The Service Group would be equipped with the necessary resources to fully support the combat units by providing station security, mess halls, aircraft parts supply, base administration, aircraft mechanics, communications, medical, finance, and all the other necessary support services needed, and also be mobile enough to follow the combat units.

Within a short time, construction of two 5,000' concrete runways aligned E/W (09/27) and NW/SE (14/32) began to the original design of the ground station and over the next several months the once overgrown and vacant land was converted into an Army Air Base.

The ground station initially had few amenities, but eventually would be ready for it task of training personnel for the Service Groups.

The advance element of the 27th, the 37th Service Squadron arrived at the station in July 1942 to perform guard duty and to prepare the base for an official opening.

Necessity demanded that the skilled specialists of the 27th be put to work pulling stumps, cutting weeds and doing general clean-up jobs.

Construction of a large number of facilities based on standardized plans and architectural drawings, with the buildings designed to be the "cheapest, temporary character with structural stability only sufficient to meet the needs of the service which the structure is intended to fulfill during the period of its contemplated war use" was underway.

The station was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed.

However, it was found that the men of the 80th Service Group, had not received any technical training prior to their arrival at Venice.

In addition to the schools, there were courses taught in the application of camouflage, aircraft identification, booby traps, field sanitation, convoys and bivouacking.

All these skills were necessary for the men of the Service Units who would be performing their jobs in primitive areas close to the front lines.

The 14th SG was reputedly formed after a personal request to President Franklin Roosevelt by Madame Chiang Kai-shek.

The 400 men of the Service Group trained on P-40 Warhawk pursuit aircraft, P-39 Airacobras, P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-51 Mustangs.

The actual number of hours of training of both flying and ground personnel varied depending upon the need of the overseas combat Air Forces and other factors.

The Service Group Training Center entered a new phase on February 15, 1945, when the base was officially designated as Venice Army Airfield.

The 749th AAF Band was organized, making possible dances and shows; regular laundry service was set up; The sales commissary was opened; food for the mess halls was purchased locally, insuring fresher and more adequate meals.

As the war began drawing to an end in Europe, and later in the summer of 1945 in the Pacific, the number of trainees and the level of activity at the base was reduced rapidly.

With the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II most of the temporary training bases such as Venice Army Airfield were put on inactive status and eventually closed.

Today, the facility is known as Venice Municipal Airport and two of the three wartime runways are all that remain of the 1,600 acre World War II base.