Army Corps of Engineers awarded Newton, Glenn, and Knost Construction Company and J. By the time the War Department allocated the funds in April 1941, the projected cost had risen to $9.6 million. 8 was officially designated as Keesler Army Airfield.Ĭongress initially appropriated $6 million for construction at Biloxi and an additional $2 million for equipment. On 25 August 1941, Army Air Corps Station No. Lieutenant Keesler had died of wounds during World War I while serving in France as an aerial observer assigned to the 24th Aero Squadron, U.S. In late June, Mayor Braun received word that the new school would be named in honor of 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., of Greenwood, Mississippi. City officials wanted the base named after a notable figure in the local area's history, but it was War Department policy to name installations after service members killed in action. 8, Aviation Mechanics School, Biloxi, Mississippi, on 12 June 1941. The War Department activated Army Air Corps Station No. On 6 March 1941, the War Department officially notified Mayor Braun that Biloxi had been selected. The package included an early airport, the old Naval Reserve Park, and parts of Oak Park sufficient to support a technical training school with a population of 5,200 people. Army Corps to build a base to support the WWII training buildup. In early January 1941, Biloxi city officials assembled a formal offer to invite the U.S.
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