The Otis Base Quiz

Otis Field at the base was named after 1st Lt. Frank J. Otis, a Yankee Division pilot killed on a cross-country training flight.

Otis Air National Guard Base underwent boundary changes in 1975. This realignment included these installations: Otis Air National Guard Base, Camp Edwards, and the Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Together they form the Massachusetts Military Reservation, where 17 other state, federal and private entities operate within its boundaries.

In 1938, Curley's successor, Gov. Charles Hurley, dedicated Camp Edwards, the Army's portion of the MMR. The camp was named after Major General Clarence Edwards, former commander of the 26th Yankee Division.

Originally scheduled to be closed by the 2005 BRAC, Otis was spared in last minute decisions. The 102nd did though lose its planes. In 2008, the F-15s are retired or moved to Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.

President John F. Kennedy used Otis on many occasions for the landing of Air Force One when he traveled to the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis.

In 1970, the Air Force left the base after 21 years. Massachusetts Military Reservation resumes its original name.

In 1957, the base was one of four sites in the Northeast chosen to house the BOMARC nuclear missiles that were designed to stop enemy bombers from penetrating U.S. airspace. They were deactivated during the 1960's.

In 1948 the base was renamed Otis Air Force Base. Until 1973, it was the largest Aerospace Defense Command base in the world and is the only base named for a doctor.

In 1940, a temporary city was built to house European-bound soldiers before they shipped overseas. At its peak, there were more than 2,000 barracks and warehouses. Approximately 250,000 troops passed through Camp Edwards during World War II.

In 1935, the state legislature officially deeded 14,700 acres for Camp Edwards.

In 1911, the trustees of the Shawmee Crowell State Forest granted permission to the Massachusetts State Militia to conduct training activities in the forest.