DigitalNC

After the United States entered World War II city leaders in Greensboro bid for a military base, thinking that a base would help jumpstart the economy. They celebrated when the Army Air Forces said yes. More than 330,000 soldiers came through Greensboro between 1943 and 1946, filling the railroad depot during arrivals and departures. Basic Training Camp No. 10., located on land near Summit and Bessemer Avenues, provided soldiers four to six weeks of instruction in combat skills and sent trained companies to the front. Most people came to know the base through its second identity - ORD, short for Overseas Replacement Depot - where individual soldiers were processed, reassigned to new duty, and shipped out, mainly to Europe. The base closed in September 1946, and its buildings were sold off to the highest bidder.