GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — On Thursday, Goodfellow Air Force Base hosted a ceremony celebrating its 80th anniversary, the 90th anniversary of the 17th Pursuit Group and the 28th activation of the 17th Training Wing.
The ceremony, held in Goodfellow’s Norma Brown Plaza, featured a speech by Master Sgt. Corey Goodfellow, whose great-grandfather was a cousin of 1st Lt. John J. Goodfellow Jr., the base’s namesake.
Master Sgt. Goodfellow, who grew up in Oklahoma, was unaware of the relation until 13 years ago when he was considering a career in the military.
“It wasn’t long after I announced to my family that I was looking into joining, that my aunt on my father’s side reached out to tell me that my great-grandfather’s first cousin, Lt. John J. Goodfellow had a base in Texas named in his honor,” Goodfellow said in the speech. “That information alone all but solidified my decision on which branch to join.”
Although this is the first time Master Sgt. Goodfellow has been to San Angelo, he originally had plans to be here much sooner.
“After researching more into his history, I was bound and determined to join the intelligence career field and be stationed here at Goodfellow Air Force Base. Well, I’m sure as many of you here can relate to, my recruiter worked his magic, and I ended up as an ammo troop at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.”
John J. Goodfellow, who was born in 1895 in Fort Worth, moved to San Angelo at the age of 12, graduating high school in 1913.
He enlisted in the Army when World War I began, and was assigned as an observation pilot, flying reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines.
His plane was shot down Sept. 14, 1918, during a major American offensive near Saint-Mihiel, France.
Although the offensive was a success three days later, Goodfellow never made it back to San Angelo. His remains were recovered and interred in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial near Nancy, France.
Master Sgt. Goodfellow went on to speak about the establishment of GAFB.
“Twenty-three years later, on 27 May, 1941, the post in San Angelo, Texas, was officially renamed Goodfellow Field, to honor their local World War I aviator who was killed in combat over France in 1918. But the post personnel actually celebrated the name change at the field on 4 July, of 1941.”
Master Sgt. Goodfellow said he was enjoying his first visit to San Angelo and would like to return eventually.
“I’ve heard numerous people talk about how welcoming and supportive this community is of the base and the military members stationed here from around the world. It is my honor to be a part of this celebration and to be visiting the great city of San Angelo, Texas.”
