Only ten short years after The Great Depression the UnitedStates of America was rebuilding. Government contracts including military contracts were helping in the effort to make the United States the World Power that she was destined to be. In 1935 construction began on a new military facility that was to be called the Pacific Air Depot. The Pacific Air Depot was built on large portion of land 7 miles northeast of Sacramento, California. This Air Depot was to be one of only four facilities of her type in the United States. By 18 April 1938, construction was completed on the initial phase of the Pacific Air Depot. The construction included a hospital, barracks, warehouses and administrative buildings. 

On 1 February 1937, the Pacific Air Depot was renamed the Sacramento Air Depot. This new name and additonal orders from the United States Department of Defense included a major expansion. The Sacramento Air Depot was to be a repair and overhaul facility for the United States Air Force. Her primary mission was to repair and overhaul P-38 and P-39 fighter planes. The work completed on these aircraft was done via an assembly line. An additional assembly line was added in 1940 to repair and overhaul P-40 fighter planes.

On 1 December 1939 the Sacramento Air Depot was renamed McClellan Field after Major Hezekiah McClellan (1894 - 1936). Major McClellan was a pioneer in arctic aeronautical tests, he prepared early charts and records of the Alaskan air routes and was a posthumous recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Major McClellan died on 25 May 1936 when he crashed near Centerville, Ohio while on a test flight of a P-30 aircraft.

In December of 1941, soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, McClellan Field became a focal point for aircraft of all kinds that were destined for duty in Worl War II. McClellan Field saw many types of aircraft which included B-17 Bombers, B-25 Bombers, B-26 Bombers and B-29 Bombers. The runway of McClellan Field was repainted to represent the flight deck of the aircraft crrier USS Hornet. Aircraft from all over the world would stop at McClellan Field on their way to battle in World War II.

In 1948 McClellan Field was renamed McClellan Air Force Base. McClellan Air Force Base continued to serve her Country throughout the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's as the Sacramento Air Logistics Center and host of the 552nd Airborne Early Warning Wing. During the 1980's and early 1990's McClellan Air Force Base continued to function as an overhaul facility for the Air Force's F-111, FB-111, EF-111 and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. During this time McClellan Air Force based was host to the WC-135 Unit and supported the sophisticated electronic Operation Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
 
In 1995, the Clinton Administration and BRAC decided to close McClellan Air Force Base. The based was turned over to the County of Sacramento in 2001. The United States Coast Guard,  CGAS Sacramento, continues to operate at McClellan post-closure as the only remaining military aviation unit and installation.

During her peak, McClellan Air Force base was home to over 4,000 military service personnel and 20,000 civilians. These Americans were all eager to express their religious and spiritual beliefs. In 1970, a "Non-Denominational Church" was built on 4 acres of land in the center of McClellan Air Force Base. Her beauty and magnificence are awe inspiring. Untold numbers of people prayed, worshipped, married and celebrated within the walls of the Chapel as she was called by her visitors. Beautiful gardens and landscaping surrounded her so that people could enjoy the wonderful outside weather that is offerred in the Sacramento area. Beautiful carved wooden arches frame the ceiling of the Chapel. Stained glass windows adorn one wall and allow light to shine from the outside to radiantly illuminate the interior of the Chapel. The wooden pews are a tribute to the early places of worship that were built all over the world.

The Chapel was a "Labour of Love" by many people. As George Moses stated, "It is part of History" refferring to the Chapel that is held so dear by so many people.  

It is estimated that over 140,000 military service personnel and their dependants are still living in the Sacramento area. Many of these people still use the Chapel for a variety of events. McClellan Park, who now runs the property once known as McClellan Air Force Base states that there is no plan to demolish the chapel which includes a bell from that was brought from Europe during World War II. We all know, that does not mean that demolishing the Chapel has not been discussed. It simply means that there is no such plan in writing at this time.

Please join us and help 'Save the Chapel." It is the right thing to do, it is an important thing to do.

(Information contaned on this page was received from the Sacramento Bee article that was published on July 3, 2008 and can be found on the Internet at http://www.sacbee.com/antelope/story/1053832.html and from information contained on the Wikpedia website which was accessed on July 7, 2008 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McClellan_Air_Force_Base. )