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Gowen Field, located south of Boises air terminal, is home to Idahos adjutant general, the states Army and Air National Guard, and to U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps reserve units in the Boise area. Named in honor of Lt. Paul R. Gowen, a Caldwell native who died in an aircraft crash in 1938, Gowen Field was opened in the spring of 1941. Throughout World War II, the Army Air Forces used the field to train B-17 and B-24 aircrews for duty in both the European and Pacific theaters of war. Following World War II, the field was offered to the state of Idaho for use by the Air National Guard. Since that time, the Idaho Air Guard has operated numerous aircraft, including, but not limited to, the F-51, F-86, F-102, RF-4C, and the F-4G. Today the Idaho Air Guard operates the A-10 and C-130.
About the author
Author and military historian Yancy Mailes has penned several books, including one on the development of the F-117A Stealth Fighter and Arcadia Publishing's Mountain Home Air Force Base. Author Gary Keith, a native Idahoan, is the curator of the Idaho Military Historical Society and a graduate of Boise State University. His grandfather served as a Gowen Field meat cutter during World War II.
