NAS Meridian was started in 1957 and commissioned in 1961, as an auxiliary naval air station, primarily for training, and gradually increased its role and size over the next twenty years, becoming a full NAS in 1968, and a major shore command in 1982. This air station has served to shelter Navy aircraft stationed on the Gulf of Mexico from the onslaught of hurricanes repeatedly, often finding space for multiple air stations. The training mission at Meridian has seen Wings of Gold awarded to hundreds, including the first female strike pilot of the US Marine Corps, Lt. Karen Fuller Tribbett, in 1997.

Local History / Trivia - The city of Meridian was the site of one of the more remarkable feats of flight endurance. In the middle 1930s the brothers Fred and Al Key kept their plane, the Ole' Miss, in flight for twenty-three days, using an innovative refueling system and on-the-wing maintenance. This record stands. The local airport was appropriately named for them. Their refueling system was used by the Army Air Corps for many years, the cutoff valve they used is the basis of modern midair refueling, and the national confidence in flight safety was boosted.