Jun 18, 2016 - blytheville afb photos | Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . Location. 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. For the families, GI's, and community that was Blytheville AFB This had the added benefit of giving the gunner an ejection seat, eliminating the need for a manual bailout system. 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. 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. 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 . 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 B-52 had 8 engines but the two AGM-28 engines could also be used for take off and getting up to altitude. School trips were to other countries LOL. Currently, the wet carpet has molded over and over again. But it is well-worth the visit. Jun 18, 2016 - blytheville afb photos | Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . 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). U.S. Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition: BAFB Exhibition - Blytheville/Eaker AFB - See 9 traveler reviews, 32 candid photos, and great deals for Blytheville, AR, at Tripadvisor. 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. Home of 96th Bombardment Wing: 1953-1957; 11th . This view also shows how well 58-0183 is preserved, and the EVS bulges beneath the B-52's nose. Movie Theater. The airfield was used as the Southeastern Training Command's flight training school, which closed in October 1945 after the Second World War ended. In 1955 North Sawba Cemetery once again returned to government jurisdiction with the activation of Blytheville Air Force Base later renamed Eaker Air Force Base, until base closure December 1992. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. However, some F-15E Strike Eagle units have begun painting nose art again, so reports of its demise is probably premature. Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment 3. 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. Armament: Four .50-cal. 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 . I was stationed at Eaker from 89-91 in the comm building pictured. The Future of Eaker Air Force Base and the National Cold War Center/BAFB Exhibition, https://abandonedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/YouCut_20220127_115729032.mp4. 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. Contributions to PAs Most Endangered List, National Register of Historic Places (Jan, 26th 2018). The model is on a 1/72 scale with a 26" wingspan. Unbeknownst to the crew, over seventy percent of the vertical stabilizer and rudder assembly had been sheared off. My 1972 Suzuki looked exactly like the one in the brochure. Improve this listing. Mold and asbestos float through the air like dust that just got kicked up. 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. Over 1,000,000 pictures I was stationed there from 1966-69. Sign up and get notified about upcoming volunteer events! Like many B-52s, 58-0183 was shuttled around through several units--in this case, no less than eleven bomb wings. 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. A taxi way to the southern end of the apron joins the Blytheville Air Force Base Alert area to the main runway, which allows bombers and tankers with the quickest access to that . 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 aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. 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. 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. Gosnell appears right center of the photo.. Today it is the headquarters for the group that runs the old base for civilian use and the aircraft are: I was promoted to Staff Sergeant after 37 months of active duty plus 5 months delayed enlistment program. https://nuke.fas.org/guide/usa/bomber/kc-135.htm#:~:text=The%20KC%2D135%20can%20haul,transferable%20for%20global%20refueling%20missions. It was located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. NCO Club. This has led to the current dilapidated state of some buildings. 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. All photos (32) Top ways to experience nearby attractions. 10 free downloads. thrust each. Though, local organizations and legal entities constantly fight to preserve the base. The G models most noticeable feature was its 8-foot shorter tail, done to ease maintenance and to save weight. As a kid in nearby Jonesboro, our cub scout pack got to visit what was then Blytheville AFB. The current BAFB Exhibit is housed in the former B52 crew briefing building, and will continue to be an exhibit. Below is my Blytheville Air Force Base token collection. Operated by the 97th Bombardment Wing based at Eaker AFB, Blytheville AR. This gallery is to showcase old photographs from Blytheville, Arkansas. NUMBER BUILT: Douglas built a total of 10,047 C-47s and derivatives. Learn how your comment data is processed. Profile pictures. Looking for someone that served with you? Since Eaker Air Force Base went under B.R.A.C. Today the base is mostly in a decrepit state of disrepair. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. These women had proved their selves capable of flying aircraft such as the B25 and the B29. N503DN Delta Air Lines | Airbus A350-941 | Arkansas International Airport by M.J. Scanlon 17 . 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. If you served in Blytheville Air Force Base, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. Nose art, while almost ubiquitous during World War II and Korea, largely disappeared in the 1950s. Base Closure What happened to Blytheville, Arkansas? Located on the former Eaker Air Force Base (also known as Blytheville Air Force Base), a few blocks inside the west gate. Buy None was a no notice operational exercise conducted in 1989. What aRead more , Stationed there 1989-1992, loved the place and love the life long friends from there. Capt R.D. It is a peculiarly shaped building, like the rest of the buildings on the base. Select from premium Blytheville Air Force Base of the highest quality. The population suffered as well. It was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988, in honor of General Ira Eaker, an aviation pioneer and second . Transferred from the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., this aircraft was flown to the museum in November 1978. Nose Art: Boeing B-52G Stratofortress "Hoosier Hotshot", Nose Art: Boeing B-52G Stratofortress "Valkyrie", N915DN Delta Air Lines | McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | Arkansas International Airport, N502DN Delta Air Lines | Airbus A350-941 | Arkansas International Airport, 59-1514 Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker United States Air Force, N907DL Delta Air Lines | McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | Arkansas International Airport, www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5714, www.youtube.com/watch?v=leohcvmf8kM&feature=related, B-52G with an North American AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio, Photoshopped image of Rick OKelley Age 20 on his 1972 Suzuki GT750J Le Mans, Post Card KC 135 refueling a B-52G from Blytheville AFB, Sign that set at the Main Gate at Blytheville Air Force Base, 1977477_10202915854723496_3494507586333601988_n, www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/bomber_alert.htm, Blytheville Air Force Base exhibit at DGM, Rickie D O'Kelley Staff Sergeant 1975 - Age 22. 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. The facility now operates as the Arkansas Aeroplex and Arkansas International Airport. As a CAP cadet 1966-1969 the lore of this base was discussed often. 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. Blytheville Air Force Base. On the evening in question, Bruce was working for a local radio station, performing tests on their transmitters. 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. Rick O'Kelley was drafted in Oct 1971 and enlisted in the USAF November 10 1971 on delayed enlistment. Blytheville AFB was created in 1942 as a location for pilot training, originally named Blytheville Army Airfield. It was also a B-52 that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956. 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!" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. During Eaker's height, Blytheville was roughly the same size as Jonesboro, Smith said. No photo description available. Military. 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. 07-4637 photos; United States - US Air Force (USAF) Airline: United States - US Air Force (USAF) Reg: 07-4637 photos; Aircraft: Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules; Serial #: 382-5597; . [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. 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. 732 of the aircraft were specifically aerial tankers. The airbase was phased out years ago, but Blytheville has emerged as a steel production center and agri-business is strong. 2, no. Two North American AGM-28 nuclear Hound Dog Missiles were carried under the wings of the B-52 while eight Quails were carried in the bomb bay. The KC135, along with the B52 is one of the only fixed wing aircraft with over fifty years of service. Eaker Air Force Base was home to a group of Strategic Air Command B-52 bombers and more than 3,000 military personnel before closing in 1992. 18 (Feb. 26, 1904). As I recall, crew members were typically on alert for 10 days of every month. 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. It was around 1960 and I still recall vividly sitting in the cockpit of a B-52. The Southeast Asia War section of the Modern Flight Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/). The heavier steel fuel tanks of the tall-tail series were replaced by integral fuel tanks, in which the entire wing served as a tank. Blytheville herald-news Blytheville courier news (DLC)sn 89051348 Desert Storm was the swan song for the B-52G. Blytheville air force base photos. 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. 3 talking about this. Eaker Air Force Base Historic District, Arkansas International Airport, and Blytheville Municipal Airport. I grew up on Army bases overseas. (For some reason, this "Hotshot" never got eyes.). Air Base Group Headquarters. Links: Thule AFB . By August 1973, they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with 17 B-52s lost to enemy action. The process is called B.R.A.C.. 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. Scanned from 35mm Negative. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. Thank you! Loved it. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. It was retired in July 1991 and donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. Albums. Base Theater. Like the Arc Light strikes of Vietnam, Iraqi forces on the ground could not hear or see B-52s before they struck. Military Photos; Military Reunion Stories; Military Service Map; Military Cadences; Military Jokes; Military Lingo; Great Military Web Pages; Recommended Military Books; Today in Military .