Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: The Boca Raton Army Air Field (BRAAF), established in 1942, included land bordered by Palmetto Park Road to the south, Dixie Highway to the east, Yamato Road to the north, and Military Trail to the west. It totaled 5,820 acres and was home to 100,000 soldiers and civilians over the first 5 years, at a time when Boca Raton only had 700 residents. Built in just 4 months at a cost of $12 million, the base had 800 structures and was in full operation from 1942-47. Its primary function was to train soldiers to operate and maintain airborne radar, which was then top-secret technology. On May 12, 1944, a U.S. Army Air Corps B-34 bomber on a training mission crashed on take-off from BRAAF. The flaming wreckage came to rest at what is now North University Drive and FAU Boulevard at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). All 9 men on board died, one of the worst disasters in Boca Raton history. In 1947, a Category 4 hurricane destroyed much of the base. That same year, it was decommissioned and its size reduced to 1,200 acres. In 1962, the field was split up with 1,000 acres for FAU and 200 acres for the Boca Raton Airport. BRAAF’s former Crash Fire Station 2 became the office for the first FAU President, Dr. Kenneth Williams. Side Two: The 9 members of the B-34 crew who perished here on May 12, 1944: 1 LT William H. Carson - Pilot, S. Carolina, age 23 1 LT Jacob M. Buie - Student Radar Operator, Florida, age 22 1 LT Thomas A. Lamont - Student Radar Operator, New York, age 27 1 LT John J. Lominac - Student Radar Operator, N. Carolina, age 25 1 LT Benjamin P. Sibley - Student Radar Operator, Mass., age 27 S SGT Frank L. Bursaw - Radio Operator, Missouri, age 31 SERG John S. Safieko - Radar Instructor, Wisconsin, age 25 PFC Norman R. Steiner - Student Engineer, New York, age 20 PVT Robert E. Locke - Aerial Engineer, Ohio, age 22