Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located in southwestern Idaho. The base is about 40 miles from Boise, and the current population was 8,894 in the year 2000. The base was officially opened in August 1943 and the field began training for the United States Army Air Force World War II crews. The training involved using fighter aircraft to add realism to the training. Aircraft used in the training included the P-38 Lightning and the P-63 Kingcobra pursuit planes. The planes simulated attacks on the training planes which were B-24s. In 1959, the construction of three Titan I missile sites were completed in the area. The 569th Strategic Missile Squadron controlled the sites and the 9th Bombardment Wing was assigned to them in 1962. By 1965, the missile sites were officially closed down. The host unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base is the 366th Fighter Wing which was nicknamed the “Gunfighters”. Its main mission is to provide combat airpower and combat support capabilities to respond to contingency situations worldwide. Units assigned to the base have included the 580th Air Resupply and Communications Wing, the 9th Bombardment Wing, the 813th Air Division, and the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.

Weather in the Mountain Home Air Force Base area tends to be warm in the summer with temperatures in the 70s and very cold in the winter with the temperatures in the 30s. Annual rainfall in the area is 12 inches with the wettest month being March. July is also the warmest month, and January is the coldest. Local housing options are available nearby in cities such as Boise, Nampa, and Kuna. In 2001, the 391st Fighter Squadron deployed to Kuwait to transform the bare base to a fully functional airfield for large-scale combat operations. Mountain Home Air Force Bases’ 13,500-foot runway also serves as an alternative landing site for NASA’s Space Shuttle.