Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines , located 3 miles west of Angeles City , about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila . Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991 . The base covered 14 . 3 square miles ( 37 km² ) with a military reservation extending north that covered another 230 square miles ( 596 km² ) . The base was a stronghold of the combined Filipino and American forces during the end of World War II , and until 1975 , it was a backbone of logistical support during the Vietnam War . Following the departure of American forces in 1991 , the base eventually became the site of Clark International Airport , the Clark Freeport Zone and the Air Force City of the Philippine Air Force . History . Clark Air Base was originally established as Fort Stotsenburg in Sapang Bato , Angeles City in 1903 under control of the U . S . Army . A portion of Fort Stotsenburg was officially set aside for the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and named Clark Field in September 1919 ( after Harold M . Clark ) . Clark served as a landing field for medium bombers and accommodated half of the heavy bombers stationed in the Philippines during the 1930s . It was very large for a landing field of the day . In the late summer and fall of 1941 , many aircraft were sent to Clark in anticipation of war with Imperial Japan . The base was overrun by Japanese forces in early January 1942 . The base then became a major center for staging Japanese air operations . Japanese aircraft flying out of Clark participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf , considered to be the largest naval battle of the Second World War . During the war , the Allied prisoners of the Bataan Death March passed by the main gate of Clark Air Base , as the soldiers followed the direction of the railway tracks north , towards Camp O ' Donnell . Clark Air Base was recaptured by Americans in January 1945 , after three months of fierce fighting in the Philippines . Clark grew into a major American air base during the Cold War , serving as an important logistics hub during the Vietnam War . The base was later closed due to the refusal by the Philippine government to renew the lease on the base . After extensive damage from the Mount Pinatubo eruption , the Philippine government attempted to reopen base lease talks , but terms could not be reached and the lease was not extended . In November 1991 , the United States Air Force lowered the Stars and Stripes and transferred Clark Air Base to the Philippine government . With the United States military ' s withdrawal from Clark , the base was systematically looted and was left abandoned for several years . It finally became the Clark Freeport Zone , the site of Clark International Airport ( CIA ) and parts of it are still owned by the Philippine Air Force , retaining the same name , Clark Air Base . In June 2012 , the Philippine government , under pressure from Chinese claims to their seas , agreed to the return of American forces to Clark . Military units . During much of the Cold War , Clark Air Base ' s activity largely revolved around the 405th Fighter Wing which renumbered as the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing in September 1974 and its fleet of F - 4 Phantom II fighter jets . It also hosted an interceptor squadron and a flight school , all of which flew a variety of other combat aircraft . Transient aircraft of many types , especially cargo jets , were very common . Fighter planes regularly visited to participate in aerial warfare exercises at Crow Valley about 30 miles ( 50 km ) to the northwest . In November 1973 headquarters for the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing was transferred to Clark Air Base . With this move came two squadrons of C - 130E transport aircraft , the 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron and the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron . Clark was served regularly by cargo and passenger flights to and from Andersen AFB , Guam ; Kadena AB , Japan ; Diego Garcia ; Jakarta , Indonesia ; Bangkok and Ubon Thailand ; and Saigon , Vietnam ( until 1975 ) . During the 1970s , passengers arrived via Trans International Douglas DC - 8 and Braniff International DC - 8s ( the Pickle and the Banana ) flights from Travis AFB , California ( via Honolulu and Guam ) . By 1980 , the base had grown to such an extent that weekly Flying Tigers Boeing 747 service to St . Louis ( via Kadena AB Japan ; Anchorage ; and Los Angeles ) had begun . The 747 service was taken over by Tower Air sometime in the late 1980s , and was augmented with a weekly Hawaiian Airlines L - 1011 or Douglas DC - 8 to Guam - Honolulu - Los Angeles . Culture . Clark Air Base was arguably the most urbanized military facility in history , and was the largest American base overseas . At its peak around 1990 , it had a permanent population of 15 , 000 . It had a base exchange , a large commissary , a small shopping arcade , a branch department store , cafeterias , teen centers , a hotel , miniature golf , riding stables , zoo , and other concessions . Recreation . Angeles City bars were legendary , particularly around the red - light district on Fields Avenue . As a result , Clark ' s servicemen ' s clubs were under considerable pressure to serve its members with wholesome entertainment . All three were large - scale operations : the Officer ' s Club ( CABOOM ) near the parade ground , the Top Hat Club for NCOs near Lily Hill ( moved to near the Silver Wing around 1986 ) , and the Coconut Grove Airmen ' s Club with indoor palm trees . The NCO Club was a very extensive operation and operated an upscale dining room , an in - house thrift shop , and a calendar of daily activities . It regularly brought major bands and artists from the United States to perform . At least a hundred sponsored clubs and organizations were active on the base , including Knights of Columbus , a Latino American club , martial arts dojos , and more . Two major movie theaters operated daily : the Bobbitt Theater which played first - run films , and the Kelly Theater which showed older releases . By 1988 the Kelly no longer showed films at all but was used for Commander ' s Calls and large squadron sized meetings . In the late 1960s and early 1970s movies were also shown at the Bamboo Bowl ( the football stadium on base ) . The Bamboo Bowl , later renamed Challenger Field , was largely used for high school football games as the school did not have its own athletic field . In addition to high school football games it also hosted rec league football games for ages 8 – 18 . The high school football teams were actually part of the rec league . The base ' s sole high school , Wagner High , actually had multiple football teams . It was also used for the base ' s 11 man tackle football league which not only included teams from Clark but from Subic Naval Base as well . To keep the residents entertained at home , Clark had a very active broadcast center called FEN , or Far East Network Philippines , a division of American Forces Network . A television station broadcast on Channel 8 until 1981 , then Channel 17 afterward . It showed about 20 hours per day of syndicated programs from the " big three " networks in the United States , with local news and talk programs . This content was locally syndicated until 1983 when it began airing live programming by satellite from Los Angeles . FEN had two 24 - hour radio stations : an AM station which broadcast news and popular music , and stereo FM which was dedicated to easy - listening and classical music . G . I . s could also receive local Filipino T . V . which aired newer American shows than F . E . N . did . Unlike the local T . V . stations in Europe they were broadcast in the same format as American T . V . and not dubbed into Tagalog . Two major annual events at Clark were the annual Chili Cookoff , held near the Silver Wing recreation center around September , and the Happening On the Green ( " the HOG " ) . The HOG was a major carnival held on a designated weekend in February which attracted thousands of residents . Amusements and rides were built and operated not only by Filipino entertainment contractors but also by individual Air Force units seeking to boost unit morale , showcase their talents , and raise funds . Clark ' s unique size and history allowed it to develop its own supernatural lore . By the 1970s , the Filipino " white lady " legend had established itself at Clark . Most variations of the story involved a young woman dressed in white who would hail a taxi late at night , and then would vanish from the vehicle en route . More recently , the TV series Ghost Hunters International has done an investigation at the hospital . Because of the warm climate , and the large number of units ; slow pitch softball tournaments were held quarterly . There were at least 2 gymnasiums , 3 walking / running tracks and 7 soft ball fields on base . Education . The Department of Defense Dependents Schools ( DoDDS ) operated six schools in Clark , serving children from kindergarten to twelfth grade . Additionally , Clark was also home to several community colleges , namely the Pacific Far East Campus of Central Texas College . Classes were typically held in the evenings at Wagner High School . Climate . Clark Air Base experienced two distinct seasons : a dry season from November through April , with a wet season from May through October . From 1953 to 1991 , the mean daily low was 73 . 6 °F and the mean daily high was 88 . 1 °F , with April being warmest and January coolest . The average annual rainfall was 78 . 39 inches . See also . " Other United States Air Force installations in the Philippines : "