American Freedom Defenders Veterans Memorial

American Freedom Defenders Veterans Memorial. . , Fairmont Army Air Field (FMZ) , Fairmont, Nebraska 1943 - 1946 , Panel 1 , Fairmont State Airfield , (ICAO:KFMZ, FAA LID:FMZ) , is three miles south of Fairmont, in Fillmore County, Nebraska. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011-2015 categorized it as a general aviation facility. It has no scheduled airline service. Construction of the Fairmont State Airfield by the United State Army Air Forces began on September 17th, 1942. It was one of eleven training airfields build in Nebraska during World War II. Shortly after construction began a railroad spur was build from Fairmont to the site to haul materials for the construction. About 1,000 laborers were hired to build the base, and the small town of Geneva (population 1,888) and Fairmont (population 800) were hard pressed to find housing for the workers. Early in the construction, the facility was referred to as the Fairmont Satellite Airfield, and was designated a Satellite of the Topeka Army Air Base in Kansas, however, by early 1943 the name was changed to the Fairmont Army Airfield, as its mission was determined to be a training facility for heavy bomber groups. The first , Panel 2 , Military personnel arrived in November 1942. The airfield was under the command of Second Air Force Headquarters, Colorado Springs, Colorado. the 241st Army Air Force Base Unit was the Operational Training Unit at the airfield. It was assigned to the 15th Bombardment Training Wing (September 1943-March 1944), then transferred to the 17th Bombardment Training Wind in March 1944 for B-29 training. The 511th Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Fairmont as part of the Air Technical Service Command. , Fairmont Army Airfield was a training installation for twenty-seven bombardment squadrons. Complete engine and airframe repairs were available for Consolidated B-24 Liberator and eventually in the more technologically advanced Boeing Superfortress bombers at the five hangars on the field. Extensive concrete runways and the structures were build. A 350 , Panel 3bed hospital served personnel from Fairmont along with Harvard AAF and Bruning AAF. The cantonment area provided quarters for nearly 6,000 officers and enlisted men. Known units that trained at Fairmont AAF were: , 485th Bombardment Group-September 20th, 1943-March 11th, 1944. , 828th, 829th, 830th, and 831st bombardment Squadrons. Deployed to 15th Air Force in Italy (B-24 Liberator) 451st Bombardment Group - September 9th-November 16th.1943. , 724th, 725th, 726th, 727th Bombardment Squadrons. Deployed to 15th Air Force in Italy (B-24 Liberator) 504th Bombardment Group - Mar. 12th-Nov. 5th, 1945. , 393rd, 398th, 421st and 507th Bombardment Squadrons. Deployed to 20th Air Force in Tinian (B-29 Superfortress) 16th Bombardment Group - Aug. 15th, 1944-Mar 7th, 1945. , 15th, 16th, and 17th Bombardment Squadrons. , Panel 4 , Deployed to 20th Air Force in Guam (B-29 Superfortress) 98th Bombardment Group - May 6th-June 25th, 1945. , 343rd, 344th, 345th, and 415th Bombardment Squadrons. Trained on B-29 Superfortresses, inactivated in Nov. 1945 467th Bombardment Group - July 25th-Aug. 25th,1945. , 788th, 789th, 790th, and 791st Bombardment Squadrons. Trained on B-29 Superfortresses, inactivated in Aug. 1946 489th Bombardment Group - July 3rd-Aug. 25th, 1945. , 844th, 845th, 846th, and 847th Bombardment Squadrons. Trained on B-29 Superfortresses, inactivated in Oct. 1945. , In Sep. 1944 Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets visited Fairmont and selected the 393rd Bombardment Squadron of the 504th to join the 509th Composite Group at Wendover AAD,UT. This group dropped both atomic bombs on Japan. , The Base was inactivated on December 31st, 1945. In the Spring of 1946, the War Assets Administration declared the property surplus. Buildings were sold , Panel 5 , and dismantled or moved. The Chapel was moved to Friend, NE. The Enlisted Men's Service Club was dismantled and rebuilt in Shickley, Nebraska as St. Mary's Church. In 1946 Nebraska Dept of Aeronautics acquired the Airfield from the U.S. Government as a state-owned civilian airport. The Fairmont Army Airfield, with its well maintained hangars, support buildings, and commander's house was the best remaining example, as a collection of buildings, of the Army Airfields in the state of Nebraska. Due to the rural location unencumbered by surrounding development the condition of the remaining buildings, particularly the hangars, the Fairmont Army Airfield was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. The District includes the hardstands, aprons and existing runways, all remaining buildings, extending to the edges of the roads were buildings remain. This encompasses historic landscape features such as roads and World War II era planted trees.