News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

SIXTEEN NEW FIELDS "CHRISTENED"
A Daae which was borne for m&DT years by
a small Air Corps station on a ti~ tropical
island in the far Pacific now has been
given to a new air ba8e on a semi-tropical
island a few hundred miles out in the Atlantic.
an!te=\:~t
the new Army Air Forces base on the :British
resort island of :Bermuda will be known as
-Kindley Field- and the old air station on
the little island of Corregidor, in the
Philippine Islands, will have disappeared
in all but memory.
or w~:u.
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Sixteen
Hamed
!he new designation was one of sixteen
•chr1e tenings. of new Army Air Forces flying
fields announced recently. Eight of the
fields, all but one of which were named in
honor of Army aviators cited for gallantry
while flying wi th the A. E. J., are on the
overseas bases acquired from Great :Britain.
The one exception is Sheppard Field, at
Wichita Ja.118~ Texas~ named in honor of the
late SeDator Morris ~heppard, of Texas for
many years chairman of the Senate Mil l tary
Affairs Committee.
The new Kindley J'ieldprobably will be of
most interest to the hundreds of officers
and enlisted men who have served in the
Philinpines, since the field of that name
was considered one of the most desirable
stations to which Air Corps personnel in the
Philippines could be assigned. It was free
of the mosquitoes found on the mainland
and, being entirely surrounded by water,
was cool at night.
but vas killed ia 19ao in a crash at Baa
Antonio, !exas.
Other Heroes
Honored
Other equally heroic American pilots are
memorialized in the del1gnat1on of new field ••
Some of the.e new bases and the records ot
the men tor whom they were named, follow:
*1fgua, Leeward I. eidge J'ield
:Bermuda Kindley Jield
:British Guiana Atkinson Field
Jamaica Vernam J'ield
Stephenville, Harmon Jield
Hewfoundland
St. Lucia, Windward Beane Field
ble •
Trinidad.
Island ot Great
Exuma, :Bahamas
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Wichita Falls, Tex.
Camp Beauregard, La.
Spokane) Wash.
Macon, u-a.
Panama City, J'la.
Denver, Colo.
Waller ),ield
Campbell 'ield
Bur )'ield
Luke J'ield
Sheppard Field
Esler Field
Geiger 'ield
Cochran 'ield
Tyndall )'ield
:Buckley Field
One of the heroes was 1st Lieut. hank
Luke, Jr., World WaJ' ace and renowned .balloon
buster,- whose record of 18 victories
in 17 days was not equalled by any other
American flyer. He was officially credited
wi th bringing. down four planes an4 14 observation
balloons. On September 28, 1918.
while on a balloon foray, he wa, forCed
down and killed when he refUsed to eui'nll4er.
He received three decorations the Die-
Pilots assigned to Kindley Field flew sea- ti~ished Service Cr08s for extraordi~
planes and amphibians since there wasn't heroism in the St. Mihiel offensive on four
enough room on the little island for a reg- different occasions, the Oak Leat Cluster
ular landing £ie14. The airplanes were to the D.S.C., and '&heCongressional Medal
hangared ashore but were rolled or taxied of Honor, the latter posthumously on recoainto
the water tor take-offs. The Air Corps mendatlon of Gen. John J. Pershing.
officers flew missions for the Coast Artillery
Corps spotting the fire of the huge Luke J'ield at Phoenix, AriZ., is the seeguns
guard l ng the entrance to Manila Bay. ond Air Corps 8tation to be named in memor;r
of this World War hero. The first so named
Abandoned Years J.go was at J'ord Island in the Hawaiian Department,
which several years ~o was taken oyer
Jor various reasons, Kindley Field final- by tne Bavy and given a Baval designation.
ly was abandoned by tne Air Corps about 1930 Since Phoenix was Lieut. Luke's home town,
and the station turned over to the Coast the naming of the new .Air Corps station there
Artillery. Most of the personnel--only six in his memory is highly appropriate.
or seven officers and their families and the
necessary enlisted personnel to handle three Coolidge la Leewards
or four aircraft were assigned to the tle1d--
returned to the United States. Lieut. Col. The new field at Antigua, Leeward Islands,
Vincent J. Meloy, nov a member of the Gen- was named in honor of Capt. Hamiltoa 0001-
eral Staff, Third Air lorce~ Tampa, Fla., i4ge, a native of Chestnut 'ield._Ma.s.~
was the last Commanding Orficer at old who was killed in actio~ Ootober B7, 19l~,
Kindley Field. while leading his patrol in hue ••. !hi
Distinguished Service Cross was conterred
Capt. Kindley, whose name now is attached upon him pos thUllously•
to what probably will be another highly desirable
station, was a native of Pea Bidge, Capt. Coolidge was graduated from Groton
Ark. The :British Government credited him School in 1915 with an .Aero Club lice~ ...
officially with 12 victories over enemy air- He attended the otfioer.' training caRP a'
craft, and for his exploits King Geo!:!e V Platt.burg, enl18ted in the Arm7 &8 a Serpresented
him with the Distinguished '~ing geant, attended Matsachusetts lnsti~te of
01'088and the United States .arded him the Technolog and was .ent to hance in 1917
Distinguilhed Service Cross with Oak Leat. as a l8t Lieutenant. He was assigned to
After the War he returned to thia country the 1st Pursuit Group there ud promoted to
and had abrill1ut record &8 a racing pilot, CaptaiD.
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