Vandenberg Space Force Base

Vandenberg Space Force Base (IATA: VBG, ICAO: KVBG, FAA LID: VBG), previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.

In 1941, just before the United States entered World War II, the United States Army embarked on an initiative to acquire lands in the United States to be used to train infantry and armored forces. These areas needed to be of a varied nature to ensure relevant training. In March 1941, the Army identified approximately 86,000 acres (35,000 ha) of open ranch lands along the Central Coast of California between Lompoc and Santa Maria. With its flat plateau, surrounding hills, numerous canyons, and relative remoteness from populated areas, the Army was convinced this portion of the Gaviota Coast was an ideal training location. The government purchased most of the land, however, some smaller parcels were obtained either by lease, license, or as easements. The land was previously part of six ranchos: Casmalia, Guadalupe, Mission de la Purisima, Rancho Lompoc and Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio, and Jesús María.

Construction of the Army camp began in September 1941. Although unfinished, the camp was activated on the 5th of October and was named Camp Cooke in honor of Phillip St. George Cooke, a cavalry officer with a distinguished career spanning the Mexican War, Indian Wars, the Civil War.

Troop training didn't wait for construction to finish. The 5th Armored Division was the first to arrive in February and March 1942. Throughout the war, Camp Cooke served as a training ground for numerous armored and infantry divisions before their deployment overseas. Additionally, anti-aircraft artillery, combat engineer, ordnance, and hospital units trained at Cooke. In total, over 400 groups passed through the camp.

As the war progressed, Camp Cooke was used to house German and Italian prisoners of war. Following the Geneva Convention, the groups were kept separate and assigned various jobs within the camp, including construction, clerical work, food service, and laundry. To address wartime labor shortages, German prisoners also participated in agricultural work in nearby communities.

After the war's conclusion in 1946, Camp Cooke became home to a maximum-security military prison, while most of the land was largely leased for agriculture and grazing. From 1950 to 1953, Camp Cooke served again as a training ground for units heading to the Korean War. In 1953, the camp was inactivated, and the military prison became a federal prison for civilians, now known as the United States Penitentiary, Lompoc.

The final remaining buildings from Camp Cooke were demolished in 2010.

World War II