BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- For Dr. Brian Medley, Space Base Delta 2 installation historian, preserving history is about more than documenting the past. It is about helping today's Airmen, Guardians and civilian personnel understand how yesterday's decisions continue to shape tomorrow's mission.
This sense of historical continuity serves as a quiet but powerful foundation for SBD 2. As the host wing for Buckley Space Force Base, SBD 2 is responsible for delivering critical installation support for 117 diverse tenant units, including the strategic missile warning capabilities of Mission Delta 4. This massive joint-service footprint is the product of decades of military evolution, structural modernization, and adaptation to global security threats.
Originally from Mexico, Missouri, Medley first enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after high school before later earning a commission through Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. His career included service with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and positions across the defense and intelligence community before completing graduate studies in history. After completing his doctorate, he joined Buckley SFB as the installation historian.
"The most obvious role for Space Force and Air Force historians is to research and write the local annual history," Medley said. "But it also includes learning and sharing the base's heritage, maintaining historical archives and encouraging historical thinking in our day-to-day work."
That perspective extends beyond recording milestones. Medley believes understanding Buckley's history helps personnel recognize that every mission, building and capability on the installation exists because of deliberate decisions made by those who served before them.
"Nothing we have or do on Buckley appeared here through magic or by accident," Medley said. "Those who came before deliberately chose to build, work and live here. Knowing that helps us make informed decisions about what comes next."
Since arriving at Buckley SFB, Medley has begun researching the installation's heritage, organizing historical archives and developing new ways to share Buckley SFB's story with Team Buckley. Along the way, he has uncovered fascinating pieces of the installation's past, from the story of the "Perfumed Bandit," a World War II-era soldier whose distinctive cologne helped identify him after a string of robberies, to photographs documenting some of the first jet aircraft to operate from the installation.
Such research documents the physical and operational transformation of the base. What began as an auxiliary training field during World War II adapted to meet the demands of the Cold War, eventually evolving into the highly specialized, joint-service installation that supports today's space operations. Medley said Buckley SFB's history stands apart because of its unique evolution through Army, Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard and Space Force missions while maintaining close ties with the surrounding Aurora and Denver communities.
Outside the office, Medley enjoys hiking Colorado's mountain trails with his wife, Liliana, reading history, noir detective novels and spy thrillers, and continuing research from his doctoral work.
As Buckley SFB's historian, Medley hopes sharing the installation's heritage will inspire members across Team Buckley to see themselves as part of an ongoing story.
"Even very well-known and respected historical figures were as flawed and unsure of themselves as we are," Medley said. "Yet they still managed to build the Buckley, Space Force, Air Force and country that we have today. The Buckley personnel of today can absolutely build what comes next with that knowledge in their pockets."