During World War II, construction of Bryan Army Air Field began in August 1942 as part of a War Department initiative to train pilots and instructors. For a time it was the only instrument instructor school, and it hosted more than 1,000 Women Army Service Pilots, 38 of whom died during training. From Bryan Field on July 27, 1943, Col. Joseph Duckworth made the first intentional flights through a hurricane. The field included a large but segregated contingent of African American servicemen and cadets and covered almost 2,000 acres of rural property. Its construction displaced farmers and the entire Riverside community, but it also brought significant economic impact to Brazos County. The airfield had a triangular runway system, hangars, barracks, a theater, chapel, hospital, and library. After World War II, much of the site was obtained by Texas A&M College, and "The Annex" housed freshmen to relieve overcrowding at the main campus caused by hundreds of returning veterans. Reactivated as Bryan Air Force Base in 1951 in response to the Korean War, the facility became a major jet training base and was racially integrated. Tuskegee airmen and pilots from many countries trained there under skilled instructors, including future astronauts. The base was deactivated in 1961, deeded to the college, and eventually developed into the Riverside Campus, a multifaceted part of Texas A&M University.