After two close calls to close it down, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has stood the test of time since its commissioning on Sept. 21, 1942.

At the end of World War II, the base was earmarked for closure in 1949, and again in early 1991, during the first round of Base Realignment and Closures. In both cases, Navy top brass and Washington D.C. elected officials learned NAS Whidbey Island was a key installation for runway expansion and its unencumbered training airspace could not be duplicated anywhere else in the country.

Capt. Gerral David, NAS Whidbey Island’s commanding officer, says the base can look forward to many more birthday celebrations.

“With the ongoing transition to EA-18G Growler from the EA-6B Prowler and the coming transition to the P-8A Poseidon from the P-3C Orion, the future of NAS Whidbey Island is as bright as it has ever been.”

Let’s honor this 66th anniversary by looking back at “top stories” here over five-year increments, starting in 1945 during the birthday month of September.

From “Prop Wash”

1945: “The Homoja Huts are now open and completed. These housing units, of which there are 78, are for transient officers and enlisted men. They rent for $1 a day, plus $3 a month for laundry.”

1950: “Mrs. David B. Reavis, Salem, Oregon, a sister of the late CDR William Bowen Ault for whom Ault Field was named, accompanied by her husband, were visitors aboard the station. Mrs. Reavis called on Capt. W. O. Gallery and Cmdr. S. B. Brown Jr., who were former shipmates of CDR Ault aboard the USS Enterprise.”

1955: “Commander Fleet Air Whidbey and his Staff completed “Operation Switchover” when they moved into their new spaces in the new Operations Building and Miramar Hangars at Ault Field, in the command’s second change-over since the conception of the base in September 1942.”

1960: “Aviation safety award-winning patrol Squadron 47 officially established residence at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station with the arrival of nine Martin P5M-2 twin-engine seaplanes from the Alameda Naval Air Station.”

1965: “The U.S. Navy’s People-to-People Program in Vietnam has taken strides in winning the confidence and support of the Vietnamese people. Many well digging operations have been completed, houses built, roads opened and clothes and food distributed to the needy.”

1970: “NAS Whidbey has ‘adopted’ the Vietnamese River Assault Group 32 base located in the heart of the old Vietnamese imperial capitol of Hue. Known as ‘Operation Buddy Base,’ the program is designed to implement a “sister city” approach to assist Vietnamese Navy in development of their bases and dependent communities.”

From “Crosswind,” successor to the Prop Wash:

1975: “An NAS Whidbey search and rescue helicopter team brought an injured fisherman out of the mountains. The 25-year-old man of Seattle was injured in a fall near Grotto Lake, east of Index.”

1980: “Memorial services for five Navy men killed Sept. 11 in the crash of their SAR helicopter in a mountainous area of North Cascades were held in the Station Chapel. Killed were the pilot Lt. Cmdr. Dan M. Mahoney, ADC Thomas R. Sanders, AMS3 Richard A. Kubal, and Navy medics Lt. Patrick F. Kidgell and HMC Roy E. Lewis.”

1985: “A major milestone will be reached Oct. 1 when the Navy establishes its 11th operational EA-6B squadron, the VAQ-140 Patriots.”

1990: After an Iraqi act of aggression, the VA-196 Main Battery aboard USS Independence is tasked to perform such missions as surface search and control, surface unit combat air patrol. They take the spotlight with CBS News anchor Dan Rather, and CNN, Time magazine and Associated Press reporters.

1995: Over 80,000 people come to the Whidbey Sea and Sky Fest, featuring the Blue Angels. Lingering fog forces the Blue Angels to cancel their demonstration.

2000: “VAQ-142 is the first squadron to deploy with the Block 89A EA-6B aircraft, the most advanced Prowler in the fleet.”

From “Northwest Navigator,” successor to Crosswind:

2005: “VR-61s RS 644 launched the “Hurricane Katrina Detachment” to NAS Fort Worth, Texas where they supported relief operations. Islander personnel reconfigured the airplane to maximize cargo capability and flew a number of missions in support of disaster relief.”

What will 2010 bring? With the new EA-18G cemented here and the P-8A on the horizon, David said, “These new aircraft and weapons systems and the warriors who will fly and maintain them will protect American freedoms while frightening the enemies of our nation.”