Harlingen Air Force Base

Harlingen Air Force Base, originally Harlingen Army Airfield, is a former United States Air Force base in northeast Harlingen, Texas. After the base closed, the field was redeveloped into Valley International Airport.

With the outbreak of World War II in Europe it was decided to build a military airfield in Harlingen. Col John R. Morgan was the first commanding officer of the Harlingen Aerial Gunnery School, arriving in August 1941; he was to hold that appointment through World War II. On June 30, 1941 a contract was let for Morgan and Zachary, El Paso and Laredo builders, to start the military airfield construction. The mission of Harlingen Army Airfield was to train aerial gunners. The school received its first assigned cadre in August 1941. Its primary mission, with an initial student load of 600, was that of training aerial gunnery students in a five-week training program. Over 48,000 soldiers were trained until the school, one of three such types in the country, closed in 1945. It was initially assigned to the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center as a flexible gunnery school, with the 78th Service Group being designated as the first host organization at the new airfield.

Wikipedia