Anybody been around long enough to remember it?

kinda, I know Fbks history pretty well, though I didn't hit here until '67 as a lad.

but for my early and now late (dang it) adulthood it's been Ft. Wainwright

there's still an elementary school on post called Ladd Elementary though

Dad was stationed there from 1954-1956. We started school in the Little Red School House on base on the Chena River. Float planes used the China beside the school house. The next year we went to the new school named Aurora Elementary. It was on Ladd Air Force Base also.

You should be rooting for UAF then, Butch!

GO NOOKS!

now you're talkin pard!

I spent all of football season rooting for Josh and the 'eers at the expense of our own college football team here


least ole butch could do is quid pro quo

My oldest brother was stationed at Ladd and homesteaded at 15 1/2 mile Chena Hot Springs Rd.

Is your bro named McKee?

I was referencing the rifle championship thread, yanno.

My grand father was stationed their (he was in the Airforce) in the early 50's still talks about driving the Alcan to Fairbanks with his the family. To this day he still thinks ALCAN is a two lane dirt road he is in his early 80's now.

try and keep up ya short legged bastage!

butch is pullin for WV over UAF in the rifle match

hence I told him I rooted for WV in fb season instead of one of our "college fb" teams

so in turn he should switch allegiance for the rifle champsionship

btw saw Tom last night, he too thinks you're ok for a big ole dummy


and don't try and deny it, less I have to post pix of a grown man that let a bull whack him in the torso with it's horn

geez I thought everybody knew what you get when you mess with the bull

and if that don't convince em you got no sense, I'll post pix of you hanging out with me.

game, set, match

thanks for playing


btw since you lost you have to buy the beer next time

sorry pard, it's a hard fast rule

Well Jon Hammond(Mountaineer coach)is a friend. I'll have to go with the Mountaineers with the Nanooks coming in second.
My Mother worked at Northern Commercial and Dad bought his beer at the Nevada Kid. These places are probably no longer in Fairbanks.
We lived in Anchorage, wife and 3 boys, from 1973-1980. We loved it, but our folks were getting old and we moved back to Texas. We had ideas of moving back to Alaska, but college, grandkids, and my business prevented that. Only visits since then. We all really miss it!

There was a neighbor by that name nearby. Don. Had a pig operation for a time. Think he was also in the legislature.

Ok. I'll have the brewskis.

Tommy texted me. He forgot your name, the big Gomer!

Did he give you my message?

I only remember the name of Ladd AFB. My dad flew out of there a couple of times and also did a TDY or Two up there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladd_Army_Airfield

became Ft Wainwright...turned over to the Army...

when I was at Ft Lewis, they rotated a lot of troops up there for Arctic Training...

Also check Eielson AFB. I was stationed there in the early 70's. That also was started as part of Ladd Field in 1943. If your relative was in the Air Force after it was founded in 1947 they were probably at Eielson AFB.

Fort Wainwright and Eielson are only about 23 or 24 miles apart. Ft Wainwright, the army base, back then was almost part of Fairbanks. Someone there could tell us now.

Eielson was surely there in the mid 50s when we were. Seems as Ladd was right in Fairbanks almost. At the time they had 3 squadrons of F89 Scorpions. One had F89C and the other 2 had F89D. Eielson had the new F100 Super Sabres.
Cold weather testing was done at Ladd. @ planes that caught my eye, the F102 and the F104. I believe the F104 was just introduced and did cold weather testing in March or April of 1956. We watched L19&L20s land on the Chena river.
A wonderful place for a kid to grow up!

btw since you lost you have to buy the beer next time

sorry pard, it's a hard fast rule [/quote]
Ok. I'll have the brewskis.

Tommy texted me. He forgot your name, the big Gomer!

Did he give you my message? [/quote]


he did, he said I'm entitled to one Kenai delivered azz kickin, don't even have to buy a plane ticket!

and you've no idea how I appreciate that, runnin a lil low on cash currently.

(actually he gave me no message, so I don't have a fing clue, but you knew that)

main gate for Ft. Wainwright opens up right on one of the main drags Airport Way

in the old days from Airport Way to the river was where most folks got their moose, prime hunting area

now you have to get across the Tanana river to do same, lots of changes here over the years, some good, but I miss old FBKS and old stores

some grand old history here and folks that lived here were the salt of the earth by and large,

still a pretty good community, but like most places we're in a hurry to go to hades in a handbasket via big box stores.

My brother flew out of Ladd in 102's as GIB.

Was stationed at Ft Wainwright from 1987-1990.

Drank a lot back then.

I was there from 1987-1991. I probably waved you through the gate when you were coming back from drinkin' down at the Sunset.

Hello --- Just joined this today ---- My dad was also stationed here at Ladd from 1954 thru 1957. I attended Aurora school on base. Ak was a territory at the time. I have located one person that saw my name in facebook and I am trying to locate some others when I noticed this forum.

I would like to correspond with you and maybe we have mutual friends somewhere. My name is Marshall Bailey and I live in Arkansas at the present. Also my email is [email protected].

Marshall Bailey,
I remember you by gawd. I went to the little school house on the Chena at first and then went to Aurora. Marshall, I'm going to send you a PM.

I'm still rooting for Jon Hammond and the Mountaineers for the rifle championship. Thanks for rooting for my Grandson. He has graduated and interested in joining the Anchorage PD.

They are hiring like no tommorow apd ! If he is interested my good buddy just graduated the academy and he can answer any questions your grandson might have..

Wow, amazing news in a way. But great news I think.

Much as I dislike sports every time WV was on the tube, I'd watch and root for them!

Stationed there 1990-1993 - Ladd Army Airfield.

6th ID Light, and 4/9 Cavalry Squadron

As near as I can remember it was Jan 1, 1961 that it was officially named Ft. Wainwright. I remember 2 "fighter squadrons" the 433rd with F89C and the 449th with the F89D. The main up to date fighters were at Eielson.

4/9 Infantry 6th ID 1991-1995

4/9 is now at fort Carson part of 1st Stryker brigade combat team, 4th ID

I heard they moved south a while back.

I was the second baby born there in 1951. My dad had lots of stories about the hunting and fishing. I guess the military makes a cottage industry out of lying to their employees. He and mom got up there and discovered no family housing to speak of. Tiny camping trailers were most of an airman's wages to rent. They lived off game and seemed to like the experience.

Uh... probably.

And you were where? Lots of housing on base. We did live in town for 2-3 weeks before our housing was available. We had 3 BR and 3 stories. I'm sure the housing was there for years before we arrived.
Picture of our 2 story plus basement quarters.

http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cdmg13/id/15500/rec/41

That would have been cool Butch...

Growing up on AFBs in those days was a great thing for a boy...

My dad was never anywhere they had F 89s at. Always thought they were a cool plane during that time period...

In the 50s, my dad was attached to SAC, so it was B36s, B47s and B52s I mainly recall seeing on base...

then the usual transports, C123s, C 124s, C 119s, C 130s, C 133s....

I do remember some B 25s still around...and the ever present T 33s.. I think every base had those things laying around...

never was around birds as cool as F 89s and F 94s...

F 100s, 101s, 102s, 104s and 106s seemed to be around somewhere nearby....Funny I don't remember 105s being around tho...

sure was a lot of AFBs back in those days...didn't seem that far up the road to another one...

and thank God we didn't have to live in base housing except once in NC at Pope.

Butch:
Did you get the pictures of the L-20s on the Chena river and the 5001st patch?

I did, I think you got my email. 5001st was Dad's squadron. Thanks for the photos.

We never lived in base housing until we lived at Ladd AFB. I thought that it was great. Much nicer than
civilian housing that we were used to living. The base gym, 12 cent movies, and other things for the dependents.
We rotated to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Tx. I thought it was the best place in the World for a dependent. We hunted the end of the landing strip for jack rabbits with our 22s, base swimming pool, gym, teen age club, and organized sports. Wherry housing wasn't much with no A/C, but we didn't know any better. We did move into the new Capehart housing with A/C.
Being a military dependent was just great. Some of my fondest memories.

Seems I spent a bit of time up there as some of you. I was stationed at Eielson AFB from 1984 - 1997.

Some of the very best years of my life.

Just had an email from a former classmate at Aurora Elementary School on Ladd AFB. Will keep on looking.