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History of Mountain Home AFB compiled in new book
Yancy D. Mailes, the historian at Mountain Home AFB, has published a book from the Arcadia Press Images of America series on Mountain Home AFB.
The 128-page soft-cover book went on sale in bookstores this week, and Mailes will be holding a book-signing at Footnotes Book store this Saturday, during AFAD.
The book features literally hundreds of photographs culled from the archives of Mountain Home AFB, Gowen Field, J.A. Terteling and Sons (who built the base) and the community. It takes a "personal" look at the men and women who made MHAFB what it is today, and is far more a social history of the base than a mere recitation of units and aircraft stationed there.
"It just blows me away," Mailes said, "that with Mountain Home being here so long, and the Gunfighters having such an illustrious history, that so little has been documented about it."
From the first spade in the ground to today's fighter wing, Mailes looks at the history of the base and its impact on the local community. At first, he noted, the base, first built to train B-24 crews in WWII (in conjunction with Gowen Field in Boise) was all-male. Then, in the 1950s, with the arrival of the 9th Bomb Wing and its B-47 Hustler bombers, families began arriving "and they started having babies out there. It was really a major lifestyle change" for the base and the community. It meant new housing and facilities such as the base hospital.
"I think what will attract most people to it (the book) is that it will strike a memory. People here have a piece of their personal history in that book."
Mailes grew up in Broken Arrow, Okla., and fell in love with the study of history during his high school years. After graduation he joined the Air Force and served as a weapons loader for eight years. But his love for history never went away, and when an opening came up for an air force historian's job (which would mean less traveling for Mailes and his family), he leapt at it.
After going through the Air Force course for historians, and taking the special oath that demands all military historians remain objective in their reporting and analysis, Mailes said "they gave me a piece of the XB-70 and the F-104 (that had collided and crashed in testing) and a button from the pilot's uniform, and told me it's your job to keep their memories."
It was an emotional moment for Mailes, who sees his job as preserving history for future generations and then helping inform the public. "We're the keepers of truth. We immortalize people."
For 12 years he served as an Air Force historian, the last five at Mountain Home AFB. He recently retired, but will be returning to his duties on base in a civilian capacity.
This isn't his first book. Previously, Mailes has written a book on the F-117 Stealth Fighter, as well as a classified work on Air Force operations in the Iraq war (he was the only Air Force historian in theatre).
Nor will it be his last. He also has a book on Gowen Field coming out early next year and is considering one on the history of the city of Mountain Home, as well.
His book on Mountain Home AFB is filled with photos, many from the base archives, but not all.
"I had to go outside for a few," he said. J.A. Terteling and Sons, the company that built the base, "were very instrumental in the first 10 pages of the book."
Gowen Field also contributed quite a few photos from its archives. "Not many people realize that Gowen ran the show (for air force training operations) in Idaho." The actor and retired Air Force Reserve brigadier general Jimmy Stewart trained there.
The idea for the book came from a friend who had done a project for Arcadia Press, which specializes in local histories. "When I contacted Arcadia, they asked if I could do it in a year. I said I could do it in six weeks," and he did.
Although Mailes already had produced an 18-page history of the base (which can be found on the base website), he said he learned a lot producing the book, especially about the social history of the base and its impact on the community, which is strongly emphasized in the book.
He said he denied accepting any proceeds from the sale of the book. "If you join the military to make money, you've got a screw loose. If you write books to make money, you've got a screw loose."
Still, now that he's a civilian, rather than uniformed, historian, he may start trying to make at least a little money from his efforts.
But that's not his main motivating factor. "I think I have the best job in the world," he said.
In addition to his book signing Saturday at Footnotes, he also is scheduled to do a book signing on Sept. 21 at the AAFES store on base, and Sept. 22 at the mall in Boise. Other local book signings also are being lined up.
Editor's note: The book is available for purchase from Amazon and other online booksellers.