The MSgt William T. English BMT Flight Photograph Archives is a concentrated effort to collect the approximately 121,000 USAF basic training photographs from the inception of the US Air Force in 1947 to the present. The collection includes photos from all bases that conducted Air Force basic training including Lackland AFB, Texas, Sampson AFB, New York, Parks AFB, California, Keesler Field, Mississippi, Amarillo and Sheppard AFB, Texas. The collection will also include Air Force basic training that was conducted overseas in Germany, the U.K., Panama and the Philippines.
A little down time in BMT;
3701 BMTS, Dec 1979
(on the Lackland Historian Youtube Channel!) All six parts will be premiered on the channel through May 2021
Part I is now online (click here)
Learn more about the former Kelly Field (adjacent to Lackland) and the important place the installation has on Military Aviation and the history of San Antonio.
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Learn More: 37th Training Wing History Office web page
Our awesome Wing Archivist has started a new video series: "Archiving with Amanda" Great information on how to preserve photos, clothes and other artifacts. It is really good stuff!!!!
This episode is on preserving old photographs: https://youtu.be/wqbkn7PKYBc
The Collection is in need of high quality scanned images of your Air Force BMT Flight Photo. Ideally, the pictures can be sent via email to: lacklandbmt.photo@us.af.mil
If you can not manage the size or type of file, just send the photo -- we will work it!
Please see the center aisle of information on this page: "How to Submit A Photo". Copies of photos can be mailed in and digitized copies emailed.
newly arrived photos. Please be patient and do not send duplicates. We will get your photo archived as soon as possible.
No. Along the same lines as the flight photos, independent contractors have put those together and like the photos, the contractors have not kept copies. The only ones out there are what you and your flight mates purchased. On the bright side, many people have been donating their flight books to the collection. However, in the case of those books from Lackland, typically only one flight was featured in each book.
No. I wish I did....but no. Please bear in mind that the Gateway has had nearly seven million people pass through the gates. We are patiently waiting for the other 700K photos to arrive :)
37th Training Wing Office of History & Research: 2320 Carswell Ave Ste 2 (Bldg 7065) Lackland AFB, TX 78236
Email Your Questions: lacklandbmt.photo@us.af.mil
Call us: 210-671-2232
The following link shows a map of Lackland (1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010) and the locations of the Basic Military Training Squadrons. Do you remember where your squadron was? Where Were You? Lackland BMT Squadrons 1955-2010 We are working on the earlier years, just give us a little bit to finish them. **If you see an error, do not panic -- just contact us and we will update: 210-671-2232 or 37trw.ho@us.af.mil Thanks!!
The Lackland Gateway Archives Collection has a number of videos on the Youtube Channel: "The Lackland Historian"
Check them out!