US Army Air Force Technical School and Training Center - Yearbook (Gulfport Field, MS)

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selecTed, because oT special apTiTude and proTiciency, To Take advanced courses as specialisTs in some parTicular phase oT aircraTT mainTenance: or They may be senT To TacTory schools Tor addiTional specialized Training on cargo or TransporT Type airplanes. Basic Training CenTer No. II was acTivaTed aT 6ulT- porT Field on July l4, I943. The cenTer was in Tull opera- Tion by The Time iT was Tormally esTablished. Raw re- cruiTs were being received in a sTeady Tlow Trom recep- Tion cenTers. The Basic Training CenTer Takes The recruiTs, lecTures Them on miliTary cusToms and courTesy, on basic miliTary principles and rules. These men are TaughT To drill. They become soldiers. During his sTay in The Basic Training CenTer, every phase of The recruiT's civilian liTe is sTudied. His educa- Tion, his civilian background, his apTiTude Tor speciTic Types oT work-all are closely examined. His miliTary classiTicaTion is Then deTermined aTTer a sTudy oT These TacTors and in almosT every insTance The recruiT's preTer- ence coincides wiTh The scienTiTic deTerminaTion oT his abiliTies. GulTporT Field is locaTed along The coasTal plain oT The GulT oT lvlexico. Here, beneaTh The semi-Tropical sun oT one oT The naTion's mosT Tamous resorT areas, sTudenTs and permanenT parTy men alike divide Their Time wiTh duTy. recreaTion and physical Training. Men who guide The desTiny oT GulTporT Field realize ThaT soundness oT body is essenTial To an alerT, acTive liTe. Drill and calis- Thenics keep muscles Toned and provide a relireshing change from The long hours oT duTy. PermanenT ParTy men have erecTed baseball and soTT- ball diamonds and courTs Tor volley ball and oTher sporTs. There is plenTy oT room aT GulTporT Field Tor drilling and maneuvering, as The Tield sTreTches over more Than I,2OO acres oT coasTal land. There are Two obsTacle courses and oTTicers and enlisTed men are required To keep in condiTion under The direcTion oT compeTenT physical in-' sTrucTors. EsTablishmenT aT C5ulTporT Field of a Heavy Bombard- menT Processing HeadquarTers, a uniT oT The FirsT Bomber Command oT'The Second Air Force, broughT inTo Tull play The airdrome secTion oT The Tield. The heavy bombers use The Tield as a base Tor simulaTed TacTical operaTions over The GulT oT Mexico and piloTs who are now Tlying The baTTle lanes oT The world received much oT Their over- waTer navigaTional Training aT GulTporT Field. AnoTher secTion oT The Tield is uTilized by The I308Th Signal Pigeon Company lAviaTionl and carrier pigeons T171 are Trained here and TaughT To Tly Trom planes. The company also Trains The men who serve as keepers Tor These viTal messenger birds. OTTicers and men oT C5ulTporT Field have careTully land- scaped squadron areas. Keen compeTiTion exisTs To de- Termine who has The mosT aTTracTive area on The PosT. The resulT is a clean, neaT Tield. Each squadron has iTs own headquarTers building, well equipped day rooms and barracks. STandards oT miliTary discipline and saniTaTion are unusually high. A Service Club, GuesT House, TheaTers, PosT Exchange branches, barber shop, Tailor shops, library, Telegraph and signal oTTices, a sporTs arena, recreaTional building and Tive beauTiTul chapels are among The many con- veniences Tor The personnel oT The Tield. lT, is obvious ThaT much careTul planning and much hard work has made C-5ulTporT Field whaT iT is. BuT There is someThing more inTangible ThaT makes The PosT oT unusual noTe. lT is The spiriT oT cooperaTion, The deTer- minaTion on The parT of every person on GulTporT Field, To make iT The TinesT in The world. AnoTher imporTanT TacTor in liTe aT This PosT is iTs Tine STaTion HospiTal, compleTely equipped and sTaTTed wiTh compeTenT docTors, nurses and Technicians. No beTTer medical care is available anywhere, eiTher in civilian or miliTary life. All oTher deTachmenTs operaTing on This Tield work eTTicienTly and well in order To assure iTs smooTh opera- Tion. H Ground was broken on May 8, l942, Tor GulTporT Field. The Tield iTselT was noT occupied unTil SepTember oT ThaT same year, buT members oT The iniTial cadres were noT inacTive. They occupied Temporary quarTers in The Army RecreaTional Area in GulTporT and There, in TenTs ThaT served as oTTices and barracks, They worked To perTecT iTs adminisTraTive machine. When TirsT sTudenTs arrived in early SepTember, school buildings had noT been com- pIeTed, buT school oTTicers did noT delay. TenTs were erecTed in squadronareas. Airplanes were assembled beneaTh Trees. The Teaching began and moved inTo school buildings as They were compleTed. News of GulTporT Field, iTs purposes, aims and whaT iTs men are doing is reporTed by The GulTporT Field PosT, a Twelve-page Tabloid camp newspaper published each week. GraduaTes oT GulTporT Field have already Taken Their places on The baTTle TronTs oT The world. They are doing Their work in The GulTporT Field TradiTion.

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HISIUIII IIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIII C5ulTporT Field, a Technical School and Basic Training CenTer, is one oT The newesT and mosT eTTicienT posTs oT The Army Air Forces Training Command. The Technical School Trains an endless sTream oT airplane mechanics specialized in servicing Those big TransporT and cargo airplanes ThaT are licking The logisTics problem oT This war. The Basic Training CenTer TransTorms men Trom raw recruiTs inTo polished, smarTly drilled soldiers in a very Tew weeks and classiTies Them Tor specialized Training. GulTporT Field is IocaTed aT GulTporT, Mississippi, and is commanded by Colonel AlTred L. JeweTT, who acTivaTed The command on April I8, I942. This is a sTreamlined Tield, TeaTuring TheaTer-oT-operaTions Type buildings, con- sTrucTed wiTh greaT speed and designed Tor eTTiciency and economy. A primary purpose OT GuITporT Field is The producTion oT airplane mechanics. STudenTs begin school aTTer com- pleTing basic Training and, while aT school, They receive a compacT I9-weeks course OT insTrucTion in airplane mechanics. The course is divided inTo I2 phases Thaf include airplane mechanics, Tools, sTrucTures, hydraulic sysTems, engines, Tuel sysTems, elecTrical sysTems, insTru- rnenh, propehem, engine operaHon,inspecHon, engine change, and The GraduaTion Field TesT. The sTudenT becomes Tarniliar wiTh every mechanical parT oT The modern American airplane. I'le knows The nomenclaTure and working deTail and is equipped To handle TirsT and second echelon repairs. The TacT ThaT This Training is accomplished in I9 shorT weeks is possible because oT The unusually eTTecTive school seT-up. STudenTs move rapidly Trom one phase To anoTher under The direcTion oT compeTenT insTrucTors, boTh enlisTed and civilian. Their courses are presenTed concisely and well, and assimilaTion oT The knowledge They musT learn is accomplished wiThouT delay. ATTer compleTing II phases oT The school, a sTudenT is TransTerred To The Guadalcanal GraduaTion Field TesT Area where he lives Tor eighT days under simulaTed combaT condiTions. lvIosT oT The Tools which he has been TaughT To rely upon are Taken Trom him and he musT uTilize his own ingenuiTy To repair The airplanes in This area. IT is here ThaT The sTudenT learns To make Tull use oT his knowledge and To quickly reason his way To The soluTion oT problems which arise in The Tield oT combaT. GulTporT Field does noT, however, limiT The airplane l16l mechanics' Training To Technical Things. lvlen receive riTle insTrucTion on The Tiring range, build Themselves physically in The Tield physical TiTness program and learn To drill smarTly. Men graduaTed Trom GulTporT Field are primarily Technicians, buT They are Two-TisTed Tech- nicians who can lay down Their Tools, pick up a riTle and Hght Mechanics, like all men developed by The Army Air Forces Training Command, are courageous and versaTiIe. They are equipped To meeT any emergency on The TighT- ing line. The TacT ThaT They have done Their iob well is one oT The primary reasons why American war planes are Today Taking The lead in The desTrucTion oT The enemy. These men specialize in keeping cargo airplanes Tlying and no maTTer whaT The pay load mighT be-precision insTrumenTs in order ThaT Berlin mighT be bombed, air- plane engines, Tools, machinery, airplane parTs or para- chuTisTs and inTanTrymen-iT good mainTenance will geT The planes Through iT's up To GulTporT Field graduaTes To produce. SusTineo Alas - I SusTain The Wings -is The moTTo oT The Training Command in iTs Technical branches. Air- plane mechanics Trained aT GulTporT Field Truly susTain The wings oT America's air mighT. No piloT, no maTTer how daring or how capable he may be, can geT an air- plane Through ThaT is noT up To par. I'lis engines musT perTorm eTTicienTly. l'lis conTrols musT respond imme- diaTely and accuraTeIy To his every Touch. Airplane mechanics such as Those Trained aT GulTporT Field assure him oT an even break. GulTporT Field, in The TirsT year oT iTs acTual operaTion, Three consecuTive Times won The quarTerly Banner Tor ETTiciency oTTered To The mosT eTTicienT Tield in iTs disTricT oT The Command. IT has always, Trom The TirsT days oT iTs exisTence, Turned ouT airplane mechanics smooThly and rapidly. IT isn'T an elaboraTe Tield, buT iTs adequaTe physical planT oTTers everyThing necessary To a sTreamlined pro- ducTion machine. STudenTs learn by doing. School buildings are cenTrally IocaTed and are adiacenT To school hangars. School rooms are IocaTed on a single sTreeT where sTudenTs progress Trom one building To anoTher as They advance in Training. Each day a group oT sTudenTs is graduaTed and a new group begins school. They may go inTo on The line duTy, They may be

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TAFF UFFICERS EDWARD E. LUTWACK NCHARD, STERBA Maior . Malo' I Executive Asslsfanf io Execuhve and Commanding Officer, Ninih Academic Group AAFTTC HARRY A. JOHNSON JOSEPH G. STULB, JR. JOHN B. LUKE, JR. GEORGE H MOORE Capfain Maior Maior Lieuienanf Colonel S-I S-2 S-3 S 4 WILLIAM P. KIMBROUGH Maior Adiufani JR. QUIDO F, MARTORELLI WILLARD G. BOWEN Capfain Sgcond Lieufenanf Assisfani' Posf Adiuianf Assisfanf Posi Adiuianf U51