NAS Pax River Origins

Somewhere between 22 December and 4 April  there should be an anniversary party in honor of the establishment of NAS Pax River.  In December 1941 the Navy approved NAS Pax and in April 1942 construction commenced on it.  Witness the following account from a brochure titled The History of Naval Air Station Patuxent River:

 Here’s Robert Pogue’s take on it from his book Yesterday’s in Old St. Mary’s County.  (Start at the hi lited paragraph and hit CNTRL+ to enlarge it if you have problems reading it.)

Slackwater also had some good recollections from folks who were living on Cedar Point at the time (click here – excerpt follows:)

Note Mr. Mattingly’s saying that they received notice in December of 41 to vacate by April 42.  Can you imagine being given 4 months notice to be out of your house?  Of course the Navy coming to St. Mary’s was ultimately a very good thing for the County, but for those folks back then who had to evacuate their homes, it wasn’t so good.  On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t have a party commemorating Pax’s startup.

Following video doesn’t have anything to do with the above look back at Pax’s beginnings other than the line “First you get hurt”;  I just liked the song:

Cheated and lied, broken so bad You made a vow, never get mad You played the game, though it’s unfair They’re all the same, who can compare? First you lose trust, then you get worried Night after night, bar after club Dropping like flies, who woke you up? On the front lawn, sprinklers turn on It’s not your house, where’d you go wrong? First you get hurt, then you feel sorry Flying like a cannonball, falling to the earth Heavy as a feather when you hit the dirt How am I the lucky one I do not deserve to wait around forever when you were there first