<item><hi format=bold>Location and Origin of Name:</hi> 12 miles southwest of Spokane, and named for General Muir S. Fairchild, a World War II pilot who subsequently became Air Force Vice Chief of Staff and who died on 17 March 1950
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<p>Popularly known as Galena Field and later Spokane Air Depot, along with other role suffixes, the base gained its present title in November 1950. During the whole of World War II the base served as a supply and maintenance depot for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, overhauling aircraft engines. Postwar, the base was upgraded to operate B-29 bombers with assignment to SAC in September 1947, shortly before the 92nd BW was formed. During the Korean War a number of mobilized Strategic Reconnaissance units were stationed at Fairchild. The Air Force Cold Weather Survival School was established in March 1966. The bomber and tanker aircrew training role was to have been transferred from Castle AFB to here, although these plans were subsequently changed. Instead, the KC-135 Formal Training Unit moved to Altus AFB, while the B-52 FTU was established at Barksdale. The 92nd BW was redesignated the 92nd ARW in July 1994 as the third and final AMC tanker hub.
