View source for Volk Field Air National Guard Base

{{Short description|Military airbase in Wisconsin, USA}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Volk Field Air National Guard Base
| ensign = 
| ensign_size =
| native_name = 
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Camp Douglas, Wisconsin|Camp Douglas]], [[Wisconsin]]
| nearest_town = <!-- used in military test site infobox -->
| country = the [[United States]]
| image = File:VolkMainGate.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = The main entrance to Volk Field ANGB with a former [[Wisconsin Air National Guard]] [[P-51D Mustang]] on display
| image2 = [[File:US-AirNationalGuard-2007Emblem.svg|100px]]
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| type = Air National Guard Base
| coordinates = {{Coord|43|56|20|N|090|15|13|W|type:airport_region:US}}
| gridref = 
| image_map = 
| image_mapsize = 
| image_map_alt = 
| image_map_caption = 
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_mapsize = 
| pushpin_map_alt = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_image = 
| pushpin_label = Volk Field ANGB
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_mark = 
| pushpin_marksize = 
| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator = [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] (USAF)
| controlledby = [[Wisconsin Air National Guard]] (ANG)
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built = {{Start date|1888}}
| used = 1888 – present <!--{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder = 
| materials = 
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition = Operational
| battles = 
| events = 
| current_commander = <!-- current commander -->
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil}}
<!-- begin airfield information  -->
| IATA = VOK
| ICAO = KVOK
| FAA = VOK
| TC = 
| LID = 
| GPS = 
| WMO = 726436
| elevation = {{Convert|277.9|m|0}}
| r1-number = 09/27
| r1-length = {{Convert|2743.2|m|0}}
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]/[[concrete]]
| h1-number = 
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface = 
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!--  end airfield information   -->
| footnotes = '''Source:''' [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2009/00714ad.pdf#nameddest=(VOK)|title=Airport Diagram – Volk Field (KVOK)|date=13 August 2020|website=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=15 August 2020}}</ref>
}}
'''Volk Field Air National Guard Base''' {{Airport codes|VOK|KVOK|VOK}} is a military [[airport]] located near the village of [[Camp Douglas, Wisconsin|Camp Douglas]], in [[Juneau County, Wisconsin|Juneau County]], [[Wisconsin]], [[United States]].<ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=VOK|use=PR|own=MA|site=27085.*A}}, effective 26 January 2023</ref> It is also known as the '''Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center''' (CRTC). The base also houses '''Camp Williams''', which is supported by the [[Wisconsin National Guard|Wisconsin Army National Guard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/Camp_Williams.html|title=Camp Williams|date=1 June 2005|publisher=Combat Readiness Training Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215160226/http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/Camp_Williams.html|archive-date=15 December 2008|access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref>

==History==

===Early history===
The origin of the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) can be traced back to 1888 when the state adjutant general, General Chandler Chapman, purchased a site for a rifle range and offered it to the state for a camp. In 1889 the state legislature authorized the governor to purchase land near the site for a permanent training site to include a dedicated pistol, rifle, and artillery training range for the Wisconsin National Guard.<ref name="History">{{cite web |url=http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/history/index.asp |title=Volk Field – History |website=Volkfield.ang.af.mil |access-date=18 August 2016 |archive-date=15 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115104206/http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/history/index.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By 1903 the camp had expanded to more than {{convert|800|acre|km2}} and was used for training by the then reorganized National Guard. In 1917 the site served as a major mobilization and training post for the [[32nd Infantry Division (United States)|32nd Infantry Division]] which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard prior to its shipping to France as part of World War I.<ref name="Pike">{{cite web |first=John |last=Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-williams.htm |title=Camp Williams |website=Globalsecurity.org |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

The site was named Camp Williams in 1927 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Williams, the chief quartermaster of the post from 1917 until his death in 1926. Camp Williams grew slowly following the [[World War I|First World War]], but with the development of the airplane, the first hard-surface runways were constructed in 1935 and 1936.<ref name="Hoagenson">{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Hoagenson |title=The History of Camp Douglas, Wisconsin and Camp Williams-Volk Field |date=1966 |publisher=Wisconsin State University |series=Studies in State and Local History, vol. 1, no. 4 |oclc=16884707}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=November 2020}}

During World War II Camp Williams and Volk served as a mobilization and training station for elements of the [[32nd Infantry Division (United States)|32nd Infantry Division]] which was made up almost exclusively of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard.<ref name="Pike"/>

In 1954 the federal government leased the field from the state of Wisconsin for use as a permanent field training site. That same year work began on the air-to-ground gunnery range near [[Finley, Wisconsin]]. In 1957, the Wisconsin legislature officially designated the facility a permanent field training site and named it in memory of 1st Lieutenant Jerome A. Volk, the first [[Wisconsin Air National Guard]] pilot killed in combat in the [[Korean War]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Vaughn R. |last=Larson |url=https://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/News/story/id/123318561/ |title=Formal Memorial Ceremony for Volk Field Namesake 1st Lt. Jerome Volk |website=Volkfield.ang.af.mil |date=18 September 2012 |archive-date=1 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801162642/http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123318561}}</ref>

A small graveyard near the front gate contains three burial plots, those of Lt. Col. Charles R. Williams, Camp Williams' namesake; his son, Private Robert W. Williams, who died in France during World War I; and Brigadier General Hugh M. Simonson, Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard from 1977 until 1979. It also contains a memorial marker for Lt. Jerome Volk, for whom the installation was named, as his body was never recovered after being shot down over [[North Korea]] in 1951.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091218-004.pdf |title=Fact Sheet : Wisconsin Air National Guard : VOLK FIELD/CAMP WILLIAMS MEMORIAL CEMETERY |website=Volkfield.ang.af.mil |access-date=18 August 2016 |archive-date=25 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125220220/http://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091218-004.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===False alarm incident===
During the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], staff at the base were on the lookout for [[sabotage]] operations that might precede any [[Soviet]] [[nuclear first strike]]. Around midnight on 25 October 1962, a guard at the [[Duluth Sector Direction Center]] {{convert|300|mi|km}} west saw a figure climbing the security fence. He shot at it, and activated the sabotage alarm. This automatically set off similar alarms at all bases in the area. At Volk Field, the alarm was incorrectly wired, and the [[klaxon]] sounded, which ordered [[Air Defense Command]] (ADC) nuclear-armed [[F-106A]] interceptors to take off. The pilots had been told there would be no practice alert drills due to [[DEFCON 3]] status, and, according to political scientist [[Scott D. Sagan]], they "fully believed that a nuclear war had just started".<ref name="Sagan">{{cite book |author-link=Scott Sagan |last=Sagan |first=Scott D. |title=The Limits of Safety: Organizations, Accidents, and Nuclear Weapons |date=1993 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-21306-4 |pages=3, 99–100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AObaDwAAQBAJ&q=%22volk+field%22}}</ref>

Since Volk Field did not have a control tower, its aircraft were dispatched from Duluth.<ref name="Doomsday">{{cite video |title=On The Brink: Doomsday |date=1997 |publisher=[[Discovery Channel]] |time=29'25"–31'05"}}</ref> Before the planes were able to take off, the base commander contacted Duluth and learned of the error. An officer in the command center drove his car onto the runway, flashing his lights and signaling to the aircraft to stop. The intruder was later identified as a black bear, instead of the expected Soviet {{lang|ru|[[Spetsnaz]]}} saboteurs.{{r|Sagan}}<ref name="Rhodes">{{cite magazine |author-link=Richard Rhodes |last=Rhodes |first=Richard |title=The General and World War III |magazine=The New Yorker |date=19 June 1995 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/06/19/the-general-and-world-war-iii |url-access=limited |pages=47–59}} Note that the article is merely paraphrasing Sagan's book, with no new or independent information.</ref>

Sagan writes that the incident had raised the possibility of an ADC interceptor [[Friendly fire|accidentally shooting down]] a [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) bomber.{{r|Sagan}} ADC interceptor crews had not been given full information by the SAC of plans to move bombers to dispersal bases (such as Volk Field) or the classified routes flown by bombers on continuous alert as part of [[Operation Chrome Dome]]. Declassified ADC documents later revealed that "the incident led to changes in the alert klaxon system [...] to prevent a recurrence".{{r|Sagan}}

===Recent history===
In 1989 the site was re-designated a Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC).<ref name="History" />
During the 1990 [[Persian Gulf War]], Volk Field was the primary point of embarkation for soldiers and equipment from nearby [[Fort McCoy, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web |title=McCoy rallied to support nation's call |newspaper=The Triad |location=Fort McCoy |url=http://www.mccoy.army.mil/vtriad_online/01262001/desert%20shield-storm.htm |access-date=27 September 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125920/http://www.mccoy.army.mil/vtriad_online/01262001/desert%20shield-storm.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The 128th Air Control Squadron, [[Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation]] system (ACMI), Air Base Operability and Ability to Survive and Operate (ATSO) training missions were added in 1991.<ref name="History"/>

Since 2006 Volk Field, along with Fort McCoy, has served as the primary location for Patriot Warrior, the largest annual training exercise for [[Air Force Reserve Command]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mccoy.army.mil/vtriad_online/06232006/Patriot_Warrior_06-23-06.htm |title=Patriot Warrior 06-23-06 |website=Mccoy.army.mil |date=2006-06-23 |access-date=18 August 2016 |archive-date=28 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128082758/http://www.mccoy.army.mil/vtriad_online/06232006/Patriot_Warrior_06-23-06.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Facilities==
[[File:Camp Douglas, Wisconsin.jpg|thumb|[[Camp Douglas, Wisconsin]] with Volk Field in the background]]
Volk Field has one [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] / [[concrete]] paved [[runway]] (9/27) measuring 9,000 x 150&nbsp;ft (2,743 x 46 m).<ref name=FAA />

The Runway's Edge is the installation's all ranks club and provides hot food and drinks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzfile.com/business/Volk-Field-Service-Club-608-427-1276 |title=Runways Edge in Camp Douglas, WI – (608) 427-1276 – Company Profile |website=Buzzfile.com |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

The Wisconsin National Guard Museum is located at Volk Field. It contains aircraft, helicopters, artillery, and armored vehicles used by the Wisconsin National Guard over its existence.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

Camp Williams is the home of the [[United States Property and Fiscal Officer|United States Property & Fiscal Office]] for the [[State of Wisconsin]], as well as the Army National Guard's Consolidated State Maintenance Facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lacrossetribune.com/tomahjournal/news/local/van-de-loop-appointed-u-s-property-and-fiscal-officer/article_22d84718-42e8-11e2-b09c-0019bb2963f4.html |title=Van De Loop appointed U.S. property and fiscal officer for Wisconsin &#124; Local |website=lacrossetribune.com |date=2012-12-10 |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

==Wisconsin National Guard Museum==
{{Infobox museum
 |name = Wisconsin National Guard Museum
 |image = VolkAirPark.jpg
 |caption = 
 |established = 
 |dissolved = 
 |location =  101 Independence Dr, Camp Douglas, WI 54618
 |type = {{nowrap|[[File:Seal_of_the_United_States_National_Guard.svg|35px|National Guard Seal]] [[Aviation]] [[Military History]]}}
 |collection = 
 |visitors = 
 |director = 
 |president =
 |curator = 
 |publictransit = 
 |network =
 |website =
}}

The Wisconsin National Guard Museum is located at Volk. It is housed in one of the former Officer's Quarters built in the late 19th-Century. The museum is open to the public five days a week. It also hosts a large air park with many former [[Air National Guard]] aircraft from several states, as well as artillery, helicopters, and tanks formerly of the Wisconsin National Guard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tinfeathers.com/Museum/USA/WiscNGM/WNGM.htm |title=Wisconsin National Guard Museum, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin |website=Tinfeathers.com |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

*[[F-4C Phantom II]] – ex- [[New York Air National Guard]] aircraft, last serving with the [[107th Airlift Wing|107th Fighter Wing]] at [[Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station|Niagara Falls Air National Guard Base]]. S/N 63-7594
*[[F-105B Thunderchief]] – "Xanadu" ex- [[486th Fighter Squadron]] (Air Force Reserve) aircraft. The last F-105B to fly. S/N 57-5838.
*[[LTV A-7 Corsair II#United States Air Force A-7D|A-7D Corsair II]] – ex-[[Puerto Rico Air National Guard]]. Developed cracks in the wing spar while on a training mission to Volk in 1991 and left behind when the [[156th Airlift Wing|156th Tactical Fighter Wing]] redeployed back to [[Puerto Rico]]. S/N 70-0982.
*[[F-84F Thunderstreak]] – ex-[[Illinois Air National Guard]] last flown by the [[183rd Fighter Wing|183rd Tactical Fighter Wing]]. S/N 51-9365
*[[F-86H Sabre]] – ex- New York Air National Guard aircraft with the [[174th Attack Wing|174th Tactical Fighter Group]]. Displayed in colors of Wisconsin Air National Guard's [[176th Fighter Squadron|176th Interceptor Squadron]]. S/N 53-1358
*[[P-51D Mustang]] ex-Wisconsin Air Guard aircraft. Last flew with the [[109th Airlift Squadron|109th Fighter Squadron]]. Served with the [[8th Air Force]] during [[World War II]]. S/N 44-72989<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/?survivors/serial/44-72989 |title=P-51 Mustang Survivors |website=MustangsMustangs.com |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>
*[[F-100C Super Sabre]] ex-[[Iowa Air National Guard]] aircraft. Last flew with the [[132nd Fighter Wing|132nd Tactical Fighter Wing]]. S/N 54-2106
*[[F-15 Eagle|F-15B Eagle]] ex- [[Louisiana Air National Guard]] aircraft. Last flew with the [[159th Fighter Wing]]. S/N 77-0159
*[[A-10A Thunderbolt II]] ex- Air Force Reserve aircraft. Last flew with the [[434th Air Refueling Wing|434th Tactical Fighter Wing]]. S/N 77-0244
*[[F-102A Delta Dagger]] ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. S/N 56-1273
*[[TF-102A Delta Dagger]] ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the 176th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. S/N 56-2353
*[[Boeing KC-97|KC-97G]] ex-Wisconsin Air National Guard aircraft. Last flew with the [[128th Air Refueling Wing]]. S/N 52-0905
*[[AH-1 Cobra|AH-1G Cobra]] ex- 8th Cavalry aircraft. S/N 70-16000
*[[UH-1H Huey]] ex- [[Wisconsin Army National Guard]] aircraft. Served in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] with the 361st Aviation Company. S/N 66-16171<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.129th.net/helicopters/66-16171.html |title=Information on helicopter 66-16171 |website=129th.net |access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>
*[[M4A3E3|M4A3 (75mm) Sherman]] R/N 3055802
*[[M48 Patton]] S/N 3748
*[[M60A3]] R/N 09A06670, S/N 3688A

==See also==

* [[List of nuclear close calls]]
* [[Wisconsin World War II Army Airfields]]

==References==
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last=Gorvett |first=Zaria |title=The nuclear mistakes that nearly caused World War Three |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200807-the-nuclear-mistakes-that-could-have-ended-civilisation |publisher=BBC Future |date=9 August 2020}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issues/accidents/20-mishaps-maybe-caused-nuclear-war.htm |title=20 Mishaps That Might Have Started Accidental Nuclear War |last=Philips |first=Alan F. |date=1998 |website=nuclearfiles.org |publisher=[[Nuclear Age Peace Foundation]] |archive-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703203219/http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/issues/accidents/20-mishaps-maybe-caused-nuclear-war.htm}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Volk Field Air National Guard Base}}
*[https://www.volkfield.ang.af.mil/ Volk Field Air National Guard Base (ANGB)] (official site)
*Wisconsin Airport Directory: {{cite web |url=http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/travel/air/airport-info/arpts/camp-doug.pdf |title=Volk Field ANG Base |access-date=1 April 2018 |archive-date=1 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801104247/http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/travel/air/airport-info/arpts/camp-doug.pdf |url-status=dead }}
*{{FAA-diagram|00714}}
{{US-airport-mil|VOK}}

{{Aviation in Wisconsin}}

[[Category:Airports in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Air National Guard]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Juneau County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Wisconsin]]