Great Bend Army Air Field
April 1944 to December 1944
North Field Guam
December 1944 to September 1945
187 Missions
Kadena Okinawa
June 1950 to September 1953
251 Missions — — Map (db m66299) WM
Activated April 1, 1941
Deactivated October 22, 1946
Served with Distinction From Bases In
—————————
Puerto Rico Panama Guatamala Ecuador Pratt, Kansas Chakulia, India . . . — — Map (db m66881) WM
Donated to the City of Great Bend this 18th day of Sept., 1956 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company.
History
Purchased in July 1919 from Baldwin Locomotive Works at Eddystone, Pennsylvania at a cost of $69,000. Used in . . . — — Map (db m59846) HM
Vernon Chandler James Stevens
Wayne Christensen George Lane
Neil Allen Frank Hermes
Richard Ackerman Harold Galbreath
Douglas Snook Rutger Kindberg
Roy Kurre Robert Tannehill
Andrew Kerzner — — Map (db m66300) WM
Jim Hall Francis Thompson
Eugene Victor Gerson Lacoff
John Segal Don Leeper
Ernest Vick John Keogh
Don Comer Marv Beattie
John Tyrrell Cecil Corley — — Map (db m66270) WM
Erected and dedicated by
Ira D. Brougher
Department Commander
to
Pap Thomas Post No. 52
Grand Army of the Republic
Department of Kansas
Veterans of the War of
1861 - 1865
[Honor Roll of Post No. 52 Members]
[Honor Roll . . . — — Map (db m59159) WM
Robert Brett Vonley R Bucklin
Thomas Cantwell Roger Denis
Burmon Hoyle Clarence Rarick
William Schomburg Fred Sobaski
Richard Solt David Sussman
Burdette Young — — Map (db m64279) WM
Charles "Deacon" Miller Raymond Geiger
Ted Morrill Ernest Keller
Carson Eckmann Edward Hassig
Robert Foor John Murray
A.L. Tilley Archie Moore
Delmar Pfeiffer Elmer (mascot) — — Map (db m66265) WM
In 1825 the Federal government surveyed the Santa Fe trail, great trade route from western Missouri to Santa Fe. Treaties with Kansas and Osage Indians safeguarded the eastern end of the road but Plains Tribes continued to make raids. Fort Zarah, at . . . — — Map (db m55315) HM
Tribute to Jack Kilby
There was a time when engineers who improved our daily lives and spawned global industries achieved enormous prominence and public attention. Henry Ford and his tin lizzie were recognized everywhere. Alexander . . . — — Map (db m66174) HM
Bernard Kiley Jr Morris Schuurmans
Patrick Conaghan Jr Henry Harper
Arthur Richards Edward Tis
Cecil Saul Gilbert Dunning
Milton Diley James Husted
John Herring — — Map (db m66245) WM
World War II Korea Vietnam
Enlisted in USAAF - 1943
Native of Great Bend
Distinguished Service Medal - Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross - Air Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Accommendation Medal
Army . . . — — Map (db m64275) WM
K.D. Thompson Thomas F. Randle, Jr.
Thurman W. Sallade Thomas L. Price
Vaughn A. Plevan* S. Clay Sandhofer
Louis N. Decory Charles O. Trabold
B. Keith Baldwin Gordon K. Golden
Leroy J. Arents — — Map (db m64304) WM
Of the 12 original pilots chosen
for the B-29 program
the following were stationed
at Great Bend Army Air Field
——————————
Marshall (Moe) Brown Jack Doran
Archie Lewis . . . — — Map (db m66877) WM
Roy H. Bruns Roy B. Brown
Harold T. Bohham Victor W. Bailey
Laurence A. Dryden Richard H. Beardsley
Richard J. Rodrick Victor E. Repp
C. "Mike" Williams Herbert C. Dunn
Earle M. Bayne — — Map (db m64284) WM
Edmund G Smith POW James Edward POW
Ray "Hap" Halloran POW Robert Grace*
William Franz* Guy H Knobel POW
John P Nicholson POW Anthony Lukasiewicz*
Vito C Barbieri* Robert Holladay*
Cecil T Laird* — — Map (db m64285) WM
"Lucky Irish" Gunner
73rd BW 497th BG 870th SQ
30 combat missions from Saipan.
Enroute home in the famous 52-mission
"Dauntless Dottie" which led the first
Saipan-Tokoyo [sic] Raid, the plane crashed
on Kwajalein, June 7, 1945
In . . . — — Map (db m66365) WM
In the history of most successful communities, there have been defining moments. Streetscape served as such a moment for this community. In the wake of the financial adversity of the preceding decade, this community united in common effort to . . . — — Map (db m59161) HM
Paul J Burnor Kenneth W Fisher
John R Brown Harold L Hadden
John M Williams Raymond E Nelson
Frank O'Neil Ellis W Conrad
Frank W Steed Burrel S Lewis
James R McFayden — — Map (db m66878) WM
"The Chief" Hay John Froehlich
Frank Pettibone John Pearson
James Hunter "Hap" Owens
Robert Beals Robert Thill
Charles Burton Bill Bostick
Al Ruester — — Map (db m66368) WM
[Panel] 1 The B-29 Memorial
Honoring the Past...
Educating the Future
The B-29 Memorial was built to honor the sacrifices made by people in the past to ensure freedom for future generations. Until the 1990s, the Great Bend Army Air . . . — — Map (db m69240) HM WM
John A Dunn* Arwin C Hook*
John J Buckley III* Rufus E. S. Henry*
Edward C. Johnston John T Juracek Jr*
James E O'Donnell Philip Wolk
Loney G Boggess Ralph L Heffernan
Lloyd G McNamee — — Map (db m66269) WM
Nicolas Van Wingerden
William C Jennings* Wendell F Geiwitz*
Albert E Woltz* Uline C Miller
Thomas J Maxham* Samuel E Davis*
Kenneth C Carlson* Rex T Phelps*
Martin T Warner Scott C Baker* — — Map (db m64300) WM
(east side)Dedicated to the Veterans of All Wars May 26, 1935 (west side)Erected by Morrison-McFadden Post № 3111 Great Bend, Kansas — — Map (db m156307) WM
Thomas Welch James Johnson
Robert McKay George Glover
Charles Vail Robert McInerny
Allan Hanson James Jones
Walter Grouten James Vasbinder
Bob Kilburn Hugh Polson
Am Reinhard — — Map (db m64286) WM
