Museum displays life in wartime
Volunteers hope an event in November, right after Veterans Day, will boost awareness of the World War II collection.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published July 17, 2005
ZEPHYRHILLS - The grassy airfield near downtown Zephyrhills has become an extreme sports mecca of sorts, known for drawing world record-shattering skydivers from around the globe.
Long before those jumpers pulled their first parachute cord, however, the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport was home to another breed of daredevils:
World War II fighter pilots.
From 1943 to 1944, hundreds of Army pilots perfected their combat tactics and dogfighting skills at the newly built airport. Members of the Orlando-based 10th Fighter Squadron came here for just three weeks of intensive training. Then the self-dubbed P-Shooters - nicknamed for the P-51 Mustangs they flew - were off.
Many of them flew in the first wave of the D-day invasion on Normandy in 1944. Yet few folks know about this local piece of World War II history.
"They don't know about the history," airport manager Jim Werme said. "They don't even know about the airport. It's surprising."
Officials hope to change that with a large-scale event this fall commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Planned for Nov. 12, the day after Veterans Day, the event will feature aircraft displays, a ceremony for local veterans and tours of the World War II Barracks Museum being developed at the airport.
The County Commission last week pledged $10,000 to get the event off the ground.
"Let's do something for the veterans, but let's also do something for the community," said Pasco County public communications manager Diane Jones, who is organizing the event.
The event comes as the ranks of World War II veterans are dwindling. There are just 501 left in Pasco County, according to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
While many of those vets live in west Pasco, others are part of the massive snowbird population that flocks to Zephyrhills each winter, said Bill Klinger, the county's veterans services officer.
"The veterans' population should probably double that time of year," he said.
The event is designed to honor the veterans and turn their experiences into living history lessons. Some will be asked to share their stories with small groups. Children may be given lists of questions to ask veterans in order to win prizes, Jones said.
Then there are the trivia tidbits at the World War II Barracks Museum, which feature local newspaper accounts about rationing during the war.
Hunters, for example, were encouraged to pick up their shotgun shells and give them to scrap collectors. Farmers were required to get a "certificate of war necessity" in order to get the gasoline or machine parts for their equipment. Children were urged to cash in their piggy banks to replenish the national copper supply.
A giant steel artillery piece, donated to Zephyrhills in 1938 for a Fifth Avenue monument honoring local World War I vets, went back to the federal government a few years later to be melted down.
"My kids couldn't believe this," said museum volunteer Margaret Seppanen. "They think I'm making things up sometimes."
The museum sits in a neatly restored barracks building on the west side of the airport. The city received $118,000 in state grants and spent $80,000 of its own money to restore the A-frame building several years ago.
Originally built as an infirmary, the cream-colored building now houses displays of photographs, training manuals, service medals and other gear from the fighter pilots.
But it's a work in progress. There are no regular hours for visitors, and volunteers are still putting together the displays as they get donations and the time to fashion exhibits.
Werme hopes the November event will stir up new interest in the museum, both among volunteers and people who have war artifacts stowed away in boxes at home.
"There's attics full of memorabilia from a grandfather or a husband, and they don't want to let go of it, but it's just sitting up there," Werme said. "As more people see what we're doing, they're more apt to say, "Let's take it out of the attic and put it down here and have people see what it is."'
Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com