South & Canal Winchester Messenger - June 16th, 2024

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June 16, 2024 - SOUTH & CANAL WINCHESTER MESSENGER - PAGE 5
Lockbourne plans memorial wall to honor air base
Tuskegee Airmen noted
By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Eighty years ago, Lockbourne Army
Airfield was home to the Tuskegee Airmen,
a group of Black service members under
the leadership of Colonel Benjamin Davis,
Jr., the first African American officer to
command an Army Air Force Base.
The village of Lockbourne never forgot
the airmen’s dedication and precedent-setting
service to their country and started
work in March 2023 to install a memorial
in the village’s Veteran’s Park honoring the
Tuskegee Airmen and others who served at
the base.
“Rob Stroup, author of ‘Crossroads of
Liberty,’ approached the village about
installing a monument in Lockbourne to
commemorate the history of Lockbourne /
Rickenbacker Air Force Base,” said
Lockbourne Mayor Christie Ward.
Lockbourne Air Force Base was named
after the village of Lockbourne. Ward said
the base is not only part of the village’s history,
but also that of Hamilton Local
Schools and throughout Hamilton
Township.
She said so much of the base’s history
and historical buildings were destroyed
with development in and around
Rickenbacker and the village wants to
ensure that history is not lost, but preserved
for generations to come.
Rediscover Lockbourne is spearheading
the wall project through donations, book
sales, and other fundraisers. The cost of the
project is estimated at $600,000 for 10 to 12
black granite panels installed on the east
side of Veteran’s Park in the center of the
village.
“We hope to unveil the Memorial Wall in
summer or fall of 2026, which is the 80th
anniversary of when the Tuskegee Airmen
arrived at Lockbourne Army Air Base,”
said Ward. “Funding can be a roadblock.
We have applied for Ohio State Capital
Budget monies for the project. If we
receive monies from the state, we can move
forward with the project in the timeline we
have set. If not, we will have to raise the
money at a grassroots level and that may
take time.”
On June 12, the village, Rediscover
Lockbourne and the Ohio Memorial
Chapter Tuskegee Airman, Inc. held an
open house in Lockbourne’s Historical Hall
and Event Center for the memorial wall
project in conjunction with the 2024
Columbus Air Show.
“Designing Local is the design firm for
the project and is responsible for the construction
phase,” said Ward. “We have
partnered with the Tuskegee Airmen Ohio
Memorial Chapter, Motts Museum, 121st
ARW and Hamilton Township High School
on this project. Students from Hamilton
are providing feedback and have been very
engaged in preserving the legacy of the
base and its connection to the school.”
According to Ward, students said the
wall is important to them because it shows
how men and women overcame obstacles.
They also felt it is important to tell the history
of their community and central Ohio,
not only to their generation, but to their
children, and grandchildren.
“Lockbourne Air Force Base was the last
home of the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Ward.
“No other community in the country can
claim that. They were brought here to fail.
Instead, they strove for perfection under
the leadership of then Col. Benjamin A.
Davis Jr. It was the best run base in the
country at that time. Their success contributed
to the integration of the military.
We anticipate the memorial wall to bring
visitors to the region from all over the
country. There is not a monument like this
anywhere else.”
Donations can be made through
Rediscover Lockbourne at P.O. Box 73,
Lockbourne OH 43137. “Crossroads of
Liberty” books are on sale at the village
office for $20. All proceeds benefit the
Memorial Wall Project.
Messenger photo by Theresa Garee
Lockbourne Mayor Christie Ward throws
candy from the float that showcases an
upcoming collaboration between
Lockbourne and Rickenbacker Air Force
Base - a memorial wall.
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