blytheville air force base photos blytheville air force base photos

action, the base has sat mostly dormant. Who knew that 41 years later I would have a new Mustang or even still be alive. In 2020, both Arkansas senators proposed a bill to designate the museum in Blytheville. Blytheville Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base from 1942, until it closed in 1992. 1950's. Janet Austin - Duplessis. 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. It was good to see jets setting on the tarmac, even if they are only civilian jets. . . Nowadays, the base goes by a few names. thrust each. My job was to keep the alert aircraft supplied with the parts they needed to be mission ready. The 1980s saw something of a resurgence--oddly enough, mostly among Strategic Air Command units. 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. 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). This does not include 149 civil aircraft impresses before delivery. I think it is lost on most Americans that the first time a B-52 was used in actually live combat was in Vietnam and it was the only time a B-52 was lost to enemy fire. 2023 Getty Images. Hear those stories come to life from the soldiers who served at the BAFB Exhibition. 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 . 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. . Details on 57-6486 are sparse; it may have seen combat over Vietnam with another unit. machine guns in tail plus up to 43,000 lbs. It boasted a vibrant downtown and it had an eclectic population due to the wide variety of people the base brought to the city. This area was developed pursuant to guidelines established by the Federal Housing Administration , and is laid out with . 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. Links: Thule AFB . Jun 18, 2016 - blytheville afb photos | Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . Photographer unknown. 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. In 1988, the based was renamed to honor World War II General, Ira C. Eaker. Arkansas had six Army airfields. Renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 honoring Gen. Ira Eaker, the entire facility closed in 1992. The population suffered as well. 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. Nose art, while almost ubiquitous during World War II and Korea, largely disappeared in the 1950s. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. Officers Club. (For some reason, this "Hotshot" never got eyes.). My 1966 Ford Mustang was setting in the parking lot the day we watched this jet fly. 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. Eaker Air Force Base is located approximately 3 miles northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas, on Interstate 55 between St Louis and Memphis. 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. Mold and asbestos float through the air like dust that just got kicked up. In July 1991, she was retired, and as one of the Secret Squirrel aircraft, was donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum immediately. As a kid in nearby Jonesboro, our cub scout pack got to visit what was then Blytheville AFB. (photo courtesy of Delta) On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, Delta Air Lines . Altus AFB ACTIVE Need photos: Location: Altus, Oklahoma. Pilot Mike Bush, Co Pilot Larry J Houser, EWO Wayne Carver, Navagtor Doug "D.R" Kincannon, Gunner Jack Alexander. 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 . 3 items. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. It was located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of central Blytheville, Arkansas. Gosnell reported losing over half its students. This Abandoned Air Force base is located three miles Northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Evans was from Osceola AR. Most of the Gs ended their days sliced into pieces in the Arizona desert. It was immediately assigned to the 72nd Bombardment Wing (Heavy) at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. 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. The 62nd Bombardment Wing (H) at Fairchild AFB, Washington, took possession of this B-52G in September 1983 but the aircraft was transferred to the 93rd Bombardment Wing (H) at Castle AFB, California, the following February. This B-52G-100-BW (S/N 58-0191), nicknamed "Bearin' Arms," was manufactured by Boeing Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, and delivered to the USAF on October 16, 1959. The aircraft remained there until November when it was reassigned to the 320th Bombardment Wing (H) at Mather AFB, California. Find the perfect adversary concept stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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 . Evans at Blytheville air show in 1980. 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. BX and Cafeteria. Eaker. The Museums C-47 was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and delivered to the USAAF on July 14, 1944. Base Theater. Only ten B-52Gs survive today as museum pieces. The aircraft was flown from Castle AFB to Hill AFB, Utah, in its final flight. The Strategic Air Command had reached the end of the road. Granted today, the area has stayed well populated due to industrial jobs, but Blythevilles unemployment rate is four percent higher than the national average (pre-covid). The group was awarded two Distinguish Unit Citations during WWII and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crises. action specifically caters to closures and revitalization of U.S. military bases. The 456th completed deployments to Anderson AB in Guam with this B-52G. Military. Communism had shriveled in the world. 3 talking about this. Lots of good memories. 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. [1], The Blytheville Air Force Base Strategic Air Command (SAC) Alert and Weapons Storage Areas Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The WASP program tasked select women with many key roles on airfields across the nation. The incident over Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico on January 21, 1976, would not only stretch to a second night but was also witnessed by pure chance by a student journalist known only as "Bruce.". This is like the B-52Gs with the North American AGM-28 Nuclear Hound Dog Missiles assigned to my base. Today, "Valkyrie" still wears her 1991-era SIOP camouflage and a SAC badge on the nose; the nose art is on the port side. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. 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 . On a Bravo alert, while taxiing the aircraft, the pilot was waiting (and hoping!) In 1990, Blythevilles population was 23,443. [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. 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 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 aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. Best years of my life. This would determine if the base could go on operating in the future, or if it was deemed unnecessary to continue service. 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. Blytheville was the only Advanced training base in Arkansas. c/n 18002/T0417. BLYTHEVILLE AIR FORCE BASE EXHIBITION. After it became operational in 1955, the B-52 remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War, and it continues to be an important part of the USAF bomber force today. The exhibit is on the old air base, which is now an FBO for the new steel and other corporations that fly in there, along with other airplane related functions. Scanned from 35mm Negative. 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. I don't have a clue who captured or created this image but this is it is an excellent computer generated image of a Pre-Vietnam War SAC Paint Scheme with a North American AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile. 4 items. In December of 1992, the base officially closed. Setting near the base is a memorial bench for Army Spc Christopher Stark killed in Afghanistan Feb 28 2011. Once more, however, the B-52G was called upon for the conventional role during Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991. An exploration of the base's history and its impact on the community.