Editing Pyote Air Force Base (section)

==Current status==
[[File:Pyote AAF Hangar.jpg|thumb|left|Remains of a World War II-era hangar at Pyote AAF, taken 2002]]
Following the deactivation of the site in 1963, the facilities were disposed of by the GSA.  The Air Defense Command support buildings along with the base family housing were provided to the West Texas Children's Home, and the land and remaining buildings were turned over to the [[University of Texas at Austin]].   The [[Confederate Air Force]] used the runway and some of the remaining buildings on the flightline in the early 1960s, but the remoteness of the base led to it being closed by 1965 as uneconomical.  The last of the original World War II support buildings on the base were gone by 1977.

Six huge hangars once fronted the concrete ramp.  Five are visible in an aerial photo dated 1977.  At some point after 1980, four of the hangars were apparently removed or destroyed. At least one of them was evidently intentionally destroyed in 1979 in the course of filming the movie ''[[Hangar 18 (film)|Hangar 18]]'' (1980).  By 1985, a single large hangar (the former 3d Echelon Maintenance Hangar) remained and slowly deteriorating runways and taxiways were all that marked the once-busy bomber base. At some point between 1989 and '96, the roof and most of the walls of the former 3d Echelon Maintenance Hangar were removed, leaving only a hollow grid of the side walls of the hangar standing.

The west side of the former AAF/AFB, where the actual airfield was, is deserted. Runways and taxiways, hardstands, and the flightline apron exist with tall weeds and other sparse vegetation slowly taking over the concrete areas.  The Air Defense Command radar site southeast of the base is abandoned and full of junk vehicles; the buildings on it are still standing in a deteriorated state.

[[File:Pyote AAF Parking Apron.JPG|thumb|Former parking apron at Pyote AAF, taken 2002]]
The property was being used by the [[Texas Youth Commission]]'s [[West Texas State School]]. The former AFB family housing (small, individual units) was used by the prison staff.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} The state school closed in 2010.<ref>"[http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12585065 TYC Facility in Pyote Officially Closes Their Doors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319192955/http://www.newswest9.com/global/story.asp?s=12585065 |date=2016-03-19 }}." Newswest 9. Retrieved on 3 June 2010.</ref>

The original entrance has been refurbished, and today stands as a memorial to the men and women who worked and trained here, many of whom gave their lives while learning to effectively use the B-17 and B-29.

In the town of Pyote, about 15 miles west of Monahans, a museum honors the memory of the men and women who served there.   Pyote Army Air Field played an important role in the local community during World War II. Base personnel had a long-lasting social relationship with the local citizens, and the base itself created jobs and great  economic prosperity for the community. Pyote was quite literally transformed by the base.   When the base finally closed for good in the early 1960s, it left a lasting impression on the local community.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} <!-- Base was operated as Pyote Dragstrip in the late 1960s,
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