History
Initially known as Atterbury Air Base, its original name was borrowed from the Army's then-active Camp Atterbury, located only 14 miles north of the base. It was named in honor of Brig. Gen. W.W. Atterbury, who had been in command of transportation and supplies in Europe during World War I. A graduate of Yale University, Gen. Atterbury later became president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The base was renamed Bakalar Air Force Base in a formal dedication ceremony held November 13, 1954, in honor of First Lieutenant John Edmond Bakalar. A native of Hammond, Indiana, Lt. Bakalar, of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, was killed in action September 1, 1944, over France when his P-51D-5 Mustang, 44-13895, crashed.
Read more about this topic: Bakalar Air Force Base
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“I saw the Arab map.
It resembled a mare shuffling on,
dragging its history like saddlebags,
nearing its tomb and the pitch of hell.”
—Adonis [Ali Ahmed Said] (b. 1930)
“Boys forget what their country means by just reading the land of the free in history books. Then they get to be men, they forget even more. Libertys too precious a thing to be buried in books.”
—Sidney Buchman (19021975)
“English history is all about men liking their fathers, and American history is all about men hating their fathers and trying to burn down everything they ever did.”
—Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932)