Port of Moses Lake celebrates 50th anniversary

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
The Port of Moses Lake commemorated its 50th anniversary with an open house, July 1 in Moses Lake, Washington.

In support of the 50th anniversary celebration, Team Fairchild provided a KC-135 Stratotanker static display. Other displays at the event included a C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington, a Navy P-3 Orion and many other civilian and military aircraft.

“I was able to show attendees the boom pod and explain how it works,” said Airman 1st Class Alexander Yount, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron boom operator. “It’s important for the public to understand what we do to keep our guys flying.” I think it made them more aware of our mission at Fairchild

Fairchild and the Port of Moses Lake have a partnership rooted in the past. In 2011, Fairchild’s runway was undergoing construction and aircraft were unable to conduct missions from the port. During this time, Fairchild brought 28 airplanes and operated from there for 11 months.

“We worked with headquarters and determined the Port of Moses Lake was the best place for us to be,” said Jeffrey Johnson, 92nd Mission Support Group strategic advisor. “It ended up being a fantastic move on our part because we were able to operate all of our flight operations for 11 months. One compliment we got from our headquarters after that timeframe was they couldn’t even tell we were not at Fairchild.”

The facility originally opened in 1942 as the Moses Lake Army Air Base and was later renamed Larson Air Force Base in 1950. It was not until July 1, 1966 that the facility took its present name, the Port of Moses Lake.

“It’s a unique day out here and we are grateful to be a part of the Port of Moses Lake’s 50th anniversary,” Johnson said.