Naval Air Training - Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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Adminisfraiion Building ' sufficienfly sfrong fo desire exfended dufy aI' Memphis or fo en- courage even a self-admiffed esprif de corps. Thai' was fhe picfure of housing af Memphis fhree years ago. Thai' was how fhings sfood before whaf is foday a magnificenf naval es- fablishmenf began ifs growing pains. And fhereby hangs fhis fale. MEMPHIS BEGINS TO ROLL The greafer porfion of fhe base af Memphis has always been aIIoI I'ed fo fhe Naval Air Technical Training Cenfer which, in I946, was buf a uni'I' of 'I'he far-flung Naval Air Technical Training Com- mand, When if was decided fo move fhe Command headquarfers from Pensacola 'I'o fhe mid-confinenfal Iocafion a'I' Memphis, careful and long-range plans were ploffed well in advance fo Ioosen fhe fighf housing sifuafion and 'Io make of fhe Tri-Sfafions a pleasanf and pleasing shore-dufy billef. Memphis really began fo grow in Sepfember, I946, when an ap- propriafe reveille for a Naval New Deal was sounded. Then if was fhaf ground was broken for an on-sfafion housing proiecf consisfing of 50 unifs for officers and I32 for enlisfed personnel. When fhe firsi' ship's company families sfaged house-warmings in fhe spring of I947-in new dwellings as comforfable as old habifs-a noficeable upsurge of morale became apparenf. Somefhing was happening af Memphis! Buf when fhe greafer plans for Memphis became more fangible fhan scu'H'Iebu'H'--when all hands saw for fhemselves fhaf sfeamshovels and bulldozers were carving coffonfields near fhe base info sfreefs and home sifes, shoulders began fo sfraighfen and heads fo perk up. Then. when fhe music of hammer and saw rang ouf over Ol' Man River's counfryside, if is noi' af all inconceivable fhaf mail from Memphis fo all poinfs of fhe land picked up enormously in volume and 'Ienor-bearing fhe glad fidings fhaf real houses and solid homes, as endemically American as flapiacks and maple syrup, had come af Iasf. One by one, 'Ihe fhorny crop of problems refarding Memphis from becoming a greafer, happier, and more efficienf naval sfafion were being plowed under. Because of iis cenfral Iocafion as a fraining sfafion, fhe maior elemenfs of fhe Naval Air Technical Training Command were con- solidafed in Memphis. As a resulf, 'I'he Tennessee acfivify immediafely sfepped info 'I'he role as fhe greafesf insfifufion of ifs kind in fhe world. Seemingly overnighf, fhe vasf, sprawling base became, Iiferally, fhe EnIisfed Man's Annapolis of fhe Air -fhe campus where 2I fechnical schools and courses furn ouf fhe arfisans and craffsmen of Naval Aviafion. Then if was fhaf fhe frain of evenfs sei in mofion really moved inelucfably ahead. The real gains in fhe growfh of Memphis were mosf apparenf in off-sfafion housing. Consfrucfion work was begun in Millingfon early in I948. Less fhan a mile from fhe Training Cenfer enfrance, sfreefs were esfablished and sewers laid in former coffon fields. One hundred and fhirfy-'rhree single family and duplex dwellings sprang up before Sepfember, and work was sfarfed on eighf fwelve-family aparfmenfs which are occupied af fhis wrifing. The golden sfars fhaf lived-in houses wear by nighf now shine in spangled profusion. For more fhan a year, pick-and-shovel crews and carpenfers and masons have moved sfeadily from one complefed housing proiecf fo anofher, wifh surveyors planfing sfakes keeping one iump ahead. H' worked! The plans already accomplished have opened a relief valve, and proiecfs planned promise an even brighfer fufure, While af presenf fhere are days and somefimes weeks when 'Ihe Technical Training Cenfer seems fo be sfraining af ifs seams, fhe sifuafion has seldom re- verfed fo an acufe sfage. An ear fo 'I'he ground and an eye fo fhe fufure assures fhai' fhe Memphis Navy has, once and for all, Ieff fhe dark days of I945 far behind. The crucial housing si'I'ua'I'ion has been licked and is rapidly be- coming Iiquidafed. A HAPPY SHIP While all fhese improvemenfs have been franspiring all abouf 'Ihe base, fhings inside fhe fence have nof been neglecfed. In preparing for fhe posfwar fraining of Naval Aviafion personnel, 'Ihe swords of war were figurafively beafen info plowshares and pruning hooks- for a vasf program of face-Iiffing was underfaken simulfaneously wifh fhe raising of ridge-poles, Hundreds of frees marched down fhe Tri-Sfafion sfreefs arm in arm. Vasf reaches of Iawn were sodded and sown. Shrubbery sprang up as il BY V P .I plus! wer! I' A m ovary S is bah oasIIO. pleaslf The I on Ile families We and Ion and vol Golf diggers slaied' On Ihree e A n viii m hams Imsiil Piwshi Tri-SIAI A n Pfvvid iadiii PM bf +I. Wind My Th W o 'HH IN 4 5 W1 'IN I 'N 1

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2 five red, Sffeaming ii: saw a s any ivy- :'er ol ils Mian skin we urgency rg cleslinecl Q sense ol me of per- ,Jvance ol of Tokyo. gm, sally i ol Nml Principles ,9 3 li0ll'5 Air Tech- zfioni and ,anim hm alolil var 'Med' Buf when fhe lasf enemy had sfacked his arms, Memphis ran head-on info frouble. Four shorf years ago Memphis, like fhe resf of fhe Navy and all fhe armed forces, began wrifhing in fhe foils of demobilizafion. The peace was won, and everyone wanfed fo go home. Men who had played a role in ending fhe shoofing were inferesfed nof a whif in seffling fhe fhing on paper-freafies were for diplomafs wifh brief cases. For men in uniform-men sfafioned in Memphis as well as fhose all over fhe world-fomorrow meanf iobs and picking up where fhey had leff off. They were fed up fo fhe back feefh and fhey wanfed fo go home-by sea--by air-by magic carpef -any way af all as long as if was home. Buf-when separafions and discharges frickled fhrough like sfeaks in warfime bufcher shops, fhe sweef necfar of vicfory soured info a dark brown fasfe. Morale sank lower fhan fhe boffom of fhe Soufh Pacific and plumbed even darker depfhs when fhe decision fo make Memphis a permanenf base reached fhose aboard and 'lhose assigned fhere for dufy. The Navy gripe-vine flourished like fhe proverbial bayfree and fempers grew iaded wifh disconfenf. ln fhe fall of l945, -Memphis, enfangled in fhe slow skein of con- version from war fo peace, was essenfially a barracks-base. For fhose married officers and enlisfed men defailed fhere, if was a place of soiourn wifhouf habifafion-fhe ends of fhe earfh wifhouf so much as a peg on which fo hang a haf. The Air Base lay iusf beyond fhe coffon-counfry-Safurday-nighf ham- lef of Millingfon where family facilifies were al' a premium. The cify of Memphis, a mefropolis of 364,000 inhabifanfs, was approximafely fwenfy miles disfanf, and equally barren of housing. True fo hospifable fradifions, fhe civilian populace in areas surrounding fhe Tri-Sfafions moved over and made whaf room fhey could, buf such quarfers were for fhe mosf parf pififully inadequafe and quife beyond fhe reach of mosf service billfolds. This sfafe of affairs leff buf fwo avenues of acfion for personnel assigned fo Memphis-send families home fo relafives or friends, or crowd 'logefher in such shelfers as could be found. ln fhe spring of I946, fwo houses sfood in solifary splendor on fha Naval Air Technical Training Cenfer-one fhe Capfain's residence, fhe ofher for fhe Execufive Officer. The Naval Hospifal boasfed a verifable cify of fhree houses, while fwo governmenf dwellings and several converfed farmhouses consfifufed residenfial facilifies af fha Naval Air Sfafion. A handful of officers and enlisled men wifh dependenfs were forfunafe in capfuring frailers af a camp iusf oufside fhe base. They were lucky-unless one fook info accounf fhe uffer lack of sanifafion facilifies and a garbage difch infesfed wifh rafs. Ofhers coagulafed in miserable liffle nuclei in an abandoned Army Air Base housing proiecf fiffy miles disfanf af Halls, Tennessee. They were lucky, foo- Navy personnel paid fiffy cenfs a day for fransporfafion fo and from fhe base in a bus which leff Halls af 4:30 in fhe morning and refurned fhem fo fheir firesides af seven or lafer each nighf. ll' was a greaf life, and while if was unmilifary fo weaken, few were

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Mietlialely ind in lie re, lilerally, ' when II 'efhrnen ol ily moved rpparenl in pgfon early ace, :heels he liunflred 4 up before .Parhnenls hi lived-in anim and I proieci lv ,lead ,,l,,, and if Presenl I Training ,Seldom re- n' f' ll' bf ,Ill lelf ,.,iaIv bf' I .W the ring . :gs 0, . wb' Ml' 'll wi' raw Cify of Memphis slcyline if by magic abouf all buildings. Nafive flowers flashed in flamboyanf profusion all abouf fhe sfafions. New roads were carved and old ways were made sfraighf and resurfaced. A man assigned fo Memphis foday can fruly enioy shore dufy in every sense of fhe phrase. He is assured fhaf every available sinew is being benf fo noi' only granf him fhe inherenf righf fo his own casfle, buf fhal' all possible recreafion facilifies are available for his pleasure. The lafesf Hollywood releases are presenfed nighfly af five fheafres on fhe fhree sfafions for fhe enferfainmenf of all personnel and fheir families. Dances, fo fhe fempo of name bands, are frequenf affairs. Bowling and billiards are provided for befwixf and befween afhlefes, and for fhose more acfively inclined, ample courfs for fennis. handball, and volleyball are af hand. Golf devofees may worlc ouf on a splendid driving range, and divof diggers are pleased wifh fhe news fhal' a nine-holf golf course is slafed for spring opening. One of fhe world's largesf indoor swimming pools is among fhe fhree available fo acquafic afhlefes. A recenf innovafion was fhe dedicafion of an afhlefic field equipped wifh modern lighfing for nighf sporf confesfs, Games wifh rival Navy feams and civilian colleges provide fhe 'Memphis Hellcafs wifh in- feresfing baseball, foofball, and baslrefball schedules, and fhe cham- pionship frophy for prowess in wresfling is currenfly on display under Tri-Sfafion glass. A modern school building, sfaffed by well qualified feachers, is provided for fhe educafion of Navy small fry, and ample recreafional facilifies are given fop fof priorify. The finesf in playground and picnic areas and equipmenf is furnished, and a nursery is mainfained for fhe children of worlring or shopping mofhers. The lafesf boolrs and periodicals are available for all in a modern, professionally-manned library. The lafchsfring on fhe Hobby Shop is ouf fo young and old, probably one of fhe reasons why fhis added affracfion has a loffy Hooper Rafing among fhe sfafion's recreafional cenfers. Here everyfhing from fly-fying fo phofography and from woodworking fo leafhercraff is offered all hands. Maferials, fools, equipmenf, and experf insfruc- 'lion and supervision are af hand for any hobby lmown fo spare fime, and lhe Shop has a complefe and up-fo-fhe-minufe library where limifless informafion on allphases of pracfically every craff is available. Recenfly consfrucfed is a complefe aufomobile repair and uplreep garage where fools and power equipmenf are supplied car owners for weelc-end finlcering or more serious overhaul. Qualified super- visors are available fo suggesf and insfrucf, fhus enabling one fo diagnose his car ailmenf and malre his own repairs under compefenf guidance. The enfrance fo fhe lasf word in super-marlrefs is beneafh fhe Com- missary Sfore sign. Here fhe Navy wife enioys fhe mosf modern shopping conveniences wifh service and savings equal fo fhaf of her civilian counferparf. For fhose desirous of a mefropolifan excursion, a regular schedule is mainfainecl befween Millingfon and Memphis wifh modern, com- forfable buses. The main line of fhe Illinois Cenfral Railroad, plying befween New Orleans and Chicago, lisfs Millingfon as a sfafion sfop. The fradifionally hospifable cify of Memphis has opened ifs doors, and ifs hearf fo ifs Navy. The cynical and cold afmosphere and affi- fude of foo numerous old-line Navy cifies is fofally missing in fhe whole-hearfed cordialify Memphis accords fhe personnel and families of ifs greaf Naval Air Base. Somefhing has happened af Memphis! ln one-syllable eloquence, if's a new and differenf Navy Base geared fo fhe needs of fhe modern Navy which regards fhe welfare of ifs men and women as vifally essenfial fo efficienf operafion. A proud and colorful ceremony-fhe flag is raised. --....,,-t -..,,-,- . . -'--Q. e --...exe -8.5-W-.tts , X V Q-'---.W , '-----.....,..- F . -....,.,,