The history of the Kearns Air Base has been a mystical journey; for the past sixty years urban legend and myths were formed to entertain us, as our small community developed. The legendary utopian seamed to romanticize the community with idealism of what we thought living at Camp Kearns was like. Stories of those whom this small community called their hero’s started to evolved about the men and women of Camp Kearns. It’s been almost sixty years since most of these people were at Kearns; some have came back out inquisitively as to what ever happened to the old place. Astonished that now the base was gone, they pasted through without ever knowing it until years later. Some were flabbergasted by the transformation from an overseas replacement depot, to an intelligently planned civilization, a community now called Kearns. Amazed that such an ugly place could have become a beautiful community.

  On November 26, 1947 the last man left the base, the barracks and buildings had been removed daily for the past six months, sold to the highest bidder. It had become a fenced in ghost town where the sagebrush once again danced freely over the compound. The wind and time have been busy expunging any footprints of those young boys so long ago. A community evolved from the remains of the base. The roads, power lines and water mains twenty-five warehouses, a theater, a gym, the train station, all the fire hydrants, and a couple of churches were all that remained. In July of 1949 construction of the small community began soon new citizens had moved in, who pledge never to forget the men and woman of Camp Kearns. They always carried their unknown names and faces in their hearts, telling their small children what they remembered about a place once called Camp Kearns.

  Those children have not forgotten the soldiers of Kearns part of “Americans Greatest Generation” whom without question fought in the most bitter and bloodies battles during W.W.II. Within the first few generations of youth growing up in Kearns, they called the men, “Our Hero.” Our hero’s were not found on the big screen, in comic books or bubble gum wrappers. Dreaming while combing the vacanted fields of the day we could meet them, shake their hands and tell them- “Thank you for having the courage to do what had to be done. For fighting for our freedoms and for giving us a reason to call them our hero’s” It is only today that we realize the price they paid, for when we read a history book on WWII, or see a movie, we are watching, or reading about our hero’s their isn’t a story that has been told that a Camp Kearns man was not involved in.

  Kearns Utah has came a long way since the day it was commonly called - “Utah’s Soldier Factory” being nothing more than a modern military plant it was turning out soldiers of which it was proud of. Within the military ranks it was known as one of the only Army Air Bases that truly lacked a flying strip. It was once written “Coincidentally enough, it has been since the life of Kearns that America as a nation has been on the offensive.” Yet, in March of 1943 over national airwaves it was announced, - Hitler may have his concentration camps, BUT- we have Camp Kearns. Yet it was again written “ Kearns men who have been trained here are writing brilliant records on the battlefields of the world. Everywhere they are taking the best the enemy can offer and the enemy is finding that his best cannot equal the hard fighting Kearns men.” Indeed the Kearns Base wore many hats. Tragically enough the history of Kearns is now just being sought after and researched after all these years. Ironically by those children who always called the men their heroes are doing it. It is only one of a very few temporary bases who has a Historical Society named after them, currently the only historical society that is solely supported out of the back pockets of the developers.

   The history of a Kearns Base initiated when those famous words rocked this country, “December 7, 1941- Will go down in history as the day of infamy.” Four months later a temporary base was well under construction and 3 months later, Kearns was officially dedicated. At the completion of the base it had the housing capacity of 250 officers and 7,000 enlisted men. Kearns employed more than 1,000 civilian worker’s mostly in the PX’s, truck drivers and clerical workers. The upper brass lived off base, as well as the permanent men with wives and families. Preference for the site known as Kearns was made after several other locations had been thoroughly studied. Geographically from a military viewpoint, it was particularly well situated for its intended purpose of an overseas replacement depot. Also it was far enough inland that another surprise attack on America and the men in training would be impossible for anyone to obtain.It was well hidden between two mountain ranges that encompassed 5,540 acres of arid dry farming land where once farming equipment was heard and the crickets sang all day. And now the sun tripped over the mountain tops to the sound of our National Anthem and by moon light the sounds of the bugles playing “Taps” could be heard. At the main entrance of the base just outside the gate was a sign that stood high reading - “Thru this gate pass the best damn soldiers in the world.” Today that same sign has been dubbed “Politically incorrect” because of the word “damn”. It was taken down after the closing of the base left rotting out in a field. As the soldiers left Kearns just outside the main gate read another sign, “There goes the best damn soldier in the world.”