Homestead AFB

     The 379th Bomb Wing was established on March 23, 1953, and activated November 1, 1955 at Homestead AFB, Florida. It replaced the 4276th Air Base Squadron at Homestead in November 1955 and spent the next few months becoming organized and manned. It received B-47s and KC-07s in April 1956 and began training for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations. Deployed at Sidi Slimane AB, Morocco, March - May 1957. Transferred B-47s beginning in October, 1960. The wing moved to Wurtsmith AFB without equipment in January, 1961. It received B-52s and KC-135s and began conducting strategic bombarding training and refueling operations.
    The 19th Bomb Wing deployed to Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, from January to April of 1956. Upon it's return, it was moved to Homestead AFB, Florida. The 100th Air Refueling Squadron was attached to the wing from February 2, 1955 until August 16, 1956. In February 1956, the 19th Air Refueling Squadron was assigned to the wing.   Both flew KC-97s. On July 1, 1961, it was redesignated 19th Bomb Wing (Heavy) and began converting to B-52s. The official Air Force Wing History states, "It moved without personnel or equipment to Robins AFB, Georgia, on July 25, 1968 and absorbed resources of the 465th Bombardment Wing." This is simply a complicating way of saying that the old 19th was discontinued and another wing was given it numeric designation.
      SAC tried the tar-rubber paving in a major way at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida when that installation was refurbished for bomber dispersal in 1955. The Corps of Engineers had previously only laid test sections of the tar-rubber pavement—at Dow Air Force Base in Maine in 1952. At Homestead, SAC based B-47s with a single apron of 1,150 by 8,000 feet, taxiways, warm-up pads, and the 1000-foot overruns were all tar-rubber, in addition to the primary 11,400 by 200-foot runway. The U.S. Rubber Company manufactured SAC’s tar-rubber pavement, calling it Sulfa-Aero-Sealz 3080 and shipping it in by tanker trucks from New Jersey.
Air Force Reserve Base
     A detachment of the 482nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve was at Homestead for many years. In July 1993, the BRAC Commission recommended that Homestead Air Force Base be realigned. The 31st Fighter Wing was inactivated, and all other operations, with the exception of Air Force Reserve activities, were relocated.   The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Disposal of Portions of the Former Homestead Air Force Base (AFB) waas released in December 2000. The Final SEIS analyzes the proposed transfer of 1,632 acres of surplus property for reuse by the local community. The Air Force seeks to transfer the property in a manner that supports local plans for economic revitalization of south Florida, and protects Biscayne Bay and the nearby national parks.