1918-1961
Under the shadow of Thy Wings
Each has been given a course to fly;
Thank Thee O Lord, for our grant of life
Courage to strive, and strength to die.
Lt. Roscoe Charles (Bim) Wilson, AAC, Mitchel Field, 1931:
Each has been given a course to fly;
Thank Thee O Lord, for our grant of life
Courage to strive, and strength to die.
Lt. Roscoe Charles (Bim) Wilson, AAC, Mitchel Field, 1931:
COMING SOON! May, 2025
please contact us for more information
Copyright 2025 by Paul R. Martin III.
Faces From Mitchel Field
Portrait and Stories
By Paul R. Martin III
1917-1961
Forgotten Eagles
A full length, profusely illustrated book
"Faces From Mitchel Field" is a stand-alone volume with stories from across the 44-year history of the field, focusing on 38 people who served at Mitchel, and their individual personal stories. Culled from chapters I have already written for the multi-volume history, “Beneath The Shadows of Wings”, each story serves to provide the reader with a sense of life at the Field during each decade of its existence. “Faces From Mitchel Field”: Portraits and stories of the personalities who spent time at the field, and the aviators who braved the skies above the Hempstead Plains. Their personal narratives tell the unique tale of fearless eagles who risked their lives to conquer the air and serve our country.
The book is divided into five sections, The Cradle, World War I, Between the Wars, World War II, and Postwar. The importance and increased activity at the field during WWII precipitates the bulk of the stories. This book represents just a sampling of stories featuring people and events that took place during Mitchel Field’s rich forty-four-year history. My forthcoming multi-volume series, “Beneath the Shadows of Wings”, will tell them all.
Author/historian Paul R. Martin III draws from numerous newspaper, military and government documents, and other archival primary sources to tell the aviators' compelling stories.
"Faces From Mitchel Field" is richly illustrated with hundreds of rare photographs from the Cradle of Aviation Museum's photo archives and other public sources, many of which have never been seen before.
Click here for excerpts:
COMING SOON! 2026
Beneath The Shadows of Wings
A multi-volume History
By Paul R. Martin III
Volume IV- 1939-1941:
As the Storm Clouds Gather
A full length, profusely illustrated book
“Beneath The Shadows of Wings” represents an ambitious, first ever comprehensive history of Long Island’s Mitchel Field. It will be a massive, multi-volume series of chronological books published over the next few years detailing the extensive 41-year history of the historic airfield. Author/historian Paul R. Martin III draws from numerous newspaper, military and government documents, and other archival primary sources to tell this compelling story.
Extensively illustrated with hundreds of rare, never-before seen photographs, the books trace the history of Mitchel Field from its cradle of aviation days on the Hempstead Plains, through WWI, the golden years of aviation in the 20s and 30s, the late 1929-1934 reconstruction period, WWII, and it’s jet age transformation to an Air Force Base, until closing in 1961. Meticulously researched and detailed,
“Beneath the Shadow of Wings” includes remarkable principal and first hand accounts of this important and significant air field on Long Island. Special consideration and honor is paid to the numerous pilots and airmen who sacrificed their lives in defense of our country through accidents and tragedies that occurred at and around the field. Subsequent volumes, "Before The Shadow of Wings" are planned to cover the infantry camps from the American Revolution to Camp Mills and the early pre-WWI aviation fields and a follow-up series focused on its civilian companion, Roosevelt Field.
Under the shadow of Thy Wings
Each has been given a course to fly;
Thank Thee O Lord, for our grant of life
Courage to strive, and strength to die.
Lt. Roscoe Charles (Bim) Wilson, AAC, Mitchel Field, 1931:
Click on PDF files to read book excerpts.
Read excerpts below!
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Mitchel Field
1918-1961
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"Beneath the Shadows of Wings" This website is dedicated to preserving and remembering Long Island's Mitchel Field and Mitchel AFB and honoring those who served there throughout it's long and heralded history. Website created January 2017
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"Of the 1,250,000 Army Air Force aircrew who went overseas, 88,119 never returned. For all embarked airmen, their last glimpse of the United States was the receding hangars and runways of Mitchel Field. At the end of the war, for the half-million aircrew and wounded combatants who returned by air, Mitchel Field was the first thing they saw; it was for them, their Statue of Liberty."
Gary Monti (edited by Jennifer Betsworth, NY SHPO) Cradle of Aviation Museum
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
I am a military history buff who has had a great interest in MF since my boyhood days when I grew up only about 5 miles away in East Meadow, NY. I have an extensive photo and artifact collection from both MF and WWII home-front, militaria, etc. I am display and special events coordinator for the Army Air Forces Historical Association (AAFHA), Chaplain of the Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron 1009, Chairman of the Yorktown Veteran's Day Parade, President of the Rockland Civil War Round Table and the Yorktown Historical Society, Secretary of the Company of Military Historians, West Point Chapter, and board member of the Lincoln Depot Museum and Lincoln Society in Peekskill. I am also a professional Historical Artist and have written a book about my FIL's WWII Experiences in 14th AF.
Many of the photos, documents and artifacts are from my personal collection, but there are SO many photos and references to Mitchel Field scattered all over the internet. My GOAL is to bring them all together on ONE dedicated website, devoted specifically to Mitchel Field and Mitchel Air Force Base. Where possible I have noted ownership and citations and links to other websites, either on the page or on my LINKS page. I encourage reciprocal links, please contact me via email or the contact page on my site. Special thanks to Josh Stoff, Michael Brosnan, Gary Monti, Gary Hammond and Joel Friedman of the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Vince Fitzgerald and the original Hempstead Plains website, Lee Chambers, Howard Kroplick and the Vanderbuilt Motor Parkway website, and Pat Mazza. The Hofstra Collection, The Garden City Historical Society, AARTS Archives, Long island Firetrucks.com and numerous anonymous folks whose pictures are scattered about the internet. Newsday, New York Times, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nassau Daily Review Star and Find-A-Grave. I always try to give credit when possible, so if you feel slighted, please forgive me and contact me for corrections and attributions. THANK YOU!
I have also included pages for the early Hempstead Plains History including Camp Scott, Camp Black and Camp Mills along with The Hempstead Aerodrome, Hazelhurst and Roosevelt Fields.
I will be adding to the site and updating it regularly so keep checking back. Hope you like it. Feel free to email and send me any pics, stories, etc. to include, I will give you full credit and website links. Please do not use any of my images, content or book excerpts without my written permission. Please contact me via email or my contact page. Would love your help and thoughts along the way.
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What's NEW!
Added February 2020
Added December 2019
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Mitchel Air Force Base, originally known as Mitchel Field, was a United States Air Force base located on the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York, United States. Established in 1918 as Hazelhurst Aviation Field #2, the facility was renamed later that year as Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel who was killed while training for the Air Service in Louisiana.
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Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex that is home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College, Hofstra University, and Lockheed.
NEW! Added May 18, 2018
In March 2018, an application for the Mitchel Airfield Flight Line and nearby historic buildings was submitted by the Cradle of Aviation Museum and nominated to the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service for consideration for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Click below to see the 103 page application including building descriptions,
year of construction and accompanying photos.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY INTERESTING DOCUMENT!
In March 2018, an application for the Mitchel Airfield Flight Line and nearby historic buildings was submitted by the Cradle of Aviation Museum and nominated to the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service for consideration for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Click below to see the 103 page application including building descriptions,
year of construction and accompanying photos.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY INTERESTING DOCUMENT!
Mitchelfield.weebly.com Copyright 1973 - 2023. by Paul R. Martin III
All photos taken by Paul R. Martin III unless stated otherwise. All rights reserved.
No images or content may be reproduced without prior written permission.
All photos taken by Paul R. Martin III unless stated otherwise. All rights reserved.
No images or content may be reproduced without prior written permission.
