NAS JRB Willow Grove, or Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, is located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It’s about 4 miles away from Willow Grove, the town it gets its name from, and it’s just a bit north from Philadelphia. The base is currently commanded by Captain David Opatz, and is used primarily as a training base for navy aviation.
NAS JRB Willow Grove was built in 1928. It has remained active ever since, but it’s had several different uses. In the beginning, up until 1942, the base was not actually a military base. It was an airfield and hanger, used by its owner to design and build ships. In 1942, the US Military purchased the base, to use in the war effort. At this time, it was used as an anti-submarine warfare center, and proved vital to success in World War 2. After the war ended, the base was transformed to be used primarily for aviation training, and is currently used as such by the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve.