Walterboro Army Airfield

Walterboro Army Airfield. . (Left Column) , Walterboro Army Airfield , In the late 1920's and 1930's, a rough landing strip was made on the farm of C.C. Anderson just outside Walterboro. Starting in 1941, as part of the World War II effort,The U.S. Government acquired the site of the strip and assembled a total of 3,815 acres for the Walterboro Army Airfield. Construction began in April 1942, and just four months later, on August 4, 1942, the base was activated. The completed installation consisted of a large airfield with extensive support facilities. Army Air Forces Fourth Service Command conducted combat air crew training. The Tuskegee Airmen were part of this effort. They were located near Tuskegee Circle, which is now the site of Walterboro High School. Many notable objectives were completed here. Trained pilots and crews went directly to combat in many parts of the world. There was a compound for German prisoners of war. The largest camouflage school in the country was located here. Approximately 600 acres were used for bomb storage. Air combat support was provided from Walterboro for many important defense facilities and cities, such as Santee Cooper Dams, the Parris Island Marine Base, the Navy Yard, and Charleston. This was a very desirable airfield location because it had good flying weather and was beyond the range of hostile navy guns. Effective 15 November 1945, the total installation was classified as surplus. Quit Claim Deeds conveyed the property to the Colleton/Walterboro., (Left center column), Flying Units at Walterboro Army Airfield , 30th Bomb Group B-25 1942 , Campaigns: Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno,Southern France, North Apennines, Rhineland, Central Europe, Po Valley , 321st Bomb Group B-25 1942 , Campaigns: Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno,Southern France, North Apennines, Central Europe, Po Valley , 345th Bomb Group B-25 1943 , Campaigns: Japan, China Defensive, New Guinea, Bismark Archipelago, Western Pacific, Leyte, Luzon, China Offensive , 339th Fighter Bomber Group A-24, P39, P51 1943 , Campaigns: Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe , 405th Fighter Bomber Group A-24, P39 1943 , Campaigns: Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe , 48th Fighter Bomber Group P-39, P-47 1944 , Campaigns: Antisubmarine, American Theater, Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe , 126 AAFBU Army Air Corps Basic Unit 1943-1945 , P-40, P-39, P-47 and B25 , Campaigns: North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Europe , (Right center column) , Tuskegee Airmen Monument Recollection of the Beginning by Mr. Johnnie Thompson February 13, 2005 , One Sunday afternoon in 1993, the Honorable Floyd Buckner and I, after attending church services at my church the Mt. Olive Baptist Church on Savage Street here in Walterboro, decided to go out to the then Colleton County Airport to witness an air show. We heard that the Valient Air Command of Titusville, Florida was sponsoring this air show with old World War II vintage aircraft. We also heard some of the members were original Tuskegee Airmen who took their combat training here in Walterboro. We were very excited to meet them. Upon our arrival, we discovered that even though they did have members of the Tuskegee Airmen in the Valiant Air Command none came along for the air show. However, the gentleman who was running the Walterboro/Colleton County Airport, Mr. Lloyd Vickery, also known as Airport Daddy, produced a letter he had recieved from an original Tuskegee Airman by the name of Col. Hiram E. Mann. He allowed us to make a copy of the letter. I could hardly wait until the next day, Monday, to call Col. Mann. He agreed to come to Walterboro and meet with us. We hastily put together a dinner meeting. I took him on a tour of Walterboro and the only thing he remembered was the water tower. Any way he agreed to come back the next year, 1994, and be our Parade Marshal for the Martin Luther King Parade. We put on one of the biggest parades we ever had that included the Marine Corp Band, a marching platoon from the National Guard, and a Bradley Tank. We put Col. Mann in a Humvee. We had the State Lt. Governor Nick Theodore and many other high ranking dignitaries. The word got out that we brought the Tuskegee Airmen back to Walterboro; thus the vision for the monument and the rest is history. , We unveiled the Monument in 1997, we estimated 3,000 in attendance; we had about 19 original airmen and each recieved The Order Of The Palmetto from Gov. Beasley. I received correspondence from as far away as London, England. , Johnnie Thompson . , (Right Column), The Commission To Design The Tuskegee Airmen Monument and Walterboro Army Airfield Memorial Park , McKinley Washington, Jr., Chairman , W. Harry Cone, Vice Chairman - Walter P. Lloyd, Treasurer , James A. White, Secretary - Theodore "Ted" Kinard , Floyd Buckner - William Smoak , Johnnie Thompson, Coordinator , Bernard Warshaw - James R. Addison - Jacquetta Jones , Clayton Marshall - J.C. Tingman - Franklin Smalls , Richard Price - J.J. Summers - Dwayne Buckner , Mamie Lynah - Lt. Glen Roberts - Mary Ann Cannady , Mike Garvin - Lynette Fryer - Ken Sloan , Peden McLeod - Rob Novit , It is the intent of this Commission to honor all who served here at Walterboro Army Airfield during World War II, and to thank all who took part in making this honor a reality. If we have inadvertently omitted any person or institution, we apologize. Please blame our heads, not our hearts. , Dedicated Memorial Day , May 26. 1997 , ← ÷ → , The Ribbon Cutting Of The New Landscape , Design Of The Walterboro Army Airfield Memorial Park , Friday, May 27,2005 . , The Tuskegee Chapter and the Airport Commission in Partnership with the City of Walterboro, Colleton County, Clemson University Extension Service and the SC National Heritage Corridor developed a plan to expand the existing Tuskegee Monument. The Tuskegee Memorial was dedicated in May 1997 to the determined young men who enlisted to become America's first Black Military Airmen. With the assistance of the Design Arts Partnership at Clemson University and the SC National Heritage Corridor, the local chapter, with the City of Walterboro and Colleton County Council, raised funds to add a landscape plan and provide for interpretation (to be added a a later date). Once in place, the interpretation will tell the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the history of Anderson Field, the German POW's who were there during World War II, and the Camouflage School used for training during the war. The goals are to make this a beautiful site that welcomes visitors flying into our airport, attracts families who visit their loved ones at the VA Nursing Home, and adds to tourism and our economic base. Plans are underway to market with other Military Sites in the Lowcountry including Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant; The Hunley, North Charleston; Parris Island, Beaufort; and The Mighty 8 Air Force Museum, Savannah Ga. , Very Truly Yours, , Mr. Johnnie Thompson, Chairman , Hiram E. Mann (TAI)