Oklahoma Military Bases

Military bases in Oklahoma include Camp Gruber, Fort Sill, McAlester Army Ammunition Plan and many more. Oklahoma is southern Midwestern state with a population of almost 4 million. The cowboy state has a diverse terrain of plains, hills, lakes and timber.

Map of Military Bases in Oklahoma

Information and History of Military Bases in Oklahoma

Camp Gruber

Camp Gruber, located in Braggs Oklahoma, is an Army National Guard training camp that was established in the early years of World War II. Camp Gruber was named after Brigadier General Edmund L. Gruber, the composer of the Army’s official song. During World War II, soldiers completed trainings for multiple military operations before being sent to Europe for combat.

The camp was deactivated in 1947, and throughout the 1950s and 60s, all of Camp Gruber’s original buildings were torn down. In 1967, the Oklahoma Army National Guard took over operations, and the base continues to be a state-operated training camp.

Fort Sill

Fort Sill was built in 1868 and was originally called Camp Wichita. In 1869, permanent buildings started being built, and the name was changed to Fort Sill in honor of Brigadier General Joshua Sill, who was killed in the Battle of Stones River. Chief Geronimo was held captive at Fort Sill, and his grave site is there today.

The fort is located near Lawton, Oklahoma, and soldiers from all branches of the U.S. Military, as well as international students from nations that were allies, are trained in Field Artillery at Fort Sill. In 2011, units from Fort Bliss Texas were sent to Fort Sill when Fort Bliss was deactivated. Fort Sill is currently home of the Field Artillery Training Command, and in the early 2000s, Henry Post Army Airfield and the Reynolds Army Community Hospital were built on the base.

McAlester Army Ammunition Plant

The McAlester Army Ammunition Plant was opened in 1943, and it was originally a Navy depot. The main mission of the depot was to produce navy weapons for World War II and the Korean war. In 1977, the Army took over operations of the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

Today, the main mission of the plant is to restore, manufacture, and store ammunition. It is the Department of Defense’s largest munitions storage facility in the United States. In addition to the production of weapons, the base has capabilities to destroy and dispose of weapons, train service members on the uses and procedures for weapons, and research for environmental protection.

Altus Air Force Base

The Altus Air Force Base was built in 1942 to be used as a storage site for old-fashioned aircrafts. When the Korean War Started in 1950, the Air Force needed to train pilots, and so it turned the storage depot into an active Air Force Base. A lot of the aircraft that had been stored there during and after World War II were restored and used during the Korean War.

One of the most prestigious planes stored at the Altus Air Force Base was the B-17 F Memphis Belle. It was restored and is currently on display in the Air Force National Museum in Ohio. Today, the main mission of the base is to prepare troops in the bombardment division, which has an operation group, a medical group, a maintenance group, and a mission support group.

Tinker Air Force Base

Tinker Air Force Base was built in 1941 and named after General Clarence L. Tinker, who was the first Native American to become a major general in the U.S. Military. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the base was built to be used as a depot to build C-47 Skytrains and A-20 Havocs, two kinds of planes used during World War II. Although the base is operated by the Air Force, a Navy Wing was fully integrated on the base in 1992, and both the Navy and the Air Force have a strong presence on the base today.

Vance Air Force Base

Vance Air Force Base is located in Enid, Oklahoma, and named after Leon Robert Vance Jr., a pilot who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his role in many World War II missions. It was established in 1941 to train pilots for World War II but was shut down when the war ended. It was reactivated in 1948, and the mission of the Vance Air Force Base has remained the same ever since.

Although the base is operated by the Air force, it is used to train pilots who serve in the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. The base is also used to train military members of allied countries. Vance Air Force Base is the second most active Terminal Radar Approach Control base in the United States, after the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.