Handbill for Public Auction for Camp Forrest. After the D-Day invasion of France in June 1944, training at Camp Forrest was reduced drastically. The camp was declared “surplus” in September 1945 and given “inactive" status in February 1946. The War Assets Administration (WAA) sold the buildings and all the equipment, but the State of Tennessee retained the land. Everything on the military reservation was either salvaged, sold to the public, or distributed at cost to colleges and universities throughout the Southeastern region. Courtesy of Bill Brown
Newspaper advertisement about the surplus property available for sale at Camp Forrest. Surplus property advertisements such as this one appeared in newspapers throughout the Southeast. Courtesy of Camp Forrest Foundation
The Nashville Tennessean front page announcing construction of Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). By spring 1948, the federal government selected the former military encampment site for the location of Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). Courtesy of Camp Forrest Foundation
President Harry S. Truman arrived at Northern Field on June 25, 1951, to dedicate the new aerospace research and development test site, which was named in honor of General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold. Arnold was a World War II Commander of the Army Air Forces and the only Air Force officer to hold 5-star rank. Courtesy of Georgia State University
President Harry S. Truman driving through Tullahoma from Northern Airfield to the AEDC dedication site. Courtesy of Georgia State University
President Truman and Mrs. Hap Arnold at the dedication ceremony on the outskirts of Tullahoma. AEDC is the most advanced and largest complex of flight simulation test facilities in the world with more than 50 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, and other specialized units. Today, the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and Tennessee State Guard occupy portions of the old reservation grounds. Courtesy of Georgia State University
President Truman and Mrs. Hap Arnold at the dedication ceremony on the outskirts of Tullahoma. AEDC is the most advanced and largest complex of flight simulation test facilities in the world with more than 50 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, and other specialized units. Today, the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and Tennessee State Guard occupy portions of the old reservation grounds. Courtesy of Georgia State University
