Scott Air Force Base (IATA: BLV, ICAO: KBLV, FAA LID: BLV) is a United States Air Force base in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville and O'Fallon, 17 miles (27 km) east-southeast of downtown St. Louis.

Scott Field was one of 32 Air Service training camps established after the United States entered World War I in April 1917.

Business and political leaders on both sides of the Mississippi River wanted the Midwest to be chosen as a site for one of the new "flying fields."

Aerial expert Albert Bond Lambert joined the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and directors of the Greater Belleville Board of Trade to negotiate a lease agreement for nearly 624 acres of land.

The government gave the Unit Construction Company 60 days to erect approximately 60 buildings, lay a mile-long railroad spur, and to level off an airfield with a 1,600 foot landing circle.

Construction was underway when the government announced, on July 20, 1917, that it would name the new field after Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted service member killed in an aviation crash.

[4][5] Scott had died after an unexpected engine failure had brought down the aircraft that Lieutenant Lewis Rockwell had been giving him an orientation flight in at College Park, Maryland, on September 28, 1912.

A judgment error or weather shift could produce severe accidents in the fragile aircraft of the day, so it soon became apparent that Scott Field needed a medical air evacuation capability.

[4] Determined to improve the recovery of Scott's downed pilots, Captains Charles Bayless (post surgeon), Early Hoag (officer-in-charge of flying) and A.J.

Etheridge (post engineer), along with Second Lieutenant Seth Thomas, designed two air ambulances, or hospital planes—using a configuration likely modeled after one in use at Gerstner Field, Louisiana.

By the summer of 1918, Scott Field's engineering department had completed the rear cockpit modifications needed to convert two Jennies.

Plenty of curious sightseers came just to watch the construction or catch a glimpse of airplane activity, but many from the local community also gave morale support to their "Sammies" (Uncle Sam's boys).

They hosted dances and receptions, established a library branch on the field, and invited soldiers into their homes for Thanksgiving dinners.

Scott's remaining units were organized into a Flying School Detachment, and the field itself was designated as a storage site for demobilized equipment.

[5] Scott was transformed into a lighter-than-air (LTA) station in 1921, with the transfer of the Army Balloon and Airship School from Brooks Field, Texas.

Lighter-than-air ships were used at Scott Field to research the capabilities of aerial photography, meteorology and conduct altitude experiments.

[4][5] Scott Field's central location was advantageous when it was considered for the relocation site of the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF), which managed the combat arm of the U.S. Army.

The expansion program continued into 1940 with the construction of 21 more buildings, including a 200-man barracks, a 300,000-gallon elevated water tank, a 43-bed hospital, Hangar No.

Scott's graduates flew in aircraft and operated command and control communications in every Theater of the War, and were often referred to as the "Eyes and Ears of the Army Air Forces."

By late 1943, the Radio School students were in the air as well, practicing code transmission under actual flight conditions.

[9] In early 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson initiated a series of economic measures throughout the armed forces.

Associated with this reorganization, the 1405th was discontinued and its mission and resources were absorbed by the newly activated AFCON 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing.

A 1987 Federal Aviation Administration authorization, followed by a 1991 joint use agreement resulted in the 1998 opening of the new MidAmerica Airport.

The 375th Operation Group staff had administrative responsibilities for 135 aircrew members and maintainers under the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, a unit that moved from Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota.

The 126th Air Refueling Wing maintained the operational direction and control of the mission execution responsibility of these Airmen.

[4] On June 25, 2014, the base was awarded two new cybersecurity squadrons that will add over 300 personnel, and an additional $16 million infrastructure improvements.

[20] According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 9.7 km2 (3.7 sq mi), all land.

Shiloh–Scott station links Scott Air Force Base with direct trains to downtown St. Louis on MetroLink's Red Line.

Five MetroBus Illinois lines serve Scott Air Force Base via Shiloh–Scott station:[22] Additionally, the St. Clair County Transit District operates the SCCTD Flyer, a flexible routing bus, on the grounds of Scott Air Force Base[23] along with the MidAmerica Airport Shuttle connecting Shiloh–Scott station with the passenger terminal.

[citation needed] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency