Base Crashpads

Base guide · Peru, Indiana

The Grissom ARB guide

Gate and inn realities, the standard-rate per diem trap, where Kokomo and Peru families actually live, and what to do off duty.

Updated August 2026 · 10 min read

Now at Grissom ARBChecking local conditions…

Photo: A KC-135 Stratotanker, from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., flies in the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 21, 2018. Photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Source

Base essentials
Major command
Air Force Reserve Command (4th Air Force)
Host wing
434th Air Refueling Wing — KC-135R
Nearest airport
IND (Indianapolis International) · ~90 min; FWA (Fort Wayne) · ~75 min
Time zone
Eastern (Miami County observes DST)
Runway
12,501 ft — a former Space Shuttle emergency landing site
Heritage
NAS Bunker Hill (1942) → Bunker Hill AFB → renamed for astronaut Gus Grissom in 1968; SAC B-58s and KC-135s until the 1994 realignment to the Reserve
01

Overview

Grissom Air Reserve Base is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the 'Hoosier Wing,' the largest KC-135 Stratotanker wing in Air Force Reserve Command. Two flying squadrons — the 72nd and 74th Air Refueling Squadrons — plus maintenance and mission-support groups generate tankers and crews for Air Mobility Command's worldwide taskings. Army Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve units share the ramp, and the field doubles as the civilian Grissom Aeroplex. Traffic through the base is a reservist rhythm: UTA weekends swell the population, and in between a steady stream of aircrew on seasoning orders, maintainers, AGRs, and inspectors keep the inn busy.

The base sits along US 31 in Miami County, roughly 8 miles south of Peru and 12 miles north of Kokomo, in flat farm country that is an easy drive to Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Chicago. It is Eastern time, four-season, and honest about winter: January highs in the low 30s, wind across open fields, and 20-plus inches of snow. For a TDY traveler that means a car is mandatory, the standard CONUS per diem rate applies, and the nearest real hotel and restaurant density is Kokomo, not Peru.

Weather

July highs average about 84°F with real humidity; January highs sit near 33°F with lows in the teens. Peru averages roughly 41 inches of rain and about 26 inches of snow a year, and there is nothing between the flight line and the Canadian wind but corn.

Best months

May through June and September through October

Tough months

January and February — ice, drifting snow on US 31, and sub-zero wind chills; spring (April-June) brings severe-thunderstorm and tornado watches

02

Getting there

  • Fly into Indianapolis (IND) and drive about 90 minutes north on I-465 and US 31 — four-lane the whole way; Fort Wayne (FWA) is a similar 75-minute drive west on US 24 and south on US 31 and sometimes has cheaper fares. Rent a car at either; there is no useful transit to the base and rideshare coverage around Peru is thin.
  • The Main Gate is off US 31 at Hoosier Boulevard on the west side of the highway and is reported to be staffed 24/7 with 100 percent ID checks. It is the only routine entry for visitors; confirm current hours on the 434 ARW website or with Security Forces before a late-night arrival, since Reserve bases adjust staffing outside UTA weekends.
  • The Visitor Control Center sits just outside the Main Gate and is listed as Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., for visitor passes, DBIDS enrollment, and sponsoring guests; the Welcome/Visitors Center at 1438 Foreman Drive is listed at 765-688-4352, Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Bring a REAL ID or CAC, registration, and proof of insurance; unescorted guests need a sponsor.
  • Traffic is light except on UTA weekends and the July Circus City Festival week in Peru, when Broadway and Business 31 downtown get blocked for the parade. In winter, US 31 stays plowed but the county roads west of the base (Bunker Hill, Amboy) drift shut; give yourself extra time from anywhere off the four-lane.
03

TDY lodging

On base

On-base rates · FY2027

$102 per night · VOQ/VQ

October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027. Confirm your authorized allowance before booking.

Check your dates →Official rate sheet ↗

Grissom Inn

Phone
765-681-5082
Phone 2
765-688-2844
DSN
388-2844
  • Grissom Inn (Air Force Inns), 4236 Hoosier Blvd, Building 471, Grissom ARB, IN 46971.
  • Reservations: 765-681-5082 (DSN 388-2844); the FSS directory lists 765-688-2844, and central reservations is 1-888-AF-LODGE (235-6343).
  • Rooms are queen standard rooms with fridge, coffee maker, cable, laundry, and Wi-Fi; families with children or pets are told to call the office directly for the correct room type.
  • Desk hours are not published online, so call ahead for after-hours check-in.
  • Confirm current room availability directly with the inn.
  • If the inn cannot house you for your dates, get the non-availability number logged before you book commercially.

Off-base per diem

  • Confirm the current lodging allowance for your duty location and travel dates with the official rate lookup and your travel office.
  • No current rate is quoted here.
  • Alaska and Hawaii use DoD OCONUS rates.
  • A published ceiling is not proof of reimbursement eligibility.
Total your trip → per diem calculatorOn-base lodging cost →

The crashpad option

We're expanding at Grissom ARB and don't have a house listed yet. If you have orders to the 434th — seasoning, annual tour, AGR, or a contractor stint — send us your dates and we'll tell you what we can set up between Peru and Kokomo, priced inside the $110 rate with DTS-ready receipts.

Grissom ARB crashpads
04

Housing & BAH

Housing

  • There is no government or privatized family housing at Grissom; the old base housing area was sold off after the 1994 realignment and is now the civilian 'Grissom AFB' neighborhood on the east side of US 31.
  • The Military Housing Office helps with off-base referrals, and the Airman & Family Readiness / Information and Referral line is listed at 765-688-4812.
  • Rent is cheap by Air Force standards — three-bedroom houses in Peru and Kokomo commonly list from roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a month in 2025-2026, and buying is realistic on an E-5 budget with median home prices in Miami and Howard counties well under the national figure.
  • Confirm current listings; inventory in Peru is small.

BAH 2026 · MHA IN134

  • Grissom falls in the Kokomo/Peru military housing area (reported as MHA IN134).
  • One published 2026 table lists roughly $1,800 a month for an E-5 with dependents; we could not cross-verify the O-3 figures or the without-dependents rates from a second source, so treat that as a ballpark and confirm on the DTMO BAH calculator.
Every grade → BAH calculator·2026 pay chart
NeighborhoodCommute

Bunker Hill / Grissom AFB neighborhood

The former base housing tract just east of US 31 — modest ranches and duplexes on quiet streets, cheapest rents in the area, Maconaquah schools, and a five-minute drive to the gate.

Commute: ~5 min

Peru

Circus City: a small county seat with older homes on tree-lined streets, the Wabash River, a working downtown, and Peru Community Schools; rents are low, but rental inventory is limited so start looking early.

Commute: ~10 min

Kokomo (north side / Northwestern)

Where most Grissom families actually live — newer subdivisions off US 31 and IN-931, Northwestern and Western school corporations, the hospitals, Target, Meijer, and a real restaurant row on Sycamore and 17th.

Commute: ~15-20 min

Logansport

A Wabash-and-Eel-River town with a walkable downtown, cheap Victorian houses, and Logansport Community Schools; a good pick if you also need a shorter drive toward Lafayette or Chicago.

Commute: ~30 min

Westfield / Carmel (Hamilton County)

The long-commuter option for dual-career families who need Indianapolis jobs and top-ranked schools — newer, pricier, and a straight 45-60 minute shot north on US 31 to the gate.

Commute: ~50-60 min
05

Schools & childcare

  • No on-base schools. The base and the old housing tract sit inside Maconaquah School Corporation (Bunker Hill), a four-school district of about 1,900 students that serves the southern half of Miami County and has decades of experience with Grissom families.
  • Nearby districts: Peru Community Schools to the north; Kokomo School Corporation, Northwestern, Western, and Taylor in Howard County to the south; Logansport Community Schools to the west. Indiana's Purple Star designations change year to year, so check the Indiana Department of Education list for the current schools.
  • Grissom's school-support contact runs through the Airman & Family Readiness Center (Information and Referral, 765-688-4812); ask for the school liaison or youth-programs point of contact when you call.
  • There is no Child Development Center on base; Family Child Care referrals go through the same 765-688-4812 line, and Miami and Howard County providers are listed on MilitaryChildCare.com — register early, because the Kokomo centers fill up.
06

Healthcare

  • 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron — a readiness clinic for flight physicals, PHAs, immunizations, and dental readiness, not primary care or sick call; AFRC policy is that clinical treatment is not provided on UTA weekends. There is no emergency room on base.
  • Emergencies go to Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru (about 10 minutes north on US 31) or, for a fuller hospital, Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo and Community Howard Regional Health in Kokomo (about 20 minutes south). Logansport Memorial Hospital is the option to the west.
  • Indiana is in the TRICARE East region, administered by Humana Military. Reservists on orders over 30 days pick up TRICARE Prime Remote or Select coverage; enroll through Humana and find a network PCM in Kokomo before you need one.
07

On base

Commissary
  • None on base.
  • Nearest commissaries are far (Wright-Patterson and Scott are both several hours), so plan on Meijer, Walmart, and Kroger in Kokomo or Walmart in Peru.
Exchange

A small Exchange branch (shoppette-style) on base with basics and uniform items; the full BX experience does not exist here.

Fitness

Grissom Fitness Center, 4290 Thunderbolt Ave, 765-688-2000 — cardio, free weights, and group fitness; hours flex around UTA weekends, so call first.

Dining

Boomer's Café in Building 470 (765-688-2751) next to the inn and Chock's (765-688-2615) on base; both run limited hours on non-UTA weekdays, so stock the crashpad kitchen.

MWR

Outdoor Recreation (765-688-2440) rents campers, boats, and party gear and books Mississinewa Lake trips; Information, Tickets & Travel shares the fitness center desk at 765-688-2000.

Signature event

The Grissom Air Museum sits right at the front gate with a B-58 Hustler, B-47, KC-135, and more than 20 aircraft outdoors; the annual Grissom Air & Space Expo, when scheduled, is the biggest crowd the base sees.

08

Off duty

Convair B-58A 'Hustler', No Am F-100C "Super Sabre' and Grissom Air Museum, Peru, Indiana
Convair B-58A 'Hustler', No Am F-100C "Super Sabre' and Grissom Air Museum, Peru, Indiana. Photo: Photo by Chris Light, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source
Unidentified Missile, Grissom Air Museum, Peru, Indiana

Grissom Air Museum

Right outside the gate at 1000 W. Hoosier Blvd: a B-58 Hustler, a B-47, an EC-135, an A-10, and twenty-plus other airframes on the ramp, plus SAC-era exhibits inside. Open daily May-October 10-4, Thursday-Sunday in March-April and November-December; $10 adults, $8 for veterans and active duty, and free for active duty and dependents Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Official site ↗

Photo by Chris Light, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · source

This is a series of maps of the different routes of the proposed Erie and Wabash Canal

Mississinewa Lake

Nine miles southeast of Peru, a 3,000-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir run by Indiana DNR with a 400-site campground, cabins, a beach, boat ramps, and hiking trails around the shoreline. Outdoor Rec rents the boats; the gate fee is $7 for Indiana plates and $9 for out-of-state.

Official site ↗

Photo by Moore, Asa; Morris, Oliver C, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · source

Robert Edward Weaver, as Ringmaster of the Peru Circus, c

Circus City Festival, Peru

Peru was the winter quarters of the great American circuses, and every third week of July 200 local kids perform a full amateur circus — trapeze, high wire, the works — over eight days, ending with the world's longest-running circus parade down Broadway. Check the International Circus Hall of Fame east of town the rest of the year.

Official site ↗

Photo by Markbone1, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · source

Nickel Plate Trail crossing of the Wabash River in Peru, Indiana in 2022

Nickel Plate Trail

A paved rail-trail on the old Nickel Plate Road that runs from Rochester south through Peru and Bunker Hill, passing within a couple of miles of the base, to Kokomo. Flat, shaded, and ideal for the PT-test-prep run or an evening bike ride after a flying day.

Official site ↗

Photo by Antony-22, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · source

Kokomo: Seiberling Mansion and Kokomo Opalescent Glass

Twenty minutes south, the 1891 Seiberling Mansion houses the Howard County museum, Kokomo Opalescent Glass (America's oldest art-glass maker, weekday tours at 10 a.m.) still pours sheet glass by hand, and the Elwood Haynes Museum tells the story of one of the first American automobiles. Kokomo also has the area's best breweries and restaurants.

Official site ↗

Cole Porter's Peru

The songwriter was born in Peru in 1891; his grave is in Mount Hope Cemetery and the Miami County Museum downtown keeps his 1955 Cadillac and memorabilia. It is a good rainy-Sunday hour combined with lunch on Broadway.

Official site ↗

Indianapolis day trip

Seventy miles straight down US 31: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its museum, the Children's Museum, Mass Ave and Fountain Square for dinner, and Colts or Pacers games. Leave by 8 a.m. on race or game days; US 31 through Westfield backs up at the Carmel roundabouts.

Wikipedia ↗
09

Insider tips

  1. 01Book the Grissom Inn the day your orders drop. It is a small property, UTA weekends and the annual tour season fill it, so confirm room availability directly — get the non-availability number in writing before you book off base.
  2. 02Miami County is a $110 standard-rate locality. The Kokomo chain hotels regularly price above that on weeknights, which is exactly why a crashpad priced inside the rate pays off on a 30-plus-day tour.
  3. 03The gate is off US 31 at Hoosier Boulevard; program that, not 'Peru,' into your GPS. Coming from Indianapolis you exit before you ever see Peru, and the Kokomo bypass (US 31 vs. IN-931) confuses first-timers.
  4. 04Winter is real. Keep an ice scraper, blanket, and a bag of sand in the car; US 31 drifts across the open stretches between Kokomo and the base, and the county roads west of Bunker Hill close before the state clears them.
  5. 05Spring is severe-weather season — know where the shelter is in your building and in the inn, and keep phone alerts on from April through June.
  6. 06Non-UTA weekdays are quiet: the on-base dining spots run short hours and the Exchange is a shoppette. Do a Meijer run in Kokomo on the way in so you are not eating gas-station dinners.
  7. 07There is no clinic for routine care. Reservists on long orders should get TRICARE enrollment sorted and pick a Kokomo PCM in week one, before the first sinus infection.
  8. 08Circus City Festival week (third week of July) is the only time Peru is genuinely busy — book anything in Peru early that week, and enjoy it; the kids' circus is better than it sounds.
10

FAQ

Do I have to stay at the Grissom Inn, and what is the per diem if it is full?
Confirm the current lodging allowance for your duty location and travel dates with the official rate lookup and your travel office. No current rate is quoted here. Alaska and Hawaii use DoD OCONUS rates. A published ceiling is not proof of reimbursement eligibility.
Which gate do I use, and can I get on base late at night?
Use the Main Gate off US 31 at Hoosier Boulevard; secondary sources list it as staffed 24/7 with 100 percent ID checks, and the Visitor Control Center outside the gate handles passes weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reserve bases adjust staffing, so confirm hours on the 434 ARW site or with Security Forces before an after-midnight arrival, and have a CAC or REAL ID ready.
Is there a hospital or ER on base?
No. The 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron is a readiness clinic only. For emergencies use Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru (about 10 minutes) or the two Kokomo hospitals (about 20 minutes); for routine care, enroll with TRICARE East (Humana Military) and choose a network provider in Kokomo.
Where do families at Grissom actually live?
Mostly in Kokomo's north-side subdivisions (15-20 minutes, best shopping and schools variety), the former base housing tract at Bunker Hill (5 minutes, cheapest), or Peru (10 minutes, small-town feel). There is no government or privatized family housing, so start the rental search early — inventory in Peru is thin.
11

Helpful resources

Official

Things to do

Community & local

List your resource

Run a business, park, church, gym, or service that helps Grissom ARB travelers and families? Have a correction? Email basecrashpads@gmail.com with the link and a sentence on why it's useful. We review every submission and list the ones that earn it.

Sources & disclaimer

Photos: Photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain); Photo by Chris Light, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Full attribution on the photo credits page.

Rates, hours, and policies change — BAH resets every January and per diem every October. Confirm specifics with the official sources above and your orders. This guide is written by Base Crashpads and is not an official Air Force or DoD resource.

Mission-ready lodging

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