On Dec. 13, 1942, a somber ceremony took place at the main headquarters of Colorado Springs Army Air Base.
The ceremony memorialized a young 25-year-old Coloradan and Army Air Forces officer. The base was renamed Peterson Army Air Base in honor of 1st Lt. Edward J. Peterson, who lost his life in an aircraft accident the previous August. As the base marks the 70th anniversary of this event, here is Peterson’s story.
Peterson was born Nov. 16, 1917, and spent his early childhood years in Loveland and Berthoud, Colo. In 1931, his family moved to Englewood, where he graduated from high school in 1935. He ranked fifth academically in his class and was an all-conference stand-out in football and track. Peterson went on to Denver University, graduating in 1939 with a degree in education and later earned his master’s degree in 1940 while working three part-time jobs.
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