McCook Field in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Wright-Patterson AFB

1927

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., August 2, 2009

1. Wright-Patterson AFB Marker

Inscription.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...
-John Gillespie Magee

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has led the nation throughout the evolution of U.S. military air superiority. When the original Wright Field was dedicated in 1927, it developed all aircraft and aeronautical equipment for the Army Air Corp [sic]. This work continued into World War II when U.S. air fleet capabilities vastly improved. For the 1991 Gulf War, navigation and targeting systems developed at Wright[-]Patterson allowed pilots to locate their targets in nighttime fog. Other advanced radar systems could identify detail on targets 30 miles away.

Possibly Wright[-]Patterson's most famous moment was one of peace. Because of its excellent airfield, security, logistical support, and lodging facilities, Wright-Patterson hosted the 1995 peace accords for the conflict in the Balkan nations. The talks lasted for 21 days and were so close to breaking down at one point that the Croatian president's jet sat on the ramp, loaded with its engines running. A breakthrough was reached, however, and the Dayton Peace Agreement, the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was signed.

Erected 2003 by Inventing Flight and Dayton Power &

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Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm • War, World II.

Location. 39° 46.1′ N, 84° 11.202′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in McCook Field. Memorial can be reached from Great Miami River Recreational Trail. Marker is in Centennial Park, within Deeds Point MetroPark, off Webster Street, about 475 feet NNE of the confluence of the Mad and Great Miami Rivers. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 510 Webster Street, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. John Glenn (here, next to this marker); McCook Field (here, next to this marker); Huffman Prairie (a few steps from this marker); The Peace Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); J. Bradford Tillson (within shouting distance of this marker); The Solution: Wing Warping (within shouting distance of this marker); Neil Armstrong (within shouting distance of this marker); Sir George Cayley (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

More about this marker. Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration Series #8

Also see . . .

Centennial Park Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., August 2, 2009

2. Centennial Park Markers

Four markers, from nearest to farthest, are John Glenn, Wright-Patterson AFB, McCook Field, & Huffman Prairie. Looking SSW, with downtown Dayton in background and Wright Brothers statues at left center distance, in front of the green pedestrian bridge.

Wright-Patterson AFB Home Page. (Submitted on April 7, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,354 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2022, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.