of New York, realizing the scenic location of the former Naval Station, appropriated $50,000 for the creation of a state park at Sampson. Sampson AFB With the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States Air Force took interest in the former Naval Station for use as a Basic Military Training (BMT) Base. Custody of the most of the property of the training center was transferred to the Air Force in 1950, and the Air Force named the facility Sampson Air Force Base on 15 November 1950. With the Air Force establishing Sampson AFB, the park project was cancelled. The Air Force spent about $6 million on renovations and beginning in February 1951 started training what would be 16,000 Air Force recruits. Air Training Command (ATC) established the 3650th Indoctrination (later Military Training) Wing to manage the base and conduct Basic Training, as its major facility at Lackland AFB, Texas was overflowing. During the first two weeks of 1951, the population at Lackland AFB jumped from 36,513 to over 70,000 people. In addition, a third BMT center was established at Parks AFB, California to accommodate new enlistees. The mission of Sampson AFB was to provide formal basic training for all male and female enlisted personnel not having sufficient previous military training; to establish and operate such assembly, processing and separation station as specifically directed; to provide a comprehensive counseling program for Basic Indoctrinee personnel in order that these airmen may be most effectively assigned in accordance with Air Force requirements; and to maintain training programs for accomplishing rehabilitation of garrison prisoners. The first trainees arrived on 1 Feb 1951. The base employed about 700 civilians and had 600 permanent party troops. During the years before the Korean War, basic military training had lasted anywhere from 4 to 13 weeks. In the rush to flow recruits through the training system and into the theater of conflict, ATC reduced the course to seven weeks in 1950 and then to two weeks in January 1951. With the opening of Sampson and Parks AFB for BMT, Shortly thereafter, ATC increased basic military training from seven weeks to eight. In July 1952 the Air Staff approved a 12-week course, which ATC implemented on 1 August at Lackland and Parks and on 1 September at Sampson. However, after only two months, the Air Staff decided that the course should be shortened, and ATC developed an 11-week