HomeMy WebLinkAboutKerry Chandler Lecture
THE HISTORY OF BRYAN ARMY AIRFIELD DURING WORLD WAR II
B y Kerry Chandler (originally written April 2004, edited March 2007)
C J-
Approaching the junction of Highway 21 and State Highway 47 in Bryan, Texas,
2 motorists will pass by Texas A&M University's Riverside Campus. An observant driver
will see the odd assortment of buildings and may wonder why A&M has a separate
campus several miles from the main campus area, or why an air control tower still stands
on that location. And as time passes, fewer and fewer people will know that the campus
once had a rich history and an altogether different function; that it was once a vital and
integral part of not only the Bryan community, but of the United States itself. Few will
remember that during World War II and even later, Bryan, Texas was home to one of
Texas's many Army Airfields.
History
The United States did not officially enter World War II until after the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. However, as early as 1938, while Adolf Hitler
was waging war without declaration in the Sudetenland, the US was gearing up for the
war and was specifically making preparations for an air war. In 1938, the Civil
Aeronautics Administration (CAA) began surveying existing airports and possible future
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sites for conversion to or construction of Army air bases and instructional schools. 149
sites were eventually chosen, and almost half of those were in Texas.'
3 The CAA officials chose Texas for so many of the sites for several reasons.
Texas in 1938 offered 77,391,536 acres of treeless hills and plains,2 a landscape that
appealed to aviators as it offered up fewer mountains for pilots to fly into. Texas'
inordinate amount of clear-weather days made it an even safer environment for flight
instruction. Texas' vast petroleum resources, its location in the center of the United
States, and its adjacency to the Gulf of Mexico further made the state a good location for
a large concentration of military bases. Finally, a large number of existing air facilities,
some military and some civilian, already called Texas home.3
A large area of the southern United States was designated the Gulf Coast Training
Center and Texas became the focal point of this center, with most of its large compliment
of airbases being set aside specifically for pilot and crew. Texas bases were specialized,
with some offering gunnery training, others basic flight training, others flight instructor
training, and others advanced flight training on specific classes of aircraft. Bryan Texas
was selected to receive a base of the last sort in the summer of 1942.4
Texas A&M President Dr. T.O. Walton became aware of an opportunity for
Bryan to receive an installation of the Gulf Coast Training Center in April 1942.
Realizing its potential for the people of Bryan and College Station, Dr. Walton leapt at
the opportunity, making arrangements to find a site and make a presentation to the
'Thomas Alexander, The Stars were Big and Bright: The United States Army Air Forces and Texas During World War It
(Austin: Eakin Press, 2000).
' Alexander, 9.
' Alexander, 9.
Robert I IaN_ s Jr_, ",Air Force Pilot and Instructor Training in Texas. 1940-194$," Texas.Alilitarv Histon, 4 no. 2 (1964)'
117.
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government. He and several other local civic leaders, including Travis 'Old Sarge'
Bryan', began searching the surrounding area for a suitable site. Specifically, they
looked for a "flat tract approximately two miles square, with a sandy loam soil, underlaid
by no pipelines, close to a railway line and with an available supply of water, and with
such utilities as electricity, telephone service possible, without too great cost in
construction."6
A location at the juncture of State Highways 21 and 47 was chosen and approved
and construction began on 7 August 1942. The human tenants on the land left without
,t ulk
trouble, but a of cows and a drove of pigs seemed to have trouble leaving their home
behind. Later that year they were replaced by the first officers and enlisted personnel
arriving, though construction did not finish until the following year. Students began to
arrive in February 1943, most of them transferring from Lubbock and Foster Army
Airfields. Under the command of Lt. Col. G.P. Dissoway, a graduate of Texas A&M,
Bryan Field was officially activated as a single-engine advanced flight training school;
however, Bryan Field never fulfilled this intended role.7
Base Operations
Col. Joseph B. Duckworth of the Columbus, Mississippi pilot training school
T conducted a study of United States Army An- Forces (USAAF) pilot training and accident
rates, both in training and in combat. He concluded in this study that students were not
being properly trained to fly in adverse conditions such as storms, fog. and darkness. As
'Travis B. Bryan Jr., interview by author, - 5 April 2004. Bryan, -Ieaas, manual dictation. in author's possession.
6 Bryan Daily Eagle, "Community Minded Men Lay Plans that Bring Field to Bryan," Dedication Special section Z and 3.
5 June 1943.
Hays, I I is The /'Unel. " HIC Story of Brcan Army Air I ield_" 13 October 194x.
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a solution, in 1942 he developed a pilot training method that would revolutionize pilot
training. Officially designated the Full-Panel Attitude System and commonly referred to
as Advanced Instrument Flying or most commonly as filmed Flying, the system taught
~Vj pilots toy instrumentation alone, allowing them to fly in limited or zero visibility
conditions.8 Col. Duckworth described the system as "...picturing the attitude and
performance of the airplane from whatever instruments are available and coordinating
control movements and power to produce a desired change in the attitude or
performance."
Col. Duckworth^s system was approved and preparations were made to locate a
full-panel school at Randolph Field in San Antonio; however, the specialized training
system required specialized equipment, and Randolph Field already had a full
compliment of equipment that would have to be removed in order to re-outfit the field for
Blind Flying. On the other hand, Bryan Field at this time had not received or installed all
of its equipment yet, so the Army decided to assign the new school to Bryan instead, with
Col. Duckworth to replace Lt. Col. Dissoway. On 18 March 1943, Bryan Field became a
Full-Panel Instruction School under the command of Col. Duckworth, graduating two
classes of full-panel pilots before the field was even officially dedicated. 10 By 1944,
Bryan Field had become the base "...responsib[le] for the standardization of Instrument
Flying for the entire Army Air Forces."I I
a Hays, 115; Bryan Daily Eagle. " Br an Field, Dedication Special section L ~ June 1943. 9 Hays, 115.
10 The Panel, 13 October 1W.
The Panel,"Col. Duckworth 1 lead of Standardization Board for the.A.A1 18 rlueust 1944-
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Trainees at Bryan Field were all experienced pilots12, most with combat
experience, attended the program for twenty-eight to twenty-nine days (extended to a full
six weeks in 1944). The program was broken up into three phases plus twenty-five hours
of required physical training. In the first phase, the trainees attended a fifty-hour ground
school. 13 In this school they received full instruction in aerial maneuvers and piloting
techniques and attended seven different courses: "Sensations of Instrument Flight, taught
by a flight surgeon; Care of Instruments: Care of Gyroscopes; Physical Laws Governing
Aircraft Flight; Techniques of Instructing and the Psychology of Teaching, in order that
they could later teach Blind Flying at other schools; Theory of Radio Beams, Stations,
etc.; and Blind Landing Systems." 14
In the second phase of the system, the trainees clocked in fifteen hours in the
Ground Instrument Trainer, also called the Link trainer. The Link trainer consisted of a
$13,000 stationary plane mounted on a universal joint, which was in turn mounted on a
turntable. These expensive trainers were located in dust-proof, air-conditioned hangers.
Turbines under the trainer simulated vacuum, and an air tank slowly released pressure to
simulate changes in altitude. Various other manipulations to the trainer could help to
simulate inclement weather, as well. Pilots would `fly' missions in the simulator, and
their progress was recorded on a graph which allowed for their teachers to quantitatively
12 An exception was made in May 1944, when the school took on aviation
students from Texas A&M College's Corps of Cadets. The idea behind this was that
these students would enter the USAAF after graduation from TAMC and be that
much more ahead of their fellow pilots. The Panel, "Ten Biggest Stories of Year
Chosen from Headlines of 1943-1945,"
13 Hays, 116-7; Bryan Daily Eagle, "Flight Training Bryan Field Job," Dedication special section 5, 5 June 1943.
14 Bryan Dail} L~rgle"student Activity.' Dedication Special section 5.5 June 1943.
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evaluate their performance. Studies conducted at the time showed that these fifteen hours
in the Link trainer cut the amount of flying time necessary to qualify as a Full-Panel Pilot
by more than 50%. The most important reason for using the Link trainers, however, was
the ability to train pilots in the dangerous art of Blind Flying without risking craft or
personnel. The trainers were*no replacement for the real thing, however,
necessitating a third phase in the training system. 15
In the third phase of the system, pilots finally got behind the yoke. Pilots were
required to clock in eighty-five hours of actual flight time, on top of one hour in the Link
trainer before going up each day. When the program first began, the pilots trained in the
AT-6, a fast, single engine craft similar to the Mustang, Spitfire, and Hurricane. Later,
the school was expanded to include training on the similar AT-7 and AT-11, as well as on
the B-17 and BT-13 for bomber pilots. 16 The AT-6 had two seats lined up one behind the
other. The instructor sat in the front seat, and the trainee sat in the backseat with a hood
over his section of the cockpit, completely blinding him to the outside world. By the end
of phase three, the trainees were required to take off, perform various aerial acrobatics,
and then land the plane - all without being able to see anything but the instruments on
their panel. The Full-Panel School at Bryan developed such a good reputation that the
Army produced a series of sixteen instructional films at Bryan Field for use at the other
lull-Panel schools. 17
15 Bryan Daily Eagle., "Gadget Six Feet Off the Ground Aids Flier," Dedication Special section 5, 5 June 1943; The Panel,
13 October 1945; Bryan Daily Eagle, "Public Will See Air Base in Operation," Dedication special section 1, 5 June 1943.
16 AT stands for Advanced Trainer. The AT-6 cost $27,000, had a maximum speed of 210 miles per hour, and was
nicknamed the "Texan." In 1948, all remaining AT-6 "Texans" were redesignated T-6s. The B-17 was the iconic bomber of World WarIl. Nicknamed the "Flying Fortress," the B-176 had four huge engines, a maximum speed of 300 miles per hour, thirteen SO
caliber machine guns, and an average bomb load of 6000 pounds. Alexander, 236-7, 228-9; The Panel, 13 October 1945.
" Bryan Daily Eagle, Dedication Special section 5, 5 June 1943; Ibid., "16 Army Training Pictures Filmed at Bryan Field,"
section 3.
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In the mid-summer of 1943, headquarters established at Bryan Field an advanced
Link Trainer Instructors' School - the Instrument Trainer Instructors Course (or ITIC
ITIC trainees were mainly non-commissioned officers from other bases who would return
to their respective bases to train pilot trainees on Link trainers. The course was divided
into four types of instruction: class lectures covering "each technical phase of study,
providing theory and explanation of necessary procedures;" individual instruction in the
Link trainers; a full flight instruction program with twenty-four hours of air-time; and a
mandatory military drill and physical training program. In addition, several courses were
added to the ground school, including courses in navigation, code translating, and radio
operation. Now, Bryan Field was unique not only for its status as the first and primary
Full-Panel School, but also for its status as a school for Link trainers.
In April of 1945, this unique base received some unique new trainees; Women
Air Service Pilots (WASPS). The women took a sped-up version of the full-panci
training, flying AT-6s and BT-13s at the base. This training was in preparation for their
role in ferrying aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean or to Canada.
Along with the full-panel training and the Link instructor training, the base also
eventually established a training program for water survival. It is interesting to note that
this training began in June of 1944, the same month as D-Day. Initially, the course was
taught by Red Cross volunteers with the purpose of training; instructors on the base so
that a permanent program could be established. The ten-day course consisted of training
in water survival - how to swim through floating corpses, floating oil and burning fuel;
swimming while dressed in full flight gear, learning to save drowning victims; and
learning to swim silently.
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Duckworth's Full Panel Attitude System taught at Bryan Field was unique and
pioneering and marked Bryan Field as a distinctively important base among all others
(Lubbock Field was eventually converted into a replica school). The school earned the
praise of many in the Army Air Corps, including Lt. Gen. Barton K. Yount, Commanding
General of the Army Air Forces Training Command, who said "Bryan Field is the
beginning of the best instrument flying training program in the world. " In studying the
field, it is necessary to focus on the landmark training programs. However, it is equally
necessary to take note of what life was like on the base.
Base Culture
During World War II, "Bryan Air Base became a virtual new community in
[Brazos] county."" Bryan Field was home to thousands of men and occasionally some
women during World War 11. There was housing on the base for 144 officers, 3
Women's Air Corps officers, 20 nurses, 165 students, 1748 enlisted men, and 92
enlisted women. The rest of the personnel (officers, non-commissioned officers, and
married enlisted personnel only) lived in rented housing spread throughout the cities
of Bryan and College Station. Personnel living both on and off the base enjoyed the
entertainment and service amenities of the local communities.
The base personnel had a large and ever increasing number of amenities at
their disposal on the base as well, though. For entertainment and information purposes,
the base had its own radio station, which broadcast a weekly on-base variety show, the
'Kiwi Jamboree.' The show aired on the post radio station every Friday night and
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included singing, uric from the base band" The Kiwi Jamboree also showcased
comedy acts and various performances by any personnel that wished to get on stage.
The show was performed live in the recreation hall and thus always had a live
audience in addition to its radio audience.
The base newspaper, The Panel, kept the base personnel informed of events on
and off the base. The newspaper contained international news, information on the
week's activities, information on employee promotions, marriages, and new children,
an editorial section, and a weekly segment in which a representative from each
company on the base wrote in the news for their respective companies.
The newspaper also held various write-in contests with cash prizes. For
example, the June 8th, 1945 edition of the paper held a write-in essay contest asking
"Who Is a War Criminal - What Would You Do With Him?" This contest was
appended to a political cartoon lamenting the habit held by captured Nazis to say ' I
was onlN following, orders.'+5 Another much different contest held by the paper was the
t--! 'Miss Bryan Field Contest.' The enlisted personnel mailed thirty-one photos of women
they knew in to The Panel, and Shirley Childs, a model living in Hollywood.
California won the contest.46 Her 'reward' was a trip to Bryan Field, a weekend's sta\
at the local La-Salle Hotel in downtown Bryan, and a dance in her honor held at the
enlisted open-air dance patio, Hangar 4. The enlisted man who turned in her picture
and application, Pfc. Joseph Azzarella, won a free private dinner with Miss Childs,
though he requested a three day pass in order to "'act as her bodyguard." His request
1ni~~S
18 The base band, dubbed the 720th Band, was composed of base employees with
amateur musical talent. The 720"' performed on the base at various functions as
well as off the base at various community functions.
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Along with these sorts of things, The Panel kept base personnel informed on
the schedules of the base amenities. These included the hours for the on-base bowling
alley, show times and titles of movies being shown at the base and also at the local
theatres in Bryan, new additions to the modest base library, and the schedule of
services heldin the post chapel. The chapel held separate services for Protestant,
Catholic, and Jewish residents, operating seven days a week.
Bryan Field also had a public relations officer with the following duties:
arranging visits from female stars and models, running the Kiwi Jamboree, managing
The Panel (separate from the chief editor, however), ' managing the officers club,
and arranging performances by the USO.
There were several venues for entertainment and recreation at Bryan Field. I
have already mentioned the recreation hall several times, for instance. This was the
site of the Kiwi Jamboree, occasional performances by the post band, USO shows, and
other standard rec. hall activities. The rec. hall was also home to the base talent show,
'B.A.A.F.-OONERY,' (-,Spelled: B A A F oonerj., which offered cash prizes to the
winners.
However, the field employees were not limited to the rec. hall. There was a
non-commissioned officers club and an officer's club, as well. In addition to their club,
an open-air patio was built for the NCOs. This club almost seems to have been
constructed in envy of Hangar 4, the open air-patio for lower enlisted personnel.
Hangar 4, also known as the 'dance floor under the stars' was open to enlisted-men
every night and was home to the dance held the night that Miss Bryan Field made her
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visit to the base. Hangar 4 was renovated shortly before the dance, and in its renovated
state it included ffountain drink facilities and a new stand. The Special Services
department also promised enlisted men that Hanger 4 would showcase several bands
that summer, including 'Dick Smith and his Instrumental Gentlemen.` Starting in
1945, Hangar 4 also featured a weekly dancing class and after-party ever Wednesday
night. In addition to dances and parties, Hangar 4 was also a venue for a weekly film
screening by the Special Services department.
Perhaps the most prominent forms of entertainment and recreation at Br) an
Field were the base's many intermural and intramural sports tearns. The post sported
a football team, a champion softhall team, and a baseball team, The
Ramblers. At least one of these sports, baseball, had intramural teams in addition to
the intermural team. ITIC and the officers club, for instance, played baseball on
opposing teams during a weekly Sunday picnic held during the summer. Bryan Field
was also home Oboxing team that participated in Golden Gloves and various other
intermural activities. The boxing team also once participated "in a joint Navy-Marine-
Army boxing show at Kyle Field on the A&M. campus..." with members of Bryan
Field as well as members of the Corps of Cadets "Navy, Marines, and ASTP [(Army
Specialized Training Program)] Unit[s]."
However, life at Bryan Field was not composed entirely of entertainment and
recreation. Bryan Air Base was also home to the amenities necessary to base life. Each
of the barracks at Bryan Field were equipped with heat and air circulators, and the
base also had two standing engineering teams for the construction and maintenance of
base buildings, facilities, and pavements.
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The base had a "water system with a storage capacity of 300,000 gallons..., a
sewage collection, treatment, and disposal plant,"68 and natural gas and electricity
hookups. Bryan Field also had "a communications system," described as being "as
complete as [that of] any modern city." The TWX machine (a typewriter that4ow
records of two-way conversations between people at various locationsf linked the
5Gr-~aC WCJ~ vP:s.d~rc o-~rZ-yt-2a1
headquarters, flying line, and civilian world; a r e
Vie. This system allowed Bryan Field to stay in touch not only with civilian
media and government officials, but also with AAF headquarters and AAF Gulf Coast
Training Command.
Other base amenities included a PX (post exchange), a Public Relations
Office, a Quartermaster Corps, Veterinary Office, mess halls, a large base post office,
and a photo lab that turned out hundreds of photos every day, with the primary
function being for the processing of crash photos. There was also a motor pool on the
base, operated by the Supply Department of Ordnance, ~0o also maintained the
weapons stored at Bryan Field. And rather than outsource, the payroll on the base was
conducted entirely by their own payroll department, whose motto was "get 'em paid.'
Finally, the base featured a fully functioning hospital. The hospital was
"maintained and staffed with skilled surgeons, dentists, ear-eye-nose-and-throat
specialists, X-ray specialists, technicians, and nurses [and] an operating room acid
ambulances [were] maintained for emergency cases." One -of the most important
aspects of an Army Air Base was its weather prediction system. Surface observations
at Bryan Field were used in conjunction with hourly reports from points all over the
nation and memos on aerial activity at nearby and distant stations allowed the
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operations office at Bryan Field to create four meteorological maps each day. Though
the purpose of Bryan Field was to teach pilots to fly at night and in poor weather
conditions, the base took no unnecessary chances.
Along with training, having fun, and taking advantage of the base's many
amenities, the soldiers and civilian personnel at Bryan Field participated in volunteer
activities. One such activity was a massive war loan effort. The field set a quota to
help the U.S. in attaining the Fifth War Loan Campaign's goal of sixteen billion
dollars. The base was separated into a civilian group and a military group for the loan
effort and Col. Duckworth made a personal appeal to the men and women of Bryan
Field to help meet the base quota. During this drive, at least 95% of all the civilian
employees of Bryan Field gave at least 12% of their paycheck to the bond drive,
earning the base a War Bond Honor Club Certificate.
Local Community
Bryan Field enjoyed many conveniences, forms of recreation and
entertainment, necessary facilities, and group efforts. However, perhaps the most
important aspect of Bryan Field's social history is its interaction with the city and
people of Bryan. The people of Bryan, Texas shared their town with the men and
women of Bryan Field for the duration of the base's existence and for the most part
they did so with warmth and friendliness. In the words of Travis "Old Sarge" Bryan's
son, Travis B. Bryan Jr., a long tine Bryan resident and current president of the First
National Bank of Bryan:
They were very welcome, my dad saw to that... Everybody just embraced
them... whatever they could do for those boys they did for two reasons:
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one, they were here in Bryan; and two, they represented our country with
the American uniform on their back ...they went to our churches, shopped
in our stores, went to our schools ...they were part of the community.
Through various organizations or individually, the people of Bryan did what they
could to make the base personnel and trainees feel welcome and at home. For instance,
l
the Campus Study Club, an organization of local women, helped with the landscaping of
the base by planting shrubs at the base hospital.
TT Another example of the warm welcome given to the base (though mainly to the
V civilian workers helping to construct the base) was the Thursday Night Plan. The
Thursday Night Plan was a group contract amongst the local merchants headed by Travis
B. Bryan Sr. and his First National Bank of Bryan during the construction of Bryan
Field. The plan called for: all contracting firms to allow the First National Bank to cash
their paychecks, the bank to stay open until 8pm on Thursday nights for this purpose,
and the area merchants to stay open until 9pm on these nights. This allowed for base
~D
personnel to come town after they foot off duty, cash their paychecks, and still be able to
patronize local business. Beside the bank, some sixty local businesses participated in
this mutually beneficial arrangement. The plan didn't come to an end until April of the
following year, when it became apparent that there was no more major construction left.
~'v~ ~ ~./~Z ~e.~'-eCY'1 ~a w ~oi- ~ u ~2 ~~c.srz ✓Z-~w`~'~~'~i ~e ~Cc~e~; h = - L- v ,
The local newspaper, the Bryan Daily Eagle, showed a genuine interest in the
"'C c
ay-to-day events at Bryan Field, as evidenced by the almost daily column 'Bryan Field
News.' The column gave information on all sorts of things happening at the base. such as
promotions of junior officers, transfers of field officers to different bases, reassignments
of squadron leaders, and improvements to the landscaping.
The Eagle showed a much greater interest in the field NNith its fi~°e-volume field
15
dedication special on 5 June 1943. The dedication special covered every possible aspect
of the dedication celebration and even had a series of articles showcasing the most
minute details of life and operations at Bryan Field.
The field dedication itself demonstrates at least part of the positi~ c relationship
between the people o. Bryan and the personnel of Bryan Field. The highlight of the
dedication was the presentation to Bryan Field of a P-51 Mustang bought by the people
of Bryan. The P-51 was named "The Spirit of Bryan Field" and was bought with $50,000
raised by the people of Bryan. Mr. Travis B. Bryan, president of First National Batik of
Bryan, spearheaded the campaign, paying out of his own pocket what wasn't raised by
the cornmunity. In the end, some ninety-se en businesses and at least 1065 indiv ideal
citizens contributed to the effort. The largest crowd to have ever assembled in IIrazos
County made their way to Bryan Field on the day of the dedication of the base. At the
presentation of 'The Spirit of Bryan Field,' local rancher W. D. 'Bud' Mills roped the
Mustang and branded it with a large block 'T.'After the branding, a little girl by the n anic
of Anne Learnard christened the P-51 with a bottle of Brazos River water, because of the
local tale that any and all who drink from the river will some day return to it. The plane
l 2 was then presented to Mr. Bryan, who in turn presented it to young Anne's father, Major
1 Arthur T. Learnard, director of station services for Bryan Field, who officiated over the
field dedication on behalf of Col. Duckworth who had been called away to Washington.
The personnel of Bryan Field then showed
their appreciation to the people of Bryan with an extensive tour of the base and all of its
operations.
Another example of warrn feelings between the two groups is illustrated in the
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generosity of Travis 'Old Sarge' Bryan. As students left Bryan Field for foreign service
or other base assignments, many of them expressed a desire to receive issues of The
Panel at their new locations. Bryan Field itself couldn't afford such an endeavor. So,
Travis Bryan donated hundreds of stamps to the cause, allowing BAAF alumni the
ability to stay informed of the Bryan Field news.
As with any military base, there were some conflicts between the base personnel
and the local community over the years, but overall the relationship was friendly and
familial, making it all the sadder that the relationship had to eventually come to an end.
The Beginning of the End
On 3 October 1945, the Bryan Daily Eagle reported that Bryan Army Air l ield
would be put on temporary deactivation status as of 31 October 1945. The bas
newspaper, The Panel, printed their final issue on 13 October, saying a sad farewell to the
field personnel that they had kept informed for so long. The Brazos County History e, en
lists the base as having closed on schedule. However, the base didn't close then.
Due largely to the efforts of Travis Bryan, the base did not close on 31 October as
had been promised. On 29 October, the following telegram from the Army Air Force
headquarters in Washington D.C. was received by the commanding officer of the field,
Lt. Col. Williams:
You are authorized to announce to the press that Bryan Army Air Field will
not be placed on a temporary inactive basis as of Oct. 31, as previously
announced, but will remain an active installation until further notice.,,
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Over the next several years, as bases began closing around Texas, Travis B. Bryan and
other community elders made ardent attempts to save the base through various means. in
1947, for instance, Mr. Bryan compiled a detailed list of the personnel needed to maintain
Bryan Field at minimum operations and sent the list along with art appeal not to close the
base to Mayor General Charles Chauncey at the Army Air Forces headquarters and a
carbon copy was apparently sent to Texas Senator Tom Connally. He met with success,
receiving the following telegram from Senator Connally:
RL l.,etter Bryan Army Air lucid. Air Forces officials assure; me the.
maintenance of the field will be adequate for facilities in standby categor} .
However, maintenance dependent upon personnel and funds available.
They reassure me that the present plan calls for its retention as a post war
installation....
Later, in 1948, they tried to bringimit of the Air National Guard to Bryan Field.
Some citizens of Bryan who were in the Air Corps Reserve also made the attempt
and General Berry offered his full support of the endeavor."" However. their
attempts kyere unsuccessful, this time. Then the Air force became its own distinct
branch and an academy becarrie necessary, Mr. Bryan spearheaded one filial
attempt to save the base. With the help of people in the community, he composed a
lengthy proposal to get the new Air Force Academy placed at Bryan Field. Bryan
Field made it to the top three in the selection process, which then delayed for three
years because of the Korean War.
However, President Eisenhower decided for reasons not totally known that
the academy should be located in Colorado Springs, in spite of it being a place not
very suitable for learning to fly. By this time, however. Bryan Field had reopened
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as a jet pilot instruction school. Travis B. Bryan was the first man to hear the good
news. His son, Travis B. Bryan Jr. was working at the bank in 1951, when
President Harry Truman called, asking for his dad. The younger 1 ravis ran out to
the golf course where his dad ~~as ;:~ljoyir~g the afternoon acrd told 111111 the
president was on the phone. Mr. Bryan Sr. dropped his clubs right on the fairvm4and ran back to the bank to hear the good news. The base stayed open until 1958.
When it did finally close for good, the government offered to give the base to city of
Bryan for free. The city turned it down, however, and so the base was then offered
to the people of Brazos County for free. Again, the offer was turned down. Finally,
the base «as offered to Texas A& NI (A)lleg;: Nho took it fir free and conN erted it
into their Riverside Campus as it is still named today.
The observant driver might wonder as he passes by what the story is behind Texas
A&M University's Riverside Campus. Was it once a research facility? A farm? An
airport? For many it is a forgotten story, but the city of Bryan will always remember the
history of Bryan Field.
i
Now, before I conclude my history of Bryan Field, I'd like to talk to you about my graduate research.
For my Master's degree, which I earned in 2007. I wrote a thesis entitled The US Army Air Corps in West
Texas: The Effects of Military Base Closures on Small Communities. What I set out to discover was what sort
of interactions existed between military bases and their local communities during and after World War II and
what effects the closing of those bases had on those communities. Inspired by my undergrad research on Bryan
Field, I limited the scope of my study to three Army Air Corps bases: Rattlesnake Bomber Base in Pyote, Marfa
Field in Marfa, and Gary Field in San Marcos.
E 'The most extreme case of the three was Pyote's Rattlesnake Bomber Base. This base was built for
bomber pilot and crew training and was located in Pyote, Texas, near the corner of the panhandle, about 40
miles from New Mexico. Pyote had a long boom and bust history due to various oil strikes, but at the time the
base was constructed it had a stable population of around 1000. During the peak operations of the base, Pyote
had a total population of over 10,000. However, the base closed after the war. And today? Pyote has around 150
I I{
residents. The town resembles a ghost town, with the largest and most permanent buildings looking like ruins
I from a horror film.
T-j Marfa was less extreme. Before and during World War 11, the town had a population of around 4000.
Today, that number has dropped to around 2000. The base is completely abandoned, but the town itself is a L3
beautiful and thriving community.
And of course, as I well know from having attended graduate school there. San Marcos is large, bustling
college town. Most residents there have no idea that there was ever a base.
So, after researching and discovering these things, along with other statistics such as tax revenues and
crime rates and the same sort of general social history I've presented here about Bryan, the question was: why?
Why did Pyote do so badly while Marfa survived and San Marcos thrived? The answer turned out to be fairly
simple. In Pyote, the town revolved around the base entirely. After the base shut down, the town had nothing
else to base its economy and society around. Even when oil was discovered there again, the nearby county seat
of Monahan already had a thriving oil business sector that could easily handle wells in Pyote. Meanwhile,
Marfa also revolved mostly around their base, but they also had a national guard base that stayed open longer.
And, later in the 1970s, when the town was on the decline again, it became a haven for Texas artists, and is
today referred to as the "Sonoma of Texas," boasting more than 20 art galleries in a town smaller than Bryan.
And finally, San Marcos, like Bryan-College Station, was home to a state university, Southwest Texas
Teacher's College, now Texas State University, where I earned my graduate degree. So, when the base closed,
there was a short dip in population and tax revenues, a short bubble in the crime rates, but the town quickly
recovered and continued growing, especially thanks to the GI Bill bringing a whole new sense of openness and
democracy to higher education.
And just like San Marcos, Bryan-College Station continued to grow and thrive in spite of losing Bryan
Field. Which brings me now to the conclusion of the history of Bryan Field....
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