Newspaper records history of base

  • Published
  • By Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The base newspaper is nearly 67 years old, and in those nearly seven decades, it has had five different names, but the common denominator has been keeping the base population up to date with events.

The base newspaper has been there in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and taken us through 13 presidential administrations.

Commanders, as well as numerous types of aircraft, have come and gone, but the newspaper is still here to record history in the making.

What's more, the technologies in creating the paper have changed profoundly. When the base paper debuted in 1944, manual typewriters were state-of-the-art technology. Computers and digital photography were decades away and were the things of science fiction.

The Nov. 4, 1944, edition started the long tradition of the Luke Air Force Base newspaper and was called the Lukeomunique. The front page had nine stories, with the headline being "GI Jitters to be staged Thursday." The theater was showing Buffalo Bill starring Joel McCrea and Maureen O'Hara and For Whom the Bell Tolls starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.

The 1940s rolled on by, and in March 1951 there was a contest, with a prize of $25 to rename the newspaper. The paper was renamed Jet Sun, with the debut issue hitting the newsstand April 11, 1951. The first edition of the Jet Sun was only eight pages. The top story was the visit to Luke of Maj. Gen. Robert Harper, Air Training Command commander. Page 7 featured an extensive article on the base's namesake, 2nd Lt. Frank Luke. In July 1951, massive flooding hit Luke during a monsoon.

It was time for another name change in 1962. The new name was similar to the previous name. The Jet Sun was now the Jet Journal. It was the heart of the Cold War and events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis affected Luke personnel. The Jet Journal reported through the Vietnam War and the Watergate years. Its last issue was published Dec. 20, 1974.

Jan. 10, 1975, was the dawning of a new era with the debut of the Tally Ho. This name would last until May 2001 and be the longest lasting. Technology had greatly advanced since the days of the Lukeomunique. Computers, digital photography and color photos were becoming common place in the final years of the Tally Ho. The old cut and paste and cropping photos had gone the way of the rotary telephone.

The Tally Ho took us through the Iran Hostage Crisis, the defense buildup during the 1980s, Operation Just Cause, the Bosnia and Kosovo crises and to the doorstep of 9/11.
The current name of the base newspaper published its first issue May 11, 2001, with the headline reading, Luke earns "excellent" rating. The operational readiness inspection had just been completed. The paper was mostly black and white, with a few color photos sprinkled in mostly on the front page.

The Thunderbolt has taken us through the War on Terror and its effects on Luke.
The 67 years of Luke newspapers saw the Phoenix area grow from a sleepy desert town of less than 100,000 people to a bustling metropolis of more than 4 million people. When the first newspaper was published there was little or no development for miles around Luke.

Throughout the decades, the base newspaper has reported base triumphs such as successful inspections and prestigious awards won, but the paper has been there for sad and tragic events as well. It has been a publication that base personnel and retirees could use to learn good and bad news.

There are a plethora of newspapers both civilian and military that are going to online publications. Technology keeps marching on, but whether in hard copy form or online, the Luke newspaper will be there to cover the happenings on base and continue to be a uniting force.