McEntire Joint National Guard Base | |||||||||
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Near Eastover, South Carolina in the United States | |||||||||
Coordinates | 33°55′15″N 080°48′04″W / 33.92083°N 80.80111°W | ||||||||
Type | Joint Air Force and Army National Guard Base | ||||||||
Site information | |||||||||
Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
Operator | US Air Force (USAF) | ||||||||
Controlled by | South Carolina Air National Guard | ||||||||
Condition | Operational | ||||||||
Website | www.169fw.ang.af.mil | ||||||||
Site history | |||||||||
Built | 1943 | (as Congree Army Airfield)||||||||
In use | 1943 – present | ||||||||
Garrison information | |||||||||
Garrison | 169th Fighter Wing | ||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||
Identifiers | IATA: MMT, ICAO: KMMT, FAA LID: MMT, WMO: 723105 | ||||||||
Elevation | 77.4 metres (254 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
McEntire Joint National Guard Base or McEntire JNGB (IATA: MMT, ICAO: KMMT, FAA LID: MMT) is a military airport located in Richland County, South Carolina, United States, 10 miles (16 km) west of the town of Eastover and approximately 15 miles southeast of the city of Columbia. It is owned by the U.S. Air Force affiliated with the South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG).
The base is named for the late Brigadier General Barnie B. McEntire, Jr., the first commander of the SCANG and its first general officer. McEntire died on 25 May 1961 when he rode his malfunctioning F-104 Starfighter into the Susquehanna River to avoid crashing in the populated area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The South Carolina Air National Guard was formed in December 1946. Today 1,250 members train at McEntire JNGS. About 900 of those are traditional Guard men and women. About 300 are full-time federal employees (technicians). About 50 are state employees (some are also traditional Guard members). The 169th Fighter Wing is the primary unit of the SCANG.