Tampa Salutes MacDill AFB
A Look at Over 60 Years of Growth and Change
On January 14, 1941, Col. Clarence Tinker landed a twin-engined B-18 Bomber on the first MacDill Field runway and a new era for Tampa was born. Soon after, the U.S. would enter World War II and MacDill's pilot training would prove to be an important part of the Allies' superiority in the air. Since then, the base and the Tampa community have continued to grow and change along with the times and the needs of our country. Today, the base is home to over fifty mission partners, each committed to providing a critical public service throughout the United States and the world.
Who was Colonel Leslie MacDill?
Colonel Leslie MacDill was an aviation pioneer, a veteran of World War I, and a distinguished member of the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1938, while actively helping prepare the Corps to expand its number of bases in case of war, he was killed in a plane crash near Washington, D.C. In 1940, the Army honored Colonel MacDill by naming Tampa's not yet completed "Southeast Air Base," MacDill Field.
Marker is on North Ashley Drive north of East Whiting Street, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
