Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park is set to undergo a series of upgrades aimed at enhancing visitor experience and highlighting the Air Commando legacy, with work expected to begin in late July 2025.
- The improvements include relocating aircraft currently positioned in front of the chapel to the south portion of the air park and adding benches throughout the grounds to better accommodate visitors.
“There is probably a fifth grader at St. Mary’s School who wants to be a gunship pilot,” said Col. Patrick Dierig, 1st Special Operations Wing commander. “We need to get her out to the air park to see an AC-130 so that it lights a fire in her and continues to grow the next generation of Air Commandos.”
These enhancements are part of a broader initiative to develop the Air Commando Museum, projected to be built next to the air park with construction anticipated to begin around 2030.
The Air Commando Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Air Commandos for more than eight decades, is leading the museum project.
- “We’ve got an incredible partnership with Hurlburt Field, and we’re working to make something that truly showcases our Air Commandos,” said retired Lt. Col. Kristi Beckman, Air Commando Heritage Foundation director. “This isn’t just for the military, it’s for the entire community.”
The current museum plans include interactive displays, immersive storytelling and exhibits designed to educate visitors about Air Commandos since World War II.
“These updates are about more than just convenience, they’re about access,” Beckman said. “When I was young, I used to go by this base and wonder what was behind the gates — well, now you’ll get to know.”
Plans for the museum include sections dedicated to specific missions, profiles of notable Air Commandos and tributes to fallen heroes.
“We’re going to tell the story of the valor of our Airmen, both on the ground and in the air,” said retired Brig. Gen. Gwyn Armfield, Air Commando Heritage Foundation vice president. “It’s a chance to highlight decades of quiet professionalism and sacrifice.”
3 Responses
As much as I like a good museum, One already exists in the area, and would be greatly enhanced by an addition of an Air Commando section. This seems like an unnecessary expenditure of government funds. Why not just partner with the Air Force Armament Museum near Eglin?
It’s logistically easier to upgrade what Hurlburt’s existing airpark already has instead of moving everything to Eglin’s Armament Museum. Eglin’s museum would need have enough room to be able to fit the amount of aircraft that Hurlburt field currently has and the planning and execution to clear trees, build new infrastructure for those aircraft, disassemble aircraft, closure of some roads to move the aircraft, and finally rebuild the aircraft would require lots of planning and specially requiring more unnecessary expenditure of government funds. It’d simply be easier to upgrade existing infrastructure and addon better visitor experiences rather than start from scratch. Additionally with both Eglin and Hurlburt Field’s missions being different with Eglin on the Testing Side while with Hurlburt on it’s Special Operations Combat & Support side.
It’s logistically easier to upgrade what Hurlburt’s existing airpark already has instead of moving everything to Eglin’s Armament Museum. Eglin’s museum would need have enough room to be able to fit the amount of aircraft that Hurlburt field currently has and the planning and execution to clear trees, build new infrastructure for those aircraft, disassemble aircraft, closure of some roads to move the aircraft, and finally rebuild the aircraft would require lots of planning and specially requiring more unnecessary expenditure of government funds. It’d simply be easier to upgrade existing infrastructure and addon better visitor experiences rather than start from scratch. Additionally with both Eglin and Hurlburt Field’s missions being different with Eglin on the Testing Side while with Hurlburt on it’s Special Operations Combat & Support side.