PORTLAND, Ore. -- On this day 85 years ago, Portland Army Air Base was activated, per Special Order #1, PAAB, dated March 13, 1941. The base was under construction and not operational at the time of its activation. But with war raging in Europe and storm clouds gathering in the Pacific, there was a sense of urgency in getting it built.
After World War II, with the establishment of the Air Force during the onset of the Cold War, it became Portland Air Force Base. In the late 1960s after active duty units departed, it was redesignated as Portland Air National Guard Base. It has now served as Oregon’s primary military aviation base for 85 years - for organizations, an 85th anniversary can be considered a Moonstone anniversary. In its way, the base truly is a gemstone of the Oregon ANG and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Do you know the name of the first base newspaper, produced six months after the activation of the base as it became operational? It was the PABLOID, and the first issue (Volume 1, Number 1) was published on September 17, 1941.
To learn more in detail about the early days of military aviation at Portland, see the four-part series titled “The Birth Pangs of Portland ANG Base” with Part I: Origins” on the 142nd Wing website here.
For an overview of the eight decades of the base’s service, see the base history fact sheet posted on the History page under Resources on the 142nd Wing’s website here.
Portland ANG Base is 85 years old today – Happy Birthday! Only 15 years to the base’s centennial!