World War II in the Homefront: Miami, Florida

This is the second of the two clippings related to the creation of the Homestead Army Air Field. This source demonstrates that the Air Field was a vibrant hub for these soldiers further showing how Miami’s landscape was transformed for the war. The article portrays a more personal history of the war and how Miami was an essential part of these soldiers’ experiences. The effect of the war was reciprocal: it shaped Miami’s terrain for the purpose of war, and the use of the city as a military base formed the wartime experiences of those stationed here.

As part of FIU's Digital Repository's collection of preserved photographs from the City of Coral Gables, this image presents another facet of Miami’s significant involvement in the war effort. New arrivals of the U.S. Air Force populated the streets of Miami striking a sharp contrast to the usual parade of tourists. Thus, this marks the way the war transformed the city for its purposes and how the popular memory of Miami played an important role in wartime training. Miami Beach was essentially a diverse military hub where soldiers would live, train, and explore. 

One of many images from FIU's Digital Repository's City of Coral Gables Collection, this photo portrays life at the Pratt General Hospital and provides evidence of its extensive use. The army officers and patients pictured here give us insight into the soldiers who passed through the hospital, thus personalizing the wartime history of both Miami and The Biltmore Hotel famous Miami landmark. This image, as part of the collection of images on the hospital, demonstrates how Miami was transformed to serve the war effort and just how instrumental the city was. 

Also part of the same collection regarding Pratt General Hospital, this photograph shows two nurses of the Army Nurse Corps stationed at the hospital. Women had an extensive role in the homefront in such positions like this and this photo highlights that involvement. These nurses’ service at the Pratt General Hospital also shows the level of involvement and contribution of Miami to the war effort. This image challenges the notion of the typical locations of the Army Nurse Corps—showing that Miami, too, served as a significant location for the Corp, also altering their own experiences. 

Another photo preserved by the City of Coral Gables shows the sleeping quarters as the hospital. The photo of the hotel’s interior transformed into a military hospital also demonstrates how the city itself was changed to contribute to the war effort. Just as the landmark Biltmore Hotel was converted into the Pratt General Hospital, the city of Miami was repurposed for the war effort. This picture serves as a visual reference point for the interior of the hospital and therefore its transformation. It demonstrates Miami's pivotal role in the homefront serving as a place for medical attention for soldiers returning from or departing to the war. Among the modern opulence of The Biltmore, one would barely know the brutal history behind it.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s visit to Pratt General Hospital was another prominent reminder of World War II’s effect on established and well-known locations throughout Miami. His visit was photographed by Clyde Evers in 1945, and the City of Coral Gables preserved the picture. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe at the time. As such, his presence at the hospital demonstrates that Miami's presence in the war effort was ever so significant.

Another image from the City of Coral Gables’s collection of preserved photographs of the Pratt General Hospital shows recovering soldiers at rest, using the former Biltmore Hotel’s facilities. This is another visual reminder of the soldiers’ lives while staying at the hospital and its ties to Miami as being a location of recreation and relaxation. As such, the association of Miami to leisure was not suspended during World War II, but endured throughout the war and much after.