Edward H. White II Memorial Hangar, Brooks Air Force Base
Astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Edward H. White II (born at Fort Sam Houston, Nov. 14, 1930) was the first American to walk in space, while tethered to his Gemini Spacecraft on June 3, 1965. Along with two companions, he died on Jan. 27, 1967, in a flash fire at the launch site while in training for the first moon flight aboard an Apollo spacecraft. The astronauts' flight heritage is tied closely to the pioneer flying schools of San Antonio. The father of astronaut White, Major General Edward H. White, learned to fly here at Hanger 9, as did Charles A. Lindbergh and many other pioneers. Hangar 9, one of over 30 of its type at Kelly and Brooks Fields, was the standard Hangar used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to house the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" at flying schools during World War I. Brooks Field was named for San Antonio native Sidney J. Brooks, killed at Kelly Field, Nov. 13, 1917. Construction on Brooks Field began Dec. 1, 1917. Colonel H. Conger Pratt was the first commander. Long a primary school for heavier-than-air craft, it has been used for many pioneer roles, including development of Aerospace medicine.
Directions
Hangar 9, Brooks, Air Force Base, Loop 13, San Antonio
Historical Codes
AV; BG; ML;
Visitor Comments
Mike Potter - Feb 6, 2009
It was (and I hope still is) a long-standing tradition for military assigned to Brooks AFB to conduct their retirement ceremony inside the hanger or just outside in front of the Sidney Brooks Memorial.
I retired inside the hangar on January 10th, 1997 after serving 21 years in the Air Force.
