McChord Field’s History Revealed in New Book

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - June 28, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is McChord Field from local author Kimberly Peterson. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

McChord Field, tucked away in the Pacific Northwest, maintains an understated presence. Yet this subdued outpost plays a vital role in major conflicts around the world. On July 3, 1940, McChord officially opened as a training base, developing bomber crews for aircraft such as B-17s, B-18s, B-25s, B26s and even some of the Doolittle Raiders.

Strategically located, McChord functioned as an aircraft modification center, producing P-39s, the Soviet Union’s most venerable aircraft, as well as a homeland defense center during World War II. The dawning of the Cold War expanded air defense operations with the newly formed Air Defense Command, receiving the P-61, followed by the F-86, F-102, F-106 and F-15. A global airlift hub using C-124s, C-141s and C-17s, McChord has supported humanitarian, Antarctic and wartime missions for America.

Highlights of McChord Field include:
•   Rarely seen images collected by the author that provide an inside look of life behind the gate, featuring images of everyday life from the past such as base housing, the commissary, the Base Exchange, the Aerial Port and various aircraft stationed at McChord Field.
•   The author, Kimberly Peterson, is an Active Duty Air Force Spouse, who has traveled, researched and collected photographs and stories about the air force base and worked closely with the McChord Air Museum Foundation.
•   Included are photographs and brief biographies of seven of the Doolittle Raiders stationed at McChord Field, which were chosen to participate in the Doolittle Raid in the spring of 1942.
•   The book highlights the role that women played during WWII at McChord Field, from being an officer or enlisted member of the Women’s Army Corps, to the functional role military wives assumed.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.