The B-52 is one of the few planes I remember Dad talking about during his career at Hill Air Force Base. It was always fascinating to hear stories about how papers were left on desks and furniture left abandoned. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. The WASP program tasked select women with many key roles on airfields across the nation. The communication building of the 97th Bombardment Wing is in terrible condition as well. Fill out the form and sign up to help us protect: By signing up, you are not committing to anything, you are simply subscribing to be notified of upcoming volunteer dates. The airbase was phased out years ago, but Blytheville has emerged as a steel production center and agri-business is strong. Collect, curate and comment on your files. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It was also a B-52 that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe . Dave Howell, RN Bob Gilbert, Gunner Rick Watson, EW Chuck Kinkhead, N Can't remember, CP Kevin Rice. I'm fairly certain I saw this aircraft at an airshow at Malmstrom AFB in the 1980s, as the nose art is familiar, but it may be wishful thinking on my part. A strong gust of wind has pushed the rear of the aircraft left then right. The effect on the neighboring towns of Gosnell and Blytheville the closure had on were tremendous. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. During Eaker's height, Blytheville was roughly the same size as Jonesboro, Smith said. I thanked my dad for my upbringing. All photos. Location of Service: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Williams Air Force Base, Arizona; Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio; Vietnam; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas; Des Moines Air National . 2, no. [1], On 15 July 1955, the facility was reopened as Blytheville Air Force Base (AFB), when the 461st Bombardment Wing was moved from Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Building 1225, will be added to the collection of buildings as part of the future National Cold War Center. Capt R.D. NCO Club. Unit of Service: 311th Tactical Airlift Squadron; Air National Guard. 1-2 hours. The KC135 fuels other aircraft through an extendable boom on the aft of the aircraft. action specifically caters to closures and revitalization of U.S. military bases. The War Assets Administration officially closed down the installation in 1946, at which point control and responsibility for the land was transferred to the city of Blytheville. Find Blytheville Air Force Base unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. 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 . It was immediately assigned to the 72nd Bombardment Wing (Heavy) at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. A total of 820 KC135s have been produced since 1956. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F-4E Phantom II #3 Jet. Photo by Democrat-Gazette file photo . 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. 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 population suffered as well. Thank you! This VC-47D had been assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Chestnut Drive, on the right when traveling east on Memorial Drive. It is planned to be its own exhibit within the system of buildings. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "blythevilleairforcebase" Flickr tag. 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. Buildings have collapsed in that time frame. If you served in Blytheville Air Force Base, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. It seemed like every morning at 5:00 AM the flight line maintenance crews would fire up some of the airplanes engines. No photo description available. Photographer unknown. At one point, sharkmouths were banned by 7th Air Force in Saigon as being "too warlike"--despite, of course, the "non-warlike" aircraft carrying tons of bombs and missiles. The B52 Stratofortress was the answer to all the problems found in the Convair B36 Peacemaker and the B24. 97th Bomb Wing has a long and honorable history. In December of 1992, the base officially closed. The exhibits are impactful and tell the story of Base history. Community Profile: Blytheville, Ark., Spreads Its Wings after Air Force Base Closing. 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. The last model 61-0040, was produced in 1962. Ash worked from a photograph of the B-52 Blytheville plane. May be an image of text that says 'David Pride 2000' No photo description available. For nearly 50 years, residents of Blytheville, Ark., proudly supported the Air Force base in their town. The majority of buildings have suffered the same fate. The B-52G was also built from the start to deliver standoff nuclear weapons, beginning with the AGM-28 Hound Dog. The alert force aircraft remained parked just outside this facility (on a ramp, over to the left); there were armed airmen patrolling the ramp at all times. 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. It worked very well and it was how I towed my new 1972 Suzuki GT750J from my parent's home in Alma the 300 miles to Blytheville Air Force Base. It was good to see jets setting on the tarmac, even if they are only civilian jets. I have been to the former base and tarmac many times in the 2010s for Sports Car Club of America events. Another part was that the men who had flown in Vietnam and chafed under the official frowning upon of nose art were now the ones in charge. The KC135 replaced the KC97, as the latter could not keep up with newer, larger and faster aircraft. On 7 July 1971 SACs last C-47 was transferred to the USS Alabama Monument Commission. Blytheville AFB was created in 1942 as a location for pilot training, originally named Blytheville Army Airfield. The B-47 Stratojet was slated to be replaced by a mix of both the heavy Stratofortress and the Convair B-58 Hustler high-speed medium bomber. I completed USAF Technical School in Denver Co the end of June 1972 and received two weeks leave before reporting to my base and when I arrived home my old farm boss, USAAF Veteran Bill Morriss had a brand new Suzuki motorcycle in his garage. Three crewmen died in the crash. Military. Beechcraft AT-10, and Curtiss-Wright AT-9s. As the 97th Bomb Group it's B-17 were the first to drop bombs on the Germans in France in 1942. Usaf Academy, CO 80840-1307 Colorado Springs, CO 80919-3732 Warrensburg, MO 64093-9357 I only ask that you send older photos (probably sometime before 1970).and they can be of People, Places in Blytheville, and Things. 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. 3 talking about this. Dental Clinic. Housing for members of the military and their families was developed between 1957 and 1962 north and south . My USAF service had no connection to the Thunderbirds other than Juliet and I saw this Thunderbird perform at Blytheville Air Force Base Oct 25 1972. BX and Cafeteria. I was an army brat and a military wife along with an army civilian off and on over the years. Memphis Discovery Tour . Capt. This gallery is to showcase old photographs from Blytheville, Arkansas. Sheila Russell Thurber. Available for both RF and RM licensing. I single had a wonderful time on my motorcycle that summer when I arrived at Blytheville Air Force base and my motorcycle was a major reason for my fond memories of a carefree time in my youth. Formerly the site of family housing for Eaker Air Force Base, Westminster Village is a non-profit community. My 1972 Suzuki looked exactly like the one in the brochure. Jul 1999. Blytheville Eaker Air Force Base - KBYH, USA - Arkansas; By: Brady Brooks Photos | Profile | Contact; Property is disposed of, and the government cleans up after itself. It was located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. Setting near the base is a memorial bench for Army Spc Christopher Stark killed in Afghanistan Feb 28 2011. Whether it be by the hand of the elements, or by deconstruction due to safety issues. Abandoned Arkansas had noticed while touring the base, the former base bank had been torn down the week prior to January 1st, 2022. NUMBER BUILT: Douglas built a total of 10,047 C-47s and derivatives. I took this from the back seat of the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter. 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. 4 items. Would love hear your stories or your thoughts. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. At 14 I was hopping buses and trains and hanging out with friends in surrounding towns. 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. In 1990, Blythevilles population was 23,443. The KC135 Stratotanker, as most other notary aircraft, was born out of necessity. It was one of many air fields created in the country's interior during the war for this purpose. But it is well-worth the visit. The B-52G entered service in February 1959, and eventually 193 would be built, making it the most produced B-52 variant. Nose art, while almost ubiquitous during World War II and Korea, largely disappeared in the 1950s. CENTCOM commander H. Norman Schwartzkopf demanded continual B-52 strikes-- eventually forty percent of all ordnance expended--and the results were devastating. From an extreme case of having to be boarded up like a top secret quarantine, to simply being an old tool shed that never got used. https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/bomber/kc-135.htm#:~:text=The%20KC%2D135%20can%20haul,transferable%20for%20global%20refueling%20missions. 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. Today it is 14,011. The Blytheville Air Force Base Exhibition, a part of the National Cold War Center, is a permanent exhibit that showcases the air base and the people that lived and worked there. Lots of good memories. The boom operators on KC-135s got a laugh over it, the pilots loved it, commanding officers were horrified and eventually ordered it removed. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. The nine surviving jets are scattered from coast to coast most of them restored and on display. 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. Charles Fisher would forever be known as Mr. Had many good times there. I never earned Air Force Wings, the wings that appear in the photo are those of the Commemorative Air Force of which I am a member. The plane . Engines: Eight P&W J57-P-43WB turbojets, 13,750 lbs thrust each w/ water injection, Weight: 168,445 lbs empty; 488,000 lbs max, Speed: 636 mph max at 20,800 ft; 523 mph cruise, Range: 4,100 miles w/10,000 lb bomb load; 7,976 miles ferry, Armament: Four .5 in machine guns; payload 50,000 lbs bombs & missiles. . Suggest edits to improve what we show. 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. There were VIP transports (designated VC-47A/B) and there were SC-47s used as search and rescue aircraft. Have history here? Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Armament: Four .50-cal. [1], During the Vietnam War the 97th Bomber Wing at Blytheville supported strike operations throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. This is not my photograph so it may not be used for commercial purposes. Those dorms were pristine (almost new if I remember correctly) when they were abandoned. Weekly Began in 1902; ceased in 1923. 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. What aRead more , Stationed there 1989-1992, loved the place and love the life long friends from there. The base's primary mission shifted to bomber training. ", From: www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/bomber_alert.htm. Blytheville air force base photos. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . This does not include 149 civil aircraft impresses before delivery. [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. Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . The Iron Curtain was torn down. A B52 with a full nuclear payload, is the seventh most powerful country in the world.. The United States no longer needed bombers and fuel-tankers to be on 24/7 alert. Old Movies. Rick O'Kelley was drafted in Oct 1971 and enlisted in the USAF November 10 1971 on delayed enlistment. Buildings, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, car . [1], In 1988, the U.S. Air Force officially renamed Blytheville AFB to Eaker AFB in commemoration of World War II General Ira Eaker, the former commander of the 8th Air Force. action, the base has sat mostly dormant. Operated by the 97th Bombardment Wing based at Eaker AFB, Blytheville AR. 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. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. thrust each. 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. The B-52G is missing its missile pylon because these were removed and destroyed as a condition of he SALT treaty launcher reduction conditions. It is very possible the paint that is peeling on the walls is lead-based. Tiling soaked in stagnant water squishes under your feet, anything that could be rusted, is rusted. 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 . 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. Five feet of water was pumped out of the basement of the building. The Hound Dog was withdrawn in the 1970s and replaced with the AGM-69 SRAM, which could be carried in groups of 20 rather than just two of the huge Hound Dogs. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Strategic Air Command had reached the end of the road. He served active duty March 21 1972 to March 20 1976. We share a body likeness and dress and I had an orange helmet but most of the time I wore my Easy Rider Flag helmet. I was stationed at 3 bases that closed during this BRAC (Eaker, George and Chanute) and took an early out at the same time (volunteer compensated RIF in 1992). 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. On January 10th, 1964, a B52H loaned to Boeing by the USAF was testing the structural integrity of, and new technology for the aircraft. This view also shows how well 58-0183 is preserved, and the EVS bulges beneath the B-52's nose. Roof repairs began on February 19, 2022. I saw this jet in the Thunderbird performance at Blytheville Air Force base Oct 25 1972.. My USAF service had no connection to the Thunderbirds other than I saw this Thunderbird perform at Blytheville Air Force Base Oct 25 1972. Improve this listing. 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. Over 1,000,000 pictures All of these were under the Strategic Air Command. And the United States was about to enter war with Saddam Hussein. Description based on: Vol. A photo of my Mustang in the snow at Barker's Trailerpark in Blytheville Arkansas. My last 8 months of service I was the NCOIC of the Repair Cycle Unit "DIFM Control", KC-135A - 61-0267 - 97th BW, Blytheville Air Force Base, N503DN Delta Air Lines | Airbus A350-941 | Arkansas International Airport. I saw this jet fly Oct 25 1972 at the Blytheville AFB air show. c/n 18002/T0417. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. 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. The hospital has been tightly sealed up. Yes we grew up overseas and only went to Department of Defense Schools but it was amazing. Pictures, photos and images from Blytheville, AR. The Ritz Theater from the outside circa. 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 . B.R.A.C. The worst building on base is the hospital. The National Cold War Center will be an entirely brand new building itself. "Valkyrie" shows one of Norse mythology's legendary "choosers of the slain" in full armor on horseback, with her shield a SAC emblem and carrying SAC's red lightning bolts in her other hand--which is pretty inventive. Jwt708 Well-Known Member. . It was located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of central Blytheville, Arkansas. My 1966 Ford Mustang was setting in the parking lot the day we watched this jet fly. 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. Louisiana was the aircraft's next stop when in May 1974 it was transferred to the 2nd Bombardment Group (H) at Barksdale AFB.
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