O'HARE BEWARE

           At long last, the military overlords made the decision Chicago debated for half a decade. In 1993, it was announced that the O’Hare Air Reserve Base would be closed along with the Glenview Naval Base and bases in some 30 other communities nationwide. Mayor Richard M. Daley cited the closures as “a victory for Chicago.”[25] While it may have seemed like a victory, Chicagoans were hesitant to accept the news of the closure with rejoicing. Industry focused on the presence of military personnel would be lost, and as operations at the ARS had grown quieter, fears heightened over the construction of new civilian runways that would increase air traffic and noise in the surrounding areas.[26] In 1993, the Department of Defense’s Base Closure and Realignment Commission announced that the ARS would be closed by 1998. Daley immediately commenced plans to develop the 350+ acres of land that would be turned over to the city, with commercial ventures. At the time, he promised there would be no additions to the existing six runways, and therefore no increased air traffic. Local citizens, however, were wary that this would not be the case. Chicago’s confiscation of the land, they feared, would “exacerbate noise and air pollution.”[27] The entire plan was contingent on Chicago paying for the relocation of the Air Force base, which cost approximately $350 million.[28] Daley promised taxes would not be raised, but rather loans would be paid by the new developers moving into the open O’Hare area. Seeing an opportunity to enhance local economies, many other communities began vying for the new Air Force Base, including Rockford, Peoria, Rantoul, Springfield, East St. Louis, Bloomington, and the Quad Cities. Later, Operations Desert Storm and Restore Hope had displayed the necessity of a base in the general vicinity of O’Hare, somewhere in Illinois.[29] The communities contending for the base, however, did not want to become entangled in a bidding war as many were hoping to gain it as a boon to their struggling economies.[30] The announcement of the closure instead opened a flurry of lobbying as the decision on relocation was left to the Air Force, but would surely be influenced by the Chicago government. 

            With its fate sealed, at least as far as the ARS closing, a few more years to remained for the Air Force. In 1994, O’Hare ARS hosted a World War II reenactment for a crowd of 175,000, even as the ARS was itself becoming history.[31] But 1994 was not just about celebration. On the flipside, it brought the laying off of some 300 civilian employees amid post-Cold War military downsizing. As the Tribune put it, cutting civilian jobs “signals the beginning of the exodus of the military from the O’Hare Air Reserve Station.”[32] The ARS was slowly but surely closing in on its final days. 

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            In 1995 officials decided that the O’Hare and Glenview bases would not be relocated elsewhere in the state, but dissolved altogether. President Bill Clinton planned to cut 38,000 service members from the Reserve and National Guard, including Reserve Airmen who worked at O’Hare. The continental threats of the Cold War were behind the US, and until the terrorist attacks of 2001, cities in the US would be lulled into a sense of security regarding their imperviousness to airborne threats. The role of the O’Hare base was simply deemed unnecessary. Brig. Gen. Harold E. Keistler reasoned that if O’Hare was closed and not replaced, “the Defense Department won’t fall to its knees.”[33] In the case that O’Hare was closed entirely and not relocated, Chicago would be the real winner of the 50-year stalemate. Not only would the land be handed over to Chicago, the city would not have to fund the relocation as originally required.[34] The non-relocation planned hinged on the dissolution of the 928th Airlift Wing, leaving only the 126th Air Refueling Wing, which could be absorbed into a pre-existing base.[35] Amid the chaos of uncertainty, O’Hare hosted the 1995 Armed Forces Expo. Approximately 70,000 spectators arrived for what was said to be the last event of its kind at O’Hare. In some ways, the Air Reserve was fighting for its life with this expo, trying to convince Chicagoans of its necessity. One participant in the Air Show said, “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like airplanes.”[36] Their fate though, was already settled, and it was not the Chicagoans’ choice to make. The slow death of the O’Hare ARS was confirmed; it would coast to its demise over the next year.[37] The 1995 Expo was special as it commemorated the 50th anniversary of V-E Day. A V-J Day commemoration also came to O’Hare in 1995.[38] Staff Sgt. Anthony Trader said, “For the government to say, ‘We don’t need you anymore,’ it doesn’t feel right.’”[39] The glory days of national defense had passed. O’Hare ARS was one of the casualties.

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            The closure and lack of relocation of a major Air Force Base in Illinois did not sit right for a variety of Illinois citizens who feared a decline in economy in every part of life from employment to federal revenue to state college programs. In 1995, the Tribune saw an uptick in submitted letters that begged the government to consider relocating rather than closing the ARS.[40] Others saw a potential misallocation of local talent being pulled away from the military without a convenient base stating, “thousands of Chicagoans will lose their opportunity to serve.”[41] The closure of O’Hare ARS meant the loss of 2,400 jobs, both civilian and air reservist. Another Armed Forces Expo was held in 1996 after the supposed final expo in 1995, but the mood was somber. An air reservist whose job was cut lamented, “I don’t think the public realizes what they’re losing when this goes away.”[42] The chairman for the final, final expo relayed the sentiment that the elimination of the ARS was “a loss that we won’t understand for several years.”[43] A civilian employee of the 928th commented, “Only history will tell whether the economic impact of this decision will outweigh the loss of combat-ready resources to our nation.”[44] The loss of the ARS, which was a gain for the expansion of Chicago, necessitated an adjustment for thousands.

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            The official shutdown of O’Hare occurred in the fall of 1996. Distinctly, the 928th was inactivated rather than deactivated, which saved it some of the shame of complete loss.[45] Chicago worked out a deal to obtain the 365 acres of the former ARS for $100 million, with Daley counting on the commercialization of the land to bring in several billion dollars over the next 15 years. Sadly, former air reservists departed the site thinking, “no one can take away our memories.”[46] The end of an era, the closing of O’Hare ARS opened the opportunity for the expansion of O’Hare, which in 2021 has eight runways, and its cementation as one of the busiest and most important airports in the world.

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            Despite the role O’Hare ARS played in keeping Jim Testin occupied as a clerk and out of combat during the Korean War, the O’Hare International Airport has doubtless played a larger role in his life keeping him connected with his eight children and countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the decades. Testin now lives with his wife and fellow Loyola alumna, Rita, of more than 60 years at an assisted living community in Naperville, IL, not holding such a connection to O’Hare to decide to live in the scenic Concord Place along I-294. The lengthy debate and tedious closure process underwent at O’Hare ARS only to result in its dissolution is what Testin would call “the undue refinement of the relatively insignificant.”[47] Ever the optimist, Testin is always excited to point out that he has outlived his parents, siblings, and even the O’Hare ARS. He claims that the cycle of life progresses rapidly from elderly to old to antique and ancient.[48] The O’Hare ARS lived out these stages quickly, predicting its own obsolescence within years of its dedication.