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~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas 
Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, is home to the 37th Training Wing, the largest training wing in the U.S. Air Force. The 37th TRW provides basic military, professional and technical skills, and English language training for the Air Force, other military services, government agencies, and allies. Its four primary training functions graduate more than 86,000 students annually. The wing also provides quality operating support to more than 70 tenant and associate units. 
Lackland Air Force Base dates from July 4, 1942, when the War Department separated the part of Kelly Field lying west of Leon Creek and made it an independent installation, naming it the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center. From its acronym (SAACC), many people called the base sack, sack-c, or, less affectionately, sad sack. Even with its own name, townspeople and most military leaders continued to think of it as a part of Kelly Field. The base bore three awkward and innocuous designations in the first two years after World War II, adding to the confusion. The War Department finally resolved the identity crisis on July 11, 1947, by naming the base for Brigadier General Frank D. Lackland. Lackland had originated the idea of an aviation cadet reception and training center for Kelly. 
Prior to 1941, the portion of Kelly Field beyond Leon Creek known as "the Hill" had served at various times as a bivouac area and bombing range for advanced aviation cadets. Construction on the Hill began on June 15, 1941. Contractors could not keep up with the quickening pace of world events as they cleared mesquite and prickly pear; laid out water lines, sewers, and streets; and erected frame buildings with asbestos siding for an Air Corps replacement-training center. The first class of 1,906 cadets began training in mid-November 1941, even though barracks were not ready until mid-December. Until then, cadets marched a mile up-and-back each day from a tent city on the northwest edge of Kelly's runway. Learn More About The History Of Lackland Air Force Base HERE!
Lackland Air Force Base conducts the Air Force's only enlisted recruit training program, ensuring orderly transition from civilian to military life. Recruits are trained in the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in an Expeditionary Air Force. This includes basic war skills, military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values and a comprehensive range of subjects relating to Air Force life. More than 7 million young men and women have entered Air Force basic military training since Feb. 4, 1946, when the training mission was moved to Lackland from Harlingen Air Force Base, Texas. Throughout its history, Lackland's BMT program has changed in many ways to meet the operational needs of the Air Force. Yet, recent updates in the curriculum are some of the most significant in its more than 60-year history, with every aspect of the program overhauled. 
On Nov. 7, 2005, BMT changed its curriculum to focus on a new kind of Airman -- one who is a 'warrior first.' The goal is to instill a warrior mindset in trainees from day one and better prepare Airmen for the realities of the Expeditionary Air Force.
The changes resulted from the need to meet current and future operational Air Force requirements. In September 2004, the 20th Basic Military Training Review Committee met at Lackland and recommended significant changes in the focus, curriculum and schedule. In February 2006, Air Force leaders made the decision to lengthen BMT to an 8-1/2 week course from the current 6-1/2 week program. Extending BMT will produce more lethal and adaptable Airmen that have the basic war fighting skills and the confidence to use those skills to defeat any current or future adversary.
Implemented November 2008, the two additional weeks of training are used to enhance and reinforce BMT's current war skills training. BMT now includes an intense four-day Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training exercise called BEAST which will replicate the sights, sounds and emotions Airmen will experience in the deployed environment. 
Learn More About Lackland Air Force Base HERE!
While the facts surrounding the siege of The Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason, the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty. 
Originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction began on the present site in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials secularized San Antonio's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. These men and women continued to farm the fields, once the mission's but now their own, and participated in the growing community of San Antonio. Visit The Alamo HERE!
FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.
Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun! We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity. We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon. We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way. God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always |
