Brief History of
PERRIN AIR FORCE BASE
SHERMAN-DENISON, TEXAScompiled by John Elkins
CMSGT, USAF (Retired)
Perrin Air Force Base began as an Army Air Field and was one of the first basic flying training schools to become operational after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
During the spring of 1941, leading citizens of Grayson County were discussing the possibility of acquiring a tract of land to lease to the Federal Government for some sort of government installation. At first they were considering the feasibility of powder manufacturing or munitions plant. In March 1941, the late County Judge Jake J. Loy of Sherman went to Washington, D.C. to further the project idea. As he discussed it with various officials, the idea developed. Cooperation with the United States Army Air Corps expansion program secured favorable consideration for a basic flying training school for Grayson County.
County Commissioners began to Work on the project and the tract of land originally selected for the powder or munitions plant was found to be suitable for a flying field. Options on the site were already held by L.S. Omohundro and T.J. Long, presidents of the Sherman and Denison Chambers of Commerce.
On June 10, 1941, the Grayson County voters approved a sixty thousand dollars bond election for the purchase of the tract of land for lease to the United States Government. By December 1941, Perrin was under construction and early cadres were in place getting equipment and support services set up for the opening of the flying school.
The first person assigned to Perrin Army Air Field was Major Robert Warren who reported for duty and assumed the duties as project officer, temporary Commanding Officer and military representative on August 9, 1941. Ten days later five enlisted men arrived from Goodfellow Army Air Field, San Angelo, Texas to assist Major Warren in development of the air strip, hangers, barracks and field headquarters building. Upon arrival, they found the field knee-deep in mud, a bedlam of half-erected buildings and piles of lumber everywhere as well as construction crews busy at work.
On November 12, 1941, Lieutenant Colonel Donald G. Stitt was assigned to the field and assumed command on November 19, 1941. Major Warren served as the project officer and Lt Col. Stitt was in effect, the first commander of Perrin Field.
One airplane, a BT 14 was assigned to Perrin Field on August 21, 1941 for general use. Other officers arrived from Goodfellow Field during September and by mid-October, ten officers were assigned to Perrin. Early arrivals had to drive to the base over a muddy unpaved new road and carry their lunches. When carloads of supplies arrived at the Pottsboro railroad station officers, sergeants and privates rolled up their sleeves and loaded boxes and other supplies onto Army trucks heading for Perrin Field. More personnel arrived during October 1941. Old timers will recall that long mess tables, packing crates, typewriter boxes and nail kegs served as "office furniture" and were shared by the Commanding Officer, Adjutant, First Sergeant, Post Office and file clerks.
First civilian employees came to Perrin Field on November 3, 1941. One secretary for the Commanding Officer and two telephone operators made up the first hiring. At that time there were 17 officers and six enlisted men at Perrin.
The finance department was opened on November 17, 1941 and four days later handled the first payroll, making payments direct to the enlisted men. The barracks were used as field headquarters.
By November 28, 1941, four airplanes had been assigned to the field. One was the BT 14 and the others were BT-13A Vultee type aircraft. Large groups of men started arriving from school squadrons for aircraft maintenance, training duties, medical services, weather, communications, food service and quartermaster duties.
Perrin Field headquarters building was not ready for occupancy until January 17, 1942. Until then the various headquarters functions were carried on in the crowded and unheated barracks. In spite of the difficulties in training facilities and construction activities, the pioneering class of cadets were graduated on schedule on February 23, 1942. The first graduation class was also the occasion for official dedication of the new school as "Perrin Field," which it had been named in January 1942. It was so named in honor of the late Lieutenant Colonel Elmer D. Perrin, a native of Borne, Texas. An Air Corps officer since 1918 who was killed on June 2 1941 in an airplane crash during an acceptance test of a medium bomber near the Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant at Baltimore, Maryland.
A continuing stream of officers and enlisted men were coming to Perrin Field with the strength leaping from 617 to 4,280 enlisted men by December 1, 1942. Utilizing all available space and with barracks jammed to capacity, tents had to be erected for temporary use.
As Perrin Field continued its operations, many problems were ironed out and the field, like most of the Army Air Corps, were adjusting itself to the vast expansion necessitated by the country's entrance into the WWII in the Pacific. From 1943 Perrin Field, thoroughly organized, branched out into other activities and mission changes. Through the years, Perrin was a testing station, sort of "guinea pig" for many new ideas which were adopted by the United States Air Force as well as other branches of the Armed Forces.
Local communities throughout Grayson. County held out a helping hand to Perrinites from the time of its conception, helping to furnish squadron day-rooms as well as inviting personnel into their homes. A road leading from Perrin Field to Texas highway number 75 was built by Grayson County WPA and the Bureau of Public Roads, over which buses ran hourly to both Sherman and Denison.
The ever-increasing numbers of cadets graduated in each class at Perrin Field was evidence of Perrin's contribution to the war effort following the Pearl Harbor attack and well into the Korean Conflict. Many changes came from involvement in the Korean Conflict and in December 1951, Perrin Field officials were informed that the base would eventually become one of the bases to train all-weather interceptor crews which was a new mission for the Air Training Command. Meanwhile, Perrin was designated to conduct two temporary missions. One was phase one of basic single engine pilot training and the other involved transition training with the B-26 medium bomber.
Perrin Field was deactivated in November 1946 after graduating more than 10,000 students. The base was reactivated in April 1948. Allied National Students were in training which started February 1951 and continued through 1962.
Perrin Field became a permanent Air Force installation on July 17, 1952 and changed from Perrin Field to PERRIN AIR FORCE BASE.
In September 1952, the base was transferred to Crew Training Air Force and its mission changed to training aircrews for combat. On April 1, 1958, Training Air Force was eliminated as a part of project "Direct Line" and Perrin Air Force Base was assigned to the Air Training Command. Since its inception, Perrin has trained pilots in Aircraft from B-13's, AT-6's, B-261s, T-28's, T-33 jet trainers, F- 86 D & L Sabre Jets and the F102/106 Delta Wing jets.
Perrin Air Force Base has trained its share of heroes who performed well in combat. The students were awarded medals and became jet aces. While Perrin trained pilots for the Aerospace Defense Command, it also manned it own air defense unit with members of its permanent party who were detached from their regular jobs for alert duty. Since June 1, 1962, Perrin has been part of the Aerospace Defense Command with headquarters at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Perrin's mission has always been an up-to-date state of the aerospace art with the needs of the United States Air Force mission number one. Besides serving as a finishing school for pilots, Perrin has furnished volunteers for the Space Program.
The 4780th Aerospace Defense Wing was the last operational wing assigned to Perrin and was established when Aerospace Defense Command took command of the Base. The wing absorbed the personnel and facilities of Air Training Command's 3555th Flying Training Wing. As an added mission, the Aerospace Defense Command's Life Support School was established on nearby Lake Texoma, The school gave life support and ejection seat training to aircrews flying Aerospace Defense Command aircraft and to Air National Guard units supporting ADC missions.
The 4780th Aerospace Defense Wing trained pilots through it numerous courses and the graduates were either combat-ready in the F102 aircraft and assigned to active units or they completed lead-in training for further instruction in other types of jet aircraft. By 1971, the Wing garnered many honors for outstanding mission accomplishments, topped by the presentation of three consecutive United States Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards and the Daedalian Maintenance and Supply Excellence Trophy.
The closure of Perrin Air Force, Base, originally scheduled for June 30, 1971 was due to changes in Pilot training requirements and the phaseout of the F-102 aircraft from active Aerospace Defense Command's inventory. In addition, the opening of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and crowded airways contributed to Perrin's closure. In June 1971, Detachment 3, 4629th Support Squadron was activated to serve as caretaker unit and accomplished an official closure and disposal of equipment-transfer of real estate.
Upon one of the first local release statements regarding the closing of Perrin Air Force Base, Colonel Vermont Garrison, Wing Commander of the 4780th Aerospace Defense Wing, said, "The 4780th Aerospace Defense Wing has been one of the most efficient Wings that he has ever been associated with."
Since the Base closure, it has become Grayson County Airport with civilian aircraft operators utilizing the flightline and aircraft storage hangers. Several large and small industries are located at the airport and contribute to the local economy.
Grayson County College acquired more than 400 acres for use as their west campus. Many buildings are air conditioned and serve as classrooms. Recreation and housing facilities are available to students and faculty. An expanded 18-hole golf course, soft ball field, lighted baseball field, tennis courts, swimming pool, picnic areas, cafeteria, and a student center are included in the facilities acquired by the college and are located at the Grayson County Airport (Perrin Air Force Base location.)
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