posted Feb 2, 2012 10:35 AM by Milt Martin
posted Jan 14, 2012 1:48 PM by Milt Martin
PRATT,
Nov. 11, 2011:
Duiring World War
II, nearly a dozen military airfields throughout Kansas provided
training for
the heavy bomber crews of the U.S. Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces, and
the
U.S. Navy. Among the bases was Pratt Army Air Field (today's Pratt
Regional
Airport), just northeast of this south-central Kansas community.
On Veterans' Day, Friday, ceremonies were conducted in memory of the
thousands of Pratt-area veterans of all generations -- with particular
commemoration of the World War II airmen who trained there, at Pratt
Army Air Field. Most of those airmen entered combat immediately
afterward... some perishing in the conflict.
The ceremony was
the finale of a week of Veteran's Day observances in and around Pratt, starting
with a "USO Show," -- imitating the live variety shows provided to
entertain troops during World War II -- in the Pratt Municipal Building
Saturday, Nov.5.
Veteran's Day,
Friday, Pratt's observances began with a 9:30 ceremony for all veterans at the
Liberty Middle School auditorium. Among those scheduled to be present and
honored were two World War II bomber crewmen: B-24 pilot Capt. Dean Galloway, and
B-29 radio operator Staff Sgt. Joe Chovelak.
Later in the day,
the Barron Theater presented the war movie “Memphis Belle,” the story of
the
first World War II B-17 bomber crew to complete 25 missions -- the point
at
which a crew was exempt from further combat missions. The combat death
rate, at
the time, was horrific for these crews over Germany and occupied Europe,
with
few of the first combat crews surviving, intact, for the full 25
missions. The movie was free, but donations were taken for the Pratt
B-29 Museum project.
PRATT WARTIME
COUPLE HONORED
During the day's
events, a particular Kansas couple, now passed, was especially remembered for
their service during the ceremony. During World War II training in the B-29
bomber at the Pratt field, Lt. Calvin Lyons met his wife-to-be, Lois Webb, a worker
at the Beech Aircraft factory in Wichita -- which was building wartime training
and light-transport planes -- when she was persuaded to visit Pratt as part of
a USO show for the troops training there. After meeting here, Lyons hitchhiked
to Wichita, whenever he could, to see her. They married Nov. 12, 1945.
But between
meeting and marriage, in early 1945, Calvin was sent to Guam -- one of the
forward U.S. bases in the war with Japan.
As a B-29 bombardier he flew over 700
hours, surviving 25 combat missions.
On one mission,
risking his life, Lyons dislodged an armed bomb caught in the plane's bomb bay
-- a feat for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In later life, Lyons’ had hoped that
his ashes might be scattered at the Pratt Army Air Field, where so much of his
life was shaped.
An Air Force
honor guard from Wichita's McConnell Air Force Base conducted a flag ceremony
for their family, at the end of the Veterans' Day events, Friday. Veteran Galloway
delivered a short sermon and one of Lyons' relatives spoke of the couple.
By special
arrangement, their ashes will be commingled and interred, next spring, on
Memorial Day, at the Pratt B-29 Memorial that honors those who prepared, there,
to enter the largest war in history. The Memorial is arranging for an on-site
"columbarium," a place for ashes of the deceased, to accommodate
veterans.
Source: Kansas Aviation Centennial
|
posted Aug 13, 2011 4:23 PM by Milt Martin
From: Pratt Tribune Date: 08/12/2011 By: Gale Rose
Pratt, Kan. —
The sound of World War II aircraft will once again be heard at the
Pratt Regional Airport when the Commemorative Air Force co-sponsors a
fly-in at the airport.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and
will feature two World War II vintage trainers furnished from the CAF
Jayhawk Wing out of Wichita, said Reid Bell, Pratt Regional Airport
Manager.
Col. Chuck Chauncey, a WWII B-29 pilot that flew over 20 missions
over Japan, is expected to be in attendance to answer questions about
flying the B-29. Aircraft rides will be available at the event.
The CAF is bringing A T 50 Bobcat trainer and a PT 23 Primary
Trainer to the event. Rides are available in both aircraft. Rides in
the PT 23 are $100 and rides in the T 50 Bobcat Trainer are $225. The T
50 can hold three passengers so the $225 can be split three ways, said
John Bartholomew, Vietnam veteran and CAF recruiting officer.
The CAF will also have memorabilia on sale at the event.
“I’m really excited about it,” Bartholomew said.
Efforts are underway to locate a local service group that would be
willing to prepare a pancake breakfast for the event. The breakfast
would run from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and would be free to the event pilots
with a charge to the public set by the group serving the breakfast,
Bell said.
Any organization interested in hosting the pancake feed at the airport should contact Bell at the airport at 672-7571.
The Commemorative Air Force will bring a grill and prepare
hamburgers and hotdogs for a $5 lunch meal deal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. Proceeds from the event help the CAF conduct events like this and
helps with the maintenance of their 160 vintage WWII aircraft at CAF
locations across the country.
The fly-in is expected to bring a number of pilots to Pratt. It’s
good way to bring people to the airport and Pratt. It provides good
exposure to the airport, its improvements and the availability of
business space at the airport.
A fly-in provides a good excuse for pilots to get out and go flying and this event will help raise awareness of Pratt.
“Any time private pilots have a reason to fly is a good thing,” Bell said.
Besides bringing out of town pilots to Pratt the fly-in also draws
locals out to the airport to not only see the aircraft but to get
re-acquainted with the airport.
“The community becomes more aware of their own airport,” Bell said.
The event will be advertised at airports through out the state and is expected to draw pilots from around the region.
The CAF is one of the largest air forces in the world. Started in
1957 with a single P-51 Mustang and a small group of ex-service pilots
from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Now it has about 9,000 members
from every state and 28 foreign countries. They have a fleet of almost
160 airplanes representing 60 different types including not only WWII
era aircraft but also from other later conflicts and from several
foreign countries.
The CAF mission is to acquire, restore and preserve a complete
collection of combat aircraft in flying condition as a way to
perpetuate the memory of those who flew in defense of the U.S.
The Pratt Regional Airport started life as the Pratt Army Airfield.
It was completed in 1943 and was the first training field for B-29
pilots and crews in the world. The field was active from 1943 to 1946.
Among the many that trained in Pratt was Paul Tibbets, the pilot of
the B-29 Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6,
1945.
The USO was also active in Pratt and played host to many entertainers including Bob Hope.
|
posted Jun 4, 2011 8:38 PM by Milt Martin
By Gale Rose
Posted May 31, 2011 @ 02:45 PM Pratt, Kan. —
The members of the B-29 Bombers of the Prairie Museum and Memorial want
to restore as much of the World War II Pratt Army Air Field as possible.
Efforts are underway to get the airport declared an historical site.
“We want to get some federal funding and turn it into a national park,” said David Stitt, vice president of the B-29 BPMM.
Plans are being considered and more help is needed if the remaining
pieces of the airfield can be incorporated into the memorial.
“We’re trying to get the community of Pratt involved in the Army
airfield and museum,” Stitt said. “We want to restore the airfield.”
The group has also started a monthly newsletter called “Tailwind” after the original World War II paper at the airfield.
Opened in 1943, the Pratt Army Air Field, now the Pratt Regional
Airport, was the first training facility in the world for B-29 pilots,
crews and ground crews.
The airfield includes 18 historical sites, mostly foundations that still exist.
Efforts to restore the parachute building have slowed and more
funds are needed. The group intends to go outside the Pratt area to
seek the $50,000 funding necessary to restore the parachute building.
Besides restoring the parachute building, plans are also under consideration for a Rosie The Riveter memorial.
The museum is seeking more items for display and encourages donations of historical items from the base.
Most of the original buildings on the site are gone but a few like
the B-29 double hangar that could hold two B-29s (now home to R&R
Industries), the parachute building (future B-29 museum), the Norden
Bombsight holding buildings and a couple of other structures still sit
as reminders of the contribution Pratt made to help win WWII, Stitt
said.
“The B-29 helped stop World War II and saved millions of lives,” Stitt said.
Another part of the plan calls for a driving tour of the base and
some of the housing that still exists in Victory Heights and, if
possible, restore a couple of apartments to the way they looked during
the war.
In order for this project to succeed, more members are needed to
fulfill the many tasks necessary to get all the work completed.
The group will do some promotional work in the fall to help raise
interest. All interested parties are invited to attend group meetings
at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the meeting room at
the Pratt Fire Station, said Trevlyn Detmer, Tailwind Board Member at
large.
“We want people to get to know what we’re about and help us keep the B-29 tradition,” Detmer said.
Among the planned elements is a multimedia presentation about the
airfield. They also want to expand their collection of bomb group
historical documents.
“We want to be a depository for the history of all the bomb groups
that were stationed here,” Stitt said. “We already have the records of
the 29th Bomb Wing and are working with the 73rd Bomb Wing. That’s one
of our important projects.”
This is history that needs to be preserved and it needs to be done
now. To volunteer or receive Tailwind contact George Stevens at
620-672-2041. |
posted Jan 10, 2011 12:54 PM by Milt Martin
[
updated Jan 10, 2011 1:07 PM
]
 Joe Chovelak (left), 29th Bomb Group Association, presents the group
records to Phillip Schulz president of the B-29 Memorial and Museum.
Helping is Ret. Command Sgt. Major George Stevens with Brigadier
General Vic Braden applauding the ceremony in the background. |
posted May 28, 2010 4:22 PM by Milt Martin
 Caption: Members
of the 73rd Bomb Wing Association visited with the B-29 Museum
Committee about donating the wing records. Bomb Wing members (front
from left) Ruth Keyser, Ed Keyser, Bill Montone, William Greene, Lefty
Palmer and Don Livengood. Pratt B-29 Museum Committee (from left) A. C.
Boland, Jack McCawley, Marjorie Buck, Dave Stitt, Chairman Phil Schulz,
Pratt Mayor Bill Hlavachick, Milt Martin, Bud Simmons, City Manager
Dave Howard, City Commissioner Dwight Adams. Article By Gale Rose The Pratt Tribune Posted May 28, 2010 @ 02:51 PM Pratt, Kan. — The
73rd Bomb Wing is looking for a home for their collected memorabilia
and artifacts. They are looking at the B-29 Museum at the B-29 All
Veterans Memorial at the Pratt Regional Airport as the place they want
to leave their history. Four members of the 73rd Bomb Wing,
representing the four bomb groups in the wing, were in Pratt to take a
first hand look at the restoration work on the B-29 Museum in the
Parachute Building at the airport. They were pleased with what they saw. The
group was looking for a place that would display their historical
documents and memorabilia rather than keep it packed away in boxes and
that is what Pratt wants to do, said Lefty Palmer, chairman of the 73rd
Bomb Wing Association and member of the 498th Bomb Group. After
touring the B-29 All Veterans Memorial and the parachute building, they
were impressed with the progress of the B-29 Museum Committee to get
the building ready for displays. “They are really determined to get the building open,” Palmer said. While
they are impressed with the plans, the group is going to wait until the
building is actually ready for artifacts before they make the final
decision to turn the material over to the B-29 Museum committee, said
Phillip Schulz, Chairman of the B-29 Museum Committee. The group wants to make sure a facility is in place and functioning before they turn over their documents, Schulz said. The
73rd Bomb Wing Association is anxious to get a home for their
artifacts. As their members age, fewer and fewer will be available to
handle the necessary arrangements for their documents and artifacts. Restoration
of the parachute building is well under way and the plan is to have the
work completed by August or September but have enough work should
complete to put in displays before the building is complete. The fact
that the B-29 Museum will be open in a few months and not a few years
was also a factor in Pratt’s favor, Palmer said. The committee
received a $52,800 Heritage Trust Fund Grant from the Kansas Historical
Society and is using those funds to restore the building. The
committee’s drive and dedication helped sway the 73rd committee to look
at Pratt as their choice. They had been to several other locations but
thought that Pratt would be in line with their wishes for displaying
the artifacts, Palmer said. The 73rd Bomb Wing was meeting in
Wichita and the veterans took the opportunity to drive to Pratt to
check out the facilities and the meet with the members of the committee. Making
the trip were Palmer, William Greene-500th Bomb Group, Bill
Montone-497th Bomb Group and Ed Keyser-499th Bomb Group. Of these four
groups, the 497th was the only one that served in Pratt. Also attending were 73rd Bomb Wing Historian Don Livengood and Ann Keyser, wife of Ed. The
group met with the B-29 Museum Committee at the Pratt County Historical
Museum then headed to the airport and spent some time at the memorial
looking at the names of others who had served at Pratt. They spent a
long time at the parachute building learning the history of the
building and looking at the various elements of the building including
the parachute hanging room. The group then enjoyed a supper at the Park Hills Country Club.  Caption: B-29
Museum Committee Chairman Phil Schulz (left) describes restoration work
on the B-29 Museum parachute building at the Pratt Industrial Airport
to William Greene and Lefty Palmer (right) of the 73rd Bomb Wing
Association that is looking for a home for their wing records. Wing
Association members (background) Ed Keyser and Don Livengood look at a
photo of the restoration of the B-29 Doc in Wichita.
|
posted Mar 3, 2010 9:15 AM by Milt Martin
[
updated Aug 13, 2011 4:37 PM
]
BUILDING PRATT HISTORY
PAAF parachute shop
The
parachute shop, one of five Pratt Army Air Field buildings remaining,
is being converted to a museum showcasing PAAF and the B-29 plane.
Making history
Construction of the Pratt Army Air Field began in 1942 and the field
was dedicated in May 1943, one of four B-29 fighter plane training
fields in Kansas. The others were at Walker, Great Bend and Salina.
Why Kansas? There are a couple of schools of thought, Phillip Schulz,
president of the B-29 Museum Inc. Committee, said. Boeing, in Wichita,
was the primary contractor for the B-29. Kansas is in the middle of the
country. And Kansas legislators lobbied for airfields. Texas had the
most military installations, but every state, with the exception of
North Dakota, had some, according to Schulz.
The base was
constructed on faith, before the B29 had ever flown. Five bombing
groups trained here, preparing for overseas duty. In two and a half
years, the base was home to 10,000 military personnel and 600 civilian
employees.
Base plans authorized housing for more than 3,000
enlisted men and 522 officers; many more, and their families, found
accommodations in Pratt, where homeowners hastily carved out apartments
or rented spare rooms.
The base was deactivated Dec. 31, 1945
and ownership of the 2,000-acre facility was transferred to the City of
Pratt for development of the Pratt Industrial Airport. Many of the
buildings were sold or given to organizations. Several were leased to
businesses.
Telling history
The parachute shop has housed several businesses in the last 65 years,
but has remained in good condition. The ceiling and wall surfaces are
original.
The building is 90 feet long, 37 feet wide and 40 feet to the top of the parachute tower.
In 2009 the Airport Authority gave the building to the B-29 Museum
Committee for a Bombers on the Prairie museum. The building is listed
on the state and national historical registries. A $53,000 heritage
grant from the Kansas Historical Society is providing funds to
rehabilitate the building.
“We want it to look like 1943 when you walk in the door,” Schulz said.
Archives from the 29th Bomb Group, assembled by Joe Chovelak of
Illinois, will form the nucleus of the exhibit and research material.
The intention will be to put a human face on history, Schulz said. They
have letters from a flight surgeon, thousands of photos and personal
effects like a flight jacket with a Japanese language handbook and a
survival map tucked into the pockets.
They hope to have a
walking tour that would include three other original buildings, Norden
bombsight vaults, foundations of celestial navigation trainers and the
All Veterans Memorial.
An event is planned at the site in the fall and it is hoped the museum will be open by the end of 2010.
The parachute shop at Pratt Army Air Field was identical to
this one in Maryland. An overhead door on the Pratt shop will be
removed and replaced with double walk-in doors like those pictured.
Much of the interior material is original.
Civilian employees
repair and pack parachutes. The women are from Trousdale, but their
names have been lost.
photos courtesy Phillip Schulz
|
posted Nov 15, 2009 2:49 PM by Milt Martin
 A few (not all) members of B-29 Museum Inc. |
posted Nov 9, 2009 2:32 PM by Milt Martin
[
updated Nov 9, 2009 2:34 PM
]
Veterans Day
Program
Wednesday,
November 11, 2:00 PM
All Veterans
Memorial at Pratt Airport
Master of
Ceremonies---Jack Ewing
American
Legion Riders Arrive
Presentation
of Colors---National Guard
Star Spangled
Banner---Skyline High School Band directed by Bob Bitter
Flag Salute
led by Jack Ewing
Invocation---Pastor
Bob Fleener, First Southern Baptist Church
Welcome and
Introduction of Jeff Taylor, Mayor of Pratt---Jack Ewing
Recognition
of Active Duty Military and National Guard---Mayor Taylor
Recognition
of All Veterans---Mayor Taylor
The
Allegiance Rap---Skyline K-6 Students directed by Jane Biles
Introductions
by George Stevens, Ret. Command Sgt. Major
Major Robert A. Wood, HQ 635 RSG---Speaker
Master
Sergeant Terence Goscha, HQ 635 RSG---Speaker
Battle Hymn
of Gettysburg---Sacred Heart Students
directed by
Marty Hopkins
America---Skyline
High School Choir directed by Beth Novotny
Presentation
of Memorial Wreath---George Stevens and Bud Simmons
21 Gun
Salute---1st
Battalion 1161 Field Artillery Ks. Natl. Guard
TAPS---Mark
Graber
Retrieval of
Colors---National Guard
Closing
Statements---Jack Ewing
American
Legion Riders Depart
God Bless
You, Our Troops, and God Bless America
|
posted Oct 1, 2009 6:31 AM by Milt Martin
Reflecting back on Joe Chovelak's visit to Pratt
the Week of September 21st thru the 25th 2009.
When Joe first mentioned coming to Kansas several
months ago my first thoughts were "What the heck are we going to do for the
whole week".
Well as you all know, we had a full week and then
some.
Joe is very interesting to visit with and is
always "on" for anyone or anything that comes up.
When I first saw Joe coming down the ramp at the
Wichita Midcontinent Airport I knew we had someone very special coming to
Pratt. He had mentioned to watch for a little guy in a wheelchair with
bushy eyebrows and waving an American Flag.
My feeling is Joe enjoyed the visit as
much as we enjoyed having him here.
Everyone did a fabulous job of helping out with the
visit. There were many things to cover and work out but it was
accomplished very well by our group.
The meeting between Joe and George T. Chandler was
very special. To listen and watch these two Combat Army Air Force Veterans
discuss their various flying missions was a moving experience for those present
in the room. Photos and a digital voice recording of their conversations were
made for our Museum History.
I won't mention everyone's contribution, for fear I
will leave somone out.
The open house went very well. Many stopped by to
visit with Joe and the refreshments were very good. Thanks to those who prepared
them.
The two items that were presented to Joe during the
Open House were a very nice remembrance for Joe on his return to Kansas after
some 64 years.
I think some wondered "Just who is Joe" at the
beginning but now we "all" know who Joe is.
Thanks to all for Helping Fly this Mission with
Joe.
"Well Done"
Phillip Schulz
|
|
