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Blytheville Courier JNews—JSunday, SeptemDer 10, xmtt-oectiuik r«KcBlytheville Air Force Basv smportant part in Missco historyIn 1942 an area of 2,640 acres northwest of Blytheville was developed into an Army Air Force Base. The development of the area cost the federal government $10 million and gave the economy a much needed boost. The base was officially opened on June 10, 1942 as an advanced flying school in the Southeastern Training Command’s Pilot Program. The goal of this program was to train combat pilots until World War II ended.After the war ended, the Southeast Flying Training Command abandoned the field.housing quarters which were leased to the American Legion for use as a veterans housingproject. In 1949 Blytheville applied for the deed to the property.City officials were quick to put the field with its fine, runways and excellent industrial prospects, to use. An airport manager was appointed and “flying for fun” took up where the “flying for victory” left off.Owners of small planes took advantage of the city facility. Flying schools were opened. Two crop dusting services were located at the base. All of thisings at the b the city as wl|§lswimming p by troops st during the full-time ope buildings br revenue for of rents.In Decerpjfl was talk ofv^j^re leased by lt;jses, and the tieh was built ii at the baselt;as leased forv All of theselt;in additional ty in the form3f 1950, there ttivating the *e worseningfacility due condition in ig in . A resolution was adoptedjnd to e City Council asking ftoolhoi^ permanentreactivation aginnir base on January 26, 195^ for though money was include the DefenseQKorflir o Cf fVtof f V^ ~ *■ ~ w * w-v k, AiCarrier Command took over the installation and it was used as a processing point for personnel being discharged. In 1947 thebase was declared surplus by the War Assets Administration and was closed.The city of Blytheville received all of the runways and airport facilities, including 12,000 acres in an outright grant. The area soon became a small industrial park for the manufacture of furniture, paint and trailers. A temporary school, skating rink, bar, housing, church and cemetery were soon incorporated into the area. In 1948 the city received the remaining assets, except for themnonf orJrUiir\rol rovonilft for RllHffPt for •- ~ cit.V WHSAkA w k-k A A w- k* k4 k* * ‘ • i . , . . . , . . A- Athe city.Several months later, the city began using the vast air base acreage as bait for new industries. Feelers were sentout and by the end of 1948 a number of small industries were located at the old ArmyAir Field.These included Duro-Chrome Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of hotel and cafe seating equipment; Martin Trenkle Paint Company, manufacturers of paint; Thomas Equipment Company, manufacturers of farm trailers and the Smith Mattress Facto-informed th^ne, f0y would need to purchasevei’an(iditional 192acres of lanc^at coire the reacti-vation couljth a f finalized. Abond issue £W0 Y adopted in December, {g noring the Air Force that ind could besecured.ill, a sAfter moim j_gn two years ofry.construction^ ^w0_ 461st Bomb Wing, a par|-ecj S€e Tactical Air Command, u s located to Blytheville Lsneii Jill Air Force Base, Utah. 956, the base was fully cli rion, complete with three ] o Irons of B-57 bombers. Ij cnel8, the 461st Bomb Winjjct w^ deactivatedand the bas 1920me homeSeveral of the many build- of the 4 fourAir BaseSquadron. Iund ^ the most distinguished u tn *-u the Air Force arrived, theY^komb Wing.On JaiT 10, 1960 the first B-fr _ _ o “Citv ofS *CityBlytheville €a^cj , flown to thebase by Col * ialph C. Jenkins. The v 1 Kffvas officially reactivated . j Ay 1, 1959 and the ^osland 0^stinguished Squadron b; «Therwas unfurled. By Februai t tul960 the unit was comba, t iy. The hardwork of the5 aid off in July1960 wheneralfived the Out-President Harry Truman landed at the Blytheville Army Air Field on Oct. 6, 1945 and participated in the motorcade through Blytheville. Pictured to the far left is John Snyder, Reconversionstanding Ui n fk.ard for readiness during ^uban Missile Crisis. In iecte(j the 97th Air Refueling I j w]ron swfic^ed from KC-9IS u’ge(;craft to the newer KC-1 L^tratotanker.During t . tfO’s the fate of the base hiQne gon the whims of the base^e c^re committee. For four ye e base was annown11r a*:* 1 1 *n I r ir *1,alternate t m,-iure. Through the efforts lt;L* iSnvic leaders of Blytheville, T°snease was saved.. . . nnfi in .1980’s. A missile facility and Precision Measurement Laboratory were built to house and service the Cruise Missiles. A new petroleum, oil and lubricants facility for aircraft was constructed along with a new Alert Facility. But the renovations were not only for the mission part of the base. A new shopping area, including the commissary and main exchange facilities, were constructed, and the dormitories and base housing were renovated.On May 26, 1988, the name of the base was officially changed to Eaker Air Force Base in honor of the first commander of the 8th Air Force during World War II. This seemed most fitting as the 97th Bomb Wing entered the war as a new wing in under the command of General Ira C. Eaker, one of America’s true aviationpioneers.General Eaker was instrumental in several key events including a Pan AmericanGoodwill Flight in 1927, establishment of a world record for endurance in the famous “Question Mark” in 1929, and the first transcontinental flight using aerial refueling in 1930.General Eaker was also coauthor of the a book “This Flying Game” that provides a vivid account of every aspect of the Army Air Corps.General Eaker became the commanding general of all U.S. Army Air Forces in the United Kingdom and in 1944 became the Air Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Allied AirForces. During the war he personally flew in the first heavy bomber raid on occupied Europe in August 1942. General Eaker died August 6, 1987.There was some disagreement among citizens of Blytheville as to the renaming of the base. While they did not mind that the name was being changed, some thought that it would have been more appropriate for the base to be named. V\. . . ,1*.\:' :• • • % • v ■ »vafter an Arkansas native, although no names were submitted for consideration.The threats of closure remained hanging over the base and on April 12, 1991, the base was included on the closure list. This time it was not as an alternate but as a primary closure site. Despite the efforts of the city of Blytheville, theorder was signed by PresidentGeorge Bush and the closure process was completed whenthe House of Representativesvoted to accept the list.The last B-52, “The Memphis Bell III,” left the base on Nov. 19 1QQ1 cmH last KC-135,“The City of Blytheville II,” left the base on March 16, 1992.On Dec. 15, 1992, with theplaying of the Star SpangledBanner and the Air Forceanthem, the American flag waslowered one last time. Then, finally, the gates of Eaker Air Force Base officially closed...forever.■ \• ' v VI..V.V.V Xs V.-• : ■ JT:i*.i*'•.......-x..Shown is a B-52 taking off from the landing strip at the Blytheville Air Force Base. The base was officially opened 011 June 10, 1942 as anadvanced flying school in the SoutheasternTraining Command’s Pilot Program. (Photo submitted by Wally Thomas)i*);i
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Sun, Sep 18, 1994
Page 71
Full Page
Clipped by
University O.
AR, USA 27 Feb 2020
Other Publications Near Blytheville, Arkansas
Blytheville Army Air Corps News
Blytheville Courier News
