The Parachute Building, begun in November 1942 and completed by May 1943 for the air field open house and official dedication, was built to inspect, pack, and repair parachutes for B-29 crews training to fly missions against Japan during World War II. Listed as a National Historical site since 22 April 2009, the building has a 40-foot-tall parachute loft and a short, gabled, one-story packing area, and its design was critical for drying, inspecting, cleaning, reassembling, and safely checking parachutes and rigging out of bad weather and wind. In the 3rd Echelon's Parachute Rigging Department, under Lieutenant Joseph Fawell, a platoon of seven women and one man carried out work considered as important as any on the base; among them were Women's Army Corps members Private First Class Fernande "Frenchy" Quick and Private Virginia McCoy, and Sgt. Harold Southard. The WAC soldiers arrived at PAAF in May 1944, and civilian workers were also essential, including foreman Gladys Trekell of Pratt, who held a CAA rigger's license and had been an instructor at the Tyler Parachute School, along with co-workers hired from Pratt and nearby towns. Every 60 days, each parachute underwent a complete inspection for stains from gas, oil, or grease and for holes or tears; damage under twelve inches could be repaired, while larger damage required replacement. In the early years of World War II, each parachute was valued at $163 and was made of 65 yards of nylon and silk, leather straps, rings, and hundreds of feet of nylon suspension lines, with four main parts: canopy, pack, harness, and the associated shrouds, retainer loops, and container.