It was closed as a military base in 1992 at the end of the Cold War pursuant to BRAC action and now operates as Arkansas International Airport . In July 1963 the aircraft was stationed at Beale AFB, California, with the 456th Bombardment Wing (H). The 2nd Bombardment Wing (H) at Barksdale AFB acquired the plane a second time in February 1987. . wikipedia.en/List_of_B-57_units_of_the_United_States_Air_Force.md at Weekly Began in 1902; ceased in 1923. Remembering the War that Saved the World | The National Cold War Center Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition - Tripadvisor Blytheville Air Force Base | Air force bases, Air force wife life, Air Dave Howell, RN Bob Gilbert, Gunner Rick Watson, EW Chuck Kinkhead, N Can't remember, CP Kevin Rice. May be an image of text that says 'David Pride 2000' No photo description available. 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. When I arrived in July 1972, Blytheville Air Force Base's B-52s, KC-135s, pilots, navigators, electronic warfare officers, tail gunners and many . Sheila Russell Thurber. Improve this listing. Renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 honoring Gen. Ira Eaker, the entire facility closed in 1992. Blytheville was the only two engine training base in Arkansas. MEMORIES. The Air Force packed up and left. Federal Facilities/Base Closure in Arkansas | US EPA B52 for his quick thinking, response to a crisis, and heroic duties. 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). The KC135 fuels other aircraft through an extendable boom on the aft of the aircraft. I also lived in the dorms that are pictured. 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. The majority of the bases housing is still in use, a few buildings are in use, and the tarmac is now the Arkansas Aeroplex. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Of the 3,778 acres the base is comprised of, two thirds of the land is abandoned. 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 Air Force needed a long-distance bomber that could travel all the way to the former U.S.S.R., drop a payload on a target and travel back without needing refueling. The airfield was used as the Southeastern Training Command's flight training school, which closed in October 1945 after the Second World War ended. Looking for someone that served with you? 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. I saw this jet fly Oct 25 1972 at the Blytheville AFB air show. 58-0183 joined the USAF and the 4135th Strategic Wing, based at Eglin AFB, Florida; the 4135th oversaw several B-52 squadrons dispersed over the American Southeast to lessen their chance of being caught on the ground by a Soviet nuclear strike. It launched rescue missions from the base to Grenada in 1983 and in August 1990, the pilots of the 97th Bomber Wing began practicing for missions in the Middle East and eventually supported Operation Desert Storm. This is a photoshopped 1972 Suzuki Brochure that I have transposed my face over the riders face. BAFB Exhibition | The National Cold War Center Blytheville air force base photos. [1] It was located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. The airplane dismantler used most of the tarmac we were using and we havent been back since before covid. Blytheville Air Force Base. 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. 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. Jwt708 Well-Known Member. Alas LRAFB was where we flew C119s to summer camp, but always hoped foe a fly in there. Posted to Facebook by William Travis. It was one of many air fields created in the country's interior during the war for this purpose. Link to the fact sheet on the museum's web page: www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5714, Link to the other B52s I remember: www.youtube.com/watch?v=leohcvmf8kM&feature=related. This is like the B-52Gs with the North American AGM-28 Nuclear Hound Dog Missiles assigned to my base. or the notorious F-105 "Cherry Girl," which positioned a full-frontal nude girl strategically over the refueling port on the nose. Community Profile: Blytheville, Ark., Spreads Its Wings after Air Force Base Closing. Strategic Air Command Bases Scanned from 35mm Negative. The effect on the neighboring towns of Gosnell and Blytheville the closure had on were tremendous. Today. Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. They also tended, in some cases, to be far more raunchy than even World War II or Korean nose art even dared--one popular one was to show a heavily pregnant Lucy Van Pelt from "Peanuts" screaming "Damn you, Charlie Brown!" The hospital is also a very large (plan wise) building, so it is very possible to get lost inside the building without a map. However, the B-58 was delayed, and in accordance with General Curtis LeMays prescient worries that the B-52 force would simply fall apart, Boeing began development of a new variant of the B-52, the B-52G. Blytheville Air Force Base Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Housing for members of the military and their families was developed between 1957 and 1962 north and south . I was one of four Production Supervisors who coordinated the P-Check maintenance and retrofitting of existing 737-200's (42 aircraft) for MetroJet; this included all coach interiors and . Buildings, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, car . The deactivation of the Eakers (Blytheville) Air Force Base in 1992 hit the community hard as in 2019 the population is about 15,000 while the population of Fayetteville exploded to near 90,000. . Communism had shriveled in the world. Glad to see the alert pad will be saved. Military Photos; Military Reunion Stories; Military Service Map; Military Cadences; Military Jokes; Military Lingo; Great Military Web Pages; Recommended Military Books; Today in Military . By August 1973, they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with seventeen B-52s lost to enemy action. Some of the land has since been declared a National Historic Landmark. This one is at the old (now closed) SAC base near Blytheville, Arkansas. c/n 18002/T0417. The 456th completed deployments to Anderson AB in Guam with this B-52G. The group was awarded two Distinguish Unit Citations during WWII and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crises. 3 items. Military aircraft stop at Arkansas Aeroplex - kait8.com Have history here? Armament: Four .50-cal. The Library. If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Loved it. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Today it is 14,011. The boom operators on KC-135s got a laugh over it, the pilots loved it, commanding officers were horrified and eventually ordered it removed. During the weekend of February 21st, 2022, the former N.C.O. Louisiana was the aircraft's next stop when in May 1974 it was transferred to the 2nd Bombardment Group (H) at Barksdale AFB. The B52 Stratofortress had solved every issue the Air Force ran into with earlier bombers. machine guns in tail plus up to 60,000+ lbs. 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. Wally's Photography | Old Blytheville Photos Opened in late 2020, the BAFB Exhibition features memorabilia, video and personal stories of the base from its 1942 beginnings until closure in 1992. A great surprise - Reviews, Photos - Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "blythevilleairforcebase" Flickr tag. The National Cold War Center will be an entirely brand new building itself. My 1972 Suzuki looked exactly like the one in the brochure. View allAll Photos Tagged Blytheville Air Force Base. The project mainly serves to save the best buildings and bring buildings in the worst shape down for safety purposes. The 17th Bombardment Wing (H) at Anderson AB was this aircraft's next duty station, arriving there in January 1973. by Ryan Nix, Photos by Jamison Mosley. Club was demolished. 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. Though, local organizations and legal entities constantly fight to preserve the base. In the politically correct 2000s, nose art has been hidden in wheel-well doors or, in the case of the A-10, behind the integral ladder door, and often as not, simply does not exist. Movie Theater. Owners of said buildings had big ambitions to renovate and repurpose the old buildings, but either plans never took off or money was tight. Almost immediately, this was proven to be a vain hope: the only aircraft able to replace the B-52 was, it seemed, another B-52. 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. Under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 the United States government is obligated to consider utilization, procurement and disposal of government property. 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. The 97th comm mustve been a very short lived entity as it was the 2101 CS / AFCC when I was there. Photo Gallery. Upon his return to the United States in November 1970, General Brown was assigned as vice commander of the 97th Bombardment Wing at Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., and took command of the wing in July 1971. It was always fascinating to hear stories about how papers were left on desks and furniture left abandoned. Timeline photos. Like many B-52s, 58-0183 was shuttled around through several units--in this case, no less than eleven bomb wings. Ritz. action, the base has sat mostly dormant. The small gold Hap Arnold Wings that appear just below my name tag was a gift from the widow of a deceased WWII USAAF pilot. The airport was developed from the closed Eaker Air Force Base (formerly Blytheville Air Force Base), after its closure by the U.S. Air Force in 1992. . Leaving Little Rock as Arkansas only active base. . When Vietnam ended and the USAF got back to peacetime, nose art once more disappeared. Scrapped at Birmingham AL in 1997. After Eaker Air Force Base was B.R.A.C.d, multiple buildings on the base were put up for sale, but never put to use properly. The first of 12 model aircrafts that were once housed at the Blytheville Air Force Base (later Eaker Air Force Base) was delivered on Wednesday to the exhibition building. I thanked my dad for my upbringing. Blytheville Air Force Base Capehart Housing Historic District The Blytheville Air Force Base Capehart Housing Historic District encompasses a large residential area built between 1957 and 1962 as part of a military housing program for service members stationed at the now-closed Blytheville Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas. Rick O'Kelley was drafted in Oct 1971 and enlisted in the USAF November 10 1971 on delayed enlistment. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe . BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. Building 1225 is currently registered on the National Register Of Historic Places and is quoted as being the crown jewel of the National Cold War Center campus. Though Phase Two of the project is underway (as of February 2022), there have been no announcements of when the museum will officially open. Was stationed there from 1967 to 1970 with 97th AMS, the old A&E Squadron. Everything from a static display of a B52 Stratofortress (which the Arkansas Aeroplex hopes to someday acquire), to letters from soldiers to their families overseas. NUMBER BUILT: Douglas built a total of 10,047 C-47s and derivatives. Base Fire Station. Douglas Ash - Altoona, Florida, United States - LinkedIn The aircraft in question was tail number 61-0023. blytheville afb photos | Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville But it is well-worth the visit. Our B-52s had the Vietnam War Camo paint while this appears to have the Pre-Vietnam War SAC paint which our bombers had before their Vietnam days. The aircraft was set on course to Boeings headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. 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. Photos from Blytheville Eaker Air Force Base - KBYH on JetPhotos Photos After a brief hiatus of less than a decade, the facility reopened as the Blytheville Air Force Base. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. I have been to the former base and tarmac many times in the 2010s for Sports Car Club of America events. On January 31st, 2022, the Arkansas Aeroplex officially announced that work had been started on restoring Building 1225. Blytheville Air Force Base - Wikipedia The 97th deployed to Edwards AFB, California, while operating this aircraft. My father manufactured this and built a front wheel carrier for my motorcycle so I could mount the front wheel and removed the chain and allow the rear wheel to freely roll as we towed it down the road. It boasted a vibrant downtown and it had an eclectic population due to the wide variety of people the base brought to the city. H.R.859 - To authorize references to the museum located at Blytheville The Southeast Asia War Tour Boeing B-52D Stratofortress BUFF LF USAF Museum (9202) Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 3-10-2019. Any monthly plan. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Blytheville, Arkansas was selected as a training location due to its proximity to the Mississippi River, where supplies could easily be shipped to and from the site. at the old Blytheville Air Force Base now called the Blytheville Aeroplex where the city is planning to invest $20 million . Pinterest. 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 . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Sara Robertson (Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov) Arkansas Delegation Introduces Legislation to Designate Blytheville Air Force Base as National Cold War Center 2/7/2023 Washington - Today, Representatives Crawford, Hill, Westerman, and Womack, along with Senators Boozman and Cotton, introduced legislation to name the Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base located in . Some commanders, such as General Charles Donnelly in USAFE (no relation to the author) reportedly considered making names and/or nose art on USAFE aircraft a requirement. This increased the B-52Gs range over earlier B-52s, though it also added considerable weightone reason why the tail was shortened; to help the heavy bomber get off the ground, the water-injection system already present was increased. The crew started to lose control of the plane and went to bail out. Photos from Blytheville Eaker Air Force Base - KBYH on JetPhotos Like the Arc Light strikes of Vietnam, Iraqi forces on the ground could not hear or see B-52s before they struck. PIGGOTT, Ark., July 30 (UPI) An Air Force C130 transport plane crashed, and burned at dusk today in a pasture in this town in northeastern Arkansas, killing all six persons aboard. There was no need for the Global Shield. The current BAFB Exhibit is housed in the former B52 crew briefing building, and will continue to be an exhibit. About ten years ago a group of old 97 OMS troops made a trip to see the old place. 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. Capt. The Cold War had come to and end. My job was to keep the alert aircraft supplied with the parts they needed to be mission ready. if I remember correctly it was one of the rooms pictured (162). In May 1962 the aircraft returned to the Boeing factory in Kansas for wing modification and strengthening to counteract the fatigue cracks occurring in the B-52 fleet. Wing Headquarters. Since Eaker Air Force Base went under B.R.A.C. Find Blytheville Air Force Base stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. These jets were flown from 1969 to Feb 1974 when they were retired due to the oil crisis. All of these were under the Strategic Air Command. Details on 57-6486 are sparse; it may have seen combat over Vietnam with another unit. Looking Into the Past..blytheville Air Force Base and The Cold War As "Hoosier Hotshot," it flew first with the 97th BW at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, then finished its career with the 93rd BW at Castle AFB, California. 18 (Feb. 26, 1904). Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. See original furniture from the famous alert compound, pictures, uniforms & other memorabilia including a . Vietnam saw a return of nose art (or, in the case of the F-105, "armpit art" as it was carried beneath the high wing), but while pilots and crews didn't have to worry about irate wives, they did have to worry about irate commanding officers, some of whom saw nose art as unprofessional and childish. Photographs are from numerous people and I encourage you to send me your photos if you want to add to the Blytheville collection. Use code: FLICKR10, International Air Tattoo 1987 - RAF Fairford. Would love hear your stories or your thoughts. On the evening in question, Bruce was working for a local radio station, performing tests on their transmitters. Blytheville herald-news Blytheville courier news (DLC)sn 89051348 Deactivated at the close of the conflict, the base was reactivated in the 1950s as Blytheville Air Force Base and was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 . 10 free downloads. The USAF Thunderbirds flew the F-4E Phantom II from 1969 until Feb 1974 when they were retired due to the October 1973 fuel crisis. Formerly the site of family housing for Eaker Air Force Base, Westminster Village is a non-profit community. For more information, visit the website at www.nationalcoldwarcenter.com or call 870-532-2100. On 16 January 1991, she was one of seven B-52s that would fly from Barksdale to fire cruise missiles at Saddam Hussein's Iraq on the first night of Operation Desert Storm. Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. (KAIT) - Members of the United States Air Force in Little Rock and Louisiana landed aircraft on the Arkansas Aeroplex on the morning of . Airport information, from map to hotels to aeronautical information. This article was made possible by the help of Barrett Harrison, President of the Arkansas Aeroplex, Technical Sergeant Robert Charles, curator of the BAFB Exhibit, many Air Force veterans and the National Cold War Center. It was retired in July 1991 and donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. Arkansas World War II Army Airfields - Wikipedia Photo from Facebook. - A Blytheville museum shining a light on Cold War history received funding supporting a planned primary exhibit. I took this from the back seat of the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter. Yes we grew up overseas and only went to Department of Defense Schools but it was amazing. Notice my Mustang has what appears to be a trailer hitch. The majority of buildings have suffered the same fate. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. The National Cold War Center at the former Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville announced Monday that it had received a $400,000 grant from the Division of Arkansas Heritage Cultural Institutions Trust Fund.A spokesperson said the money would be used to . As the Cold War ended, "Valkyrie" was assigned to her last duty station with the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, but she would have one last mission. This is not my photograph so it may not be used for commercial purposes. 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. Delta's cities show its plight; Blytheville, Pine Bluff face future 27 items. Far in the northeast corner of Arkansas, five miles west of the Mississippi River, the city of Blytheville remembers a prosperous past while hoping for a bright future. On 7 July 1971 SACs last C-47 was transferred to the USS Alabama Monument Commission. In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. Eaker. In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. Eaker. Of reinforced concrete and concrete-block construction, moleholes were of two-story height, with one story below ground. This is the alert facility, or "mole hole," where bomber and tanker aircraft crew in the Strategic Air Command (SAC; USAF) lived while they were pulling alert duty during the Cold War. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. 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". Constructed on former agricultural land, the site was originally activated as the Blytheville Army Airfield in 1942. 2023 Getty Images. Nearly 750 were built before production ended in Oct. 26, 1962; 170 of these were B-52Ds. Located on the former Eaker Air Force Base (also known as Blytheville Air Force Base), a few blocks inside the west gate. The B-52G was to return to the nuclear delivery role through the 1970s and 1980s, with the SRAM itself replaced by the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile, a truly precise cruise missile. On June 10, 1942, the U.S. Army opened an advanced pilot training school at Blytheville, Arkansas. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Most of the Gs ended their days sliced into pieces in the Arizona desert. Many buildings are gone, and will continue to disappear. Once more, however, the B-52G was called upon for the conventional role during Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991. Ash worked from a photograph of the B-52 Blytheville plane. of conventional or nuclear bombs, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=294. Operated by the 97th Bombardment Wing based at Eaker AFB, Blytheville AR. In selected cases, due to ground water table conditions, the moleholes were built fully aboveground, with the lower story earthen bermed for semi-hardening. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. VetFriends.com helps reunite veterans from the Air Force daily. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); http://www.fi-aeroweb.com/Defense/KC-46-Tanker.html#:~:text=Compared%20to%20the%20KC%2D135,cargo%20and%20aeromedical%20evacuation%20capabilities.&text=The%20KC%2DX%20Program%2C%20the,current%20KC%2D135%20tanker%20fleet. 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.
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