Myrtle Beach Army Air Field
Myrtle Beach Army Air Field operated here 1940-47 and grew out of city plans to expand the municipal airport from two grass landing strips to a more permanent facility. In 1940-41 the U.S. Army Air Corps trained civilian pilots for the Civil Air Service; the War Department acquired the airport in late 1941. Observation squadrons, an aviation squadron, and a fighter squadron trained here during World War II.
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
Deactivated in 1947, the field became a municipal airport again but was donated by the city to the U.S. Air Force as an active air base in 1954. The 354th Fighter Day Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing, based here 1956-1993, deployed squadrons in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, with major service in Lebanon, Germany, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. The base closed in 1993.
Where it stands. U.S. Hwy. 17 & U.S. Hwy. 17 Bypass, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach