Wings of Honor Museum

The U.S. military thought they’d found the perfect spot in Tennessee to build a pilot school. It was 1942 and the world was at war. There was only one problem. To build an airfield in the chosen spot, about 5 million cubic yards of dirt needed to be moved.

It wasn’t long before a flat expanse just north of Walnut Ridge was discovered and the Walnut Ridge Army Air Forces Basic Flying School was born.

In 1999 the Wings of Honor Museum was opened to celebrate the area’s rich military history, Director Harold Johnson said.

“We thought we had a rich history here — we thought it was history that needed to be preserved,” Johnson said.

Construction on the pilot school began in late summer in 1942. At its peak, there were more than 5,000 people living on or near the school, meaning it was larger than nearby Pocahontas or Walnut Ridge, according to information at the museum. An estimated 5,310 men entered pilot training. At least 4,641 pilots were certified. It was reported that 42 pilots lost their lives during training.

The federal government bought more than 3,000 acres to be used by the pilot school. It had three runways that span about 5,000 feet. The land acquisition and construction cost almost $10 million, or $160 million in today’s dollars, Johnson said.

After the war, up to 10,000 aircraft were brought back to the airfield. Many were disassembled, and some were even buried in the ground somewhere on the property, according to local legends. German prisoners of war were also brought to the base.

The museum is filled with artifacts from that era including the airfield beacon light, siren from the fire station, and it has two BT-13s, the aircraft used to train pilots. The museum moved to its current location in the mid-2000s. There were expansions in 2013 and 2015. Many locals have donated pictures and artifacts.

“We have so many that we can’t display them all,” Johnson said.

There has been a visitor decline in recent years. The closure of the nearby iconic Parachute Inn restaurant – housed partially in a Boeing 737 – means there are less tour buses in the area. There was also a decline in visitors following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The museum has been advertising more in traditional and social media, Johnson said. In the future, the museum would like to focus on Arkansas veterans.

“We want to do more to help our vets,” he said.

Editor’s note: This company is a finalist for the Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business Awards — Nonprofit Business category. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 15. Contact Rob Gutterridge at rgutterridge@nwabj.com for tickets.