In 1942 the Navy Department acquired approximately five thousand acres of Washita County farmland by condemnation for a naval air station.

Four 6,000 feet (1,800 m) long runways, three hangars, twenty-four barracks, and numerous temporary facilities soon appeared next to the town of Burns Flat.

On January 27, 1949, the federal agency conveyed ownership of the entire installation to the city of Clinton, with a recapture clause in case of national emergency.

On September 15, 1954, the federal government leased the site from the city of Clinton and began extending one runway that eventually reached a length of 13,502 feet (4,115 m), constructing new facilities, and building nine hundred military family housing units.

In March 1959, with a new assignment of B-52s, the 4123d Strategic Wing and its 98th Bombardment Squadron arrived at Clinton-Sherman AFB to conduct a nine-month test of the SAC airborne alert program.