Cowtown may be how we are known, but the booming defense industry in Fort Worth helped make the city what is it today. J"Nell Pate delved into local archives to tell the story of the military in our great city. Here, she sheds some light on putting together her extensive book.
How did you go about researching for Arsenal of Defense? I looked at all the primary sources I could find. Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter let me go through all of their old company newsletters. I also went to the Southwest Regional Archives to research military camps. I did most of the research locally.
Why do you think people associate Fort Worth with Cowtown and not with the military? Maybe people haven't written enough about the military! I wrote a book on the Stockyards, too, but I wanted to write about the military now. I'd heard that if the economic aspect of Fort Worth could be compared to a three-legged stool, the three legs would be livestock, defense and oil.
Any future books? Not at the moment. It took a long time to research [this book] and then a long time to find a publisher. I'm going to rest for a while.
