MacDill Air Force Base regarded as symbol of perseverance as Air Force celebrates 75th birthday

TAMPA, Fla. - The Air Force may be turning 75, but Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base is even older and has a lot of stories to tell. 

Stephen Ove's office is a mini-museum of the artifacts and articles collected over the decades at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base.

As the wing historian, it's his job to stay on top of all things past and present at MacDill.

"We keep a record of what happens on the base day by day. We also deploy to combat zones and collect the records of the Air Force as history happens. We use that to make informed decisions in the future and learn from our past mistakes," explained Ove.

The Air Force will celebrate 75 years on September 18. 

"We call it the Air Force's birthday but it was created under the National Defense Act of 1947 and it was really designed to create independent and equal branches for the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. Everyone realized during World War II the power of airplanes to decide battles before they're even fought but they had to wait until after the war was concluded," said Ove.

MacDill Air Force Base was created in 1935 under the Wilcox Act. 

But MacDill is actually older than the Air Force. 

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"It was actually created in 1935 under the Wilcox Act. It was one of the premiere defensive bases for the United States. Southeast Air Base was its original name. We weren't really a global power at the time. We were very much a regional power. At the end of World War II, it was positioned to be a nuclear bomber base. Basically, one of the first seven in the United States Air Force that was independently created in 1947. MacDill was specifically designed and built on this peninsula because it had overland approaches to three different runways so we could put thousands of World War II aviators through their paces and give them realistic scenarios for flying," explained Ove.

The iconic aircraft, the Memphis Belle, was, at one point, used for training on what was then known as MacDill Field.

A replica of the iconic Memphis Belle air craft sits outside MacDill Air Force Base. 

"A lot of people know of its role during World War II as the first bomber and it was the first integrated crew to survive 30 combat missions over occupied Europe. It spent almost all of its World War II career actually here at MacDill Field for two and a half years after it completed the war bond tour," said Ove.

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There's a replica on base. 

"You'll see it right outside the front gate on Dale Mabry Highway", said Ove.

And even that well-traveled road plays a big role in MacDill's history.

Stephen Ove's office is a mini museum of the artifacts and articles collected over the decades at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base.

"Dale Mabry actually himself a World War I aviator. Two of the largest bases were at Drew Field which is now Tampa International Airport and MacDill Field which is now MacDill Air Force Base. The Army Corps of Engineers designed and built a road to connect those two-- it's Dale Mabry Highway today, of course", said Ove.

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More than 75 years later, MacDill Air Force Base is not only guiding the future as the home of Special Operations and Central Command, but much like the Memphis Belle, it is a symbol of perseverance.

"It's also been slated for closure twice in its past and both times it survived because it became essentially indispensable to the big picture of our national defense. I suspect if it's anything like the last 75 -80 years, we'll see more consolidation on fewer bases and MacDill will probably continue to increase in importance," said Ove.