Holloman Afb

Holloman Air Force Base, named in honor of the late Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research, is located in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The base lives up to the pioneering spirit of its namesake. "First," "best," "fastest," and "only" are words that frequently recur in Holloman's story.

In 1954, for instance, Lt Col John Stapp rode a rocket propelled test sled going 632 miles per hour, a feat that earned him the title of "Fastest Man Alive." In 1960, Captain Joseph Kittinger Jr. bailed out of an open balloon gondola at 102,800 feet. His free-fall lasted 13 minutes, and he reached a velocity of 614 miles per hour. That jump broke four world records. A laboratory at Holloman even trained Enos, the first chimpanzee launched into orbit in 1961.

Holloman also boasts the world's longest and fastest test track. It stretches 50,788 feet (almost 10 miles) and can approach 10,000 feet per second, or Mach 9. The 846th Test Squadron set the world land speed record on that track.

The German Air Force Tactical Training Center

The pioneering doesn't end with technology, either. In 1996, the German Air Force Tactical Training Center was established. In cooperation with the 20th Fighter Squadron, it provides training in the "stealth" F-4F Phantom II. More than 300 German Air Force members are permanently assigned at Holloman as part of the Tactical Training Center, where they receive training on the F-4 and the German Tornado. This is the only unit of its kind in the United States.