Construction began on Selman Field Navigation School on June 15, 1942

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Construction began in Monroe on the largest and most complete navigation school of World War II on June 15, 1942. Selman Field would produce more than 15,000 navigators for the Army Air Corps.

The Monroe, Louisiana site was selected for the school because it already had an active airport and plenty of open farmland surrounding it. Just three months after construction began, trainees arrived to start their instruction.

Unlike other fields operated by the Army Air Forces, Selman offered its cadets the opportunity to get their entire training without leaving that site. They graduated as a second lieutenant. More than 15,000 earned their wings there.

The site had four complete concrete runways and two short secondary runways. The base included several hundred buildings, streets, barracks, administrative buildings, maintenance shops, and hangars. It included libraries, social clubs, clinics, and dining halls.

Historians believe the navigators who trained at Selman Field served in every theater in World War II. They also think that of the 15,349 who trained there, around 10% did not make it home.

A memorial to the navigators who trained at Selman Field now stands in front of the Monroe Regional Airport Terminal.