NCO Quarters, Enlisted Mens Club, and Theater Murals
"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
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.
No images or content may be reproduced without prior written permission.
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These two murals were in the NCO Quarters. The angels and airman were in the main room on the ground floor directly behind the main entrance. It is a large mural that spreads across several walls and corners, interrupted only by windows. It was a huge room almost like a ballroom. I have some overviews as well as closeups. Though as you can see it was very deteriorated when I took the photos ( around 73) I call this mural "Airman's Heaven". (click on each photo below for enlargements) All photos by Paul Martin
The pictures show airmen sitting on clouds while Angels bring them a beer. They are disturbing in the sense that we have lost much in the way of the art and history of this formerly great base. In only twelve years time you can see the deterioration wrought by the exposure to the elements. The building is now sealed, but the damage is done.
Photo above by James P. Kelly, about 1970.
Photo above by Paul Martin about 1973.
The Mural obviously dates from the W.W.II period. I can't help think how the mural may have been painted to honor and commemorate the hundreds of Army Air Forces flyers who passed through Mitchel on their way to the European theater and who were then Killed in action. Now those men, the mural, and the artist who painted it are lost to us forever.
I always felt that this room was a ballroom. When I used to visit it many times in the early 70s, I could almost hear the strains of Glen Miller whispering across the years, and feel the presence of lost airman dancing across the shadows, beckoning to me to never forget them, to never forget what they did. It was a very eerie feeling but very intense and very poignant. Mitchel Field to me always embodied that Spirit of American Youth who suffered and sacrificed to "Save the World". May we never forget.
NOTE: If you know who the artist was and or have photos of the mural in better shape, we would be grateful to have the information. Thanks.
The top photo in the triptych of the exterior rearview shows the outside wall of the rooms where the murals were. You can see the matching windows and the 'notch" on the North wall where the airman and angels section was. You can also see how the open windows allowed the elements to so terribly
destroy the painting.
destroy the painting.
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Second Floor B-24 Fireplace Mural The B-24 (photo on the right above and over the mantle below) was upstairs on the second floor in a smaller room but directly above the other room. The pictures below are of the same main room from two sides. In the photos below the one on the right has the arched doorway in the foreground, in the photo on the left it is to the right in the background. |
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The building today. Photos by Paul Martin, March 1, 2020.
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