Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Rolfe | IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif.- (October 5, 2018) Members of the National Helicopter...... read more read more
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. – Members of local historical societies gathered at Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach (IB), home to Ream Field, to observe 100 years of military flights at the airfield during a ceremony Oct. 5, 2018.
The South Bay Historical Society spear-headed the event. Members noticed that Ream Field’s centennial was nearing and reached out to the National Helicopter Association and Naval Base Coronado (NBC) and before long, the airfield’s nearest neighbor, Imperial Beach (IB) decided to issue a proclamation to honor the moment.
With the sound of helicopters training behind the Ream Field memorial plaque, NBC Commanding Officer Capt. Timothy J. Slentz and City of IB Mayor Serge Dedina presided over the commemoration. Before reading the proclamation, Dedina took a moment to recognize a life-long family friend, U.S. Navy veteran Abram Dominguez, who served with Helicopter Squadron 4 at Ream Field in the mid 1960’s.
To the surprise to everyone present, Dominguez was not the only veteran present who flew at Ream Field. An impromptu reunion took place with a great deal of reminiscing while the men checked out an MH-60R Seahawk during a tour provided by air crewmen from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Four One (HSM-41) following the ceremony.
“Known as ‘The Helicopter Capital of the World’, we couldn’t have better neighbors than Imperial Beach,” said Slentz during the ceremony. “The Navy enjoys our relationship with the community and we are honored to have Mayor Serge Dedina here with us today to celebrate 100 years of flights from Ream Field.”
The helicopter squadrons stationed at Naval Air Station North Island use NOLF IB for 95 percent of their flight operations.
The history of the airfield at NOLF IB dates back to 1917 when the Army established “Aviation Field” on the current site. In 1918 it was renamed in honor of U.S. Army Maj. William Roy Ream, the first flying surgeon of the American Army, and the first flight surgeon killed in an aircraft accident. Ream Field received its current designation as NOLF Imperial Beach in 1975.
Naval Base Coronado is a conglomerate of eight Naval installations stretching from San Clemente Island, located 70 miles west of San Diego, to the La Posta Warfare Training Facility, located 60 miles east of San Diego. The bases’ mission is to support and train America’s heroes.
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.06.2018 21:21 |
| Story ID: | 295647 |
| Location: | IMPERIAL BEACH, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 415 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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