Marking History

I have been waiting for 28 months...finally, today, "my" historical marker was unveiled and dedicated.

Back in early 2015, The Colonel (who chairs the Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) for the county) told me of a new historical marker that was being proposed. It would mark the WWII military history of our local airport.

The Colonel said the HAC was looking for a sponsor for the marker. The marker would cost $2,200.

At the time, I was a trustee for my deceased father's foundation. As a trustee, one of my duties was to make grants to non-profit organizations. I chose to have the foundation sponsor the marker.

Now that a sponsor was found and the marker paid for, The Colonel informed me that the verbiage for the marker had to be written. He handed me a thick stack of paper and each piece of paper was filled with military facts about the airport's historical past.

"Will you write the verbiage for the airport marker?"

"Sure. I have never done this before. What does it entail?"

"Read through all of these pages and distill the information to no more than 1,235 characters".

"Okaaaaayyyy".

With my "marching orders" in hand, I began to read through the stack and to distill the facts.

I worked on the verbiage for a couple of days. The Colonel liked what I wrote. He took it to the next meeting of the HAC board for its approval. They accepted it and signed off on it in May of 2015.

Next step...my writing to be cast in metal for an historical marker at the airport.

The marker was ordered and delivered to the county. It was slated to be dedicated in July of 2015 (four months was the usual time span for approval to dedication of a marker).

28 months later...November 2017...The dedication of "my" marker...

(Yam designed the dedication program)

It was a beautiful morning at the airport and a nice crowd showed up for the dedication. My Favorite-In-Laws were there too.

The high school NJROTC Color Guard posted the colors, the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance and then we watched as two old "Warbirds" perform a fly-over before the dedication began.

The Colonel gave the welcome and introduction at the podium.

He was followed by Commissioner Deutsch who spoke about the Historical Marker Program, Mr. Andrews of the Airport Authority who spoke about the roles of the airport, Dr. Carlson a history professor at Florida Gulf Coast University who spoke of the historical significance of the airport and finally Mr. Scott, Director of Community Services (Yam's big boss) who gave the closing comments before the unveiling of the marker.

Usually the sponsor of a marker is listed in the program and is mentioned during the dedication. I was not listed in the program but the Commissioner did introduce me and have me stand up. His introduction was odd though. He sits on the HAC with The Colonel, so they know and like one another, and his introduction went something like this:

"I want to thank The Colonel's wife, Bird, Bird please stand up. Thank you for being behind this marker and behind The Colonel. Thank you for allowing him to get out of the house and do the things he does for the county".

Odd and a bit awkward. His words made it sound like I am an iron-handed wife and controls when The Colonel can leave the house. Again, odd and a bit awkward.

The Colonel and I are both glad that "my" marker is finally dedicated.

 It has been a long time in coming. Some of the reasons for the 28-month delay are chalked up to Airport Authority issues and county employee issues.

I have written four more historical markers for the county. One about the railroad town of McCall, which no longer exists and one about the Hickory Bluff Mound, an ancient Indian mound along the water that no longer exists (The Colonel and I gifted money towards this marker and my DAR chapter is the sponsor) and one for the Hickory Bluff Cemetery, a pioneer cemetery of African Americans and the Lt. Carl A. Bailey Cemetery, an African American cemetery that is still used today.

I have no idea as to when these two markers (McCall and Hickory Bluff Mound)  will be dedicated. The park where the Hickory Bluff Mound marker is to be placed was damaged by Hurricane Irma in September. The marker cannot be placed until the damage has been repaired.

The Colonel and I always stop to read historical markers when we see them. We like to learn the history of the places. It makes us happy to know that we contribute to the historical markers in our county by funding and writing them. It makes us happy too to know that others will stop by these markers and learn about our local history and that these markers will still be here once The Colonel and I are history.

Below is the verbiage I wrote for the airport marker (notice the year on the marker):

Punta Gorda Army Airfield

World War II

In May 1942, the Army Air Corps chose this site for the Punta Gorda Army Airfield (PGAAF). Construction began that October at a projected cost of $700,000.

The Army Air Corps activated PGAAF on December 11, 1943 with a mission to train pilots for overseas duty. The first student pilots arrived in February 1944. Average class size was 30 students per squadron. This included the 490th Fighter Squadron and the 502nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron. Over 750 student pilots completed 15 weeks of training at the base. There were six training-related deaths. Pilots flew the Curtis P-40 Warhawk and the North American P-51 Mustang.

The Army Air Corps assigned 44 officers and 1,097 enlisted men as permanent staff. The base had 61 service buildings including hangars, repair shops, chapel, theater, mess hall, and classrooms. Personnel lived in 268 “hutments” consisting of wooden lower halves and canvas tops.

PGAAF contributed to the victory in World War II and was deactivated on September 1, 1945, one day before the surrender of Japan

.

Today the Punta Gorda Airport serves our community through both private and commercial aviation.

Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, 2015