LOCATION: Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma - 5 miles south of Enid, approximately 94 miles northwest of Oklahoma city.
Elevation: 1,307 above sea level.
MAJOR COMMAND: Air Education and Training Command
PRIMARY WEAPON SYSTEMS: T-1/T-6/T-38
TELEPHONE ACCESS: Area code-580; Com- 580-213-XXXX; DSN- 448-XXXX; Base operator - 580-213-5000.

The mission of the 71st Flying Training Wing is to produce military pilots, build Air Force leaders and meet taskings in support of national defense objectives. Vance is the U.S. Air Force’s only Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training base training more than 400 Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied student pilots for worldwide deployment and AEF support in the T-1, T-6 and T-38 aircraft.

The expansion of the training mission at Vance to include the IFF squadron is a result of base realignment actions.The 3rd Flying Training Squadron, a T-6 unit from Moody AFB in Valdosta, Ga., was deactivated and resurrected as the 3rd Fighter Training Squadron at Vance. The new unit will use the AT- 38C to introduce pilots to air-to-air employment, air-to-surface attack and low-altitude navigation. The aircraft came from Moody with the first arriving at Vance in May 07.

Mike Cooper, military liaison for the city of Enid, “Vance is the second-busiest airport in the world.”

Vance receives Spirit of the Family Award, November, 2009
The honor is given yearly by Community Development Support Association Smart Start Northwest Oklahoma.

Vance was honored for the way it supports its families and the way families at the base support the community through a variety of endeavors through volunteering.
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Retiree Affairs Office opens today
Enid News and Eagle, 16 September 09

The newly formed Retiree Affairs Office at Vance Air Force Base will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Family Readiness Center on base. The office will be staffed by Donald and Shirley Marquardt. Vance Air Force Base wants to better serve military retirees in Northwest Oklahoma and they asked me to help make this happen by volunteering as the Vance AFB Retiree Affairs Office, said Marquardt. Initially the office will open the third Thursday of each month; however, the goal is, at some point, to have enough volunteers to staff the office one day per week.

According to Marquardt, “The base also is in the process of creating a Retiree Affairs Committee to make sure Vance AFB is providing meaningful services to retirees and to assist the Vance AFB Retiree Appreciation Day activities. I am seeking military retirees from all the branches of service and spouses of military retirees, who want to serve as members of the committee.” Call Marquardt at 213-6330 or 234-2197. Marquardt invites military retirees and their family members to visit the Retiree Affairs Office at 446 McAffrey Ave., Suite 15 for questions or assistance.

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For current events see the base Newspaper: The Scoop

The traffic flow pattern to Vance AFB changed Aug. 16, 07 when drivers coming to Vance from Van BurenStreet entered the base road/Main Gate via Southgate and Gott Roads (below) . Drivers coming from Cleveland St. will be able to access the base via the Industrial/West Gate during duty hours.
After duty hours, Industrial/West Gate and the perimeter fence access gate on Cleveland will be closed, requiring all vehicle traffic to access the base via Southgate. Drivers should be prepared for traffic delays during this transition period and should plan according

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JSUPT JOURNAL by 2Lt James Justice
This is a journal from 2nd Lt. James Justice, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 08-15, who is providing an inside look into JSUPT training at Vance. Lieutenant Justice is writing journal entries to describe in his own words the rigors and excitement of pilot training. The goal is to give readers a peek at the hard work students put into becoming the best pilots in the world.

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Allison Greco, a committed volunteer and wife, was chosen to compete for the title of Mrs. Oklahoma America from a field of applicants throughout the area.
Allison's husband, 2d Lt. Anthony Greco, a student pilot for the U.S. Air Force stationed at Vance AFB, is extremely proud of her. see blog entry

Enid Resident Crowned Mrs. Oklahoma America Enid Buzz would like to congratulate Mrs. Allison Greco, just crowned Mrs. Oklahoma America 2008. Allison was crowned Mrs. Oklahoma 2008 at the Scottish Rite Theater in Guthrie, Oklahoma on Saturday night, April 12, 2008.(see April '08 blog archives)

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City in Oklahoma Appoints Ambassador to Military Families
By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service

June 3, 2009 - Having been part of their tightly knit community all her life, Teresa Vance always has had an interest in military families. Her father made a career out of the Army, serving in World War II and Korea. Her husband was a career surface warfare officer in the Navy, and her son spent four years in the Marine Corps. "I have not been in active duty service, but I have served on the home front by supporting my husband's military career, raising two very well-adjusted Navy 'brats' and helping other military families find ways to meet the challenges of the military lifestyle," Vance said.

From 1999 through 2002, Vance had what she considered her "dream job" as a deployment specialist at the Navy Fleet and Family Service Center in Norfolk, Va. This position gave her the opportunity to work with commands, service members and military families.

After her husband's retirement, the couple moved to Lahoma, Okla., outside of Enid, where they both grew up. She quickly accepted a position as Family Readiness Group trainer with the Oklahoma National Guard.

"This gave me an opportunity to still work with military families," Vance said. "Throughout my husband's career, I have been an involved spouse and advocate for quality-of-life issues facing military families. I still wanted that connection after he retired."

Through her work with the Oklahoma National Guard and the Enid City Council, Vance was instrumental in getting the community to start recognizing Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Military Appreciation Month every year.

"She has always advised me on issues relating to military families," Eric Benson, Enid city manager, said. "She has the compassion and she has the drive to get things done. You can depend on her."

Honoring her steadfast work with military families, Vance was appointed last month by the Enid City Commission as Enid's ambassador to military families.

"This new leadership role fits her perfectly," Benson said. "She has always advised me on military issues, so I wanted to make it official. I was a former base commander, and I've known her husband for four years, so I've always known her capabilities. I know the value of her in this new role, and I know she understands the military and the community. It just made good sense to do this."

The goals of Vance's new position are to build upon existing partnerships between the city and servicemembers and families associated with Vance Air Force Base, the National Guard armory and the U.S. Army Reserve Center. She will market and promote Enid to local military families, asking them to participate in events throughout the community. She will survey local military spouse organizations to get their input on issues most important to them, and she'll also act as city representative at military events.

"This ambassadorship is just the latest in a long list of efforts to continually improve the quality of life of servicemembers and their families that live in our community," Vance said. "Enid has always been supportive of our military. We understand the military has an important economic impact on our community and our community's identity. For 41 consecutive years, we've held an enlisted appreciation night."

Vance said she believes she will bring a different perspective to the city's partnership with military families because she really has "been there, done that."

"With my personal background and professional experience, I can relate to the challenges that military families face with each relocation to a new community," Vance said. "My goal is to have military families' stay here in Enid [be] a positive one. A local community's support can have a big impact on a military family's quality of life, whether they are stationed here for a short time or extended duty."

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Feb 10, 1955
Come Out of the Kitchen, Says the Air Force

The Air Force, in one of those announcements calculated to bring cheer to an airman's heart, has let it be known that its experiment with KP is doing well. Out in Enid, Oklahoma, where there's a major air base, there is no more KP. Its place has been taken by a contract arrangement with a national concern to feed the troops. There are four cafeterias, all handled by hired personnel.

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Enid, OK Bus And Train Collision, Mar 1942
Posted October 30th, 2008 by Stu Beitler

BUS WRECK KILLS SIX SOLDIERS; 25 OTHERS HURT.
Enid, Okla. -- AP -- A Rock Island freight train ripped through a bus today killing six enlisted men in the army air corps.

Twenty-five others were injured in the crash which occurred in a blinding snow storm, half a mile west of Enid.
The list of dead supplied by CAPT. CALVIN W. HAMMOND, press relations officer of the Enid flying school:
PVT. HERBERT J. TAYLOR, 22, Lake Kerr, Fla.
PVT. EUGENE L. UNDERWOOD, 23, Rogersville, Pa.
SGT. EUGENE J. SANDERS, 26, Yoakum, Tex.
PVT. VERNON OHNSTED, 26, Georgetown, Minn.
PVT. ROBERT W. WALKER, 23, Bay City, Tex.
PVT. CYRIL J. MINARCIK, 21, Chicago.
Critically injured were:
STAFF SGT. ERNEST M. SHULTS, 25, Forrestburg, Tenn.
PVT. JOHN LUDLUM, 25, Battle Creek, Mich.
Names and extent of the injuries of the other victims were not available immediately.
There were no witnesses to the accident other than the men in the bus and train crew, CAPTAIN HAMMOND said.
MAJ. W. A. STEPHENS, post adjutant of the Enid flying school, said the bus carried between 35 and 40 men. The accident occurred about 12:15 a.m. at a grade crossing a half mile west of Enid.
None of the men were pilots, MAJOR STEPHENS said.
The soldiers, based at the Enid flying school, were returning to their barracks about a mile west of Enid when the crash occurred.
Kingsport Times Tennessee 1942-02-26

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