Top of page

Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Keesler Field News (Keesler Field, Miss.) 1941-19?? Biloxi-Gulfport daily herald

View All Front Pages

About The Keesler Field News (Keesler Field, Miss.) 1941-19??

Biloxi, on the Mississippi gulf coast, was chosen as a site for one of several new technical training centers as the United States Army expanded its force to meet the demand brought on by World War II. Named in honor of Second Lieutenant Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi-born World War I hero, Army Air Corps Station No. 8 was renamed for Keesler August 1941, and it operates as Keesler Air Force Base today.

Service people acted as newspaper editors to produce The Keesler Field News (1941-19??), beginning September 24, 1941, when the field was still under construction. The local Daily Herald (1910-1985) published the two-to-four page weekly for the airbase. The News provided information of interest to field personnel, such as the commencement and expansion of classes for the Airplane and Engine Mechanics School and the arrival of recruits for basic training. The newspaper also covered the war overseas and contained local advertisements directed towards the soldiers. In “The Chaplain Speaks” column, post chaplain Kenneth M. Gearhart offered motivational and faith-oriented advice. Named after the iconic Southern plant that drapes from tree limbs, the reoccurring “Spanish Moss” comic depicted life at the airbase as seen through the eyes of cartoonist Private First Class, Gerald O. Erdahl.

In addition to informing readers about base and military operations, the Keesler Field News carried abundant social goings on and personnel updates. A regular column “Propwash from the Squadrons,” later named “Keesler Klips,” contained personal news including promotions, marriages, transfers, furloughs, and other such information. Coverage of sports, including high school, military, college, and professional teams, appeared on the second page. Recreational opportunities were announced such as the base softball and football team schedules, boxing club bouts, dances, lectures, exhibitions, and various club meetings. Perhaps the most unique event at Keesler was a sport fishing rodeo, or tournament, for alligator gar, a sizeable, prehistoric-looking fish found in Southern waters, in the Back Bay of Biloxi. The October 1, 1941, issue of the News announced that Corporal Joseph Lazar won the second round of the contest for catching the largest fish; a 60-pound gar.

Provided By: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Keesler Field News (Keesler Field, Miss.) 1941-19??

Other Title

  • Biloxi-Gulfport daily herald

Dates of Publication

  • 1941-19??

Created / Published

  • Keesler Field, Miss. : Biloxi-Gulfport Daily Herald, 1941-

Headings

  • -  Military bases--Mississippi--Newspapers
  • -  United States--Armed Forces--Newspapers
  • -  Keesler Army Airfield (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Biloxi (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Military bases
  • -  Armed Forces
  • -  Mississippi--Keesler Army Airfield
  • -  Mississippi--Biloxi
  • -  Mississippi
  • -  United States
  • -  United States--Mississippi--Harrison--Keesler Army Airfield
  • -  United States--Mississippi--Harrison--Biloxi

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Sept. 24, 1941)-
  • -  Published: Biloxi, Miss.,
  • -  Publisher: Newspaper and Radio Section, Special Service Office,
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Latest issue consulted: Vol. 3, no. 36 (May 25, 1944).

Medium

  • v. : ill.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn91070006

OCLC Number

  • 24487499

ISSN Number

  • 2765-9526

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

The NEH awardee responsible for producing each digital object is presented in the Chronicling America page display, below the page image – e.g. Image produced by the Library of Congress. For more information on current NDNP awardees, see https://aj.sunback.homes/ndnp/listawardees.html.

For more information on Library of Congress policies and disclaimers regarding rights and reproductions, see https://aj.sunback.homes/homepage/legal.html

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Keesler Field News Keesler Field, Miss. -19??. (Keesler Army Airfield, MS), Jan. 1 1941. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91070006/.

APA citation style:

(1941, January 1) The Keesler Field News Keesler Field, Miss. -19??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91070006/.

MLA citation style:

The Keesler Field News Keesler Field, Miss. -19??. (Keesler Army Airfield, MS) 1 Jan. 1941. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91070006/.