Originally published in 2001
More than 400 people with personal ties to Perrin Air Force Base and friends, including supporters of the former Air Defense Command units stationed here, crowded the Silver Wings Building at Grayson County Airport in July for the Ninth Perrin Field Reunion in Denison, Texas.
State politicians and guest speakers along with others who figured in the history of the base joined in reminiscing what they did at this base during their stay here. No doubt, Perrin AFB holds a significant spot in military aviation history, and to many who were assigned to the base-certainly, a focal point for them.
Perrin Field saw the transition from an Army Air Corps base to a U.S. Air Force base in 1947, when the Air Force became a separate branch of the service, a move that military people hardly noticed, since the camaraderie between services continued to flourish. In retrospect, the most astonishing reflection made by many is how much change has occurred in the aviation industry in such a short span of time – commencing from the Wright Brothers, and the first aircraft flying 130 miles an hour to 31 years later flying at excess of Mach 2, around 1,400 miles per hour, and, the recognition that the people who tended, maintained and flew such aircraft, were most likely trained at places like Perrin Air Field.
Nationwide generations mingle at such reunions every year, and they pass on the traditions to another generation; a reliving of a time past and achievements made with pride for a cause.