Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base ( AFB ) is a United States Air Force base , located approximately southwest of Spokane , Washington . The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing ( 92 ARW ) assigned to the Air Mobility Command ' s Eighteenth Air Force . The 92 ARW is responsible for providing air refueling , as well as passenger and cargo airlift and aero - medical evacuation missions supporting U . S . and coalition conventional operations as well as U . S . Strategic Command strategic deterrence missions . Fairchild AFB was established in 1942 as the Spokane Air Depot . It is named in honor of General Muir S . Fairchild ( 1894 – 1950 ) . A World War I aviator , he was the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the time of his death . The 92d Air Refueling Wing is commanded by Colonel Brian M . Newberry . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Wendy Hansen . Overview . Fairchild is home to a wide variety of units and missions . Most prominent is its air refueling mission , with two wings , one active , the 92d Air Refueling Wing , and one national guard , the 141st Air Refueling Wing , both flying the Boeing KC - 135 Stratotanker . Other units here include the Air Force Survival , Evasion , Resistance and Escape school , medical detachments , a weapons squadron and the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency . Over 5 , 100 active duty Air Force , Air National Guard , and tenant organization military and civilian employees work on Fairchild , making the base the largest employer in Eastern Washington . Fairchild ' s annual economic impact on the Spokane community is approximately $ 427 million , constituting 13 percent of the local economy . Units . Host unit . 92nd Air Refueling Wing : Tenant units . Tenant Units at Fairchild are : History . Fairchild AFB is named in honor of General Muir Stephen Fairchild ( 1894 – 1950 ) . General Fairchild received his wings and commission in 1918 , and served as a pilot during World War I . He held various air staff positions during World War II . General Fairchild received his fourth star in 1948 , and died on 17 March 1950 while serving as USAF Vice Chief of Staff . Operational history . Since 1942 , Fairchild Air Force Base / Station has been a key part of the United States ' defense strategy — from World War II repair depot , to Strategic Air Command bomber wing during the Cold War , to Air Mobility Command air refueling wing during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM . Today , Fairchild ’ s aircraft and personnel make up the backbone of the Air Force ’ s tanker fleet on the west coast . Fairchild ’ s location , west of Spokane , resulted from a competition with the cities of Seattle and Everett in western Washington . The War Department chose Spokane for several reasons : better weather conditions , the location from the coast , and the Cascades Mountain range providing a natural barrier against possible Japanese attack . As an added incentive to the War Department , many Spokane businesses and public - minded citizens donated money to purchase land for the base . At a cost of more than $ 125 , 000 , these people bought and presented the title to the War Department in January 1942 . That year , the government designated $ 14 million to purchase more land and begin construction of a new Spokane Army Air Depot . From 1942 until 1946 , the base served as a repair depot for damaged aircraft returning from the Pacific Theater . In the summer of 1946 , the base was transferred to the Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) and assigned to the 15th Air Force ( 15 AF ) . Beginning in the summer of 1947 , the 92nd and 98th Bomb Groups arrived . Both of the units flew the most advanced bomber of the day , the B - 29 Superfortress . In January 1948 , the base received the second of its three official names : Spokane Air Force Base . With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 , both groups deployed to Japan and Guam . After only a few months , General MacArthur released the 92nd to return to the states while the 98th remained in the Far East . The 98th was then reassigned to Nebraska . Upon its return to Fairchild , the 92nd was re - designated the 92d Bombardment Wing ( Heavy ) . In November 1950 , the base took its current name in memory of Air Force Vice Chief of Staff , General Muir S . Fairchild , a native of Bellingham . The general entered service as a sergeant with the Washington National Guard in June 1916 and was an aviator in World War I . He died at his quarters at Fort Myer while on duty in the Pentagon in March 1950 . The formal dedication ceremony was held 20 July 1951 , to coincide with the arrival of the wing ’ s first B - 36 Peacemaker . B - 52 Stratofortress and KC - 135 Stratotanker . In 1956 the wing began a conversion that brought the B - 52 Stratofortress to Fairchild , followed by the KC - 135 Stratotanker in 1958 . In 1961 , the 92d became the first " aerospace " wing in the nation with the acquisition of the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile . With the new role and the addition of missiles , the 92d Bomb Wing was re - designated the 92d Strategic Aerospace Wing . However , the designation remained longer than the missiles , as the Atlas missiles were removed in 1965 . The weapons storage area ( WSA ) for the bombers was located south of the runway at Deep Creek Air Force Station , a separate installation constructed from 1950 to 1953 by the United States Atomic Energy Commission and operated by the Air Materiel Command . The facility was one of the thirteen original sites built for storage , maintenance , and operational readiness of the nuclear stockpile . Deep Creek became part of Fairchild Air Force Base on July 1 , 1962 , with operations transferred to the Strategic Air Command . On 15 March 1966 , the 336th Combat Crew Training Group was established at Fairchild . In 1971 , the group became a wing and assumed control over all Air Force survival schools . Later reduced to a group level command , the unit , now known as the 336th Training Group , continues this mission for the Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) . To provide air defense of the base , United States Army Nike - Hercules Surface - to - air missile sites were constructed during 1956 / 1957 . Sites were located near Cheney ( F - 37 ) ; Deep Creek ( F - 87 ) ; Medical Lake ( F - 45 ) , and Spokane ( F - 07 ) . The Cheney site was active between 1957 – June 1960 ; Deep Creek Sep 1958 – March 1966 ; Medical Lake 1957 – March 1966 and the Spokane site between 1957 and June 1960 . Air refueling . As military operations in Vietnam escalated in the mid - 1960s , the demand for air refueling increased . Fairchild tanker crews became actively involved in Operation YOUNG TIGER , refueling combat aircraft in Southeast Asia . The wing ’ s B - 52s were not far behind , deploying to Andersen AFB on Guam for Operation Arc Light and the bombing campaign against enemy strongholds in Vietnam . In late 1974 , the Air Force announced plans to convert the 141st Fighter Interceptor Group of the Washington Air National Guard , an F - 101 Voodoo unit at Geiger Field , to an air refueling mission with KC - 135 aircraft . The unit would then be renamed the 141st Air Refueling Wing ( 141 ARW ) and move to Fairchild . Work began soon thereafter and by 1976 eight KC - 135E aircraft transferred to the new 141 ARW . Today , the 141 ARW continues its air mobility mission , flying the KC - 135R model . On 23 January 1987 , following the inactivation of the 47th Air Division at Fairchild , the 92nd Bombardment Wing was reassigned to the 57th Air Division at Minot AFB , North Dakota . On 13 March 1987 , a KC - 135A crashed into a field adjacent to the 92nd Bomb Wing headquarters and the taxiway during a practice flight for an In - Flight Refueling Demonstration planned for later that month . Seven were killed in the crash , six aboard the aircraft and one on the ground . Following Iraq ’ s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 , a total of 560 base personnel deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm from August 1990 to March 1991 . The 43d and 92d Air Refueling Squadron s flew a combined total of 4 , 004 hours , 721 sorties , and off - loaded a total of 22 . 5 million pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft . On 1 September 1991 , under Air Force reorganization , the 92d Bombardment Wing ( Heavy ) was re - designated the 92d Wing , emphasizing a dual bombing and refueling role . In June 1992 , with the inactivation of Strategic Air Command , the B - 52 portion of the wing became part of the newly established Air Combat Command ( ACC ) and was re - designated the 92d Bomb Wing . As Strategic Air Command finished 46 years of service to the nation , Fairchild bomber and tanker crews took top honors at Proud Shield ' 92 . This was SAC ' s final Bombing / Navigation Competition . The wing won the Fairchild Trophy for best bomber / tanker team as well as the Saunders Trophy for the tanker unit attaining the most points on all competition missions . 7 December 1993 marked the beginning of a significant change in the mission of Fairchild when the B - 52s were transferred to another ACC base while the KC - 135s , now assigned to the newly established Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) would remain . This was the first step in Fairchild ’ s transition to an air refueling wing . The departure of B - 52s continued throughout the spring of 1994 , with most of the bombers gone by 25 May 1994 . On 24 June 1994 one of the few remaining B - 52H aircraft at Fairchild crashed during a practice flight for an upcoming air show , killing all four crew members . Air refueling wing . On 1 July 1994 , the 92d Bomb Wing was re - designated the 92d Air Refueling Wing ( 92 ARW ) , and Fairchild AFB was transferred from ACC to Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) in a ceremony marking the creation of the largest air refueling wing in the Air Force . Dubbed as the new “ tanker hub of the Northwest , ” the wing was capable of maintaining an air bridge across the nation and the world in support of US and allied forces . Since 1994 , the 92 ARW has been involved in many contingency missions around the world . 92 ARW KC - 135s have routinely supported special airlift missions in response to world events or international treaty compliance requirements . In 1995 aircraft from Fairchild flew to Travis AFB , California in support of its first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ( START ) mission , transporting Russian inspectors to sites in the Western U . S . The wing has flown START missions in the U . S . every year since . And in May 2000 , the wing became the first active duty KC - 135 unit to transport U . S . inspectors on a START mission into Ulan Ude , Russia . Throughout much of the 1990s , the wing was actively involved in missions against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein . The wing also deployed aircraft and personnel in 1999 to support Operation Allied Force . Following the destruction of the World Trade Center , the wing began providing around - the - clock air refueling of Combat Air Patrol fighter aircraft and initiated 24 - hour ground alert operations in support of Operation Noble Eagle . The wing also began a series of extended Operation Enduring Freedom deployments for aircrews and maintainers as well as combat support and medical personnel . 1994 shooting incident . On 20 June 1994 , Dean Mellberg , an ex - Air Force member , entered the base hospital and shot and killed five people and wounded many others . Mellberg recently had been discharged from Cannon AFB , NM as unfit for duty . Previously , psychologists Maj . Thomas Brigham and Captain Alan London at Fairchild AFB had found him unfit for duty , which resulted in a transfer to the Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB for further psychological examination . With Congressional pressure brought by Mellberg ' s mother , Airman Mellberg was found to be fit for military service . Airman Mellberg then was reassigned to Cannon Air Force Base where similar events led to him being returned to psychologists for evaluation . After this evaluation , he was discharged from Cannon AFB as being unfit for military service . He traveled to the town of Airway Heights , just outside of Fairchild AFB , where he purchased weapons and planned his attack on the base . At the time of the shooting , Fairchild ' s hospital was an ungated facility . The gunman , armed with a Chinese - made MAK - 90 , an AK - 47 clone , entered the office of Brigham and London and killed both men . Mellberg continued to move through the hospital , injuring and killing several people , including 8 - year - old Christin McCarron . The gunman then walked out of the building into the parking lot and killed Anita Lindner . He then was confronted by a security policeman , Senior Airman Andy Brown . From approximately 70 yards away , Brown ordered Mellberg to drop his weapon . After Mellberg refused , Brown fired four shots from his 9mm pistol , with two rounds hitting the perpetrator in the head and shoulder , killing him . After an investigation it was concluded that Airman Brown was justified in his actions , having saved countless lives , and was awarded the Airman ' s Medal by then - President Bill Clinton . Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities . The 567th Strategic Missile Squadron operated nine SM - 65E Atlas ICBM sites ( 1 April 1960 – 25 June 1965 ) . On 14 July 1958 , the Army Corps of Engineers Northern Pacific Division directed its Seattle District to begin survey and mapping operations for the first Atlas - E site to be located in the vicinity of Spokane . Originally , the Air Force wanted three sites with three missiles at each ( 3 x 3 ) ; however , in early 1959 , the Air Force opted to disperse the missiles to nine individual sites as a defensive safety measure . Work started at Site A on 12 May 1959 , and completion at Site I occurred on 10 February 1961 . Auxiliary support facilities for each site were built concurrent with the launchers . At Fairchild AFB , support facilities , including a liquid oxygen plant , were completed by January 1961 . Activation of the 567th Strategic Missile Squadron on 1 April 1960 , marked the first time SAC activated an E series Atlas unit . On 3 December 1960 , the first Atlas E missile arrived at the 567th SMS . Construction continued and SAC accepted the first Series E Atlas complex on 29 July 1961 . Operational readiness training , which previously had been conducted only at Vandenberg AFB , California , began at Fairchild during the following month . On 28 September 1961 , Headquarters SAC declared the squadron operational and during the following month , the 567th placed the first Atlas E missile on alert status . The bulk of the Fairchild force was on alert status in November . As a result of Defense Secretary McNamara ' s May 1964 directive accelerating the phaseout of Atlas and Titan I ICBMs , the first Fairchild Series E Atlas missiles came off line in January 1965 . On 31 March , the last missile came off alert status , which marked the completion of Atlas E phaseout . The squadron was inactivated within 3 months . Today all of the former missile sites still exist and most appear to be in good condition . Most of them are in agricultural areas and presumably are being used to support farmers by storage of equipment and other material . Site " 1 " and " 2 " appear to be redeveloped into light industrial estates ; " 4 " and " 6 " appear to be converted into private residences . Weaponry . At one time , Washington state had the distinction of having more nuclear warheads than four of the six known nuclear - armed nations . These warheads were concentrated in two places : at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane and at the Kitsap Submarine Base across Puget Sound , on the Hood Canal . At Fairchild , 85 nuclear gravity bombs ( 25 B61 - 7 gravity bombs and 60 B83 gravity bombs ) were stored in a reserve nuclear depot . Bangor ' s eight submarines have 24 Trident I missiles per boat with eight warheads per missile , for a total of 1 , 536 . These bombs were removed from the base by the end of the 1990s . In one instance of nuclear warhead transportation in the mid 1980s , while loading it into an airplane , one of the warheads slipped off the loader and landed onto the runway . Luckily , the warhead was not armed , so it did not detonate . North Dakota had a similar nuclear strength during the Cold War , with both SAC bases at Minot and Grand Forks equipped with B - 52 bombers and Minuteman missiles . Grand Forks relinquished its nuclear role , but Minot continues . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 6 . 5 square miles ( 16 . 8 km² ) , all of it land . Spokane International Airport is located just four miles to the east . Demographics . As of the census of 2010 , there were 2 , 736 people . At the 2000 census threre were , 1 , 071 households , and 1 , 048 families residing in the CDP . The population density was 670 . 2 people per square mile ( 258 . 8 / km² ) . There were 1 , 114 housing units at an average density of 171 . 3 / sq mi ( 66 . 2 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the CDP was 78 . 20 % White , 7 . 90 % African American , 0 . 53 % Native American , 3 . 56 % Asian , 0 . 37 % Pacific Islander , 3 . 79 % from other races , and 5 . 67 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8 . 52 % of the population . There were 1 , 071 households out of which 72 . 5 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 90 . 8 % were married couples living together , 4 . 4 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 1 % were non - families . 1 . 9 % of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 36 and the average family size was 3 . 39 . In the CDP the population was spread out with 34 . 1 % under the age of 18 , 24 . 9 % from 18 to 24 , 38 . 3 % from 25 to 44 , 2 . 1 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 6 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 23 years . For every 100 females there were 127 . 9 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 135 . 7 males . The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 33 , 512 , and the median income for a family was $ 33 , 398 . Males had a median income of $ 22 , 299 versus $ 15 , 815 for females . The per capita income for the CDP was $ 11 , 961 . About 4 . 8 % of families and 5 . 0 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 6 . 4 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over . Public schools . The base housing area at Fairchild is within the Medical Lake School District ( # 326 ) . An elementary school ( K - 5 ) is on base , renamed for Space Shuttle astronaut Michael Anderson . Students in middle school ( 6 – 8 ) and high school ( 9 – 12 ) attend classes in the city of Medical Lake , a few miles to the south . Significantly smaller than the public high schools in Spokane , Medical Lake High School competes in WIAA Class 1A in athletics in the Northeast ' A ' League ( NEA ) .