The nine surviving jets are scattered from coast to coast most of them restored and on display. This VC-47D had been assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. All of these were under the Strategic Air Command. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. When 58-0183 got its nose art, it was assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, but it would carry its nose art into combat during the First Gulf War as part of the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. Eaker Air Force Base is located approximately 3 miles northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas, on Interstate 55 between St Louis and Memphis. The rest I earned via my service to my country. NCO Club. At the height of the Cold War, Eaker Air Force Base was home to the 97th Bombardment Wing, the 42nd Air Division, the 97th Air Refueling Squadron, the 97th Supply Squadron, the 97th Organizational Maintenance Squadron, the 820th Medical Group, and many more. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. "Valkyrie" would fly a few more missions during the war, the only time she would drop bombs in anger. . He arranged the trade of my old piece of crap Harley, arranged the financing so I could just get on my new motorcycle and drive away. To differentiate ALCM-equpped B-52Gs from unmodified aircraft, a wing fairing was added solely for the benefit of Soviet reconnaissance satellites, in accordance with arms control treaties. The Ritz Theater from the outside circa. 2023 Getty Images. Many DC-3 and C-47s are still in operation, nearing the end of their first half century of service and looking like they could go another half century. Air Base Group Headquarters. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. On January 11th, during Agile Combat Employment training exercises performed by the U.S. Air Force at Eaker Air Force Base, work had begun on the restoration process of Building 1225. On the evening in question, Bruce was working for a local radio station, performing tests on their transmitters. Eaker Air Force Base was complete with swimming pools, tennis courts, a grocery store, a dental office, a nine hole golf course, a theater, multiple clubs, visitation centers, a gym, and on-base housing for military families. Property is disposed of, and the government cleans up after itself. In July 1963 the aircraft was stationed at Beale AFB, California, with the 456th Bombardment Wing (H). Most of the Gs ended their days sliced into pieces in the Arizona desert. On January 23rd, 2022, it was announced that the former dorms would be demolished. A total of 820 KC135s have been produced since 1956. action specifically caters to closures and revitalization of U.S. military bases. "A B52 with a full nuclear payload, is the seventh most powerful country in the world.". On 7 July 1971 SACs last C-47 was transferred to the USS Alabama Monument Commission. The nose art trend continued through Operation Desert Storm--though some of the ladies were censored or temporarily taped over to avoid offending Saudi religious officials--but then began to disappear again during the 1990s. It is planned to be its own exhibit within the system of buildings. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . On a Bravo alert, while taxiing the aircraft, the pilot was waiting (and hoping!) Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "blythevilleairforcebase" Flickr tag. Formerly the site of family housing for Eaker Air Force Base, Westminster Village is a non-profit community. The Cold War had come to and end. VetFriends.com helps reunite veterans from the Air Force daily. But, right before the first man could bail, the pilot had realized they had marginal control over the aircraft. However, two years later they proved him and everyone else wrong. On the opening night of the war, a group of B-52s took off from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and struck targets in Iraq with ALCMs, in a 34-hour nonstop round trip mission, a record that stood until 1996. The aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. The airfield was used as the Southeastern Training Command's flight training school, which closed in October 1945 after the Second World War ended. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. This Abandoned Air Force base is located three miles Northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Photo Gallery. All photos. The G models were not equipped with the same robust electronic countermeasures suite as the Ds, nor did their crews have the same training. Located on the former Eaker Air Force Base (also known as Blytheville Air Force Base), a few blocks inside the west gate. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. Scrapped at Birmingham AL in 1997. Description based on: Vol. After it became operational in 1955, the B-52 remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the US Air Force during the Cold War, and it continues to be an important part of the USAF bomber force today. It is aRead more . Extensive efforts to offset the negative economic effects on the community of Blytheville were undertaken by local and federal officials, who cleaned up the site and then distributed the land to various organizations, including the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). My family and I were stationed here from about 1964 until 1970. I was stationed at Eaker from 89-91 in the comm building pictured. The airbase was phased out years ago, but Blytheville has emerged as a steel production center and agri-business is strong. Would love hear your stories or your thoughts. The National Cold War Center is planned to be the largest collection of history and information on the decades that made up the war in the world. Reactivated as the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus AFB. Eaker Air Force Base was home to a group of Strategic Air Command B-52 bombers and more than 3,000 military personnel before closing in 1992. Since then, there have been only 744 aircraft built by Boeing. I was an army brat and a military wife along with an army civilian off and on over the years. As a result, the B-52Gs took heavy casualties in the first days of Operation Linebacker II in December 1972, losing 15 aircraft; it was decided to pull the Gs out of operations after the first week. Best years of my life. Officials had hoped, after hearing rumors of the base's possible closure, that the name would endear the base among military leaders and be enough to incentivize its continued existence. The local economy tankedand unemployment skyrocketed. Originally Blytheville Air Force Base, the base's official name was changed in 1988 to honor air pioneer and commander of the Mighty Eighth Air Force during World War II, Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker. The last duty station for this aircraft was with a previous owner, the 93rd Bombardment Wing (H) at Castle AFB, where it arrived in December 1988. It was amazing. When Castle closed in 1995, 57-6486 was retired and sent to AMARG in Arizona; it was scrapped soon thereafter as part of the START arms reduction treaty. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. [1], During the Vietnam War the 97th Bomber Wing at Blytheville supported strike operations throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was awarded two Distinguish Unit Citations during WWII and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crises. 766 th BS headquarters. The aircraft was flown from Castle AFB to Hill AFB, Utah, in its final flight. While the B-52Hs remained on nuclear alert standby, the G models were used in the conventional bombing role after the first few nights of cruise missile strikes; at first, this was done at low altitude, but switched to high altitude later onnot because of the threat of Iraqi air defenses, which had been badly degraded, but of the psychological effect. Blytheville air force base photos. They could go out of the facility to visit family, go to a movie or the BX, but the whole crew had to go everywhere together. When Operation Linebacker and especially Linebacker II taxed the Southeast Asia-based B-52D fleet to the limit, President Richard Nixon authorized the G models to be deployed to Vietnam as well. The first DC-3s were ordered by the USAAF in 1941 under the designation C-47, but there was no way to predict that simple designation would become a legend, that over 10,000 would be built and that the plane would be listed by General Dwight Eisenhower as one of the four pieces of equipment most vital to our success in Africa and Europe. There were countless modifications to the C-47 fleet, some taking place at the factory and some in the field. I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. My first year I worked in Procurement which is to the far right edge in this photo, it is the last building on the left along Memorial Drive, the wide street going left to right. The Blytheville Air Force Base Alert Center and Alert Apron constructed as part of a national expansion of Strategic Air Command Facilities across the United States and its Territories, to help in creating a "program to safeguard nuclear deterrence" through the SAC Alert program. He told me many stories about the German . The nose art of the B-52 version is a faithful reproduction of the B-17 version--one of the many Varga Girls that decorated World War II-era aircraft. Since its organization on 21 March 1946, SAC had continuously used C-47s or Gooney Birds as they were usually called, for support and administrative purposes. 07-4637 photos; United States - US Air Force (USAF) Airline: United States - US Air Force (USAF) Reg: 07-4637 photos; Aircraft: Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules; Serial #: 382-5597; . 1950's. Janet Austin - Duplessis. Base Closure What happened to Blytheville, Arkansas? Details on 57-6486 are sparse; it may have seen combat over Vietnam with another unit. The plane . In order to give the property on which the base was located back to the local authorities, the USAF hired a cultural resource management firm to conduct a survey of the archeological sites on the base property (Cande and Lafferty 1991). As a kid in nearby Jonesboro, our cub scout pack got to visit what was then Blytheville AFB. My Heritage. During Eaker's height, Blytheville was roughly the same size as Jonesboro, Smith said. Who knew that 41 years later I would have a new Mustang or even still be alive. Military Photos; Military Reunion Stories; Military Service Map; Military Cadences; Military Jokes; Military Lingo; Great Military Web Pages; Recommended Military Books; Today in Military . Love Photoshop, a little bit of work and #3 does a flyby just for me 41 years later. Though it is referred to these names, the airport officially goes by Arkansas Aeroplex. When I arrived in July 1972, Blytheville Air Force Base's B-52s, KC-135s, pilots, navigators, electronic warfare officers, tail gunners and many . In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F-4E Phantom II #3 Jet. In 1955 North Sawba Cemetery once again returned to government jurisdiction with the activation of Blytheville Air Force Base later renamed Eaker Air Force Base, until base closure December 1992. Altus AFB ACTIVE Need photos: Location: Altus, Oklahoma. Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment 3. The Blytheville Air Force Base SAC alert area is located east of the southern end of the runway, situated at the center of the fenced area long the alert parking area.
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