This week in McGuire Air Force Base history Published May 27, 2009 By Gary Boyd 87th Air Base Wing/305th Air Mobility Wing Historian JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- May 21, 1957: Lt. Col. Robinson Risner, Korean War ace and commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron, took off from McGuire Air Force Base on the 30th anniversary of Charles A. Lindbergh's famous solo flight across the Atlantic, retracing the path of the legendary aviator in an F-100D Super Sabre, "Spirit of St. Louis II." He completed the trek in six hours, 18 minutes. May 26, 1993: A deranged gunman entered the 21st Air Force Headquarters and opened fire on unsuspecting personnel. He killed 21 AF/Judge Advocate Maj. Robert L. Lowry before the heroic actions of MSgt. James Pierpont of the 305 Security Forces Squadron stopped the gunman, who refused to drop his weapon and had begun to threaten to fire more shots. MSgt Pierpont later received the Airmen's Medal for his valor. June 1,1959: The 46 ADMS BOMARC Missile Squadron becomes the first-ever operational U.S. Air Force nuclear missile squadron. At the same time, the semi-autonomous ground environment system becomes the first operational second-generation computer processor for controlling F-106s and BOMARC missiles based at McGuire.