he history of the land where Tama Hills Golf Course lies dates back to 1938.  Its long and auspicious past makes one marvel the testament of man.  A once fortified processing plant and storage facility for chemical munitions, munitions which were used to destroy an enemy, is now a facility for peaceful retreats and escapes from the turmoil of everyday life.  A facility that once produced and housed weapons of war, is now a place where splendor and leisure abound.

     Historical records reveal the plant was constructed exclusively for the production of explosive chemicals.  The plant processed bombs and stored them in concrete bunkers, which still remain to this day.  The Japanese Army took full advantage of the unique topography, which afforded effective natural concealment.  So much so, the depot was never detected during World War II.
     Shortly after occupation, the U.S. Army took possession of the facility as reparation or compensation.  However, the U.S. Army discovered that large areas of the site had been rendered useless.  Prior to turning over the facility, in an apparent act of defiance, Japanese soldiers saturated most of the area with picric acid, a highly poisonous trinitrotoluene base chemical.  To make the facility safe, the U.S. Army brought in decontamination and demolition teams to clean up the site and to remove any live ammunition.
     The U.S. military officially took possession of Tama Hills on November 1, 1945.  On October 28, 1947, The U.S. Army relinquished its control to the newly established U.S. Air Force.  Within two months, the U.S. Air Force began stocking and maintaining their own munitions at the facility.
     U.S. Forces occupied the area provisionally until the U.S. - Japan Peace Treaty of April 29, 1952.  Since that time, Tama Hills has been controlled by U.S. Forces, Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement.
     Logistic support of the Korean Conflict called for a total of three ammunition depots in Japan.  Two additional sites were acquired from the Government of Japan in 1952.  One was Yamada near Kyushu and the other was Kozoji near Nagoya.  By early 1952, approximately 20,000 tons of aerial bombs were stored at Tama.  So massive were the numbers, bombs had to be stored in every building, cavern and bunker.  Bombs were even stored in open areas of the compound.
     Munitions were transported by truck and rail to Yokota Air Base, where they were mounted or loaded on aircraft destined for Korea.  Logistically, Tama proved to be as valuable to the U.S. Forces during the Korean Conflict as it had for the Japanese Army during World War II.  At the end of the Korean Conflict, Yamada and Kozoji were closed, while Tama continued operating several months afterward.
     In late '54 and early '55, an improved Pacific Logistic Plan Order inactivated all Air Force munitions storage sites in Japan.  With no military operational value, Tama Hills was turned over to the 6100th Chaplain's Office at Tachikawa Air Base for use as a religious retreat.  And because of local support problems, a Boy Scott camp based at Nikko (north of Tokyo) was permanently assigned to the 6100th Support Wing at Tachikawa Air Base on July 1, 1964.
     In 1967, the U.S. Air Force received total accountability for Tama Hills from the U.S. Army.  In September of that same year, the site was renamed Tama Service Annex.  It consisted of Tama Outdoor Recreation Area, a partially completed 18-hole golf course and facilities constructed by the Government of Japan.  The new golf course and facilities were part of an agreement between the U.S. military and the Japanese government for the return of Showa Golf Course, which at the time was located at Showa Air Base Japan.  This golf course is now privately owned and operated, and can still be seen while driving to and from Tama Hills Golf Course.
     Tama Hills Golf Course and other numerous facilities were completed in September 1969, and it was accepted from the Japanese government on December 24, 1969.  Upon completion, the golf course used half of the 489 acres available.
     During the following decade, U.S. and Japanese authorities consolidated U.S. military facilities in Kanto Plain.  Part of the Kanto Plain Consolidation Plan called for the closing of Tachikawa Air Base and the transfer of most of its operational responsibilities to Yokota Air Base.  Because Tama was controlled by the 6100th Support Wing in Tachikawa, it was included in the transfer.
     In 1971, when the 475th Air Base Wing at Yokota inherited Tama, many original facilities at the site had been abandoned or had fallen victim to the forces of nature.  Yet, dozens of others were preserved and renovated by the Air Force Civil Engineers and volunteer organizations throughout the Yokota community.  One major facility that remained was the large wood frame recreation center, which, up to just a few years ago, was the Tama Lodge.  The old facility was destroyed recently and a new lodge had been built, along with a new softball field and picnic area.
     In the early 70's, U.S. Air Force officials determined Tama Hills had great potential to become an off-base recreation complex, but little was done to exploit any of its possibilities.  Most of the 70's saw Tama Hills operated as a religious retreat, but with the added attraction of an eighteen-hole golf course.  The facilities were also made available to military personnel who were in-transit or on leave.  However, most of the facilities were rundown and would have remained in that condition if weren't for Lieutenant General James D. Hughes, who was the Commander of the Pacific Air Force.
     After a visit to Tama in January 1980, General Hughes felt Tama could be the "Camp John Hay" of the Northern Pacific.  And so in 1980 a conceptual plan was drawn up and Tama Hills was in for a facelift.  But for the next two years, only minor construction was carried out and interest eventually faded away.
     But in June of 1982, interest was revived by the newly assigned commander of the 475th Air Base Wing, Colonel Barry J. Howard.  Under his leadership, volunteers donated time and effort to upgrade facilities in one area frequently used by the Boy Scouts and other youth groups.  Other volunteers cleared brush from around buildings and from numerous nature trails.  In October '82, a crew of seven Airmen with Civil Engineering backgrounds volunteered to live at Tama for six days a week to complete major renovations of its facilities.  This band of seven focused their efforts on flooring, structural repair, electrical problems and plumbing.

    Today, major renovations to the golf course main complex and the lodging facilities have been completed.  And again, the long and auspicious history of Tama Hills makes one marvel at the testament of man.  When a facility that once produced and housed weapons of war becomes a place where splendor and leisure abound, one is comforted by the thought that the candle of hope still flickers bright for us all.