Greenville Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 67)

In Forgotten Fields of America, historian Lou Thole said, “Largely unencumbered by stifling governmental regulations and partisan politics and united as never before, they went about building the foundation for the greatest aerial force in history. The results were magnificent and are a lasting testimonial to the American spirit.” One source indicates $3.2 billion was spent on the nation’s air installations during World War II, and “seemingly a base was established near every major crossroads.” One of those crossroads selected by the U.S. War Department was Greenville. In a part of town that was mostly rural (the southern portion of Augusta Road remained unpaved until the late 1920s), hundreds of acres were claimed to support the U.S. build-up for the war. The base was complete and officially activated in June of 1942 and immediately began training replacement air crews. Among the legendary crews to train here were the colorful Jolly Rogers, also known as the 90th Bomb Group, were first to arrive. Their B-24s bore the distinctive twin-tail insignia – a huge skull surmounting two crossed bombs. They were dispatched to the Pacific Theater in short order and immediately began making headlines. The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), the first women’s unit trained to fly U.S. military aircraft were also stationed here. The other group was the 334th who flew B-25s. They remained in Greenville to train fresh crews. As the war drew to a close, more than 500 military airfields were declared surplus and given to cities, counties or states for civil aviation use and for the government in the event of a national emergency. When the Air Force was established as a separate service in 1947, it had 90 major active airfields. The Greenville base was placed on standby status. Over the next four years, training gave way to a military airlift mission and the name was subsequently changed to Greenville Air Force Base. Things didn’t stay quiet for long. The Korean War demanded the base be pressed into active duty again. The need for a tactical airlift force brought the 375th and 433rd Troop Carrier Wings off reserve. It was at this time, in 1951 that the base changed names a third time to Donaldson AFB, paying homage to the WWI flying ace, Captain John O. Donaldson. Though often called a Greenville native, Captain Donaldson was born in Fort Yates, N.D., where his father was stationed with a cavalry regiment in 1897. The Donaldson family moved to Greenville when John was a young boy and he attended Greenville High and Furman University. Donaldson enlisted with the Royal Flying Corps in Canada but transferred to the American air service when the United States entered the war. Assigned to the 32nd Squadron in 1918, he shot down seven German aircraft in less than two months. Not too long after, he was shot down and captured but escaped. It was the first successful POW escape of the war. U.S. General John Pershing eventually awarded Donaldson the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Mackay Trophy for winning the U.S. Army’s transcontinental air race in October 1919. Though he managed to escape death at the hands of the enemies, Donaldson’s passion for stunt flying eventually did him in. A tragic crash from 1,800 feet during a race killed him in 1930. But the base named for him continued growing during the Korean War, becoming one of the busiest with the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing aircrews flying the large C-124 “Globemaster” transport all over the world, even as far as Antarctica. Large hangars and expansive ramps were constructed to support these large aircraft, and for a time, Donaldson AFB was known as the “Troop Carrier Capitol of the World.” By 1957, the Air Force boasted 134 bases, a burgeoning number due to the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the growing Soviet threat. Just a few years after, the Air Force declared the base surplus and the property deeded the entire 2,600 acres back to the City and County of Greenville. The facility was renamed yet again to the Donaldson Center Industrial Air Park. One would be hard pressed to find traces of the sod air bases used during WWI as they mostly reverted to farmland. But the hard surface runways and facilities of the WWII bases were not so easily absorbed into the landscape. Instead, Donaldson, like so many others in the South, became an industrial park to attract industry. As such, Donaldson Center Industrial Air Park welcomed Union Carbide as its first occupant. Today there are over four thousand workers employed at over 80 companies and organizations that populate Donaldson. The fervor of the war effort has long since given way to economic development, but Donaldson Center continues to be an integral part of our landscape. n May/june 2008 | Greenville MaGazine 67

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Greenville Magazine - June 2008

Greenville Magazine - June 2008 Contents From the Publisher My Greenville Everyday Heroes Tackling Diversity Greenville’s Gone Global In The Lead From the Pros Anderson Suburban Sprawl Wellness The REAL State of Real Estate Something to Bark About Minority-owned Business A Look Back 1-Tank Trips Private School Resource Guide After Hours The Bulletin Around Town Viewpoints

Greenville Magazine - June 2008

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