A blimp naval station on land west of what is now the Florida Turnpike. Air fields further south. Troops training -- South Dade was filled with military activities during World War II.

Naval Reserve Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Atwood will speak on the rich history as the at the Nov. 19 meeting of the Fairway Estates Homeowners Association.

It's a subject that Atwood has a deep passion for. Florida's military history during World War II is fascinating, he said.

``People say this place has no history,'' Atwood said. ``We have a lot of stories here and some people don't realize it.''

He will speak at 7:40 p.m. in the Palmetto Golf Course Banquet Room, 9300 SW 152nd St.

Atwood says the whole state was a hot spot for the military after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The United States then went to war against Japan and Germany.

Even German spies were found near Jacksonville early on in the war.

Along the coast, civilians turned out lights at night so the region wouldn't be a target for nocturnal bombings. There was fear it would happen after the Germans bombed London nightly.

Many troops trained in Florida -- with new bases established -- before they were sent over to fight in Europe or Asia.

``Homestead Air Force Base didn't exist until World War II,'' Atwood said. ``[President Franklin Delano] Roosevelt visited Florida eight times before World War II.''

Even the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables was part of the action.

``The Biltmore was a hospital (by the U.S. Army) for the wounded after the war,'' he said.

Bob Holley, the homeowners association's program chairman -- and a history buff -- wanted to share the area's rich World War II history with his neighbors.

``Anyone with military experience would be interested in this,'' he said.

Atwood agrees. ``You got the Bay of Pigs guys here,'' he said. ``Florida has a significant history and it's worth learning.''

To ensure the history will live on, Atwood is helping direct the building of the Miami Military Museum and Veterans Memorial, which is going to share the stories of military personnel who have served in all branches of the armed forces.

The museum will open off Southwest 152nd Street west of the Florida Turnpike near the Gulf Coast Railroad Museum and Miami Metrozoo.

Indeed, it will be built on history.

It will be on land that was a part of the former Richmond Naval Air Station.

``It was the second largest blimp station at the time,'' Atwood said.

The blimps stationed at the base played a significant role in defending against German submarines that were regularly sinking merchant vessels just off the Florida coast, Holley wrote in a press release.

``We got hit, no doubt about it,'' said Paul George, a historian for the Miami Historical Society. He added that ``hundreds of thousands of soldiers trained here'' during the war.

Much of the Richmond Naval base, including three huge blimp hangars, was destroyed in a severe hurricane in September 1945.

The museum will include historical items from military personnel who have served in all branches of the armed forces.

According to Atwood, the museum is close to being finished and is expected to be open sometime next year.

Holley is excited about what neighbors will learn from Atwood at his neighborhood meeting later this month.

``We encourage people to get there early,'' he said of the free event.

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