At about 1230 hrs we entered the Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB) main gate and then proceeded to their FamCamp, our home for the next two nights. This is stop #12 our of 42 on this year's itinerary. We camped here previously 9-17 Dec 2018 plus I have been here many, many times on military duty or at the Gunter Annex which is located across town here in Montgomery. The USAF Senior NCO Academy and the USAF First Sergeant Academy, among other things, are both located at Gunter, which involved attending graduations plus I attended the Chiefs Leadership Course at Gunter. We thoroughly explored Montgomery while here in 2018 and this time we are only here for two nights, just an interim stop on the way to Chattanooga TN.
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, where we are camping, is the home of the 42d Air Base Wing, and the host of Air University and more than 30 tenant units. The United States Air Force Officer Training School, Squadron Officer School, Air War College, Staff Judge Advocate School live here to mention a few. Approximately 12,500 active duty, reserve, civilian and contractor personnel serve here so there is a significant impact on the local economy.
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base's history dates back to the Wright Brothers' flying school, which was built on this site in 1910. In May of that year, the first recorded heavier-than-air night flights in aviation history occurred here. So, lots of history here in addition to the history in the town of Montgomery.
I previously mentioned that Maxwell is the home of the 42d Air Base Wing. Interesting fact and a bit ironic that the 42d Air Base Wing moved here in 1994 from Loring Air Force Base when it closed. That was the base I served at in northern Maine when it was the 42d Bomb Wing!
We arrived at the FamCamp at 1241 hrs and headed to our pre-assigned site. The office is closed on the weekends and they post a list of site numbers for weekend arrivals. The sites here are full hookup, and many including ours are pull-through. Ours is also partially paved. The sites are a bit tight, but now we don't have neighbors on either side which is nice.
We took Liberty on a several walks and explored one of the base lakes. Fishing is allowed but they require a state license as well as a base license. I have neither.
They have a nice shelter house and playground area. Doreen immediately took notice of the warning sign by the lake, which mentioned "watching for snakes and alligators"!!
No great plans for tomorrow. We may cruise through downtown and check out the local cuisine.
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