Hunter Army Airfield

Hunter Army Airfield is a U.S. Army installation and is located in Savannah, GA and is the subordinate unit installation of Fort Stewart. The post's mission is to provide command, control, training, administration, logistical and civilian military support to an assigned and attached non-divisional unit stationed at Fort Stewart, which is also located in Savannah, GA. The post features an 11,375 feet long runway and also houses its aircraft on an area that takes up more than 350 acres of land. This large area facilitates the easy deployment of soldiers and cargo, worldwide within an 18-hour time period, by units stationed at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.

The Location of Hunter Army Airfield was found and decided upon in 1929 by the local authorities for an airport. In the latter part of 1929, the groundbreaking ceremony was held, and the one runway Savannah airport was underway. In 1940, the airport was renamed after a WWI hero named Frank O’Driscoll Hunter. In the summer of that year, permission was given to the U.S. Air Corps to build a military installation near the airport and when WWII started in 1941 the base was built and ready for use in the war. The 27th Bombardment Group was the first unit to be stationed at Hunter Army Airfield and the unit was quickly deployed to the Philippines.

Later on, the empty airfield was equipped with 20 Havoc aircraft and its primary mission was to patrol around the eastern coast looking for German ships and submarines. The Navy later took on this challenge, leaving the post to only be used for training sessions for aircraft. After WWII the airfield was given back to the local authorities in Savannah and the land was used for housing as well as an orphanage. Hunter Army Airfield was used sporadically during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, then was inactivated for two years in 1973.

Today it is active and is home to several units which serve the interests of the Army. Some of the units at Hunter Army Airfield include: the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 3rd Infantry Division aviation unit, the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, the 260th Quartermaster Battalion, the 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, the 3rd Battalion 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the 224th Military Intelligence Battalion. Aircraft currently housed at the airfield include the MH-47G Chinook, A/MH-6M Little Bird, MH-60K Black Hawk, and MH-60L Black Hawk. Hunter is also the home of the Savannah Coast Guard Air Station, which flies the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter.

Inside of the base, there is a medical clinic that families utilize as civilian healthcare services, despite missing an emergency room, a gym post called the Tominac Fitness Center with it's own indoor swimming pool and an adequate but small commissary and PX store. Near the Hunter Army Airfield is the coast of Georgia, where families can go to the Tybee Island or Hilton Head or simply learn a ton of culture and art vibes in Savannah. In terms of city-living, Savannah offers areas such as Pooler and Richmond Hill. For different ways of living, The Islands Tybee, Whitemarsh or Wilmington can offer a home near the beach or heading to Effingham County for a rural lifestyle. Military families stationed at Hunter Army Airfield are spread out and they choose their location based on their commute, schools, and area feeling.

Hunter Army Airfield Base Guide. Military.com. . April 15, 2019. https://www.military.com/base-guide/hunter-army-airfield.

Hunter Army Airfield Army Base in Savannah, GA. MilitaryBases.com. . April 15, 2019. https://militarybases.com/georgia/hunter-army-airfield/.

Hunter Army Airfield. Basedirectory.com. . April 15, 2019. https://www.basedirectory.com/hunter-army-airfield-directory.