By August 1973, they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with 17 B-52s lost to enemy action. Airmen from the 97th Bombardment Wing lost their lives and their photos appear on the lonely memorial at their abandoned base in Blytheville; Lt Col Keith R Heggen was in "Olive1", (now buried at Arlington Nat'l Cemetery) Lt Col Donald L Rissi, 1st LT Robert J Thomas and Msgt Walter L Ferguson were in "Charcoal 1" Major Bobby A Kirby, Capt Randall J Craddock, Capt George B Lockhart, Capt Ronald D Perry and 1st Lt Charles E Darr were in "Tan 3". Though it is referred to these names, the airport officially goes by Arkansas Aeroplex. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. If you can make it, even for an hour, we will be glad to have you! The Southeast Asia War Tour Boeing B-52D Stratofortress BUFF LF USAF Museum (9202) Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 3-10-2019. The G models most noticeable feature was its 8-foot shorter tail, done to ease maintenance and to save weight. Some were torn down. The 456th completed deployments to Anderson AB in Guam with this B-52G. Photo Gallery. And in 1991, Eaker Air Force Base was on the top of the list. I hope they can save this base so that it doesnt get destroyed. Eaker Air Force Base Historic District, Arkansas International Airport, and Blytheville Municipal Airport. A bomber crew from Blytheville were among the first shot down during Operation Linebacker II, a December 1972 mission targeting complexes in North Vietnam. Links: Thule AFB . Fighter units also rarely carried nose art or even a name, though they made up for it with very gaudy colors and flamboyant unit crests. Photo from Facebook. (Some joked that the ladies might just paint hunky guys on their aircraft!). Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe . Retired from service in December 2019, MD-88 N907DL is stored at the former Blytheville (Eaker) Air Force Base, now Arkansas International Airport, in Blytheville, Arkansas. Find Blytheville Air Force Base unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. I was stationed at this base in 1972-1976 and worked in the 97th Supply Squadron which is one of the large buildings located near the center of the photo. It was rolled out of Boeings Wichita plant. Posted on Facebook by Michael Meagher, Photographer unknown. Timeline photos. machine guns in tail plus up to 43,000+ lbs. (For some reason, this "Hotshot" never got eyes.). Coupled with the more regulation bound USAF of the 1950s, almost no B-36s or B-52s carried nose art, despite a larger "canvas" than the B-29 or B-17. Blytheville, established as lumber mill town in the 1880s, has also served as a center for the cotton-growing industry, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) airbase and a gateway city for the Natural State. Capt. I also lived in the dorms that are pictured. Eaker Air Force Base (1942-1992) was a front-line United States Air Force base for over 40 years. The 97th deployed to Edwards AFB, California, while operating this aircraft. Washington, DCMay 26, 2020.Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) joined Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1), Congressman French Hill (AR-2), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-4) in announcing the introduction of legislation to name the Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base located in Blytheville, Arkansas the "National Cold War Center." The air force base was established in 1942 as a . Pilot Mike Bush, Co Pilot Larry J Houser, EWO Wayne Carver, Navagtor Doug "D.R" Kincannon, Gunner Jack Alexander. Two B-52G bombers were readied to strike the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons if necessaryfor which the wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its performance during the crisis. Transferred from the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., this aircraft was flown to the museum in November 1978. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. A photo of my Mustang in the snow at Barker's Trailerpark in Blytheville Arkansas. In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. There was some concern that female aircrew--which were becoming far more common in the 1980s than in years previously--would object to the nose art, but no such objections materialized. As a kid in nearby Jonesboro, our cub scout pack got to visit what was then Blytheville AFB. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. At 14 I was hopping buses and trains and hanging out with friends in surrounding towns. "A B52 with a full nuclear payload, is the seventh most powerful country in the world.". Mold and asbestos float through the air like dust that just got kicked up. The B-52H, however, continues to serve without a replacement on the horizon; the USAF intends to keep it in service until at least 2025, by which time the newest Stratofortress would have been in service sixty years. 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. It has the exact same problems as the hospital, though both buildings trade off on extremities. Nearly 750 were built before production ended in Oct. 26, 1962; 170 of these were B-52Ds. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F-4E Phantom II #3 Jet. In 1972, all of the bombers were temporarily moved to Guam before being returned to Blytheville AFB, at which time the installation resumed normal functions. Hopefully the site will become available again for us. Opened in late 2020, the BAFB Exhibition features memorabilia, video and personal stories of the base from its 1942 beginnings until closure in 1992. Businesses have come and go, but the wear and tear of Mother Nature and Father time have taken their toll on many buildings on base. Notice my Mustang has what appears to be a trailer hitch. While with the 97th Bomb Wing at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, it received the name "Valkyrie" with appropriate nose art of a mail-clad female warrior on horseback; nose art made a renaissance in the USAF in the late 1980s, though not quite as risqu as that seen during World War II. The Ritz Theater from the outside circa. My 1966 Ford Mustang was setting in the parking lot the day we watched this jet fly. Blytheville air force base photos. Blytheville AFB experienced a great deal of activity throughout the Cold War era, when for instance, the 97th Bombardment Wing went on airborne alert on 22 October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The aircraft in question was tail number 61-0023. On January 31st, 2022, the Arkansas Aeroplex officially announced that work had been started on restoring Building 1225. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During WWII, my Dad and his best friend, John Whittington, would go to the base (teenagers) and work. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Offering the freedom of maintenance-free independent living with the flexibility of an affordable rental program, Westminster Village enables you to remain close to the best of Blytheville near fishing at Big Lake, as well as convenient access to Memphis . 10 free downloads. thrust each. Its' soft start" with hours on Friday's and Saturday from about 12:00pm to 4:00pm, will take some trip planning. Vietnam War, 1961-1975. The boom is controlled by an operator lying prone under the cargo deck of the aircraft. This facility trained Army Air Cadets on Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita advanced trainer planes to learn to fly North American B-25 Mitchell bombers in all theaters of World War 2. Notable people who were stationed at the base durring this time include Carl Jr. and Frank . The base was deactivated in 1945 at the end of World War II. The hospital is also a very large (plan wise) building, so it is very possible to get lost inside the building without a map. Weekly Began in 1902; ceased in 1923. Building 1225, will be added to the collection of buildings as part of the future National Cold War Center. With the end of the war the base was closed, only to be reopened 15 July 1955 as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base which was home to B-57 and B-52 . https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/bomber/kc-135.htm#:~:text=The%20KC%2D135%20can%20haul,transferable%20for%20global%20refueling%20missions. This Abandoned Air Force base is located three miles Northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Base Theater. I was an army brat and a military wife along with an army civilian off and on over the years. The program was comprised of just over 1100 women. The B-52G was also built from the start to deliver standoff nuclear weapons, beginning with the AGM-28 Hound Dog. By August 1973, they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with seventeen B-52s lost to enemy action. Formerly the site of family housing for Eaker Air Force Base, Westminster Village is a non-profit community. This one is at the old (now closed) SAC base near Blytheville, Arkansas. Base Closure What happened to Blytheville, Arkansas? BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The 17th Bombardment Wing (H) at Anderson AB was this aircraft's next duty station, arriving there in January 1973. Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . Since Eaker Air Force Base went under B.R.A.C. The plane . Unit of Service: 311th Tactical Airlift Squadron; Air National Guard. On the evening in question, Bruce was working for a local radio station, performing tests on their transmitters. Located on the former Eaker Air Force Base (also known as Blytheville Air Force Base), a few blocks inside the west gate. 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. All the glass is shattered. During the second World War, the United States needed more areas to train pilots, and launch aircraft to respond to the threat on the Eastern front. Eaker AFB was selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round of 1991. At Mildenhall. Renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 honoring Gen. Ira Eaker, the entire facility closed in 1992. [1], The base closure cost the community over 700 civilian jobs, but half of these were recovered through the adaptive reuse of the former base, such as United States Post Office's utilization of the base in the late 1990s as an airport hub during the holidays, some of the base housing being converted by Westminster Village of the Mid-South for a retirement community, the construction of a $2.5 million sports complex by the local community, and the private investment of some $3 million for the creation of the Thunder Bayou Golf Course. 732 of the aircraft were specifically aerial tankers. Part of the reason was the USAF's adoption of "Combat Warrior," which was meant to instill a sense of history among its pilots and airmen, requiring the study of the USAF/USAAF historical record. NUMBER BUILT: Douglas built a total of 10,047 C-47s and derivatives. [1] Other aircraft stationed at Blytheville AFB included: KC-97 refueler, B-52G bomber, KC-135A tanker, T-33 jet fighter, and the T-37 traineramong others. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Eaker_Air_Force_Base, https://www.boeing.com/history/products/b-52-stratofortress.page, https://www.boeing.com/history/products/kc-135-stratotanker.page, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1771/text?r=1&s=1, https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/bill-designating-national-cold-war-center-in-blytheville-introduced-in-senate, https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/107172/general-ira-c-eaker/, https://www.afcec.af.mil/Home/BRAC/Eaker.aspx, https://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls. The last model 61-0040, was produced in 1962. . 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. Under the command of the 326th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, pilots would train in aircraft such as theBeechcraft AT-10, and Curtiss-Wright AT-9s. It is aRead more . These windowless alert quarters were identical everywhere, with tunnel-like egress covered in corrugated steel.
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