Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I Knew Then, My Air Force Career Wouldn't Be Stellar!

My first base was a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base in Northern Michigan. We had B-52s always loaded with Nukes and always on alert. From time to time, nuclear weapons had to be convoyed from the WSA (Weapon Storage Area) to the Alert Pad for placement on planes that had been rotated into the alert area. During these convoys, security policemen, both security specialists and law enforcement specialists would be placed at intersections on base to stop traffic while the nuclear bombs were driven past. It was common for the security troops to watch as the convoy approached, and then turn their backs on it to face traffic as it went by.

One day, I was posted at an intersection and as the convoy approached, I turned my back on the weapon hauler and faced traffic, bringing it to a halt. A lieutenant approached and asked: "Airman, why is it every time the weapon comes by, the security policeman turns his back?"

Not missing a beat, I replied: "Sir, it's a safety thing. If the bomb went off, we wouldn't want to go blind!"

Shortly thereafter, I found myself explaining this answer to my commander. He found it hilarious...but cautioned me to be less flip with the public.

That's pretty good

I to made some unappreciated communications during my career. One, a non verbal communication that lead to office hours. Seemed an AF pilot did not appreciate seeing my white ass while he was landing at Kadena. While the XO found it worth a short chuckle he did what had to be done.
This and other infractions is the reason I never made it past Gunnery Sergeant. Missing two good cookies.

I always wanted to see K.I. Sawyer when it was operational. Cool story.

Sometimes it's better to be mediocre.

At least more fun.

Growing up as an Air Force Dependent, back in the 50s and 60s the old man being in SAC was a lot of fun stuff going on..

one of the coolest things was watching a full combat loaded B 36 squadron take to the air...

I think back in the 50s, there was 3 AFBs in Northern Michigan, K I Sawyer, Wurtsmith and Sioux St Marie...

old man did a TDY tour at one of them, flying B47s.

Spent 6 years doing the very same thing as an SP at Griffiss AFB in Rome NY. Did many a convoy, usually in a Peacekeeper.

I was stationed at Griffiss as well, 85-88, 485th EIG.

I LOVE IT, LMAO!

My most WTF moment was on my first TDY to boring Loring ME, we were standing in the Accounting/Finance office when my buddy punched me in the arm, without looking I punched back, only a LTC had stepped in between us, poor guy caught a good shot right to the gut, thank god he had a good sense of humor about it, I only had the 1 stripe to lose

I kinda figured it was K.I. Sawyer, too. Good story, Dan. If you don't mind, what era was this?

When I was a Conservation Officer we did nightime anti poaching flights in the central UP. We mainly flew in a Cessna 208 with a department pilot at the controls and me riding as observer. Many times we flew near KI Sawyer and communicated with their air traffic control. We were permitted to orbit the base at a relatively short distance and made several arrests of poaching crews on public land in the vicinity.

We could clearly see the B-52'S and KC-135's on the aprons and occasionally had to move aside for military landings and takeoffs. I regret that I never carried a camera on those flights.

The controllers at the base always treated us with respect and were great to deal with.

When ever I was pulling alert I was the senior NCO for tanker crew chiefs. I always drove the alert truck. At Wurtsmith the quickest way to get back to the alert facility was to cross the runway. A weapons convoy would leave the storage facility, drive up the same taxiway we drove on (on the opposite side of the runway) and up the throat of the alert parking ramp. So one day I drive up to the hammerhead, call job control and request the tower be brought up on the net. Tower comes up, I request permission to cross the active runway. Tower grants permission, tells me to inform them when I'm clear of the runway. The crossing light turns green so I hit the gas, about half way across the tower comes over the radio and tells me to return to my starting point, a nuke convoy was in progress!

Thank God they record the radio traffic. Twasn't my [bleep] up...

The SAC base located at the Soo was Kinchelo AFB.

So, I'm sitting in a HMMWV with my counterpart in the FDC, Spann the Mann, working up firing data on the BUCS computer. The tailgate is down and the FDO and our section chief, SSGT J_ are sitting on it, facing aft. We're shooting a Time On Target and about five seconds before our rounds impact somewhere in the desert of 29 palms I start to whistle. You know the wheeeeeeeee sound an impacting 155mm round might make. SSGT J_ jumps under the HMMWV and the young FDO, a new Lt. follows him.
Silence, then laughter. That was prolly they best azz chewing I ever got. And I got to dig a hole, "Big enough to hide a f%$#ing howitzer". One of my fondest memories

I was a senior instructor pilot at Columbus AFB Mississippi during the furor about $900 coffee makers and $600 toilet seats. A politician on the cost warpath showed up and it was decided to give him an orientation flight in one of our trainers. And I was elected to fly him.

As we did our preflight walkaround, I said to him, "Sir, you'll be pleased to know that we replaced every $5 rivet on this plane with a three cent one. Are you ready to take off now?"

It did not go over well with him - or my commander.

Nice.

i spent a few years on barksdale, hq of the 8th af and 2nd bomb wing. at first the bufs taking off a few hundred yards from my metal barracks was neat. got old fast. i worked the EDTCC in 8th hq. kept track of all the silo's and such around the northern tier. its more interesting 30 years later than it was at the time.

not to digress, but did any of you fellow airman ever get to Clark in the PI? hee, hee. lots of stories from there.

This was 1980, early Summer, just before I went to Turkey.

KI Sawyer is a absolute geto now. Its really a shame, as my wife has fond memories of living on base.

My father was also flying in those B36's after the war. Stationed at Travis when it was SAC. His crew took the first delivery of one, I believe.

When we were in school in Fairfield we went thru Nuke bomb drills as Travis was on the Russian hit list.

We had sheets in the classroom closet and we would get under the desk and they would put sheet over us. We were told to stay there till the bright flash was over then it would be OK to come out !!!!!

I spent allot of time out at 'secret city' where the Nuke bunkers were.

Travis AFB was first Fairfield / Suisun Army Air base when we first got there after being stationed in Japan during the occupation. It was named Travis when General Travis was killed in a plane crash carrying a Nuke just off the runway. It blew a big hole in the ground and broke windows in Fairfield, miles away. That area is still sealed off and under a large slab of cement.