During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Flying Training Command used the airport as a cadet training center beginning in August 1942. The airfield was named Selman Army Airfield, named after a Navy Pilot, Lieutenant Augustus J. Selman, USN, a native of Monroe, Louisiana, who died in the line of duty at Norfolk, Virginia, on November 28, 1921, of injuries received in an airplane crash. The vast majority of aircraft flown at Selman AAF were Beech C-45s, also known as the AT-7. BT-13s were flown for basic flying training, and TC-47 and TC-46s were used beginning in late 1944. It closed on until September 1, 1945. After that Selman AAF was used as a separation center for returning overseas personnel until being inactivated on May 31, 1946. The airport was returned to civil control on July 31, 1946. Monroe was served in the past by several airlines operating mainline jet aircraft. Delta Air Lines operated Boeing 727-200, Boeing 737-200, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliner flights to Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Birmingham, AL and other cities including one stop, no change of plane, direct service to New York City via Newark Airport. Delta operated mainline jet service into Monroe for many years. Southern Airways served Monroe with Douglas DC-9-10 jet flights to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Memphis, Chicago, Orlando and other destinations. Southern then merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines which in turn continued to serve Monroe. Republic operated DC-9 jet service nonstop to Memphis and New Orleans with direct, one stop service to Chicago and also direct, no change of plane, two stop service to Atlanta. Republic was subsequently acquired by Northwest Airlines which in turn then merged with Delta. In addition, Texas International Airlines (formerly known as Trans-Texas Airways, TTa) operated Convair 600 turboprop service to Houston, Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX and other destinations. Several regional and commuter airlines served Monroe in the past as well including Royale Airlines which was based in nearby Shreveport and operated hubs at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Royale operated Grumman Gulfstream I, Beechcraft C99 and Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante turboprop aircraft from the airport with nonstop service to Alexandria, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; Memphis, TN; New Orleans, LA and Shreveport, LA as well as one stop, direct service to Houston, TX. L'Express Airlines, another Louisiana-based air carrier, operated Beechcraft turboprop aircraft with nonstop flights to its hub in New Orleans, LA. Northwest Airlink, which was operated by Express Airlines I on behalf of Northwest Airlines, flew Saab 340 and British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 turboprops to Memphis. Currently, all American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express passenger flights to and from Monroe are operated either with Canadair CRJ or with Embraer ERJ regional jet aircraft.