Durham Musem: Military

We spent an entire day at the Durham Museum. The first few posts are about their permanent exhibits. Course the main reason we went there is for their current traveling exhibit: Moneyville.

The Durham Museum is housed in the old Union Station located in the historic Old Market. It is a grand and beautiful building that used to be nearly as busy as we associate Grand Central Station in New York today.

The following slide show is a tidbit about Omaha Military. I did type up the information from other pictures I took about the military in this area at the museum:

Why would the military choose to build one of its most important bases in the middle of the country?

Omaha’s central location, thousands of miles from both coasts, created a natural defense against enemy bomber planes.

1800
Omaha’s military history began as pioneers headed west, inspired by Lewis and Clark and other explorers. Forts were built to protect fur traders and settlers from Indian tribes and to keep out the British.

Fort Atkinson was the first military post built west of the Mississippi River. It was built in 1819. With over 1,000 men and their families stationed there, Fort Atkinson was one of the largest posts in the country.

Soldiers built Fort Atkinson on a high bluff north of Omaha, near the present-day town of Fort Calhoun. Lewis and Clark noted the site as a good place to build a military post during their expedition in 1804.

By 1827, other western forts had become more important. Fort Atkinson was closed and the troops were sent to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Today, a restored Fort Atkinson looks much as it did more than 100 years ago.

The closest town to Fort Atkinson, during it’s prime, was about 100 miles to the east. Soldiers farmed and raised animals for food. The fort also had its own brickyard, sawmill, bowling alley, school and library.

1861
Nebraska was a young, anti-slavery territory when the Civil War began in 1861. Men gathered in Omaha to fight for the Union. Some stayed in Nebraska to defend the territory from attack by Confederate forces and Indian tribes. Others headed to battlefields in the South.

Nebraska’s population in 1861 was 30,000. The territory mustered into service 3,307 troops or 11% of its population. With so many men gone for the war, many Nebraskans feared Indian tribes would attack pioneer settlements.

After the Civil War, the railroad business boomed in Omaha. As the railroad spread west, military forts were built along the way to protect the workers from Indian attacks. Omaha’s military role changed to that of a supply center along the railroad route.

In 1868, the military built a supply fort named Sherman Barracks. The fort linked military personnel in the east with western forts such as Fort Sidney in Nebraska and Fort D.A. Russell in Wyoming. Soon after, Sherman Barracks was renamed “Omaha Barracks” and later “Fort Omaha”. Standing Bear and his band were arrested and held there before the famous trial that recognized Native Americans as persons under the law.

Fort Crook was built to the south of Bellevue to replace the smaller Fort Omaha. The fort’s name was taken from General George Crook, a Civil War hero and renowned Indian fighter stationed at Fort Omaha. Following World War II, Fort Crook became Offutt Air Force Base.

1898
On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain. During the war, Americans invaded the Spanish territories of Cuba, Puerto Rick, Guam and the Philippines.

Nebraska soldiers served in conflicts that were worlds apart. The First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry fought for over a year in the Philippines. The 22nd US Infantry, based at Fort Crook, were among the first troops to land in Cuba. The Third Nebraska Volunteer Infantry arrived in Cuba after the war. They stayed for four months before returning home.

Omaha as a military center. Omaha’s central location is ideal for a military communications hub.

1917-1918 World War I
In 1905, Fort Omaha became a training post for the US Army Signal Corps.

The Corps was responsible for handling communications on the battlefield. In 1916, Fort Omaha became the country’s first Signal Corps Balloon School. The Corps tested balloons and trained during World War I at Fort Omaha and Fort Crook.

During World War I, large amounts of cargo and troops needed to be moved quickly. The railroad was the solution. In some areas, the government controlled the tracks.

1941-1945 World War II
During World War II, soldiers, citizens, volunteers, and businesses came together to help the war effort.

Omahans did whatever they could to help the troops. Farmers grew food for American soldiers and their allies. People bought war bonds to help the government raise money. Families grew their own food in “victory gardens” planted in their yards.

Nationwide rationing affected every citizen. Sugar, gasoline, meat, coffee, shoes, tires, and other necessities were in short supply. Families had to use items sparingly or risk going without.

Old car parts, bed frames, pots, pans, rubber, tinfoil, and grease were salvaged in scrap drives around the country. Children in organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls collected scrap that was recycled to make supplies for military and civilian use. The Omaha World-Herald won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of scrap drives in the city.

Over 10,000 passengers a day came through Omaha’s Union Station during World War II. Many of these travelers were soldiers riding across country on troop trains. At this station, soldiers could get a good meal, take a hot shower or visit with locals before heading out again.

The Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant opened at Fort Crook in January 1942. It quickly became one of the most productive war factories in the country. The plant produced over 1,500 B-26 Marauder and 500 B-29 Superfortress bombers and employed over 13,000 people. Women made up nearly 40% of the workforce.

The Martin bomber plant produced the Enola Gay and Bock’s Car, two B-29 heavy bombers. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb, “Little Boy,” on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later Bock’s Car dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending the war.

For nearly 60 years, Offutt Air Force Base has served as one of the most important military bases in the world.

1948
In January 1948, Offutt Air Force Base was established at Bellevue at the site of Fort Crook and Offutt Field. Later that year, the headquarters for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command moved onto that base.

Strategic Air Command (SAC) was charged with the mission of nuclear deterrence for the United States and its allies. The Command kept a 24-hour watch on the world using radar, satellites and aircraft. The Command managed a network of bases around the world, as well as aircraft, and later, intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Command’s motto was “Peace is our Profession.”

Strategic Air Command needed the ability to contact US military bases throughout the world in an instant. To accomplish this, a complex network including landlines, an airborne command post and a mobile system on the ground were deployed. The system design had redundant lines of communications with the capability to survive attack. Expansion of the landline network provided support for the city’s telecommunications, telemarketing and banking industries.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992, the Cold War came to an end. The same year, the Air Force was reorganized and Strategic Air Command stood down. Today, Offutt Air Force Base is home to US Strategic Command. The new command has retained SAC’s original mission, as well as fulfilling other significant responsibilities.