Team Robins to commemorate 64th Air Force birthday, 70th anniversary of base Published Sept. 16, 2011 By Jenny Gordon 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The official name of Robins Air Force Base may have changed repeatedly since its beginning in 1941, but its mission has remained the same - to care for and develop some of the finest Airmen and airpower capabilities in the Air Force. To celebrate its history during the past seven decades, there will be a gala this weekend. A dinner dance will celebrate the 64th birthday of the Air Force and 70th anniversary of Robins. The event begins with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Century of Flight Hangar at the Museum of Aviation, with dinner at 7 p.m. U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss will be the guest speaker, with Ben Jones from WMAZ-TV as the emcee. Warner Robins native Bobbie Eakes, an actress and singer, will perform with the Band of the Air Force Reserve. Special guest retired Col. Joe Jackson, a Medal of Honor awardee who served during the Vietnam War, will also attend. Another celebration was June 16, to coincide with the same date in 1941 when then U.S. Rep. Carl Vinson sent a Western Union telegram announcing the War Department had officially selected the city of Wellston, now Warner Robins, as the site of an Army Air Corps depot. While there have been countless celebrations since, the momentum has not been lost, since local citizens first worked hard to bring a military presence to the Warner Robins area. "People here really love the base. They're so supportive and want to celebrate," said William Head, Robins History Office chief. One of the first indications of that support was a city name change. Robins' first commander, then-Col. Charles Thomas, wanted to honor his mentor, Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins, one of the Army Air Corps' first general staff officers, by naming the depot after him. In order to do that, leaders in Wellston had to agree to change the town's name to Warner Robins. Construction began Sept. 1, 1941 on Robins Field, which was made up of about 3,000 acres, valued at $1 million. Today, the base, which has played a supportive role in every war since World War II, sits on almost 9,000 acres, of which nearly 3,500 are natural wetlands and timberlands. Aside from the original 9,000-foot airfield, some of the initial structures built were buildings 125, 110, 300 and 301, which were used as warehouses. Today there are 59 administrative buildings, 126 shops and hangars, and 123 warehouses. The base runway, which now covers 12,000 feet, is the longest runway in the state. Robins has a regional economic impact of more than $4.2 billion, with a civilian and military work force of about 23,000. As of fiscal 2010, its net payroll was $1.7 billion. As the state's largest industrial facility, it's home to a host of organizations, including the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, the 116th Air Control Wing, the Defense Logistics Agency and the Marine Aircraft Group, Det. A, among others.