In 1949, it was renamed Reese Air Force Base in honor of a local West Texas pilot, Augustus F. Reese Jr., who was killed in a bombing raid over Italy during World War II.

[2] More than 25,000 pilots, who fought in every conflict since World War II, were trained at Reese.

In spite of much opposition from community members and leaders alike, the base closure was announced for September 30, 1997.

[4] The Lubbock Reese Redevelopment Committee (LRRC) was created in 1995, just two weeks after the base was recommended to be closed.

[citation needed] In the years since Reese AFB closure, investigations have occurred to look into the per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) around the former base.