Pyote Air Force Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces training airbase. It was on a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas, on Interstate 20, 20 miles west of Monahans and just south of U.S. Highway 80, east of El Paso. It was nicknamed "Rattlesnake Bomber Base" for the numerous rattlesnake dens that were uncovered during its construction. At the height of its use in 1944, the base had over 6,000 officers and enlisted men, either permanently assigned or temporarily attached. In addition, hundreds of civilians came from all over the United States to work on the base. After World War II, thousands of reserve aircraft were stored there, one of which was the B-29 Enola Gay. Today, most of the base is gone. Other than the concrete runways, taxiways, and ramp, virtually nothing remains that would tell the casual observer that this was once a major training center responsible for turning out highly trained flying crews. In later years, the West Texas State School was situated on the site; it was closed in 2010. Located on I-20 at exit 66. Origins Pyote Army Air Field was established as a B-17 Flying Fortress crew-training base during World War II. Initially, newly established bomber groups were trained at Pyote, then it was switched to training replacement aircrew members who were deployed to combat units overseas. Initially, Pyote Army Airbase was assigned to Second Air Force, then in April 1944, to USAAF Continental Air Forces training command. Two main runways, each about 8,000 ft long and 150 ft wide, and a taxiway formed a triangle pattern on the flat, arid land. Construction of the facilities, including five large hangars, shops, warehouses, and living quarters, began on 5 September 1942. World War II use The first troops were assigned within a month, well before the base was completed. Troops and civilian technicians poured in, and the population of the base grew steadily to a peak of over 6,500 in October 1944. Within four months of its opening, the base had become the largest bomber installation in the country. Despite morale problems caused by isolation and the shortage of off-base recreation and of dependents' housing, Pyote achieved a distinguished record in molding inexperienced individuals into effective bomber crews. After the arrival of the famed 19th Bombardment Group' on January 1, 1943, and the ceremonial inauguration of its training program