Wheeler Army Airfield Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base , is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O ' ahu , Hawaii . It is a National Historic Landmark for its role in the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . Overview . Wheeler AAF comprises approximately of land adjacent to Schofield Barracks and home to a variety of Department of Defense activities including the Defense Information Systems Agency ( DISA ) , the 169th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron ( 169 ACWS ) of the Hawaii Air National Guard , the 193rd Aviation Regiment ( Medium Lift ) and Detachment 55 Operational Support Airlift ( Det 55 OSA ) of the Hawaii Army National Guard and the Regular Army ' s 25th Infantry Division ' s Combat Aviation Brigade . < / ref > History . On 6 February 1922 , a detachment of 20 enlisted men from Luke Field , proceeded to Schofield Barracks , under Lieutenant William Agee , to clear the flying field and construct housing for the divisional air service . Two canvas hangars were erected and the field cleared of weeds , guava and algeroba trees . Thus Wheeler Field got its modest start . It was named Wheeler Field on 11 November 1922 in honor of Major Sheldon H . Wheeler , former commander of Luke Field on Ford Island , killed in the crash of DH - 4B , " AAS Ser . No . 63525 " on 13 July 1921 . In June 1923 , 13 months after the designation of the new flying field , shop hangars , airplane hangars , and oil storage tanks were erected . In 1927 , one of the wooden shop hangars was remodeled to provide space for a barracks and a mess hall incident to the formation of a pursuit group . It was not until 1930 that any permanent construction was started . Many different units were originally stationed at Wheeler Field . The first units of the Schofield Barracks divisional airdrome were the 4th Observation Squadron , Photo Section No . 11 and Branch Intelligence Office No . 11 . In October 1922 , the photo section and intelligence units were returned to Luke Field . The following May , the 17th Composite Group was organized at Wheeler . It consisted of a Headquarters Squadron , the 19th Pursuit Squadron and the 4th Observation Squadron . These units operated from the field until January 1924 , when the 17th Group was rendered inactive . Three years later , the foundation for the present 18th Pursuit Group was laid and the 6th and 19th Pursuit Squadrons were transferred from Luke Field . More squadrons were eventually added to the 18th Pursuit Group and Bellows Field was opened as an aerial gunnery camp for the use of tactical organizations . The 15th Pursuit Group was formed next and was made a permanent part of the airdrome . Hand in hand with this move came the formation of the 14th Pursuit Wing . Wheeler Field was the site of several major historic aviation events prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 , including the first nonstop Mainland - Hawai ' i flight in 1927 ; the great Dole Air Race from California to Hawai ' i ; the first trans - Pacific flight from the U . S . to Australia in 1928 , and the first Hawai ' i - to - Mainland solo flight in 1935 by Amelia Earhart . Ms . Earhart visited Wheeler Field in 1935 in her Lockheed Vega and in 1937 in her Lockheed Model 10 Electra . Kingsford Smith , in his plane , the " Southern Cross " , also used the airfield on his historic flights across the Pacific . By 1940 , Wheeler Field had evolved into a primary base for Army Air Corps pursuit ( i . e . , " fighter " ) aircraft such as the P - 40 Warhawk , responsible for air defense of the Hawaiian Islands Territory . World War II . Wheeler Army Airfield was a primary target and site of the first attack on 7 December 1941 , leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor . The Japanese attacked the airfield to prevent the numerous planes there from getting airborne and engaging them . Most of the planes were destroyed , but 12 pilots assigned to the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler ( predecessor of the 15th Air Base Wing ) succeeded in getting their P - 36 Hawk and P - 40 Warhawk aircraft off the ground , engaged the enemy in furious dogfights , and scored some of the first American victories of World War II . 2nd Lieutenant Phil Rasmussen found an old , unscathed Curtiss P - 36 Hawk and taxied it to a revetment where he had it loaded with ammunition . During a lull in the bombing , he took off with three other pilots . Lieutenant Rasmussen managed to shoot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero and the American pilots subsequently engaged 11 Japanese aircraft . The installation has a National Historic Landmark District in association with the attack on 7 December 1941 . The 1941 Flightline , hangars and barracks survive today . Casualties at Wheeler totaled 33 killed and 75 wounded . Of the 233 aircraft assigned to the Hawaiian Air Force , 146 were in commission before the attack ; afterward , only 83 were in commission ( including 27 P - 40s ) and 76 had been totally destroyed . During World War II as part of the US Army Air Forces and until 1949 as part of the newly established United States Air Force , Wheeler was assigned to the Seventh Air Force ( former Hawaiian Air Force ) and successor commands . Cold War . With the establishment of the U . S . Air Force as a separate service in 1947 , Wheeler Army Air Base was re - designated Wheeler Air Force Base under the operational control of Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) . The following year , the installation was placed on minimum caretaker status ; however , with expansion of the Air Force during the Korean War , Wheeler AFB was restored to fully operational status in 1952 . On 24 February 1952 , the 1508th Support Squadron was organized to provide administrative and logistical support to activities at Wheeler AFB . The unit was redesignated the 6487th Support Squadron on 1 April 1955 , then inactivated on 1 November 1971 , concurrent with activation of the 15th Air Base Squadron . A subordinate unit of the 15th Air Base Wing , the 15 ABS served as the host organization at Wheeler AFB , which consisted of approximately 1 , 389 acres of land and facilities valued at over $ 37 million . Responsibilities of the 15 ABS included providing munitions service and support to all Air Force activities within the Hawaiian area , in addition to operating a small arms firing range where personnel of the Air Force , U . S . Customs and local law enforcement agencies were certified . During the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s , the installation hosted a number of Army and Air Force activities , including Army rotary - wing and fixed - wing aviation units and USAF fixed - wing air support / forward air control units flying the O - 2 Skymaster and OV - 10 Bronco . In August 1987 , the Secretary of the Interior designated Wheeler AFB as a National Historic Landmark , recognizing it as a site of national significance in the history of the United States and , in particular , World War II in the Pacific . The 15th Air Base Squadron inactivated at Wheeler on 31 October 1991 , one day before the U . S . Army assumed operational control of the installation in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed by the Commander in Chief , Pacific Air Forces , and the Commander , US Army Western Command . Return to Army control . On 1 November 1991 , the Army held a simple ceremony to signify their takeover of the base , then changed the sign at the main gate to Wheeler Army Airfield . The installation , however , remained on the real property records of the 15th Air Base Wing until 15 March 1993 when an Action Memorandum signed by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force ( Environment , Safety and Occupational Health ) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army ( Installations and Housing ) authorized the exchange of Wheeler AFB for Fort Kamehameha Military Reservation . Design . Wheeler Army Airfield was constructed in the pattern of the Garden City . These type of neighborhoods are the inspiration of Sir Ebeneezer Howard of England , who designed these type neighborhoods in re - action to the industrial company towns that had blighted his nation . The neighborhoods are designed in loops with ample green spaces that were to be shared in common among the residents . The homes within the loops are of the Spanish Colonial Revival style that was flourishing in the 1920s and 1930s . Today , Wheeler Army Airfield comprises approximately 1 , 389 acres ( 5 . 6 km² ) of land returned to the Department of the Army on 1 November 1991 . As of the 2000 Census , the base had a total population of 2 , 829 military personnel and families . Geography . Wheeler AAF is located at 21°28 ' 56 " North , 158°2 ' 24 " West ( 21 . 482216 , −158 . 039959 ) . The Wheeler Main Gate is located on Kamehameha Highway ( State Rte 99 ) running north to Wahiawā ( becoming State Rte . 80 ) and connecting westward to Wilikina Road ( State Rte . 99 ) and Schofield Barracks . Proceeding south on Kamehameha Hwy . provides access to Interstate H - 2 and Milillani Town . The Wheeler Kunia Gate is off Kunia Road directly across from the Schofield Lyman Gate . Kunia Road ( State Rte . 750 ) continues south to Kunia , and eventually Waipahu . Wheeler is directly adjacent to Schofield Barracks across Kunia Road and to Wahiawā on the central plateau of the Island of O ' ahu . The U . S . postal code for Wheeler Army Airfield is 96786 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the base has a total area of 2 . 3 square miles ( 5 . 9 km² ) . 2 . 3 square miles ( 5 . 9 km² ) of it is land and none of it is covered by water . Demographics . Wheeler AFB - " cum " - Wheeler AAF is delineated for statistical purposes as a census - designated place ( CDP ) . At the 2010 Census , the CDP had a resident population of 1 , 634 . As of the 2000 Census , there were 2 , 829 people , 739 households , and 724 families residing on the base . The population density was 1 , 235 . 6 inhabitants per square mile ( 477 . 0 / km² ) . There were 855 housing units at an average density of 373 . 4 per square mile ( 144 . 2 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the base was 57 . 02 % White , 21 . 60 % African American , 1 . 10 % Native American , 3 . 99 % Asian , 1 . 87 % Pacific Islander , 6 . 33 % from other races , and 8 . 09 % from two or more races . 13 . 15 % of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race . There are 739 households out of which 77 . 9 % have children under the age of 18 living with them , 89 . 7 % are married couples living together , 6 . 4 % have a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 0 % are non - families . 1 . 9 % of all households are made up of individuals and 0 . 0 % have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older . The average household size is 3 . 36 and the average family size is 3 . 38 . In the base the population is spread out with 36 . 8 % under the age of 18 , 20 . 9 % from 18 to 24 , 40 . 9 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 3 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who are 65 years of age or older . The median age is 23 years . For every 100 females there are 119 . 8 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there are 127 . 8 males . The median income for a household in the post is $ 32 , 485 , and the median income for a family is $ 32 , 264 . Males have a median income of $ 22 , 961 versus $ 22 , 151 for females . The per capita income for the post is $ 12 , 364 . 7 . 9 % of the population and 5 . 9 % of families are below the poverty line . Out of the total population , 9 . 9 % of those under the age of 18 and 0 . 0 % of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line .