Eglin Air Force Base Museum

Entering Eglin Afb And Base Amenities

Youre going to need to bring the proper documents and identification with you the first time you enter the base. Make sure to have your license and registration if driving into Eglin. If youre driving a rental car, then youll need to present the rental agreement at the gate. Youll need to have a host of other documents as well, so make sure that youre prepared with the latest requirements.

Eglin Afb Legal Office

The legal office is the place to go if you find yourself in need of representation in matters big and small. Here, they offer any from notarization services to consultations with attorneys. Everyone is welcome to make use of the services provided here.

Eglin AFB Legal Office501 W. Van Matre Ave., Bldg 2, Suite 1Eglin AFB, Florida 32542

Eglin AFB Legal Office Hours

• Monday to Friday: 0730 to 1630
• Weekends: Closed

Best Schools Near Eglin Afb

There are no schools on base at Eglin, but there are several choices in the neighboring community. Okaloosa County School District is close by and has options for grades K-12, as does Walton County Schools and Santa Rosa County Schools. Theres a child development center at Eglin for daycare and early childhood education and other private options in the area.

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The Air Force Armament Museum Foundation

The Air Force Armament Museum Foundation is a volunteer body that runs the fund generating programs of the Armament Museum and decides how funds donated to the museum are spent.

The Friends of the Museum is a membership program in which members’ dues help fund the museum. Members receive discounts in the gift shop and notice of special events.

The Foundation sponsors the education program Engineers for America, which involves a school classroom tour of the museum with basic engineering experiments led by teachers and volunteers. The goal of the program is to stimulate in young people a desire to pursue a career in engineering.

Air Force Armament Museum

The Air Force Armament Museum, adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air Forcearmament. Founded in 1975, it was originally located in a converted gymnasium on the northeastern edge of the Eglin main base, adjacent to Valparaiso, Florida.

Visitors can view a variety of historical Air Force planes, from a World War II B-17 bomber to an F-4 Phantom II jet. A wide variety of bombs, missiles, and rockets are exhibited, including the newest air-to-air missile, the AMRAAM, and the GBU-28bunker-buster developed for use during Operation Desert Storm. Other missiles include the Paveway series, Falcons, the Tomahawk, Mace, Hound Dog, radar-controlled, laser-controlled and several guided by a TV camera in the nose. Also on display is the GBU-43 MOAB, Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or by its nickname, “Mother of All Bombs”, the world’s largest conventional explosive weapon. A predecessor, the T-12 Cloudmaker 38,600 lb. earthquake bomb, is displayed outside, while a Fat Man casing is indoors.

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Eglin Afb Transportation Office

If youre getting your PCS to Eglin, then the first call you should make is to the transportation office. The knowledgeable staff will help you run through the checklist of everything youll need in order to make a smooth transition. They can help you with planning your trip, with shipping, questions about pets, and other information.

Eglin AFB Transportation OfficeHours: Monday to Friday 0800 1500

Major Commands To Which Assigned

• Air Corps Training Center, 9 June 1935 27 August 1940
• Southeast Air Corps Training Center, 27 August 1940 1 April 1942

Also assigned to Commanding General, Fourth Corps Area, United States Army, June 1941-1 April 1942

• Chief of the Army Air Corps , 19 May 1941 1 April 1942
• AAF Proving Ground Command**, 1 April 1942 1 June 1945
• AAF Center, 1 June 1945

Re-designated: AAF Proving Ground Command, 8 March 1946

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Eglin Afb Finance Office

The finance office is an absolutely phenomenal resource for all airmen and their families. This is where you can go to learn basic fiscal responsibility, like opening a checking account and managing your monthly budget. You can also take advantage of the resources here to learn about long-term financial planning, like retirement savings and investing. Everyone has room to learn how to stretch their money so that it works for them, and the finance office is the place that can do that.

Eglin AFB Finance OfficeEglin Air Force Base, Florida 32542Phone: 1 882-5441

Eglin AFB Finance Office Hours

• Monday to Friday: 0800 to 1500
• Weekends: Closed

Directions To Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin AFB is slightly isolated. The closest city is Valparaiso, which is a small city of just 5,000 people. Pensacola is 60 miles away, and if youre coming by public transportation, this is likely the hub youll pass through on your way to the base.

Flights to Eglin AFB

Pensacola Regional Airport is home to a smaller terminal that services a handful of major airlines. Flights here will arrive from several major cities across the U.S., though your options may be limited. Its possible that youll need to change to a connecting flight in order to get here. Another small airport close by is the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.

Greyhound Bus

Youll also find a Greyhound bus station in Pensacola, and since Greyhound lines serve the vast majority of territory in the U.S., this could be a great option for you, especially if youre traveling alone. Theres another Greyhound station in Fort Walton Beach.

Driving Directions

If youre coming from Pensacola by means of the airport or otherwise:

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Best Places To Live Near Eglin Afb

Valparaiso

Valparaiso is named after a city in Indiana, which is itself named after Valparaiso, Chile. Its a smaller city of around 5,000 people. The city was originally developed on land discovered by a single industrious individual named James E. Plew. When he leased some of the land to the U.S. government, that land became the original site of Eglin AFB.

Niceville

Niceville is a city of around 12,000 on Choctawhatchee Bay. Its the site of the annual Boggy Fest, formerly known as the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival. A number of schools are located in or close by the city, and a variety of well-known people have either grown up or retired here.

DeFuniak Springs

DeFuniak Springs is the county seat of Walton County, Florida. The population of the city is over 5,000, and its home to one of the only two spring-fed lakes that are almost perfectly round DeFuniak Lake. DeFuniak Springs was founded in the 1800s as a resort town for the developers and wealthy magnates from Pensacola and is now home to a wealth of industries and economic activity.

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Fund Drive Announced For The Eod Heritage Museum

U.S. Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and the Quonset huts being constructed for the expansion project. Aerial image courtesy of Google maps.

This information was reported to NATEODA by Mike Vining.

Story updated Feb. 18, 2021 with GoFundMe link for donations.

NICEVILLE, Florida The EOD community will soon have their own museum showcasing historical contributions and technology development in field of explosive ordnance disposal. The EOD Warrior Foundation has a GoFundMe website with information to raise $100,000 for the museum.

The joint-service Explosive Ordnance Disposal Heritage Museum will a part of the U.S. Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Once established, the U.S. Air Force Armament Museum will maintain the EOD museum. The exhibits will be decided by the EOD Heritage Museum Committee.

The museum will be one of the Armament Museums expansion project Quonset huts focusing on the histories of African Americans at Eglin Air Force Base, AFSOC, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and munitions development at the Air Force Research Lab.

Plans envision a small theater with four exhibit areas that cover critical timelines of EOD history and a fifth exhibit area as a rotating display. The exhibits will also include EOD robots and several different bomb suits.

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Creation And World War Ii

Much of the base was part of a National Forest until the outbreak of war in Europe when a proving ground for aircraft armament was established at Eglin. The U.S. Forest Service ceded over 340,000 acres of the Choctawhatchee National Forest to the War Department on 18 October 1940.

Eglin Air Force Base evolved from the 1933 creation of the Valparaiso Airport, when an arrowhead-shaped parcel of 137 acres was cleared for use as an airdrome.

In 1931, personnel of the Air Corps Tactical School, newly relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama, sought a location for a bombing and gunnery range. They saw the potential of the sparsely populated forested areas surrounding Valparaiso and the vast expanse of the adjacent Gulf of Mexico.

From October 1941 to October 1945, an AAF Fixed Gunnery School operated at the base, supervised by the 75th Flying Training Wing.

At its peak during World War II, the base employed more than 1,000 officers, 10,000 enlisted personnel and 4,000 civilians.

Eglin Afb Visitor Center

The visitor center at Eglin is the first place that civilians, family, and friends will stop if theyre visiting you on base. There are historic sites on base, and a museum, so sometimes people will stop in to see those as well, and this is where theyre going to get a pass thatll allow them to do so. Make sure you send anyone you know is coming in here first.

Eglin AFB Visitor CenterEglin Air Force Base, Florida 32542Phone: 1 882-7500

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Best Things To Do In Eglin Afb Florida

Have you ever visited a new place and felt wow about it? For many visitors, it happens at Eglin Afb.

Eglin Afb may not be as popular as other cities in United States, but dont let that fool you. Eglin Afb is a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination.

You can definitely plan a few hours of a side trip here while traveling to Destin or Panama City Beach. You might wish to revisit it someday again, to take a break and relax at Eglin Afb.

If you have plans to visit United States and are not sure if Eglin Afb should be included in your itinerary, keep reading. In this list, we have put together some of the things to do in Eglin Afb and around. We have a hunch that if you include this city in your travel plans, you will be thrilled you did so.

Eglin Afb Deers Office

The DEERS office is the place to go for new base ID cards for yourself and dependents. If you lose your ID at any point, youll need to come here for a replacement.

Eglin AFB DEERS Office310 W. Van Matre Ave.Suite 136 Building #210Eglin Air Force Base, Florida 32542Phone: 1 882-2742

Eglin AFB DEERS Office Hours

• Monday to Friday: 0700 to 1500
• Weekends: Closed

• Sunday: Closed

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Eglin Afb Museum Florida

Museum HistoryToday’s Museum The Air Force Armament Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia associated with Air Force Armament and its platforms of delivery.

North American AGM-28B Hound Dog

North American AGM-28B Hound Dog

Mig 21

North American AGM-28B Hound Dog

B-52G Stratofortress

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

Douglas C-47K Skytrain

AC-130A Gunship

General Dynamics F-111E Aardvark

RF-4C Phantom

Where Should I Live Near Eglin Afb

If youre considering living on base, check out the available on-base housing options. Otherwise, read on to find out more about living off base.

There are a number of places to live around the base that are close enough to provide a comfortable commute. Each town and city near the base has something of a unique vibe to it, with various offerings and amenities that should be welcoming to just about everyone.

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Air Force Armament Museum Eglin Air Force Base

The Air Force Armament Museum, adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air Force armament. Founded in 1975, it was originally located in a converted gymnasium on the northeastern edge of the Eglin main base, adjacent to Valparaiso, Florida.Visitors can view a variety of historical Air Force planes, from a World War II B-17 bomber to an F-4 Phantom II jet. A wide variety of bombs, missiles, and rockets are exhibited, including the newest air-to-air missile, the AMRAAM, and the GBU-28 bunker-buster developed for use during Operation Desert Storm. Other missiles include the Paveway series, Falcons, the Tomahawk, Mace, Hound Dog, radar-controlled, laser-controlled and several guided by a TV camera in the nose. Also on display is the GBU-43 MOAB, Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or by its nickname, “Mother of All Bombs”, the world’s largest conventional explosive weapon. A predecessor, the T12 38,600 lb. demolition bomb, is displayed outside, while a Fat Man casing is indoors.A gun vault displays a variety of weapons ranging from a 1903 Springfield rifle to the GAU-8, which is capable of shooting 6,000 rounds per minute. Featured here is the Sikes Antique Pistol Collection, with over 180 handguns, including flintlocks, duelling pistols, Western six-shooters, Civil War pistols, and a wide variety of early military weaponry.

Airforce Armament Museum Eglin Afb

The Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin is a one-of-a-kind historical museum located onboard Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach.

Aviation warfare dates all the way back to World War I, and the Air Force Armament Museum has a cache that will be sure to impress.

From hand-thrown bombs to some of the earliest aviation guns, you will get an up-close look at some of the most innovative designs from the early 20th century.

But the Air Force Armament Museum is really centered around its 29 aircraft, ranging from World War II all the way to modern-day designs. You will be able to walk up to these marvels of engineering and learn all about them.

There is even a cockpit exhibit that lets you sit in a real fighter jet cockpit and see what it feels like handle the controls.

If you have a need for speed, make sure you check out the SR-71 Blackbird in the outdoor exhibit. Used as a spy plane by the US Air Force, the SR-71 Blackbird has a maximum speed of over 2,000 MPH. Luckily for you, getting a picture next to it should be easy, since this ultra-sleek jet has been grounded until further notice.

So, low and slow is more your speed? When youre done with the Blackbird, the gigantic B-52 bomber is just to the left. At 450,000 pounds and as much as 60,000 pounds of conventional payload, the B-52 truly dominated the skies.

With free admission, the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin is an inexpensive way for the entire family to have an exciting day away from the beach.

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Eglin Air Force Base Railroad

• Talk

One of the U.S. ArmyALCO RSD-1 locomotives originally assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, now preserved at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

The Eglin Air Force Base Railroad is a former military railroad at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. It was created in 1951, and was operational until the late 1970s.

Things To Do Near Eglin Afb

Theres a lot to see in the Florida Panhandle. Directly south of the base is Choctawhatchee Bay, a heavily frequented tourist locale with white sandy beaches and tropical getaways. Its a year-round vacation area filled with entertainment. There are smatterings of cultural institutions around in the various cities surrounding the base, and a day trip to Pensacola will find you exploring all that this major metro area has to offer. There are numerous hiking and camping spots nearby, including an on-base option, as well as an open view of the natural world and trails to blaze through the Florida wetlands.

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