WORLD WAR II - DeRIDDER ARMY AIR BASE

Serving Beauregard Parish and surrounding areas is Beauregard Parish Airport, 3,968 acres, a legacy of World War II.

The WWII hangar remains in use and the concrete vault of the Army Air Base Finance Office is located adjacent to the hangar. The vintage sewerage system is still utilized and contributed to a reduced construction cost for the Flight Service Station, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility completed in 1985.

It was on July 1, 1941, that a contract for Lease was signed between the Beauregard Parish Police Jury and US Army Air Corp. The US Government handed the parish the property when it was abandoned after WWII, but kept strings attached. The property cannot be sold, and any development must be approved by the FAA.

The Army Air Force (AAF) was organized in June 1941 with the Command being formed under the War Department in March 1942. Just before Christmas 1941, the first troops arrive at the DeRidder Army Air Base. It housed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 troops at a time.

During the war years, the base had what was needed for the welfare of the men: a post exchange, library, chapel, finance building, orderly rooms, headquarters sub-depot, officers and enlisted men's clubs, hospital, theater, swimming pool, shooting range, bowling and billiards.

Units assigned to the DeRidder Army Air Base (DAAB) were 423rd and 424 Reconnaissance group and 409 and 417 Bombardment Group. It is said that L20, B17, B25, B26 and P51's were maintained at the base. Practice bombing range was located near Merryville.

It was no small feat to organize the requirements of WWII with military construction far down the list of most urgent programs. Top priority was given to naval vessels and synthetic rubber plants. Even Army munitions projects were rated a priority over Airfields.

Military considerations were of first importance in deciding where to build air bases. Troops and planes must guard the coasts against invasion. Troops must train in varied climates. In the south, Divisions would accustom themselves to long summers and vast acreage which made uninterrupted training and extended maneuvers possible. And most important, pilot instruction must be carried on where weather permitted flying the year around.

Soil engineers and surveyors found the site, with its flat terrain west of DeRidder, to be ideally suited for parachuting and the training of bomber pilots. With the thriving timber industry in Louisiana today, it is hard to believe, that a lumber famine existed during construction of the air base. Trees were plentiful, but lack of manpower in the forests caused the shortage of lumber.

When the war with Japan ended, buildings were cleaned out and lots of items were buried. Thus ceased the operation of the DAAB which closed in 1945.

The hangar area is essentially unchanged today except that the 75-foot control tower has long since been removed and replaced by a metal light beacon tower.

While serving their country, 35 men lost their lives in training accidents in the area of the WWII facility. To memoralize these airmen on May 12, 2000, a historical highway marker was erected adjacent to the Beauregard Parish Airport, south of US Hwy 190. The airmen so honored are: Frank E. Argenio, Jno Arnold, Phillip J. Bartan, Thomas Canning, Russell Casbett, Jr. Cawthorn, R.W. Clasen, Charles Colson, Joseph Coma, P.F. Curdy, Francis Duggan, R.F. Edwards, Robert E. Haywire, Howard J. Hildebrandt, Jessie Hudson, Hugh Jackson, Vincent Jasinkski, Wilbar L. Johnson, Vernon Kenapsoni, Wallace Kettle, Robert M. Laban, Wm Mackenzie, Daniel Montgomery, Ralph W. Nelson, Cecil Patterson, Elmer L. Posten, Thomas Riley, Camillo R. Schrappa, Albert A. Siegel, Paul Smith, Francis Strickland, Arthur J. Vogel, M.S. Warth, Rrichard Wentling and Lawrence Zelley.

Tom Hanks, movie actor, expressed his regrets that due to a heavy schedule he was unable to attend the historical marker dedication service. However, he stated that if he ever was in the DeRidder area, he would pay tribute to these men at the site of the marker.

The airport's colorful history is evidenced by the guest book. It contains Kevin Costner's signature, one of several stars and VIP's to use the Beauregard Parish airport. Other guest flying into the airport have included Mark Chestnutt, a Mexican ambassador to the United States.

The airport continues to host military exercises which include parachute jumps by Fort Polk personnel. Today it operates as the largest general Aviation facility that is located in the state of Louisiana