Randolph Field was dedicated June 20, 1930, as a flying training base and continues in this mission today.
The idea for Randolph began soon after the establishment of the Air Corps Act in 1926, which changed the name of the Army Air Service to the Army Air Corps. Gen. Frank P. Lahm was placed in charge of all flying training and established the Air Corps Training Center and set up its headquarters at Duncan Field, next to Kelly Field. After deciding the facilities at Kelly and Brooks Fields were not enough for proper training, the Air Corps soon decided an additional training field was needed.
Randolph Field was named after Capt. William M. Randolph, who crashed his AT-4 on takeoff retuning to duty at Kelly. He contributed immeasurably to the progress of aviation and served on the base name selection committee.
After the Air Force became a separate service Sept. 18, 1947, Randolph Field was officially named Randolph Air Force Base Jan. 14, 1948.
Randolph is home to more than 4,000 military members; 5,000 dependents; and 5,000 DOD civilians. It is home to numerous units, including Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Personnel Center, and the host unit, the 12th Flying Training Wing.