Boca Raton was home to one of the largest airfields in the state during World War II. The Boca Raton Army Air Field was the Army Air Force’s principal radar training facility during the war years. Between 50,000-100,000 men and women were stationed there from 1942-1947 in a town of 750 people. The Boca Raton Historical Society is the keeper of an extensive collection of photos, archives, and objects associated with the 6000 acre base. One of our longtime residents, Pat Eddinger Jakubek’s father served as a radar instructor here. He managed to collect a copy of an amusing poem (2010.79.1) about Boca Raton in the war years—a stark contrast to the well planned, beautifully landscaped city it has become. I have been told by many veterans that the “smell” was caused by all the squashed rattlers that met their fates under the tires of all the jeeps on the local roads—somehow not a comforting thought.