Editing Offutt Air Force Base (section)

===Offutt Field===
[[File:Offutt field - October 1936.jpg|thumb|Offutt Field in October 1936, before the construction of hard runways and permanent facilities|alt=|left]]
In 1918, the 61st Balloon Company of the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]], which performed combat reconnaissance training, was assigned to Fort Crook at the close of [[World War I]]. In the spring of 1921, the plowing, leveling, and seeding of 260 acres of land at Fort Crook created a grass airfield suitable for frequent takeoffs and landings and as a refueling stop for [[United States Post Office Department|Post Office Department]] airmail flights and transcontinental flights. The first permanent aircraft hangars were also completed in 1921. Other known organizations assigned to the field were the 74th Balloon Company in November 1918; 60th Balloon Company in December 1918.

A small detachment of enlisted men (detached service) from Marshall Field and Fort Riley, Kansas, constituted the only regular military presence on the field between 1935 and 1940. On 6 May 1924, the airfield was officially named "Offutt Field". During the 1920s and 1930s, the field was used for inactive training period meetings by personnel of the 314th Observation Squadron, [[89th Infantry Division (United States)|89th Division]], one of the few [[United States Army Reserve|Organized Reserve]] flying squadrons that actually possessed facilities, equipment, and aircraft; the pilots conducted annual training at either [[Marshall Army Airfield|Marshall Field]], [[Fort Riley]], [[Kansas]], or [[Richards Field]], [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]. The squadron was inactivated on 2 October 1939 by relief of personnel, and disbanded on 31 May 1942.