May 28, 1942 – The first group of cadets – 242 young men – enters the U.S. Navy Pre-flight School (NPFS) at Iowa City. Over a three-year period (1942-1944), 2,500 pilots were trained here – with many joining the war effort in the Pacific, helping America win World War II.
Did you know that the United States Navy once had a large training school here in Iowa City?And thanks to long-time, Iowa City-based aviation pioneer – Paul B. Shaw – when World War II broke out in 1941, the United States Navy immediately contacted him to help lead one of the most important aspects of the war effort in the Pacific – training qualified pilots.
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