I started working for the Area Engineer on November of 1942. I had come home on vacation from Business college when Sheriff Frank Steinacher and Harrison Bauchman came to our house on the farm near Friend, Ne to ask whether I would want to come work for the Area Engineer, Captain Helge Olson.

I decided why go back to college when I am being offered a good job with good pay. Jobs had been hard to find at that time.

We had an office in Fairmont, NE on the West side of the street, with desks and typewriters on each side of the room. We typed orders for material and correspondence for Fairmont, BRUNING and Harvard Air Bases. I made 6 copies-- the original and 3 copies were signed. 4 were sent to Omaha, 1 to the Colonel and 1 for the files.

I would be sent out to the farm house near the Fairmont, NE Air base on the north side (which later became the home of the Colonel) where they had to type and fill out forms for the people who came to apply for a job. They taught me to finger print so that I could help when the couldn't keep up with the applicants.

Over one thousand workers were employed during the early phases of construction. I rented a room in Geneva at Dr. Carlson's and rode to work with Bud Dumberland. When the Area Engineers finished building the Airbase, Capt. Olson asked me to work for him on their next job which was building runways overseas. I almost did, then changed my mind. Didn't think I wanted to be shot at.

I was transferred to the Bruning Air base Post Engineers to work for Captain William A. Grant and Major Switzgable. I never saw so much mud. It seemed to rain all the time. The GI's would come and pick us up at noon to eat with the them at their mess hall. Our building was at the north end of the base. The Quartermaster buildings were across from the Post Engineers.

We would go over to the PX ever so often which was at the south end of the base. I can remember the "40's music" always being played on the Jute Box I remember the center post with a circular seat all inlaid with the most beautiful colors of wood in the Officer's Club.

They would fly in bands to entertain the troops in the big hangar. I remember when Count Basie played in the hangar. I can still see the G.I's as they sat on the planes while the bands played this great music -- the smiles on their faces as they kept time to the music. I remember the day Captain Darling came in and asked me to make out a work order for him. He was one of the most handsomest officers I had ever seen. They were to fly out a group of officers. The next day they told us the plane had crashed and all were killed.

See link The Naper 28, story of that plane crash.

There were many accidents when they were practicing their "dog fights". I remember one that flew over our Post Engineers Building and over the Quartermaster Building to the north of us. Missed the roof, but hit a high line wire. We were told later that the wire had cut his head off.

I would also be sent to the Main Gate when they needed typing and finger printing done -- there I worked with Sgt. Joe Curley. I also had to work weekends when paper work piled up and had to be done. Seemed like all we did was get up at dark, go to work, get home, eat supper, go to bed and get up early to get back to work. Our work days were very long. we pooled rides to get to the base.

FAIRMONT ARMY AIR FIELD

The first military personnel arrived around noon in FAIRMONT on Nov. 10, 1942 Under the Quartermater Corps Officer, 2nd Lt. William Prince Jr. The small group of 6 men was an advance party and they would pave the way for the thousands to follow. The first civilian worker employed was Ted Everts on November 23, 1942. I, Dorothy Vnoucek Skrivanek was the first woman employed.

The first bomb group to occupy Fairmont AAf was the 451st Bomb Group with B-24's. The 451st came from Wendover Field, Utah.

As I was now assigned to the Dental Clinic, I remember those bomb groups coming in from Europe had to come in and get their teeth checked just as soon as they got in. Half of them had "Trench Mouth". I would dispense a bottle of mouth wash especially made for for "Trench Mouth".

The 451st had the worst accident when about 4:40 on October 25,1943 when two B-24's collided at 20,000 feet. Seventeen men were killed and one survived. The flight was to be one of the last prior to finishing training. Most of the men's wives and girls were waiting for them at the PX.

The 485th Bomb group followed the 451st and began arriving in the last of October 1943. The 485th Bomb group followed the 451st and began arriving in late October 1943. The 485th completed their training in March of 1944 and moved to the Mediterranean Theatre flying B-24's The group took additional training in Tunisia prior to going to Italy.

Half of the 831st Squadron, eight officers and 146 men were lost while moving to Africa to Italy. A torpedo attack on their troop ship took a total of 498 lives. The missions and targets were similar to those of the 451st. The 485th won a Distinguished Unit Citation for its attack on a oil refinery in Vienna.

The first group to take B-29 training at Fairmont was the 504th and they began arriving on March of 1944. There were few B-24's available anywhere for training so most of the groups early work was done on reconditioned war weary B-17's. At that time B-29's were considered elite operation and the pilots had to have considerable flying time prior to being assigned to the command of a B-29.