In search of the McCook Army Airbase

Last week I had an interesting encounter at our local airport. Just outside the walk-in gate I noticed the Captain for our Fed Ex aircraft in conversation with a gentleman oh about sixty some years in age. The Fed Ex gent seemed a bit reluctant so I stepped up to introduce myself. “Hi I am Dick Trail a local flight instructor.” as I extended my hand. The other gentleman stated “I am Bill from Arizona”. It might not have been Bill but that will do.

Bill then asked if this airport was the location where the Air Base was in WWII. I told it was not but the Airbase was located six miles north of the town a ways west of Highway 83. I also told him that he would be welcome to drive out there and get a closer look. And then the rest of the story began to unfold.

Bill’s dad was a young Lieutenant and was stationed here during 1943 through 1945. The dad served in supply but had a second duty. He was also in charge of a platoon of German Prisoners of War that worked at the Airbase and he grew to really like working with those POWs.

Bill said that the leader of the POWs was a gentleman named Gustaf (pronounced in the guttural German style) Brown. Gustaf had earned the trust of the Lt and on occasion was given a car and sent into McCook to buy needed items.

Bill said his dad was married and that he and his wife lived in McCook. He didn’t know the address but his mother worked at the J.C. Penny store. He related that one day Gustaf came into the store when she was working. Gustaf dressed in his dungarees with the short-sleeved light blue shirt emblazoned with P W front and back. It seemed that one of the customers in the store expressed fright seeing the German soldier there unsupervised so Bill’s mom went to her and explained that Gustaf was to be trusted and don’t worry about it. That seemed to calm the lady.

Arizona Bill had some other stories handed down from his mom and dad over the years. I too grew up in that era and groups of POWs worked the fields hoeing sugar beets and picking up potatoes among other jobs for my folks and the neighbors. My brother and I discovered that those young men were a bit kid starved and they enjoyed having us young ones around. They even brought us candy from their PX that they had purchased with their POW wages. Lots of stories!

Bill was wondering where and how far away the POW Camp was. He had driven Highway 6 & 34 out here after attending a family reunion at Dubuque, Iowa. I pointed out that he had driven right past the Camp at Indianola where most of the POW workers came from and the larger Camp at Atlanta but evidently he hadn’t noticed.

Oh I was intrigued and offered to take him around to see those items that he was interested in if he could stay the next day. For some reason, he had an appointment to attend in Colorado Springs that evening and was unable to stay. Did I get his full name and phone number nor did I give him the same? No I’m sorry to say. Local history and I missed the chance to learn more! Bummer.

Arizona Bill had a sad comment to share. He said that the American Red Cross had sent a telegram to Gustav Brown informing him that his wife and only daughter had been killed in a bombing raid In Germany. Tough news and Arizona Bill said that he had a cousin who was a bombardier on B-17s. It could have been Bill’s relation but we’ll never know. So it is in war.

Later on Gustaf told Bill’s dad that when the war was over he wanted to stay in the States as he liked it here and had nothing to go back to in Germany. Did it happen? Arizonia Bill didn’t know. I do know that some bureaucrat up the line decreed that the German POWs had to return to that area in German where they had entered the service. Tough decision for those young Germans who had to return to the occupied lands where the USSR was in charge. Gee I would like to know more.

I notice that the island of Haiti is in terrible turmoil at the moment. It wasn’t long ago that we Americans made a huge effort to get Haiti back on its feet after it was hit with a strong Hurricane. A missed opportunity as we should have done like following WWII in Germany where we used military officers to create a democratic republic. Instead, Haiti slid back into a typical South American dictatorship and the people are really suffering from our neglect. So it goes in shortsighted politics.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail