Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend area recently received World War II American Heritage City status from the National Park Service. The program awards a city or area for contributions to World War II efforts and its continuing preservation of military history. 
The list includes 19 locations and recognizes the combined cities of Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, Port Aransas, Beeville, and Kingsville for playing “a significant role in the World War II effort on the home front.”
“The people of the Coastal Bend take great pride in their region’s contributions to the war effort and the preservation of World War II history,” reads a statement on the Coastal Bend’s webpage. “The USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, a National Historic Landmark, serves as a focal point for visitors to experience the pivotal role of aircraft carriers during the war.”
The USS Lexington is not the only military-specific site in the area.
During World War II, Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi, the world’s largest training facility when it opened in 1941, commissioned over 35,000 pilots. More than 10 historical markers at the air station commemorate World War II history. 
Naval pilots also trained at bases in Beeville and Kingsville. The government maintained 25 practice landing fields throughout the Coastal Bend and coastal defense installations at Port Aransas and Aransas Pass. 
Barring a change in the law, the Coastal Bend will be the only Texas location on the American World War II Heritage City list as the Department of the Interior limits the title to one area per state or U.S. territory. Since the program began in 2019, the department has given 19 cities or areas that designation.
chuck@thepicayune.com