Use code: FLICKR10, International Air Tattoo 1987 - RAF Fairford. 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 B-52G entered service in February 1959, and eventually 193 would be built, making it the most produced B-52 variant. action specifically caters to closures and revitalization of U.S. military bases. c/n 18002/T0417. 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 . Though, due to high traffic in that area, the aircraft had to change its course and headed for Blytheville Air Force Base instead. The current BAFB Exhibit is housed in the former B52 crew briefing building, and will continue to be an exhibit. [1], During the Vietnam War the 97th Bomber Wing at Blytheville supported strike operations throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Air Force packed up and left. The process is called B.R.A.C.. The B-52 had 8 engines but the two AGM-28 engines could also be used for take off and getting up to altitude. 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. A bomber crew from Blytheville were among the first shot down during Operation Linebacker II, a December 1972 mission targeting complexes in North Vietnam. Blytheville Air Force Base aka Eaker Air Force Base. 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. Albums. In any case, out of a sense of history and because commanders were now favorable to the idea, nose art began to return, though the USAF was very careful to ensure any "painted ladies" to have nothing more risque than bikinis. Due to the high amount of asbestos flying around in the air, and the safety concerns. If was really not abandoned til 10 year ago becuae I went to preschool on the base then I got shut down because all of us got sick becuase the heat and air went out. During World War II, the site served as a training airfield as part of the 70,000 Pilot Training Program. In 1990, Blythevilles population was 23,443. Serial Number 61-0023 landed safely in Blytheville. This gallery is to showcase old photographs from Blytheville, Arkansas. It boasted a vibrant downtown and it had an eclectic population due to the wide variety of people the base brought to the city. Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Chestnut Drive, on the right when traveling east on Memorial Drive. Ash worked from a photograph of the B-52 Blytheville plane. My 1966 Ford Mustang was setting in the parking lot the day we watched this jet fly. 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 . B.R.A.C. It is very possible the paint that is peeling on the walls is lead-based. 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. Touch . Photo Credit: The National Cold War Center. Weekly Began in 1902; ceased in 1923. The B-52 Stratofortress force had always been intended to be supplemented by newer designs, allowing older types and eventually the B-52 itself to be retired. (For some reason, this "Hotshot" never got eyes.). 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. Places to visit . 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. Currently, the main tarmac is used as Blythevilles airport. Buy None was a no notice operational exercise conducted in 1989. The G models most noticeable feature was its 8-foot shorter tail, done to ease maintenance and to save weight. However, some F-15E Strike Eagle units have begun painting nose art again, so reports of its demise is probably premature. Many buildings are gone, and will continue to disappear. Below is my Blytheville Air Force Base token collection. 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. But it is well-worth the visit. Blytheville Air Force Base. 2023 Getty Images. The Library. Of reinforced concrete and concrete-block construction, moleholes were of two-story height, with one story below ground. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. Most of the Gs ended their days sliced into pieces in the Arizona desert. Blytheville was the only Advanced training base in Arkansas. The B-52G is missing its missile pylon because these were removed and destroyed as a condition of he SALT treaty launcher reduction conditions. As part of Operation Secret Squirrel, "Valkyrie" would be part of a record setting 34-hour bomb mission from Barksdale to Iraq and back again. 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. Veteran C. Young. It was immediately assigned to the 72nd Bombardment Wing (Heavy) at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. 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 . This would determine if the base could go on operating in the future, or if it was deemed unnecessary to continue service. In June 1975 the aircraft was sent to the 97th Bombardment Wing (H) residing at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Would love hear your stories or your thoughts. It was amazing. When Vietnam ended and the USAF got back to peacetime, nose art once more disappeared. 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. Base Theater. The Iron Curtain was torn down. No photo description available. Honorable Discharged at the rank of E5 Staff Sgt. As a kid in nearby Jonesboro, our cub scout pack got to visit what was then Blytheville AFB. 18 (Feb. 26, 1904). 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". In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. Only ten B-52Gs survive today as museum pieces. 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. Base Closure What happened to Blytheville, Arkansas? 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. . Today the base is mostly in a decrepit state of disrepair. 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. Best years of my life. This one is at the old (now closed) SAC base near Blytheville, Arkansas. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Note that the outrigger landing gear is off the ground: naturally, "Valkyrie" is empty of fuel, and so there is no wing droop. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. Photo Gallery. The 97th comm mustve been a very short lived entity as it was the 2101 CS / AFCC when I was there. The base was deactivated in 1945 at the end of World War II. 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 . 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 . Location. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. 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. Looking for someone that served with you? 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. 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. 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. Pinterest. Who knew that 41 years later I would have a new Mustang or even still be alive. U.S. The 1980s saw something of a resurgence--oddly enough, mostly among Strategic Air Command units. 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. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. 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. Tom Sylvester used to look up at the sky above Blytheville in the 1970s, watch the planes fly out of the nearby Air Force base and dream about being able to glide among the clouds. 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. Known as Operation Secret Squirrel, this 34-hour mission was at the time the longest aerial mission ever flown, and was not surpassed until the strikes on Afghanistan in 2001. It originally provided housing, school and community resources to the families of military personnel who were stationed at the adjacent Blytheville Air Force Base (which is now operated as Arkansas International Airport). Sign up and get notified about upcoming volunteer events! Mr. Gorbachev tore down that wall. Whether it be by the hand of the elements, or by deconstruction due to safety issues. The exhibits are impactful and tell the story of Base history. 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. 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. This has been an ongoing project for over a year. Blytheville, Walnut Ridge, Grider, Newport, Stuttgart, and Adams Field. Blytheville was the only two engine training base in Arkansas. Copyright 2009-document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) - Abandoned Atlas Foundation - board@AbandonedAtlas.com | Designed By Prairie Nation Creative, LLC - Disclaimer, Eaker Air Force Base (Click the Thumbnails to See Full Album), Extras (sirens, wildlife, monument, signs). The facility now operates as the Arkansas Aeroplex and Arkansas International Airport. What aRead more , Stationed there 1989-1992, loved the place and love the life long friends from there. 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. Many times I stopped what I was doing and watched the full power, roaring and smoke trailing takeoffs. [1] It was located 3 miles (4.8km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Nose art, while almost ubiquitous during World War II and Korea, largely disappeared in the 1950s. [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. Improve this listing. Airman First Class Monex Thomas of the Blytheville Air Force Base died in an aircraft training incident on August 1 1982. My 1972 Suzuki looked exactly like the one in the brochure. All photos. In the post-Cold War era, the U.S. Air Force decided to shut down the Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville, AR. Rick O'Kelley was drafted in Oct 1971 and enlisted in the USAF November 10 1971 on delayed enlistment. 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. 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. Louisiana was the aircraft's next stop when in May 1974 it was transferred to the 2nd Bombardment Group (H) at Barksdale AFB. 326th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 21 July 1942-30 April 1944 2111th Army Air Forces Base Unit; 1 May 1944-16 June 1945 Became Blytheville Air Force Base / Eaker Air Force Base (1951-1992) Now: Arkansas International Airport (IATA: BYH, ICAO: KBYH, FAA LID: BYH) (1992-Present) Newport Army Air Field, 6 miles northeast of Newport Military. My 1966 Ford Mustang was setting in the parking lot the day we watched this jet fly. 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. 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. "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. Blytheville Eaker Air Force Base - KBYH, USA - Arkansas; By: Brady Brooks Photos | Profile | Contact; During WWII, my Dad and his best friend, John Whittington, would go to the base (teenagers) and work. 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. Some of the land has since been declared a National Historic Landmark. 6 'Cat And Mouse' UFO Chase Over Cannon AFB January 1976. Merged with: Blytheville herald-news (non-extant), to form: Blytheville courier news. - A Blytheville museum shining a light on Cold War history received funding supporting a planned primary exhibit. 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. This does not include 149 civil aircraft impresses before delivery. About ten years ago a group of old 97 OMS troops made a trip to see the old place. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to Abandoned Arkansas and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. An exploration of the base's history and its impact on the community. If you served in Blytheville Air Force Base, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. 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 . The airplane dismantler used most of the tarmac we were using and we havent been back since before covid. The population suffered as well. Blytheville had their own team. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. Today. Jwt708 Well-Known Member. My job was to keep the alert aircraft supplied with the parts they needed to be mission ready. Suggest edits to improve what we show. Abandoned Arkansas had noticed while touring the base, the former base bank had been torn down the week prior to January 1st, 2022. In order to understand why Eaker Air Force Base closed, one has to dive into foreign, political, and socioeconomic issues of the late 1980s and early 1990s. There were VIP transports (designated VC-47A/B) and there were SC-47s used as search and rescue aircraft. In December of 1992, the base officially closed. Airplane Photos & Aviation Photos - View, Search, or Upload Photos! of conventional or nuclear bombs, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=294. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. This VC-47D had been assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. 1942-1946, 1953-1992. In August 1991 this Stratofortress was dropped from the Air Force inventory and made available to the USAF Museum Program. 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. 27 items. A strong gust of wind has pushed the rear of the aircraft left then right. About Westminster Village . Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. He told me many stories about the German . Find Blytheville Air Force Base unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. 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. NCO Club. 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. Who knew that 41 years later I would have a new Mustang or even still be alive. Ritz. 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. Find the perfect adversary concept stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Of the 3,778 acres the base is comprised of, two thirds of the land is abandoned. 1-2 hours. 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. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe . All of these were under the Strategic Air Command. (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. 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. Holes in the roof create entryways for birds and rain. Community Profile: Blytheville, Ark., Spreads Its Wings after Air Force Base Closing.

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