DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Harlingen, Texas — a city that looked at flat, scrubby South Texas land and saw opportunity. Twice.
Let's go back to the 1930s, when the economy was down on its knees and Harlingen leaders were hunting for any lifeline they could find. Federal dollars were the target, and they were patient. Then came May 1941, and suddenly the U.S.
War Department said yes. The city had offered up 960 acres, and the government accepted. What would become World War II was already taking shape on the horizon, and the military needed a place to train flexible gunners.
Now, you might wonder why way down here in the Rio Grande Valley. Well, the marker gives you the answer plain as day — that flat topography that made artillery training impractical turned out to be just about perfect for aircraft operations. The land that seemed like it had no military future was, in fact, ideal.
Additional land was procured along the coast for combat maneuvers, and by August 1941, the Harlingen Army Gunnery School was receiving its first students. The place grew fast. By 1944, the facility had swelled to nearly 1,600 acres, and at peak times it was accommodating up to 9,000 trainees.
Nine thousand. That is a city inside a base. Among those stationed there were Women Airforce Service Pilots — the WASPs — one of the more remarkable facts this marker carries without a single word of fanfare.
Then 1946 came, the war was over, and the field closed. Buildings were sold off to area residents and businesses, and Harlingen absorbed what it could. Seemed like that chapter was done.
But here's the thing about a good piece of South Texas real estate — it doesn't stay quiet for long. April 1952, the United States was now involved in Korea, and the government reactivated the field. This time it came back as Harlingen Air Force Base, with a new primary mission: training navigators.
New facilities went up, including a hospital. Base residents and folks in the surrounding area kept up with local and national events through a publication called the Sun Lines newspaper. Life had returned to the base, and for nearly a decade it hummed along.
Then 1961 arrived, and Washington announced what nobody in Harlingen wanted to hear — numerous base closures, and their base was on the list. By June 1962, when the last class walked out of that school, more than 13,000 navigators had completed their training in Harlingen. Thirteen thousand men who could look at a map, read the stars, and find their way home — trained right here.
But that closure hit hard. The marker doesn't soften it. Millions of dollars were removed from the local economy, and the city felt it severely.
What do you do with a wound that size? You find a way to fill it. The base facilities eventually became a regional airport.
By 1970, that airport had grown into the Valley International Airport. Portions of the old base have also served as an industrial air park, the Texas State Technical Institute — now called Texas State Technical College — the Marine Military Academy, and the Rio Grande Valley Museum. From gunnery school to navigator training to airport to museum — that ground has held just about every kind of human endeavor you can think of.
Some places in Texas just refuse to be done with their story.
What the marker says
With the depressed economy of the 1930s, Harlingen leaders sought to attract federal funds to the area. In May 1941, in preparation for what would become World War II, the U.S. War Department accepted the city's offer of 960 acres for a military airfield and flexible gunnery school. The area's flat topography, impractical for artillery training, was ideal for aircraft operations. Additional land was procured along the coast to use for combat maneuvers. The Harlingen Army Gunnery School received its first students in August 1941. By 1944, the facility was nearly 1,600 acres in size. Accommodating at peak times up to 9,000 trainees. Among those stationed at the base were Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The field closed in 1946; following the war, numerous buildings were sold to area residents and businesses. In April 1952, with the U.S. involved in Korea, the government reactivated the field as Harlingen Air Force Base, with the primary mission of training navigators. New facilities included a hospital, and base and area residents followed local and national events in the Sun Lines newspaper. In 1961, the U.S. government announced numerous base closures, including the base in Harlingen. By June 1962, when the last class graduated from the school, more than 13,000 navigators had completed their training in Harlingen. The base closure, which removed millions of dollars from the local economy, severely impacted the city. Base facilities eventually served as a regional airport, which became the Valley International Airport in 1970. Portions of the base have also been used for an industrial air park, the Texas State Technical Institute (now College), the Marine Military Academy and the Rio Grande Valley Museum. (2004)