History
- Section reference dates.
In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a 688-acre (2.78 km2) site east of San Diego to conduct parachute training for the newly forming Parachute battalions. In September 1942 Camp Gillespie was completed and named in honor of Lieutenant Archibald H. Gillespie, a Marine officer who played a prominent role in the effort to separate California from Mexico in the 1840s.
In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie falling under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. MCAAF Gillespie soon became responsible for Camp Pendleton Outlying Air Field. Among the units that transited and trained at MCCAF Gillespie were VMSB-141, Air Warning Squadron 10 and the Navy's VT-37.
In 1946, the airfield was turned over to San Diego County and was turned into a general aviation facility. In 1952, the County was granted ownership of the facility by the federal government. In 1971, the County Sheriff stationed ASTREA, a helicopter law enforcement base at the airport. And in 1993, the San Diego Aerospace Museum located its restoration operations and a special exhibit at the field.
Read more about this topic: Gillespie Field
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