SEBRING - Sixty-five years ago, on Sept. 4, 1941, the first 100 enlisted men arrived in Sebring. They had traveled in a convoy of trucks from Gunter Field but permanent shelter was not yet available in the airbase under construction seven miles east of town.
Residents of the little 30-year-old town of Sebring had barely wiggled through the Great Depression, and they were ready for change, physically and financially. Many gathered at the downtown Circle to welcome the young servicemen.
The caravan edged south through the oak canopy that covered Southeast Lakeview Drive only to set up tents in a sandy scrub. As soon as possible they doffed all clothing and dashed into the clear waters of Lake Jackson. Word of the migration traveled quickly. Soon the shore was covered with sightseers and the guys were forced to remain off shore longer than expected.
The tent site, about 75 yards from Lake Jackson, was across the street in the area where the current Publix supermarket and Sherwin Williams paint store are located. A second detachment arrived from Gunter Field on Oct. 4, 1941. The tents housed four men each and were set up on wood floors to keep the sand out. However, according to Francis Greer in a recent interview, sand was their major problem. It got into their shoes, clothing and beds. It stuck to their sweaty bodies, he recollected.
"The big shots," Greer remembered, "enjoyed the comforts of the Kenilworth Hotel and the Hotel Sebring."
The 307 men remained there in what became known as Tent City until buildings were erected at the base seven miles east of Sebring. The field was not yet named Hendricks Field.
The runways were the first to be built at the new base, before anything else. The first plane to land on the airfield came in Dec. 12, 1941. It was a Vultee BT-13 with Majors Rodieck and James Daniel Jr. aboard.
This would be the third area known as Tent City in Sebring; the first being on Lakeview in the area of Park Street before housing could be provided for the first settlers. The second Tent City was located at the intersection of Rose Avenue and Eucalyptus Street and running parallel to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad tracks. The Tent City created in September of 1925, was necessary due to the influx of tourists before hotels and rooming houses could handle the response to persuasive advertising.
In November 1941, approval was received for the construction of 71 family dwelling units for civilians and officers to be located on Lake Jackson and for 193 family units east of Sebring on State Road 8. Several Sebring adults hold fond childhood memories of playing in the dunes and sand pits that were created behind the homes built on State Road 8 and those off airport road near the base. The officers' quarters were located on the shore of Lake Jackson in an area that was to be known as Snob Hollow.
Sebring came alive again and met the challenge with business activity, new homes, new buildings, recreational facilities and educational buildings. A beautiful stucco building at the City Pier became the center for the United Service Organization, offering dances and other activities for service men and women. Bands played in the Band Shell at the City Pier.
A.W. Pollard worked at the air base, has studied its history and has accumulated a library of photographs and literature of much historical value. In a contribution to this article he mentioned that when Lt. Col. Carl S. McDaniel assumed command of the field on Dec. 6, 1941; Lt. Col. Rodieck was reassigned to a staff position in Washington. And then it became apparent that the cost to stabilize the entire airfield so that it could be used for basic trainers would be prohibitive. When on Dec. 8, war was declared, this became a priority for four-engine pilots and crews. Four runways had already been built but the ground was still not suitable for a basic training school. The commanding officer was a four-engine pilot and was aware of the need for a four-engine training school. McDaniel immediately created a plan to begin training 25 crews the first month and increasing monthly to 150 per month. The colonel flew to Washington to detail his plan before the commanding general of Army Air Forces. When he returned to Hendricks Field on Jan. 29, 1942, with approval for combat crew training, he was flying the first B-17 to land on this field. Benefits of the base Long range benefits from the military base at Hendricks Field beyond the immediate financial jumpstart, cannot be enumerated. But a few of them are homes and barracks buildings that remain in use, the growing airport, now a regional airport with its potential for various types of ventures, other small businesses having matured and continue operating. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars building is composed of barracks buildings, one on either end of a hastily erected base unit. It is on Southeast Lakeview Drive across the street from the location of the enlisted men's Tent City of 1941. Some 39 Sebring women married men from the base, according to A.J. Pollard who has authored a book on Hendricks Field. Several couples were married in the base chapel. Menus prepared Francis Greer was born in Brewton, Ala. After high school he enlisted in the military service and was trained in Maxwell Field, Ala. He was sent to Fort Lee, Va. and on Dec. 6, 1941, he came to Sebring via the Atlantic Coast Line and was trucked to Tent City. His outfit of approximately 100 medics included 27 African-Americans. They were housed separately but worked and trained together. Part of their mission here was learning to prepare menus for various diet requirements. Greer said it was impossible to keep the sand out of their beds; they drilled for two months in the sand so really enjoyed their swim every morning. He also mentions the speed in which the runways were built and buildings erected. The base water supply came from DeSoto City and part of his job was to guard the water tank at night. Greer admitted that the food was good and well protected with walk-in freezers. Sleep was interrupted like it was on any other military post, up at 4 a.m. to the sounds of the bugle. Another enlisted man, Raymond C. Knapp accustomed to big city life in New York, felt betrayed when he was ordered to the fledgling Hendricks Field in rural Sebring. He trained as an armorer for the B-17 bombers, learning to fire and repair the guns. He was bored in Sebring, he admitted on a return visit, but being transferred to Buckingham Air Force Base some 15 miles from Fort Myers was worse. He felt a sudden glimmer of hope when his commanding officer called, ordering him to pack up that he was shipping out to Naples immediately. He thought it was Naples, Italy. Regaining his composure, he asked if he will be going by boat or plane. Neither was the response. They told him he would be driving. Deflated, Knapp momentarily felt it was a prank since he had never heard of Naples, Fla. His spirit rose however, as soon as he climbed into the 1942 Plymouth his father had given him. He was enjoying the woodlands as he sped down the narrow two-lane highway toward Naples located on the beautiful shore of Southwest Florida. Then there was a loud bang and he stopped. He had hit a cow wandering across the road. His brush with the Florida Highway Patrol was an experience he will never forget. The officer lectured him that he can't run around hitting cows in Florida like this. After some very unsettling episodes he finally reached Naples. Years later, he returned to Sebring to view the changes.
A letter received after his visit included a photograph of his B-17 crew in full uniform and an account of his missions with a true list of all of their runs. The tour required 35 target trips (you must drop the load or get fired upon, otherwise no credit) before returning to the United States for reassignment or release from duty, he wrote. He is mentioned in the "Flying Fortress" a book by Edward Jablonski, which he says is a nifty account of the B-17 history from start to finish. Kavan wrote, "When we received our overseas orders we were assigned to a brand new B-17 for a destination that we later learned was Italy. From Hunter Field, Ga. we flew in Newfoundland, to the Azores, to Morocco, to Tunisia and finally to Foggia, Italy. That was late September 1944. "In Italy, we flew the highest and longest B-17 runs of the war. Many of the runs were eight hours plus and since we had to hurdle the Alps both ways, fuel to get home could become a real worry." He details the dangers of flying over the Alps and his good fortune to have weathered it all and to come back to his family unscathed. When the writer commented that his incredible signature indicated an artist nature his reply was "Strange that you should ask. My book of poems has just been published." The book contains unusual topics, such as the emotions created by jet streams following his B-17 high above the earth. |
One Hendricks Field trainee, Stanley F. Kavan returned during his Christmas vacation to visit the area where he married his beautiful bride and honeymooned in the Tropical Hotel on North Commerce Street. He was disappointed that the hotel was no longer there. The chapel at Hendricks Field where he and Henrietta were married also was missing, but he enjoyed the other changes about the city.