFB, FL for flight/maintenance training.
7 November 2006 Prop 207 designed to restrict zoning or face litigation passed by
voters.
November 2006
Environmentalist group filed intent to sue US Fish and Wildlife
Service and wing for delisting Bald eagle on range from
endangered species list.
25 November 2006 It was announced base housing to be privatized on 1 January
2006 (see entry 15 August 2003).
27 November 2006 Construction began on Litchfield Park overpass to ease
congestion and aid force protection.
31 December 2006 BRAC decisions resulted in 56th Fighter Wing losing 425
personnel authorizations, retirement of 22 jets. Decision made
that all jets to be retired were Block 25 models (see entry
15 September 2005).
31 December 2006 56th Fighter Wing official sees plans for 300 percent increase in
local airports.
31 December 2006 Wing briefings to general aviation pilots accompanied by
decrease in near misses. Request for special airspace traffic rule
at FAA in Washington, District of Columbia.
31 December 2006 Purchase price of 634 acres in south accident potential zone 2 of
a staggering $87,000 an acre or $55 million resulted in deletion
of property from any acquisition attempts.
31 December 2006 Landowners' price for sale of property 400 percent above Corps
of Engineers offers. Led to condemnation actions which owners
favored as could get higher price through arbitration.
31 December 2006 Some $l8.8 million of $27 million Congress appropriated for land
purchase were obligated.