Pampa Army Air Force Base - Gray County, TX
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 35° 32.901 W 100° 45.411
14S E 340753 N 3935275
Opened in 1942 and closed in 1945
Waymark Code: WMMJWY
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2014
Views: 2
County of site: Gray County
Location of site: TX-152 @ FM-1474, 4½ miles E. of US-60, and 11 miles NE of Pampa
Marker about site erected by: Texas Historical Commission
Date marker erected: 1982
Originally I had in the short description that I thought this was now a construction site or a landfill. I could not see over the dirt berm and could hear bulldozers and the like. I received an email from Quinduno and he gave me the information that he once worked here loading the hay racks, and that the area is a large feed lot. Some buildings still remain, as well as the runways. Thanks Quinduno for the update information.
Marker Text: Site of
PAMPA ARMY AIR BASE
In the early 1940s Pampa Mayor Fred Thompson and a delegation from the city's Chamber of Commerce traveled to Washington, D.C. to promote this area as a possible site for a military base. Attracted by the terrain, climactic history, available land and community response, Army officials chose this site for the establishment of an installation to train pilots and support personnel for World War II.
Construction of the Pampa Army Air Force Base began in June 1942, under the direction of the Tulsa, Oklahoma office of the Corps of Engineers. Overseeing the initial stages of the operation was Col. Norman B. Olsen. Temporary offices were set up in the Rose Motor Company and Culberson-Smalling buildings in town. Col. Daniel S. Campbell became the commanding officer in September 1942, and within two months the first planes and aviation cadets had arrived.
The Pampa Army Air Force Base closed September 30, 1945, after just three years of operation. During that time 6,292 aviation cadets and 3,500 mechanics were trained. The base's safety record was one of the best in the U.S. Training Command during World War II. Despite a brief history, the base had a dramatic impact on the development of the Pampa area.
Interesting reading and background about this site can be found here: Wikipedia , or Little Known Fields, or Gen Goade, & Gen. Fowler