History: Can you dig it?

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christopher Bowyer-Meeder
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When most think of archaeology, Harrison Ford donning a fedora and searching for history in distant lands comes to mind, but Tyndall has a long, rich history which predates F-22 Raptors and barbed wire fences. One man is on a mission to preserve that history.

Craig Dengel, a Louisiana State University doctorate of archaeology student, has teamed up with the 325th Civil Engineer Squadron Natural Resources and the National Park Service's Southeast Archaeological Center to dig up Tyndall's history.

"There's probably people every day that walk out of their house and maybe they kick over shells and pottery and don't realize they're kicking something that's probably 1,500 years old," Dengel said.

Approximately 1,500 years ago, Bay County was not known as a popular spring break destination or Air Force community. Instead, it was home to Bay County Native Americans that used the land and its natural resources for survival. The natives used shells as tools and built pots out of clay. Many of the items that they used and made were left behind for archaeologists to find.

According to Dengel, the primary purpose of the cultural resources management department is to preserve the history of Tyndall. Instead of artifacts being ruined and forgotten, archaeologists hope they can be saved and studied.

"We're trying to understand the bigger context of where those artifacts came from," said Dengel. "Our goals are for preservation."

Dengel explained that in the past if anything important was discovered, it would simply be quarantined. While it is good that artifacts were left undisturbed, they were not excavated and preserved, meaning no record of them was created. Now, as artifacts are discovered, or rediscovered, they are cataloged and analyzed to learn more about them.

Dengel is working alongside other archaeologists to make sure that no mission activities impact any of the 160 sites on base. He believes it is important for people to remember that wherever they may live, someone else probably lived there first.

"When you pass through a place, you're not the only person that's been there," said Dengel. "There's a long history of people that have been there and made that their home."

Archaeologists are not the only people working to preserve this history. Civilians who spend time on base are also excited about what can be discovered in archaeological sites around base.

"I love it. It's just great," said Julie Bullock, Audubon Society of Florida field technician. "I want to know about the family, the family life, what kind of story they have to tell."

Dengel hopes to find out more about that story as he continues his work at Tyndall. With every artifact he finds, he hopes to find the significance of who it belonged to, and why it was important to that person or group of people. Through that search, he will preserve the history of Tyndall.