I have memories from when I was a kid. My dad was stationed there. That is the base he retired at. I can remember we lived at 410 Stratofort. It wasn't a house. It was like a townhouse. We lived in the end unit. My father got an assignment to do a tour in 'Nam. I remember coming home from school. The front door was locked. I thought it unusual so I went around to the back door. To my amazement my father was there to surprise us all that he was back from 'Nam! Great memories. I was only in 2nd grade
I think I have one of the street signs from the street. When it closed, I lifted a couple of them. They've all been changed. I think the other one was Voodoo.
K. I. was my first assignment. I was a KC-135 pilot stationed there from 1988 until 1990. I love the outdoors so that part was nice, but not a great spot for a single guy in his early 20’s. I knew the crew that died in the crash at Dyess. I spoke with them while they were flight planning the day before they left. They were going to Dyess (in Texas) and then to Hickam (Hawaii) then on to Guam. I remember telling Captain “ Dusty” Llewellyn that it was a shame that I didn’t have any leave available or I’d catch a ride with them to Hawaii and they could pick me up on the way back. They were a good crew, well liked and genuinely missed.
My late husband was stationed @ki from 1987 to 1995. He was one of the last to leave. He said it was one of the best bases he'd ever been to. Sadly we lost Mark in 2020.
God bless Mark for his service! I can understand how he must have felt. The base had a good vibe to it. As if it were proud to have played such a vital role back in the day.
@joyenroute I hope someday to visit ki. N walk around n wonder what it was like back in the day. What the builds were like. All in clean working condition.
Tracy, wow, one of the last to leave that base, that is cool. That scoundrel draft dodger Slick Willie Klinton had many AF bases closed down. I will never forget, he also signed the NAFTA agreement! What a louse!
I was stationed at KI Sawyer from April 84 to Jan 88. I worked as a crew chief on the B52, 61-008 was my aircraft. I also pulled a lot of alert duty there as well. Hard work and long winters, but many good memories. Proud to have served under the Strategic Air Command.
I pulled alert as a tanker crew chief. We had our own little hut for the six of us on our side of the 'tree'. We didn't go far during the winter. I read a lot, and we sometimes played Dungeons & Dragons all night.
Gen. Curtis LeMay recognized as SAC’s founding father grew up in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He attended South High School and then attended Ohio State University. They tore down his boyhood home in the South End just east of Parsons Avenue which was politically motivated I’m sure. The houses to the right and left are still standing! Eddie Rickenbacker (the “Ace of Aces” from WWI and also a Columbus native) had his home preserved. Thank you for your service 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks for the tour! I was never at Sawyer but was stationed at LowryAFB in 1975 learning electronics and F-111 avionics. It was a great base with visits to Denver often, many memories of the neighbors in the dorm and classmates. After Lowry I was stationed at Luke AFB under TAC learning F-15 avionics maintenance OJT, a great system. After 3 years I transferred to the F-16 avionics program at General Dynamics in Fort Worth. We stayed at Carswell AFB during training. The next 3 years was spent at Hill AFB keeping the F-16s flying. We practiced deployment of the avionics shop to the remote site at Wendover. Many fantastic memories with the job, fellow airmen and General Dynamics technicians. USAF '75-'81.
I was born in Marquette in 1966 and my daddy was an aircraft mechanic at K.I. Sawyer. Watching this video just brought back such a flood of memories and tears. We lived in Negaunee, had family in Iron Mountain, Marquette, Ishpeming, Kingsford...Good God I needed to see this. Thank you.
I was stationed at K. I. Sawyer from 1972-1975. The first large building you went into was the Base Exchange (BX) and the second one was the Commissary. I was the lead on the inhouse design team as the electrical engineer that added on to the Commissary and moved the entrance to the exchange parking lot side. Can't forget the wonderful winters with the snow.
I was stationed there from 1978-1982. The dorm you went into was mine. It was the Cop Dorm for the 410th Security Police Squadron. I lived on the 3rd floor with "D" Flight. The door next to it was the WAF dorm. The building between dorms was a little restaurant/bar called the Jet Stream. The next dorm was for the CE Squadron.
I was staioned at KI from 1964 to 1966 at what was named 410th combat defense squardron.. In '66 a number of airman were sent to Nam. I lucked out and was sent to the USAF Honor Guard,Bolling AFB, Wash DC.
I was on B Flight and then A Flight during that same time period. (Separated in September 82) We likely crossed paths often. I've been to a couple reunions and reconnected with some old friends. Was able to drive my car straight into the WSA which was surreal. My favorite post was 29-Alpha at the TAC Alert Area because it had electricity and a heater. 9-Delta was the worst in the back of the KC-135s. Concrete and no heat. Just brutal. Have you been back to visit yet?
This was my first base, fresh out of Tech School. Was based here from 1993 - 1995 (I retired in 2013) with the 410 CPTS. It was a great base to be introduced to the USAF and I enjoyed my time there and I have fond memories of Gwinn and Marquette and the entire UP in particular! Thanks for this walkthrough, although most is unfamiliar with the decay, it was nice to walk through one of the dorms, although not mine (I stayed in some of the dorms further down, closer to where the new gym was built) this was still a blast from the past!
Interesting, I was an Airman at K.I. 1962- 1963. I was an AC&W air surveillance opereator in the SAGE DIRECTION CENTER there until the unit was closed in Oct 1963. First active duty base after radar tech school at Keesler, Mississippi. Then on to other assignments for 20 years and 23 days total service. Really did not recognize anything but the drive from Marquette, through the boonies. Thanks for posting this video. Cheers -- Dan.
My old 87th FIS "Red Bulls" F-106 Delta Dart unit. Left in 1981. Nice memories following you around in this video, a lot of recognizable things, a lot!
I was there in the spring of 1944 for navigator training on the B-29 Superfortress. I actually stayed in the barracks that you walked through. Thanks for the memories!!
I wasn't stationed there but i was taken aback by the abandonment of the the base.. I was stationed at Castle AFB in Atwater California from 1973 to 1975 and the base has since been also closed.. I went there to visit once and it was turned into an air museum. I often wondered what ever happened to my dormitory and my airpalne. It was a B-52F tail number 0052..Looking at your ol' AFB I can imagen what you must be feeling.I feel like it's a great loss as i can almost see the Airmen and other people still walking around like it was back in the old days...Those were the days and they will be part of my life until the day that I die...Thanks for the memories...
Although I wasn't ever stationed at K.I., two of the bases I was stationed at have been closed, and all have been through some manner of restructuring. I did visit the now abandoned 786th Radar Squadron (AC&W), Minot Air Force Station (not Base) and much of the infrastructure has been cleared. the AN-FPS27a radar tower I worked in is virtually gone at this point, although it looks like the antenna support structure (4 stories worth of massive-scale iron pipe) still remains. I visited the site once back in 2003, and hope to get back there again, perhaps in the summer of 2024.
I was stationed at Castle in 75, Bill. My parents moved to the Atwater area in the mid-2000s. I went by to see what I could. Do you know if the igloos are still standing? My sister lives in Los Banos, and I wanted to take my wife to see the base, and perhaps the igloos where the nukes were housed.
I was in the 552nd at McClellan and had to go to Castle for my altitude chamber certification/recertification. There was something surreal about driving around Merced/Atwater back in the early 70's at 3am, with all the amber street lights cutting through the foggy nights.
Very interesting! Thanks! I also enlisted in the Air Force in 1976 and retired in 2001. One of the many places where I served was the 379th Bomb Wing south of there in the LP at Wurtsmith AFB, MI. Beautiful place that was also closed due to BRAC. I was also at Lowry AFB attending Weapons Training Tech School, so I followed you around. Again, thanks for the video. Brings back a lot of memories, especially seeing my old friend, the BUFF!!
K.I. Was my first assignment. Spent 81-85 in the 410th Avionics Maintenance Squadron. It was my favorite assignment of my 26 yr career. Plan to visit at some point.
I was stationed there from Sept of 68 till I separated from active duty Feb 69. I served with the 62nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron which had F-101s. I was previously stationed at Charleston Air Force Base with the 444th FIS until it was deactivated. My rank was Sergeant in the auto pilot shop.
I was not USAF but was active Army stationed in the area from 1977 until the Base closed. Lived within half an hour of the base from 1967 to present. Now retired military and received all services including medical, dental, veterinary services, barber shop, laundry, snack bar, auto repair shop, parts and tire store, base theater, hobby shop, events center thrift store, child care, EM, NCO,& O clubs, Gym and fitness center including pool, golf course, baseball fields and uniform cleaning services, as well as commissary and base exchange, plus some things I may have forgotten. I pretty much remember what and where most of the buildings were and are. My daughter also married a young airman stationed there shortly before the base closed. I have many past and present friends who were stationed there that I socialized with off duty time, and some who live in the area yet today. After retirement I worked as a contractor for the realignment and reutilization management organization on several projects. I would be glad to share some of the many stories and memories I have should you wish to contact me.
Ì was stationed at K. I. Sawyer from June 1967 to March 1968. We had the B52H models which I worked on. My field was electronic counter measures. My dorm was directly across from the chow hall. It snowed over 300" that year.
I was stationed at Kinross AFB from Nov 1957 to Apr 1959 and was TDY at KI Sawyer for 2 months the summer 0f 1958 while the runway at Kinross was being rebuilt for SAC. The dormitories (we still called them barracks) were head and shoulders above Kinross as there were 2 man rooms with a real bed versus the old cots at Kinross and a shower and stool between 2 rooms versus a community shower and a row of commodes at Kinross. And, the chow hall and chow was like nothing we ever had at Kinross. I remember the mess sergeant walking around the mess hall asking the troops "how is the chow? Anything we can do to make it better?" This never happened at Kinross. April of 1959 I got orders to report to Alaska for duty on a remote AC&W site. Ended up at Northeast Cape on St. Lawrence Island in the middle of the Bering Sea for 10 months. All in all my one hitch in the Air Force was the best move I made as a young fellow. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the thorough tour and thank you for your service to the USAF. A similar situation occurred here in Columbus back in the late 1970s/early 1980s when Lockbourne AFB/Rickenbacker AFB (LCK) was decommed and went to a National Guard base and then a port authority was established. Allegiant now flies passengers out of there and the shipping business is now booming with several large distribution centers cropping up out of the farmlands northeast of downtown Columbus. And Intel is coming to town in the Johnstown area. The old “Ricken-chicken” is booming again!!
It's great to hear of a decommissioned base becoming a success story. Not sure how common that is; mostly I hear how decayed they have become. Thanks for sharing that!
I was in the Air Force for 8 years, and with the exception of Lockland, Keesler, and NORAD operations center, every base, site, station, and Operations Location I was ever stationed at has ceased to exist. It's understandable that so many places in South East Asia are no more (Korat AFB, Clark, P.I., Nakhon Phanom [NKP], Monkey Mountain), but so many former stateside homes are nothing more than a bare spot on some mountain top. A few years ago I flew into the old George Air Force Base, north of San Bernardino, for refueling as part of a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Search & Rescue mission, and it was like walking around a post-apocalyptic military complex, waiting for zombies to come slothing out of the buildings. Both interesting and extremely sad.
Korat is still there--it's home to Thai F-16s, and host a joint operation each year. Hammer USAF SSgt Korat 1973 to 1974. Married a WAF there in April of 1974, went to Ramstein from there.
Seeing these old bases just fall into decay is - like you said - bittersweet. We moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1995 and saw the old US Army barracks. The place was a ghost town. All of Germany was filled with empty bases however there were still several bases fully running. But the bases we were at as kids were awesome. We loved it and it’s weird that you can’t go back to visit. Even if you could there’d be all new faces there.
My bro-in-law will be doing a large asbestos abatement job soon at KI Sawyer. 14 buildings in all I believe. I was lucky enough to travel with him from the middle of the lower peninsula (our home area) to Gwinn to bid the job a couple months back. What an awesome visit. Quite a campus and a great staff still working there. I'm sure Sawyer AFB can tell many stories.
I was born there in 1963. My dad served at the base until 65. My Grandfather was a master sergeant on the flight line from 61 to 67 Also have an uncle that served there as well.
I'm retired US Air Force (1982 - 2002)....This was very awesome to see. The dorms brought back memories of being a young Airman back in the 80s. Thanks for sharing.
I was stationed at K.I. Sawyer after my tour in South East Asia from 73 to 75 with the 410 MMS weapons load Crew Chief. Enjoyed the area and the Base but sad to see what happened. Hope it can be brought back to life. Thanks for the tour.
I was station at Norton AFB ( 1980 to 1988 ) and McClellan AFB (1988 to 1994 ) both in California. Both are closed now. At Norton, All the dorms are now gone but a few buildings were left standing. McClellan AFB, Just about all the buildings are still there. I went TDY to some of the bases in the western US that are now closed . Hurt seeing bases like that one closed. Like your video. Airman For Life.
This was interesting to watch I was born on SAC base. My dad was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine. He was the NCOIC in the command post in the early 60s. One of my earliest memories was the activities during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nuke loaded B-52's taking off and landing around the clock and they were loud! Unfortunately, Loring has been shut down for a long time.
As a Air Force veteran I find it sad but fitting that at the end of the cold war we were able to shut down so many supplus bases. At one time these SAC bases where at the forefront of our nuclear deterrent. You can almost still feel the activity of the base in its heyday. So glad we never had to carry out those strike missions. I just hope that we never have to engage in the same level of heightened vigilance. Things were scary back then. Watching the news now it seems like we are in for another round of it.
@@joyenroute SAC was the premier outfit when I was in the Air Force. I don't even know what they call it now. Kept the world safe for decades. What was their Motto? Peace is our profession? It was SAC, MAC and TAC back in the day.
I was there from 85 to January of 89. I loved it there. I went back 2 years ago and was amazed at the state of the base. We used to have softball practice near that static B-52. I also recognized several of the names on that plaque about the guys who were killed in that KC-135 crash in 89. That was a fun place to be for 4 years. I know some guys hated it, but I wasn't one of them.
Sawyer was one base I didn't want to get stationed at after 2 yrs in Iceland and 2 yrs at Plattsburgh NY. I worked on fighter air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles from 76 (4 yrs at Nellis before 2 yrs in Iceland) to retraining in 83 after I came back from Iceland as they were merging my missile AFSC into ammo so I retrained into the AGM-69A SRAM and AGM-86B ALCM and I worked in the weapons storage area at Plattsburgh with occasional work on the aircraft on the ramp. Applied for instructor duty back at Chanute where I retrained at and mid 1985 I went back there as an instructor in electronics and air launched missile maintenance where we taught the systems in the B-52, FB-111A and B-1B along with the AGM-69A SRAM, AGM-86B ALCM and the AGM-129 ACM. We were getting orders back to the field when Chanute was slated for closure in the fall of 93 and I got Barksdale in Louisiana but swapped orders for McConnell in Wichita KS with SRAM and B-1B. Was given the option of a 1 year early retirement with full credit of 20 except one year shy on pay and I retired in mid 1995. BTW I was in the 3711 BMTS at Lackland from mid June 76 to end of July then went off to Lowry for my AIM/AGM missile school until end of Jan 77 when I went to Nellis. I had been up to Marquette as a kid in the late 1960s as I had two great aunts and uncles that lived up there and I do have to admit that summers were beautiful there.
The F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart have lineage and appear very similar. It made me chuckle to listen to you ID-ing the plane as the F-104 Starfighter bears no resemblance. K.I. Sawyer is from my childhood. It pains me that the base is closed. I will have to visit the museum on one of my future trips back to Michigan. Thanks for posting. :-)
Yeah, although being in the AIR Force, I spent almost no time near AIRcraft, lol. I was initially in Aircraft Control & Warning Radar Systems (displaced by AWACS which obviously would have gotten me on a flight line), and cross trained into satellite ground systems and worked in SAC for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
I was stationed there from 73 to 75. I humped slot of B-52s KC135 and FB111's.If you were a security policeman back then you'll know what I mean by humping 😁. In winter the Hawk (wind) never seemed to cease. Brrrrr! So sad to see K.I. in its present condition, A far cry from when it was active. Thanks for the memories
my dad also stationed there 73 to 75, i just graduated HS and worked at the jetstream making pizza - my boss at the jetstream was a security policeman, he gave me a tour of where the nukes were stored - really weird to be standing in the midst of so many nukes
I am not a big fan of any type of reptiles. Imagine my surprise when one of my first nights. The guy showing me the area left and his parting words were watch out for the snow snakes. Now I was gulabul enough to think that maybe it's a type that they only have here. Something else too. Worry about! And I purposely went into security to become a dog handler. Don't you think I was second guessing my career choice.
I was a SAC trained “killer,” who spent time at Keesler and then was assigned to SAC headquarters in Omaha, NB. Worked in computer maintenance in the underground command center from 1965 thru 1969. Thanks for the tour. I agree it is sad to see the old bases decaying.
Sad decay isn’t the word for the old Sac base near my town! Blytheville AFB is really awful! It has companies and a retirement community but all else are rotting down! They claim they can’t tear them down because of the asbestos in them! It’s worse than Sawyer!! Just heartbreaking for those who lived and served on these installations!!
I was stationed there in 1975 to 1980. Lost one B-52 and one KC-135 wile I was there. I worked on the Defensive Fire Control System (with M-61 Cannon) on the B-52.
I have family in Marquette. My father was at KI Sawyer in the 60s. I tried getting assigned there but was sent to Maine instead. Why its called a Dream Sheet lol
My Dad, and the Family were stationed at Kincheloe AFB, AT Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan from Sept. 1961- summer, 1966. Kincheloe and K.I. Sawyer were sister bases for SAC, in that day. Sawyer and Minot were two places that had comparable winter temperatures and snowfalls as Kincheloe (-45 below and over 20 ft. Of snow). My dad worked in Bomb/Nav in direct support of the mission for the B-52H's in the 60s with the 449th Bomb Wing.
Looks strange to me seeing Strategic Air Command emblems on fighter jets. When I was in the Air Force in the 1960s, all the fighters were assigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) bases. SAC bases had bombers like B52 and B47, refulers and missiles.
@LarcR and @joyenroute The SAC (Strategic Air Command) emblem is on an FB-111, similar to the TAC (Tactical Air Command) F-111 but was built to SAC standards to carry nuclear bombs and nuclear short range attack missiles (SRAMs) and penetrate Soviet air defenses at low level. I was a KC-135 tanker pilot based at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana. The FB-111s from Pease Air Force Base sometimes came to Grissom Air Force Base to sit alert with us. One day, over lunch at the alert facility chow hall we chatted with an FB-111 crew. We soon realized that if the klaxon went off (meaning we were going to nuclear war) we were going to launch, rendezvous with and offload thousands of pounds of JP-4 jet fuel to that very crew and bomber. The men and women of SAC were hard working, dedicated people. I had no doubts that if the klaxon sounded and the orders were to launch, everyone would execute their mission. @joyenroute- Thanks for the tour of K.I. Sawyer. Seeing those airplanes and buildings brought back good memories of those times.
This is a blast from the past! I was in the AF for 20 years at too many bases to count. I used to go hunting around Rapid River annually and would always stop by old K.I. Thanks for this video brother. Joe
Hi Joe. Thanks for your 20. There are times I kick myself for not going for 20. At the point in my life that would have been 20 years for me, I thought, "What were you thinking? That would have been a walk in the park!" But I had other ambitions, so I try not to beat myself up over it too much.
@@fishhaulergreatlakes8208>>> FWIW: I did 3 years in the US Navy, then 17 years in the US Coast Guard. I worked in Aviation for most of my time in both services.
I 'm from Albany and remember when Turner Air Force Based closed ( and turned over to the Navy for abit.) I still remember the sound of those B-52s going over our house when they were landing. It was thunderous.
Right? I attended an elementary school in Riverside, CA back in the late 60s. Each morning walking to school, I'd see a B-52 training flight out of March AFB flying over. You could set your clock to that sortie.
Loved this video and tour, thank you. Being an Air Force kid, this brought back many fond memories. Growing up & spending my childhood on bases similar to this, was a different childhood upbringing that civilian families probably couldn't relate to. These bases were tiny self contained, self sustaining communities, often adjacent to, or not far from local towns. On bases overseas, it was like being on an island, but an island that had almost every need the Air Force could provide. They did their best to accommodate the enlisted, officer's and their families. It was tough moving all the time, new schools, making new friendships and the Mom's! Military mothers deserve a huge amount of recognition! Heroes behind the Heroes! At 20, I joined the Navy, and I will say, the barracks we had (in the early 80s) were prison like compared to what you showed here. Its a shame the country can't find a useful purpose for these old bases. Anyway, thanks again, really enjoyed it.
Just discovered your channel! Will enjoy more of this from you. Never been to K.I. Sawyer, but I knew lots of folks who had been stationed there. The state of preservation there seems very good compared to other facilities closed by BRAC and the end of the Cold War. Aloha from a fellow AF vet.
I haven't been to many closed bases, this being only the second. The first was the ADCOM radar site where I was stationed in North Dakota. 786th Radar Squadron, Minot Air Force Station (not base). Its state of decay, or materials reclamation, was further along for sure. Of course, it was possibly an earlier vintage installation to begin with and closed more than a decade before K.I. Sawyer. Thank you for watching. Glad you're enjoying the channel.
@@joyenroute You make me wish I still lived on the mainland. Now that I'm retired, I could think of hundreds of places I'd like to visit! I tried to visit a lot of them...but there are always more that I didn't see for one reason or another. Aloha, my friend!
I was there 1983 1984 it was my first duty as a young man. I remember when the static B52 was flown in to the base. As many vets I met many people that I will never forget. And I did stay in the Barracks you showed a lot of good memories thanks
These barracks were the old cinderblock barracks that were renovated in 1980s. and did away with the old communal showermand bath.. I was stationed at Travis AFB that were being renovated in this very design . I was a Staff Sgt and got a room to my self. Bath and shower connected every two rooms and did away with the old communal shower and bath..
Right. It occured to me after filming this that the rooms were more likely singles rather than doubles. I think the Air Training commands doubled the rooms up due to the volume and relatively short duration of the student Airmen. Out at regular duty stations, though, I might expect one person to a room. I think the shared bathroom design makes a lot of sense. When stationed at Minor Air Force Station (not Base), we had some pretty old barracks that were still using the communal bathrooms, but as the (massive!) ground-based radar sets we had on station were being phased out (because AWACS), they weren't about to upgrade them.
Some serious nostalgia there! I was in 82-86 at Charleston, Incirlik and Norton. I see those barracks and remember all the people and memories from my time, and wonder about those who lived in them at KI Sawyer, hope they have all the great memories I do.
Totally agree about the great memories! Even today I wonder what came over me to have made the decision to separate after 6. When I hit the point in my life that would have been 20, I thought, "Wow. What a walk in the park that would have been, not to mention a pension as icing on that cake." Ah well. Life's been good.
I was a Chief Master Sgt and went TDY to the base in 1994. When checking into billeting on base we were told we were the last TDY visitors and that we could have whatever room we wanted on base! Next day we retired several unit NCOs which was covered by the local news affiliate. Good days. Nice base.
I was stationed there from 86-87. I was as an air traffic controller in the rapcon 2001st comm squadron. I remember it like it was yesterday. That one building was the post office. The small room just inside the dorm was the dorm managers office. Lots of snow. I got there in April with just most of the snow gone but woke up the morning of May 1st with 6 inches of new snow. Many people road their snowmobiles to work in the winter. Great memories! Thanks for the video!
Nice video! I was stationed at K.I. Sawyer from 1986-1994. Great memories and many good friendships! I recognized all the locations you showed. I used to work in the Weapons Storage Area. I believe a sawmill took over the facilities there. They also store road salt in the storage igloos now. We used them for much more lethal stuff!
I was stationed at Grissom AFB from 1972 through 1975. I lived in a two-story barracks with similar room design, but much older construction. Your base tour brings back so many memories. Thank you
Thank-you for your service. I was not at K.I. but my time in the Air Force is almost identical to yours. I graduated from basic training (Lackland) January 1976. I went to tech school at Chanute until August 1976. My first (and only) permanent duty station was another SAC base called Loring in Maine. Of course, Loring was closed at the same time K.I. was. I was a "Flight Simulator Specialist" on a KC-135 mobile flight simulator. I completed my enlistment in 1980.
I visited Loring once. I was assigned to the 4000th Satellite Operations Group, HQ SAC, Offutt AFB. Our primary customer was Global Weather, also at Offutt. The 4000th operated the Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft in the control center there at Offutt. But our transmitter sites were at Loring, and Fairchild in Washington state. Visited both sites on a logistical inspection of electronics maintenance performed on the equipment there. It was great to get out of Omaha a few times. (I loved my time at Offutt, actually.)
I was stationed there from September 1985 until September 1988. I took my family there in 2005 and we stayed a few days. It was bittersweet realizing the different lives my kids would of had had I been able to stay in longer. The base was in decline even then. The E commerce was the BX the commissary would of been on the same parking lot. The second building you went into was the commissary. I had a trailer in one of the base trailer parks.
Interesting view of ki! I was stationed there from early 1970 to 72 when I went to Vietnam! Returned in 72 & got discharged in sep of 73. I got let go early because of some problems with my supervisors! I’m from Hancock mi, so I went home most weekends. Enjoyed my time there but Vietnam was way better, no snow! I was in security police so I spent a lot of time outside! Great video!
I served almost immediately post-Nam ('76 to '82) so I didn't go there, but I think you're the first I've ever heard of that liked it better than a conus assignment. Being from WI, though, I get the whole K.I. Siberia moanings. You gotta want to be in cold like that, lol.
Amazing that the doors are unlocked without guards. A tribute to the midwest. If this were in San Francisco or Seattle or Portland Oregon, it would be inhabited by drug addicts and criminals with broken windows graffiti and unspeakable drug debris
That dorm room was same furniture and faux wood and locker and sink set up (not in same location) for my dorm room at Homestead AFB, FL. I was there in 90-92. I hear ya about bittersweet. The USAF was great and seeing Homestead post devastation was bittersweet; the memories of those days with all the buildings gone, just foundation slabs left. I miss the USAF, I was glad I joined.
Thank you for your service from another SAC veteran. I was at Malmstrom AFB from 1968-1972 as a Civil Engineer. I have a very good friend who served at K. I. Sawyer as a missile guidance system technician. It’s a wonder someone hasn’t suggested using these old bases for homeless housing. Those old dormitories were really sturdy. We had enlisted housing just like that at Malmstrom. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Thanks for a stroll down memory lane.
Hi Bill. Thank you for your service also! From what I understand, the base housing area at K.I. Sawyer was largely occupied by Indigenous Americans after the closing. And yes, "sturdy" is an excellent word for those enlisted dorms. Reinstating them to a livable condition would at least involve reworking all the HVAC to restore heat. Something like what's used in motel rooms might work, idk. I have to wonder if all the electrical wiring has been scavenged, too, given the state of the electrical panel I found in that utility room. Letting them just sit there rotting sure seems a crying shame, but they may be too stripped to ever be functional housing again.
Letting these buildings fall into disrepair and get vandalized falls on the local city/county that the DoD usually hands them over too. These local governments see $$$$ in their eyes that often doesn't fully develop. Usually the Runways and Hangers and Warehouses getting leased out, but housing is the forgotten child and security is limited to non-existent and forget about any maintenance as well . Sad state of affairs.....and they end up eventually getting demolished.
As far as utilizing closed military bases as housing for homelessness, the first thing the homeless does is strip the copper wire and copper pipe and sell it to recycling centers for malt liquor and methamphetamine and when the weather turns cold they start fires for cooking and heating and eventually they will burn the whole place down, quite frankly there is no answer for homelessness in our United States, I've seen it with my own eyes, in my hometown we have a beautiful military base that was closed, Mare Island, and a few buildings were lost to homeless tweakers.
@@davidcole8448 Agree..the one base that was shutdown and at least last I heard survived was the Presido because it was handed over to the National Park Service. Also Fort Ord, was turned into a state college.
My son was born at KI and we went there about 10 years ago. The base was heavily vandalized, especially the dorms and the base hospital. The housing area was severely dilapidated and the multiplexes were just rotting away. It was sad.
I was stationed at KI Sawyer from 77 until 81. Worked as a crash and structural firefighter. Spent the first two years living in the CE dorm, across from the MWR building. Your video certainly brings back some great memories.
Starting at about 12:10 in this video: The *_"Quail"_* was designed to be carried by and launched from a B-52, to act as a decoy to confuse enemy radar about the actual location of the B-52. I do not know if any were ever launched operationally {such as in Vietnam}.
In general, many of the SAC bases were/are not currently located near large population centers. Inbound weapon flight time factored in the event of an unimaginable Armageddon. Unfortunately, many were in cold climates. McConnell AFB in Florida is now the Orlando International Airport before Mickey Mouse invaded, and Homestead AFB in south FL now a racetrack. Minot veteran 76-79.
I was at the radar site south of Minot (786th Radar Squadron, ADCOM) from 77 to 79 when they closed the site and I headed back to tech school for a round of cross training. I loved Minot, though. I'm looking forward to traveling across the northern states. Minot will be a very special stop.
@Timoteo3858 Orlando International Airport is MCO. There is B-52 on display at the entrance to the airport (partially hidden by trees). One of main roads adjacent to the airport is McCoy Road.
Yeah I was a 276x0 scope dope :) ,my last duty station was at Tinker flying in AWACs .in 84 we had a TDY deployment to Iceland, on the way we made a stop at K.I.,do not remember why may have been for fuel .Did not get to see the base as we were not there very long just the base snack bar
I have FIVE WHOLE HOURS on an E-3... I flew as an "advisor" on the first tactical flight out of Keflavik back in 1978 (Callsign Thor 01). But I have almost 2500 hours on the Connie with the 963rd (McClellan) and the 79th (Homestead). Loved those days and loved those men and women.
@@maxsdad538 Yeah I also flew on the connie out of Homestead was called det2 552nd AEW&CW was at the end of the active duty unit there oddly about a year later I ended up PCS at Iceland the 644th .did a year and half at the 7th ACCs and much later end up at tinker with E3s ,a rather odd carrier for a scope dope lol
I was in the military and now work on a military base as a Navy DoD Civilian. The base has been around since the 1940s. Great to wander the buildings - especially at night.
Just like most other closed down military installations, they are too far away from the cities to be useful. Lots of good infrastructure, but nobody wants to make the drive. I only know of a few bases that have been rehabilitated and being used to almost complete capacity. I won't go into why I think the bases were closed. Thank you for your service.
Interesting view. Never was stationed there but I did return to my first duty station after it was deactivated, Lowry AFB in Denver. I was in Civil Engineers and the closest I ever got to an Air Force plane was when I worked on the plumbing in a hanger! I went in Sept 1976 till 1980.
I was at Lowry for cross-training into satellite ground systems fall 79 to spring 80. Really enjoyed my time there. As I was there for retraining, not my initial tech school, I found myself among others of similar rank and who were also cross-training. Having been at at least one duty station before Lowry, we came with 'stuff' and cars that made the stay way more enjoyable. We went skiing and hiking in the mountains rather than spend all our time on base or in the immediate walking vicinity.
My family moved to KI in 1975, same week the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. We were transferred from Pease AFB. I was 4 years old, and attended KIS elementary through 6th grade. It was a magical place to be a kid.
Oh wow! So you actually felt that same "north wind they'd been feelin'". Hard to rationalize all of that at only 4 years old, though. Great to hear it was magical for you. My time in the USAF was totally magical, too.
Wow! Thanks for that amazing walk down memory lane. It's been eighteen years since I retired from the Air Force and I certainly remember life in the barracks/dorms. That little room you saw when you first entered the dormitory could have been the dorm manager's office. I lived in the dorms in the Philippines and at Nellis in Las Vegas. My MAJCOMS were PACAF and Tactical Air Command (TAC), and I worked as an aircraft armament systems mechanic on F-4's, F-5's, F-15's, F-16's, and A-10s. I went to tech school at Lowry AFB CO in 1981 and retired in Grand Forks, ND in 2001. Retrained into food service for the last five years of my career and worked in the dining hall. It was an honor to serve and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and I found myself watching carefully for orbs and other anomalies in your video. HAHA! I agree with you that our once proud installations are now falling into disrepair. A sad end to a proud heritage. Thank you for your service!
My pleasure! Glad to stir up some memories for the Air Force vets out there. My enlistment saw two primary duty stations, one up in ND in what were probably 1950's style barracks (which I enjoyed quite a lot), and the other was at Offutt AFB. When I got to Offutt, they said "we're full up here, so BAQ and BAS for you. Now, go find someplace to live!" lol. The dorms here at K.I. Sawyer seemed very much like the ones at Lowry AFB (also now decommissioned) where I cross-trained into satellite ground systems. I think that must have driven my comments about the rooms here being two-man rooms. That's probably more likely the case for the training commands, whereas actual duty stations were more likely just one to a room. And TBH, I should have stayed in for 20. When I reached the age when it would have been the 20 year mark for me, I thought, "Wow - that would have been a walk in the park! Why did you get out!?!" Of course, I had other dreams and ambitions, and no concept that I could have had it all since 20 years is only about a fourth of a full life. Ah well.
@@joyenroute now that you mentioned it, the dorms at KI did remind me of the dorms at Lowry. My dorm was across the street from the Airmen's Club. Bldg 1477 Highway Side. I memorized that address for Dominoe's and Pizza Transit. Haha. I've seen so many changes during my career and not all of them were beneficial to those of us serving. For example, I remember when I first enlisted that there were so many recreational activities and clubs offered with memberships at greatly discounted prices or for next to nothing. Over the years, many of these clubs have sadly gone away, like the Aero Club where you could get flying lessons and earn a private pilot license, Scuba Club, Rod and Gun club, Skeet and Trap shooting club, Equestrian clubs and Open Mess membership has also dwindled down and the Air Force has now contracted its clubs to private companies like JR Rockers. I think that interest in these activities had waned over the decades and without the interest and participation to generate enough revenue to sustain these activities, they became a financial burden and were no longer cost effective, so they eventually went away. It was sad to see these benefits erode before my eyes.
@@jayb8369 Sad alright! Not sure if Aero Club was around when I was in (76-82), but I sure would have liked to take advantage of getting a PPL on the cheap.
@@jayb8369I hear that. I was stationed at Nellis AFB between 2000-2005 and 2008-2011 and during my first time, there were many activities available to single folks and young families. Bowling alley, library with computers to jump online, quite a few swimming pools, and a theater. Now nearly all of those places are shut down.
I was told at the museum that the base was a favorite among the outdoorsy types. Not being one back in my 20's I might have agreed with you. My how times have changed, lol.
@joyenroute you are correct. It's a great place for hunting, fishing, and most any outdoor sports. Imagine a kid from New York City in this environment who is not into outdoor sports. Lol
The Air Force dorms or barracks were much better than the Army barracks than I have been to state side. Ft. Carson we had 4 man rooms with one toilet and shower built in the early 1970s known as the Banana Belt. Ft, Bragg NC was built differently but were the same 4 man rooms. Germany at Mainz were old German NAZI barracks converted into 4 man rooms but we had a central communal shower. Ft. Kobbe Panama next to Howard AFB were built in the 1920s Spanish Art Deco barracks done with 4 man rooms and communal showers, originally they were open bay platoon floor. I have been to Lowry AFB when it was still active in 1988 when my high school buddy was going through Air Force supply school to visit him. I was amazed on how the Air Force lived much better than the Army especially for me living in infantry barracks.
Thank you for this video! I was stationed there from '83-'87. The dorm you went in looked like the one I lived in before I got married and moved to base housing. It was very eerie watching this video, but also entertaining. I've got to get back there sometime to experience it for myself.
Hurry! I've gotten other comments from people who have apparently been contracted to do demolition work at K.I. Sawyer. They suggested that the buildings I toured, or at least the dorms, are the ones slated for destruction. :(
Stationed there Jan 76 til Jul 79. A SAC base with the 87th. I had a great time there, the UP was wonderful - but you'd better like cold and snow. Worked and met many great folks there - both military and the Uppers.
Thanks for the visit..... As a kid out of HS, I was in the security police career field (ramp rat ) in SAC at Dyess from 1968 to 71. Bases like Sawyer & Minot didn't sound like good places for us rats in the winter. In 70 our wing went TDY to Guam. We watched the real heroes in "BUFs" take off in the AM & return in the PM from conventional missions. Spent the last 14 interesting months at Incirlik CDI, Turkey....I don't regret any part of those 4 years .
Sad, but you should see what they did to the old Roswell AFB. Some folks bought the old base housing for retirement homes. Slum lords got the rest. You can imagine what it is like now. At least you guys have the old air park.
I did do Chanute a few years ago while they were tearing the schools down. The museum had just shut down and the last aircraft were being disassembled.
The D model bomber came from Carswell AFB in 1982 or 1983. I was stationed at Carswell when the D models were being phased out and retired. Carswell brought in the H model B-52 an I ended up PCSing to Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda 1983 - 1991. I maintained the gunners fire control system 1978 - 1992 until the career field was eliminated. No telling how many hours I spent working on that D model 0062 at Carswell AFB.
Wow. Must be bittersweet to see 0062 again, even though not where you saw her last. At least she's on display rather than just out in the aircraft boneyard. Thanks for keeping her going as long as you could.
This looks remarkably similar to a dorm room I stayed at in DM in Tucson in 2003, I was the last to live in that dorm building before they moved everyone out to the fancy new dorms. Those old dorm buildings are gone though, they demo'ed them and put a parking lot in their place. Same type of shared bathroom and lockers. But no radiator that I can remember.
The dorm plans were used Air Force wide. The same was at Luke AFB, AZ, RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge and Moody AFB, GA. I was last at Luke in 1991 assigned to the 58th AGS/314 AMU and there was a plan then to tear down those dorms due to...asbestos materials. The dorms were also bomb shelter structures. Very sound structurally. Had many a good time during dorm life.
This reminds me of England AFB where I retired. It closed in 1994. I was a crash rescue FF. Our base was remade into the new airport but a lot is still abandoned
Was there from fall of 1961 till fall of 64. Flew In the back seat of the F101B as a Radar Intercept Officer (Navigator) before going to pilot training. Lived on base in a brand new four-plex. First two boys were born there and shopped in that BX many times. Was a great first operational experience just out of nav school.
Yes, it did blow up! I think I should be looking for decommissioned bases in whatever state I happen to be travelling through and see if they are accessible. Clearly this is interesting content to many!
Thank you for your service. My dad was stationed at K.I. from 76-95, and we were one of the last families to leave after my dad helped close it down. You were looking in the BX (the Walmart of the Air Force) which was repurposed and then the Commissary (the grocery store of the Air Force) which was the big open area. Behind the BX and Commissary was an outlet mall with various other stores which changed over the years. There was once a toy store and a chow hall before renovations connected these stores together with a long hallway. Next to the BX was a bank and across the lot near the planes on display was a credit union. So much had changed over the 20 years we lived there, and it is so sad to see that Marquette County neglected to take care of the place.
Interesting...I did visit the base TDY when I was working out the Chicago regional Storage Mgt office (RSMO) as a civilian who issued contracts to store the military household goods. Like movers of Stevens and Dobson etc. I am an ex-AF transporter, back from 1956 to 62, .(discharged as E4) Parks AFB Ca for my basic (shipped from my home in Davenport IA). Then later to Sheppard AFB, Tx to the AF School of Transportation (I worked at the TMO/Logistic offices) shipped over to Japan, and then returned to Maxwell AFB, Al. Worked for 32 years with the US Govt/DOD, retiring as a GM 15 at the Western Area HQ of the Military Traffic Mgt Comd and moving to Fernley, NV. My whole career in transportation what I learned at Sheppard and OJT I too always feel sorry when the govt closes bases, as I used to provide cost estimates on base closures. KI Sawyer looks in fair shape compared to other bases that have closed.
You would be correct as to the reason for the supporting wheels on the wing ends. When fully fueled they would actually be on the ground until it hit terminal velocity on takeoff.
Loved the video. I had friends that were stationed at K.I. Sawyer although I never was. The video made note you were at Lowry AFB. I was at Lowry in 1978 for Aircraft Armaments System School. Your barracks tour sure brought back memories!
First off thank you for your service. second my dad lived on K.I. Sawyer afb for awhile back around 2006 thus I spent 2 or 3 summers up there it was a beautiful place back then. Ps when he lived there he lived in the town house on commando street and just so you know no he is just a civilian no military ties
Richard Smith was one of my roommates in the 410th OMS dorm. I was stationed at K.I. from September 1985 until May 1989. I was a crew chief in Bomber Branch.
The dorm rooms look like they are singles with a shared bathroom in the middle. They did a lot of upgrades right before KI Sawyer closed to try to retain enlisted men/women. Turns out the Government should have retained the base first. Did the same thing 150 miles east at Kincheloe AFB where the Government upgraded the facilities only to close the base before the paint dried on the new buildings. I closed that base down Sept 1, 1977 as a leaving Sgt to go to college. My old dorm is now part of a prison at Kincheloe. How ironic!
@mgt 2010fla, like you I left Kinchloe, but in mid-August of '77 ('75-77). Did make a 3-day weekend trip with a couple of buddies to KI, it seemed lots bigger then Kinch. Left Kinch for Blytheville in Arkansas, got there in time to visit Memphis when Elvis had just died at the end of August and before he was moved to Graceland. Blytheville would close a few short years after being renamed Eaker AFB. With the closing of both AFB's in the UP, it had to have a dramatic impact on the economy of the UP. I liked my stay at "Kinch" because of the people stationed there but you might recall we received 185-205 inches of snow in each of those years, while Paradise Michigan near KI was bombarded (pun intended) with 300 inches--- 25 feet. Sadly, I saw the Edmund Fitzgerald ship pass through the Soo Locks (did a tour of the locks with my family upon first arriving) and will never forget that miserable day in November when it sank in Lake Superior. Wish I could turn back the clock. With google and RUclips it's possible to visit these bases or sadly what remains of them. Crazy how so much money was sunk into Kinch upgrades before it was turned into the prison, Uncle Sugar sure knows how to spend our money.
There were some good times at Kincheloe, I grew up a little. I was on call for the Hospital Pharmacy the night "The Fitz" sank. We just played cards until about 2am, then were sent back to the dorm. Chances are if you had a prescription filled there, I was doing the filling. I joined the USAF on Halloween in MIAMI, FL and spent 3 winters in the UP. Broke the 55 miles an hour speed limit a lot heading south, Sept 1, 1977@@EugeneGoga
@@mgt2010fla Then you then must have filled a few prescriptions I wrote, as I was a dentist there and worked out of the hosp. clinic next to the shrink up front Mike Lew--. Could you possibly be an old friend of mine Larry Wyd---c. who was also from FL, father was a pilot? What was the pharmacist's name? Russ Wil--r was the vet. Col. Weeks the hosp. commander, had a cute daughter Shei--. Small world if it's you. You would remember we had a great slow pitch softball team winning the 72 hour tournaments every year. Another friend Jerry Wr---pitched and played first base, he could blast homers at will. Steve Mal--- excellent 3rd baseman. Little brother John Cl------d. Denny with dark hair and glasses, Donny Eck--. and a SP cop who joined our team I think named Denny. Remember when we made a trip to Ann Arbor to see the wolverines with Dave and Lance? Either way we should arrange to talk again. This is crazy.
Larry, I'm not sure why my previous comment was crossed over. Since then, a few memories came back: was Capt Norton your boss? Who was the hosp administrator, a nice guy, skinny blonde haired guy? The hosp SMSgt, Roy something or other, nice guy also. Remember when the head chef had some suspicious scrapings found under his fingernails, won't mention his name, too embarrassing? Another front office 2nd Lt. named Val, then there was Danny K who had a thing for singer Tanya Tucker? There was a short guy who worked in ER admitting area from Bowling Green Ohio, nice guy. Come to think of it most guys were. There was Ray last name rhymes with Cop. An older guy named Ty who ended up at Blytheville with me, good guitar player. Can't go without mentioning Joe B another dent officer who was also on our softball team, we were good weren't we? A couple of young hot nurses who came during the last year of Kinch, one was blonde and a dark haired one whose name I think was Mary B, they added a bit of needed interest as the 2 existing staff nurses were old enough to be our mothers, nice people but we were kids to them. In the dent area we had a cute WAF named Madeline. I can name a few more dent enlisted but you might not remember them, It's only because I was in the hosp clinic that I remember the guys mentioned above. What have you got to add?
I just wrote for 30 minutes, in a hotel, and lost everything when it's cheap ass network hiccupped. I guess it will lost, forever! Or until we get back home when the hurricane lets us back in our house There is a LOT of stuff I remember. And, I'm on the wrong message so I'll try later.@@EugeneGoga
Good video! I was at Chanute from 1980 to 1986, and it's the same way as KI now. I really loved my time at Chanute and I drove through there around 2010, it was very depressing to see how the base has been left to decay. I retired in 2005.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I have memories from when I was a kid. My dad was stationed there. That is the base he retired at. I can remember we lived at 410 Stratofort. It wasn't a house. It was like a townhouse. We lived in the end unit. My father got an assignment to do a tour in 'Nam. I remember coming home from school. The front door was locked. I thought it unusual so I went around to the back door. To my amazement my father was there to surprise us all that he was back from 'Nam! Great memories. I was only in 2nd grade
I think I have one of the street signs from the street. When it closed, I lifted a couple of them. They've all been changed. I think the other one was Voodoo.
K. I. was my first assignment. I was a KC-135 pilot stationed there from 1988 until 1990. I love the outdoors so that part was nice, but not a great spot for a single guy in his early 20’s. I knew the crew that died in the crash at Dyess. I spoke with them while they were flight planning the day before they left. They were going to Dyess (in Texas) and then to Hickam (Hawaii) then on to Guam. I remember telling Captain “ Dusty” Llewellyn that it was a shame that I didn’t have any leave available or I’d catch a ride with them to Hawaii and they could pick me up on the way back. They were a good crew, well liked and genuinely missed.
My late husband was stationed @ki from 1987 to 1995. He was one of the last to leave. He said it was one of the best bases he'd ever been to. Sadly we lost Mark in 2020.
God bless Mark for his service! I can understand how he must have felt. The base had a good vibe to it. As if it were proud to have played such a vital role back in the day.
@joyenroute I hope someday to visit ki. N walk around n wonder what it was like back in the day. What the builds were like. All in clean working condition.
Tracy, wow, one of the last to leave that base, that is cool. That scoundrel draft dodger Slick Willie Klinton had many AF bases closed down. I will never forget, he also signed the NAFTA agreement! What a louse!
Sorry for your loss. I know that pain.
Sorry for your loss! Thank you for your service too!
I was stationed at KI Sawyer from April 84 to Jan 88. I worked as a crew chief on the B52, 61-008 was my aircraft. I also pulled a lot of alert duty there as well. Hard work and long winters, but many good memories. Proud to have served under the Strategic Air Command.
I pulled alert as a tanker crew chief. We had our own little hut for the six of us on our side of the 'tree'. We didn't go far during the winter. I read a lot, and we sometimes played Dungeons & Dragons all night.
Gen. Curtis LeMay recognized as SAC’s founding father grew up in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He attended South High School and then attended Ohio State University. They tore down his boyhood home in the South End just east of Parsons Avenue which was politically motivated I’m sure. The houses to the right and left are still standing! Eddie Rickenbacker (the “Ace of Aces” from WWI and also a Columbus
native) had his home preserved. Thank you for your service 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks for the tour! I was never at Sawyer but was stationed at LowryAFB in 1975 learning electronics and F-111 avionics. It was a great base with visits to Denver often, many memories of the neighbors in the dorm and classmates.
After Lowry I was stationed at Luke AFB under TAC learning F-15 avionics maintenance OJT, a great system. After 3 years I transferred to the F-16 avionics program at General Dynamics in Fort Worth. We stayed at Carswell AFB during training. The next 3 years was spent at Hill AFB keeping the F-16s flying. We practiced deployment of the avionics shop to the remote site at Wendover.
Many fantastic memories with the job, fellow airmen and General Dynamics technicians. USAF '75-'81.
I was born in Marquette in 1966 and my daddy was an aircraft mechanic at K.I. Sawyer. Watching this video just brought back such a flood of memories and tears. We lived in Negaunee, had family in Iron Mountain, Marquette, Ishpeming, Kingsford...Good God I needed to see this. Thank you.
I was stationed at K. I. Sawyer from 1972-1975. The first large building you went into was the Base Exchange (BX) and the second one was the Commissary. I was the lead on the inhouse design team as the electrical engineer that added on to the Commissary and moved the entrance to the exchange parking lot side. Can't forget the wonderful winters with the snow.
My husband was stationed there 1967 to 1970, in the 69th Munitions Maintenance Squadron. He is now 76 years old.
My thanks for his service! Hope he enjoyed his tour there.
I thank him for his service
I was stationed there from 1978-1982. The dorm you went into was mine. It was the Cop Dorm for the 410th Security Police Squadron. I lived on the 3rd floor with "D" Flight. The door next to it was the WAF dorm. The building between dorms was a little restaurant/bar called the Jet Stream. The next dorm was for the CE Squadron.
Thank you for refreshing my memory. That was my barracks too.
I was staioned at KI from 1964 to 1966 at what was named 410th combat defense squardron.. In '66 a number of airman were sent to Nam. I lucked out and was sent to the USAF Honor Guard,Bolling AFB, Wash DC.
I was on B Flight and then A Flight during that same time period. (Separated in September 82) We likely crossed paths often. I've been to a couple reunions and reconnected with some old friends. Was able to drive my car straight into the WSA which was surreal. My favorite post was 29-Alpha at the TAC Alert Area because it had electricity and a heater. 9-Delta was the worst in the back of the KC-135s. Concrete and no heat. Just brutal.
Have you been back to visit yet?
This was my first base, fresh out of Tech School. Was based here from 1993 - 1995 (I retired in 2013) with the 410 CPTS. It was a great base to be introduced to the USAF and I enjoyed my time there and I have fond memories of Gwinn and Marquette and the entire UP in particular! Thanks for this walkthrough, although most is unfamiliar with the decay, it was nice to walk through one of the dorms, although not mine (I stayed in some of the dorms further down, closer to where the new gym was built) this was still a blast from the past!
Interesting, I was an Airman at K.I. 1962- 1963. I was an AC&W air surveillance opereator in the SAGE DIRECTION CENTER there until the unit was closed in Oct 1963. First active duty base after radar tech school at Keesler, Mississippi. Then on to other assignments for 20 years and 23 days total service. Really did not recognize anything but the drive from Marquette, through the boonies. Thanks for posting this video. Cheers -- Dan.
My old 87th FIS "Red Bulls" F-106 Delta Dart unit. Left in 1981. Nice memories following you around in this video, a lot of recognizable things, a lot!
I was there in the spring of 1944 for navigator training on the B-29 Superfortress. I actually stayed in the barracks that you walked through. Thanks for the memories!!
Couldn't have been, those dorms weren't built until 1957 or so.
I wasn't stationed there but i was taken aback by the abandonment of the the base.. I was stationed at Castle AFB in Atwater California from 1973 to 1975 and the base has since been also closed.. I went there to visit once and it was turned into an air museum. I often wondered what ever happened to my dormitory and my airpalne. It was a B-52F tail number 0052..Looking at your ol' AFB I can imagen what you must be feeling.I feel like it's a great loss as i can almost see the Airmen and other people still walking around like it was back in the old days...Those were the days and they will be part of my life until the day that I die...Thanks for the memories...
Although I wasn't ever stationed at K.I., two of the bases I was stationed at have been closed, and all have been through some manner of restructuring. I did visit the now abandoned 786th Radar Squadron (AC&W), Minot Air Force Station (not Base) and much of the infrastructure has been cleared. the AN-FPS27a radar tower I worked in is virtually gone at this point, although it looks like the antenna support structure (4 stories worth of massive-scale iron pipe) still remains. I visited the site once back in 2003, and hope to get back there again, perhaps in the summer of 2024.
I was stationed at Castle in 75, Bill. My parents moved to the Atwater area in the mid-2000s. I went by to see what I could. Do you know if the igloos are still standing? My sister lives in Los Banos, and I wanted to take my wife to see the base, and perhaps the igloos where the nukes were housed.
I was in the 552nd at McClellan and had to go to Castle for my altitude chamber certification/recertification. There was something surreal about driving around Merced/Atwater back in the early 70's at 3am, with all the amber street lights cutting through the foggy nights.
Very interesting! Thanks! I also enlisted in the Air Force in 1976 and retired in 2001. One of the many places where I served was the 379th Bomb Wing south of there in the LP at Wurtsmith AFB, MI. Beautiful place that was also closed due to BRAC. I was also at Lowry AFB attending Weapons Training Tech School, so I followed you around. Again, thanks for the video. Brings back a lot of memories, especially seeing my old friend, the BUFF!!
K.I. Was my first assignment. Spent 81-85 in the 410th Avionics Maintenance Squadron. It was my favorite assignment of my 26 yr career. Plan to visit at some point.
I was stationed there from Sept of 68 till I separated from active duty Feb 69. I served with the 62nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron which had F-101s. I was previously stationed at Charleston Air Force Base with the 444th FIS until it was deactivated. My rank was Sergeant in the auto pilot shop.
I was not USAF but was active Army stationed in the area from 1977 until the Base closed. Lived within half an hour of the base from 1967 to present. Now retired military and received all services including medical, dental, veterinary services, barber shop, laundry, snack bar, auto repair shop, parts and tire store, base theater, hobby shop, events center thrift store, child care, EM, NCO,& O clubs, Gym and fitness center including pool, golf course, baseball fields and uniform cleaning services, as well as commissary and base exchange, plus some things I may have forgotten. I pretty much remember what and where most of the buildings were and are. My daughter also married a young airman stationed there shortly before the base closed. I have many past and present friends who were stationed there that I socialized with off duty time, and some who live in the area yet today. After retirement I worked as a contractor for the realignment and reutilization management organization on several projects. I would be glad to share some of the many stories and memories I have should you wish to contact me.
Ì was stationed at K. I. Sawyer from June 1967 to March 1968. We had the B52H models which I worked on. My field was electronic counter measures. My dorm was directly across from the chow hall. It snowed over 300" that year.
Yeah, no shortage of snow at K.I. Sawyer I'm hearing. The lake effect must be wicked there.
I was stationed at Kinross AFB from Nov 1957 to Apr 1959 and was TDY at KI Sawyer for 2 months the summer 0f 1958 while the runway at Kinross was being rebuilt for SAC. The dormitories (we still called them barracks) were head and shoulders above Kinross as there were 2 man rooms with a real bed versus the old cots at Kinross and a shower and stool between 2 rooms versus a community shower and a row of commodes at Kinross. And, the chow hall and chow was like nothing we ever had at Kinross. I remember the mess sergeant walking around the mess hall asking the troops "how is the chow? Anything we can do to make it better?" This never happened at Kinross. April of 1959 I got orders to report to Alaska for duty on a remote AC&W site. Ended up at Northeast Cape on St. Lawrence Island in the middle of the Bering Sea for 10 months. All in all my one hitch in the Air Force was the best move I made as a young fellow. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the thorough tour and thank you for your service to the USAF. A similar situation occurred here in Columbus back in the late 1970s/early 1980s when Lockbourne AFB/Rickenbacker AFB (LCK) was decommed and went to a National Guard base and then a port authority was established. Allegiant now flies passengers out of there and the shipping business is now booming with several large distribution centers cropping up out of the farmlands northeast of downtown Columbus. And Intel is coming to town in the Johnstown area. The old “Ricken-chicken” is booming again!!
It's great to hear of a decommissioned base becoming a success story. Not sure how common that is; mostly I hear how decayed they have become. Thanks for sharing that!
I did an 89 day TDY at Rickenbacker when they were closing it down. I was in the NCO club cashing a check when Reagan was shot.
I was in the Air Force for 8 years, and with the exception of Lockland, Keesler, and NORAD operations center, every base, site, station, and Operations Location I was ever stationed at has ceased to exist. It's understandable that so many places in South East Asia are no more (Korat AFB, Clark, P.I., Nakhon Phanom [NKP], Monkey Mountain), but so many former stateside homes are nothing more than a bare spot on some mountain top. A few years ago I flew into the old George Air Force Base, north of San Bernardino, for refueling as part of a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Search & Rescue mission, and it was like walking around a post-apocalyptic military complex, waiting for zombies to come slothing out of the buildings. Both interesting and extremely sad.
Korat is still there--it's home to Thai F-16s, and host a joint operation each year. Hammer USAF SSgt Korat 1973 to 1974. Married a WAF there in April of 1974, went to Ramstein from there.
Seeing these old bases just fall into decay is - like you said - bittersweet. We moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1995 and saw the old US Army barracks. The place was a ghost town. All of Germany was filled with empty bases however there were still several bases fully running. But the bases we were at as kids were awesome. We loved it and it’s weird that you can’t go back to visit. Even if you could there’d be all new faces there.
My bro-in-law will be doing a large asbestos abatement job soon at KI Sawyer. 14 buildings in all I believe. I was lucky enough to travel with him from the middle of the lower peninsula (our home area) to Gwinn to bid the job a couple months back. What an awesome visit. Quite a campus and a great staff still working there. I'm sure Sawyer AFB can tell many stories.
I was born there in 1963. My dad served at the base until 65. My Grandfather was a master sergeant on the flight line from 61 to 67 Also have an uncle that served there as well.
I'm retired US Air Force (1982 - 2002)....This was very awesome to see. The dorms brought back memories of being a young Airman back in the 80s. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your service.
I was stationed at K.I. Sawyer after my tour in South East Asia from 73 to 75 with the 410 MMS weapons load Crew Chief. Enjoyed the area and the Base but sad to see what happened. Hope it can be brought back to life. Thanks for the tour.
I was station at Norton AFB ( 1980 to 1988 ) and McClellan AFB (1988 to 1994 ) both in California. Both are closed now. At Norton, All the dorms are now gone but a few buildings were left standing. McClellan AFB, Just about all the buildings are still there. I went TDY to some of the bases in the western US that are now closed . Hurt seeing bases like that one closed. Like your video. Airman For Life.
I was born at Norton and our aunt ran the pbx there in the 1950's.
I was stationed down the road at March AFB back in the mid 70s. Loved Nortons golf course. I guess March is now a reserve base.
I was stationed at Norton AFB in 1986 and retired their in 88. The entire surrounding area has really changed and gone to hell.
This was interesting to watch I was born on SAC base. My dad was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine. He was the NCOIC in the command post in the early 60s. One of my earliest memories was the activities during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nuke loaded B-52's taking off and landing around the clock and they were loud! Unfortunately, Loring has been shut down for a long time.
Loring AFB1970 -1973. 👍
@@LynneAnn51 My dad was there 1958 - 1964. Me personally, 1959 - 1964. :)
As a Air Force veteran I find it sad but fitting that at the end of the cold war we were able to shut down so many supplus bases. At one time these SAC bases where at the forefront of our nuclear deterrent. You can almost still feel the activity of the base in its heyday. So glad we never had to carry out those strike missions. I just hope that we never have to engage in the same level of heightened vigilance. Things were scary back then. Watching the news now it seems like we are in for another round of it.
Comes in waves, it seems. And yes, I was proud to be serving under SAC.
@@joyenroute SAC was the premier outfit when I was in the Air Force. I don't even know what they call it now. Kept the world safe for decades. What was their Motto? Peace is our profession? It was SAC, MAC and TAC back in the day.
Thank you for the look back into history.
I was there from 85 to January of 89. I loved it there. I went back 2 years ago and was amazed at the state of the base. We used to have softball practice near that static B-52. I also recognized several of the names on that plaque about the guys who were killed in that KC-135 crash in 89.
That was a fun place to be for 4 years. I know some guys hated it, but I wasn't one of them.
Sad to see.I've got 27 years Air Force service .Been to many closed bases.Too many.Brings a lump in my throat
Sawyer was one base I didn't want to get stationed at after 2 yrs in Iceland and 2 yrs at Plattsburgh NY. I worked on fighter air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles from 76 (4 yrs at Nellis before 2 yrs in Iceland) to retraining in 83 after I came back from Iceland as they were merging my missile AFSC into ammo so I retrained into the AGM-69A SRAM and AGM-86B ALCM and I worked in the weapons storage area at Plattsburgh with occasional work on the aircraft on the ramp. Applied for instructor duty back at Chanute where I retrained at and mid 1985 I went back there as an instructor in electronics and air launched missile maintenance where we taught the systems in the B-52, FB-111A and B-1B along with the AGM-69A SRAM, AGM-86B ALCM and the AGM-129 ACM. We were getting orders back to the field when Chanute was slated for closure in the fall of 93 and I got Barksdale in Louisiana but swapped orders for McConnell in Wichita KS with SRAM and B-1B. Was given the option of a 1 year early retirement with full credit of 20 except one year shy on pay and I retired in mid 1995. BTW I was in the 3711 BMTS at Lackland from mid June 76 to end of July then went off to Lowry for my AIM/AGM missile school until end of Jan 77 when I went to Nellis. I had been up to Marquette as a kid in the late 1960s as I had two great aunts and uncles that lived up there and I do have to admit that summers were beautiful there.
I was stationed at Loring AF Base Maine for 18 months in 1959 to 1960. That base was shut down in 1977. That base was a SAC base.
The F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart have lineage and appear very similar.
It made me chuckle to listen to you ID-ing the plane as the F-104 Starfighter bears no resemblance.
K.I. Sawyer is from my childhood. It pains me that the base is closed.
I will have to visit the museum on one of my future trips back to Michigan.
Thanks for posting. :-)
Yeah, although being in the AIR Force, I spent almost no time near AIRcraft, lol. I was initially in Aircraft Control & Warning Radar Systems (displaced by AWACS which obviously would have gotten me on a flight line), and cross trained into satellite ground systems and worked in SAC for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
@@joyenroute Oh I hear you. All of us veterans have "huh???" stories about the illogic we encountered when we were in.
Seeing closed military bases breaks my heart. That was a part of history that should still be active. Sad 😞
I live 15 miles from the former Chanute AFB. So sad to see the gigantic hangers built for the B36 failing into disrepair. Runway abandoned.
I was stationed there from 73 to 75. I humped slot of B-52s KC135 and FB111's.If you were a security policeman back then you'll know what I mean by humping 😁. In winter the Hawk (wind) never seemed to cease. Brrrrr! So sad to see K.I. in its present condition, A far cry from when it was active. Thanks for the memories
my dad also stationed there 73 to 75, i just graduated HS and worked at the jetstream making pizza - my boss at the jetstream was a security policeman, he gave me a tour of where the nukes were stored - really weird to be standing in the midst of so many nukes
I am not a big fan of any type of reptiles. Imagine my surprise when one of my first nights. The guy showing me the area left and his parting words were watch out for the snow snakes. Now I was gulabul enough to think that maybe it's a type that they only have here. Something else too. Worry about! And I purposely went into security to become a dog handler. Don't you think I was second guessing my career choice.
The Fb111 "Rough Night" was from Plattsburgh AFB in NY where I was stationed from 85 to 89 Enjoyed my time there
I was a SAC trained “killer,” who spent time at Keesler and then was assigned to SAC headquarters in Omaha, NB. Worked in computer maintenance in the underground command center from 1965 thru 1969. Thanks for the tour. I agree it is sad to see the old bases decaying.
Different years, but I did Keesler and Offutt, too. Loved all bases I was assigned to.
Sad decay isn’t the word for the old Sac base near my town! Blytheville AFB is really awful! It has companies and a retirement community but all else are rotting down! They claim they can’t tear them down because of the asbestos in them! It’s worse than Sawyer!! Just heartbreaking for those who lived and served on these installations!!
I was stationed there in 1975 to 1980. Lost one B-52 and one KC-135 wile I was there. I worked on the Defensive Fire Control System (with M-61 Cannon) on the B-52.
Did you have any children there? I was a kid there from 1975 to 1983.
I have family in Marquette. My father was at KI Sawyer in the 60s. I tried getting assigned there but was sent to Maine instead. Why its called a Dream Sheet lol
I also put in for Michigan bases on my “dream sheet” in 1970… got sent to Loring AFB. 🥴
My Dad, and the Family were stationed at Kincheloe AFB, AT Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan from Sept. 1961- summer, 1966. Kincheloe and K.I. Sawyer were sister bases for SAC, in that day. Sawyer and Minot were two places that had comparable winter temperatures and snowfalls as Kincheloe (-45 below and over 20 ft. Of snow). My dad worked in Bomb/Nav in direct support of the mission for the B-52H's in the 60s with the 449th Bomb Wing.
Looks strange to me seeing Strategic Air Command emblems on fighter jets. When I was in the Air Force in the 1960s, all the fighters were assigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) bases. SAC bases had bombers like B52 and B47, refulers and missiles.
@LarcR and @joyenroute
The SAC (Strategic Air Command) emblem is on an FB-111, similar to the TAC (Tactical Air Command) F-111 but was built to SAC standards to carry nuclear bombs and nuclear short range attack missiles (SRAMs) and penetrate Soviet air defenses at low level.
I was a KC-135 tanker pilot based at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana. The FB-111s from Pease Air Force Base sometimes came to Grissom Air Force Base to sit alert with us. One day, over lunch at the alert facility chow hall we chatted with an FB-111 crew. We soon realized that if the klaxon went off (meaning we were going to nuclear war) we were going to launch, rendezvous with and offload thousands of pounds of JP-4 jet fuel to that very crew and bomber. The men and women of SAC were hard working, dedicated people. I had no doubts that if the klaxon sounded and the orders were to launch, everyone would execute their mission.
@joyenroute- Thanks for the tour of K.I. Sawyer. Seeing those airplanes and buildings brought back good memories of those times.
This is a blast from the past! I was in the AF for 20 years at too many bases to count. I used to go hunting around Rapid River annually and would always stop by old K.I. Thanks for this video brother. Joe
Hi Joe. Thanks for your 20. There are times I kick myself for not going for 20. At the point in my life that would have been 20 years for me, I thought, "What were you thinking? That would have been a walk in the park!" But I had other ambitions, so I try not to beat myself up over it too much.
we called them guys the lifers
@@fishhaulergreatlakes8208>>> FWIW: I did 3 years in the US Navy, then 17 years in the US Coast Guard.
I worked in Aviation for most of my time in both services.
@@fishhaulergreatlakes8208 even though 20 years is definitely not a lifetime
I 'm from Albany and remember when Turner Air Force Based closed ( and turned over to the Navy for abit.) I still remember the sound of those B-52s going over our house when they were landing. It was thunderous.
Right? I attended an elementary school in Riverside, CA back in the late 60s. Each morning walking to school, I'd see a B-52 training flight out of March AFB flying over. You could set your clock to that sortie.
Loved this video and tour, thank you. Being an Air Force kid, this brought back many fond memories. Growing up & spending my childhood on bases similar to this, was a different childhood upbringing that civilian families probably couldn't relate to.
These bases were tiny self contained, self sustaining communities, often adjacent to, or not far from local towns.
On bases overseas, it was like being on an island, but an island that had almost every need the Air Force could provide. They did their best to accommodate the enlisted, officer's and their families.
It was tough moving all the time, new schools, making new friendships and the Mom's! Military mothers deserve a huge amount of recognition! Heroes behind the Heroes!
At 20, I joined the Navy, and I will say, the barracks we had (in the early 80s) were prison like compared to what you showed here. Its a shame the country can't find a useful purpose for these old bases.
Anyway, thanks again, really enjoyed it.
Just discovered your channel! Will enjoy more of this from you. Never been to K.I. Sawyer, but I knew lots of folks who had been stationed there. The state of preservation there seems very good compared to other facilities closed by BRAC and the end of the Cold War. Aloha from a fellow AF vet.
I haven't been to many closed bases, this being only the second. The first was the ADCOM radar site where I was stationed in North Dakota. 786th Radar Squadron, Minot Air Force Station (not base). Its state of decay, or materials reclamation, was further along for sure. Of course, it was possibly an earlier vintage installation to begin with and closed more than a decade before K.I. Sawyer. Thank you for watching. Glad you're enjoying the channel.
@@joyenroute You make me wish I still lived on the mainland. Now that I'm retired, I could think of hundreds of places I'd like to visit! I tried to visit a lot of them...but there are always more that I didn't see for one reason or another. Aloha, my friend!
Thank you for your service!
I was there 1983 1984 it was my first duty as a young man. I remember when the static B52 was flown in to the base. As many vets I met many people that I will never forget. And I did stay in the Barracks you showed a lot of good memories thanks
These barracks were the old cinderblock barracks that were renovated in 1980s. and did away with the old communal showermand bath.. I was stationed at Travis AFB that were being renovated in this very design . I was a Staff Sgt and got a room to my self. Bath and shower connected every two rooms and did away with the old communal shower and bath..
Right. It occured to me after filming this that the rooms were more likely singles rather than doubles. I think the Air Training commands doubled the rooms up due to the volume and relatively short duration of the student Airmen. Out at regular duty stations, though, I might expect one person to a room. I think the shared bathroom design makes a lot of sense. When stationed at Minor Air Force Station (not Base), we had some pretty old barracks that were still using the communal bathrooms, but as the (massive!) ground-based radar sets we had on station were being phased out (because AWACS), they weren't about to upgrade them.
There was 2 closets so people for 2 people
Some serious nostalgia there! I was in 82-86 at Charleston, Incirlik and Norton. I see those barracks and remember all the people and memories from my time, and wonder about those who lived in them at KI Sawyer, hope they have all the great memories I do.
Totally agree about the great memories! Even today I wonder what came over me to have made the decision to separate after 6. When I hit the point in my life that would have been 20, I thought, "Wow. What a walk in the park that would have been, not to mention a pension as icing on that cake." Ah well. Life's been good.
I was a Chief Master Sgt and went TDY to the base in 1994. When checking into billeting on base we were told we were the last TDY visitors and that we could have whatever room we wanted on base! Next day we retired several unit NCOs which was covered by the local news affiliate. Good days. Nice base.
So u were a chief ,so was I
I was stationed there from 86-87. I was as an air traffic controller in the rapcon 2001st comm squadron. I remember it like it was yesterday. That one building was the post office. The small room just inside the dorm was the dorm managers office. Lots of snow. I got there in April with just most of the snow gone but woke up the morning of May 1st with 6 inches of new snow. Many people road their snowmobiles to work in the winter. Great memories! Thanks for the video!
Sir, I love the whole concept of your channel, it’s description, and execution! Exquisite, brother! I couldn’t help but subscribe. Best wishes!
Thank you so very much for the kind words, Glen. I hope I can continue to keep you entertained. :)
Nice video! I was stationed at K.I. Sawyer from 1986-1994. Great memories and many good friendships! I recognized all the locations you showed. I used to work in the Weapons Storage Area. I believe a sawmill took over the facilities there. They also store road salt in the storage igloos now. We used them for much more lethal stuff!
I was stationed at Grissom AFB from 1972 through 1975. I lived in a two-story barracks with similar room design, but much older construction. Your base tour brings back so many memories. Thank you
Thank-you for your service. I was not at K.I. but my time in the Air Force is almost identical to yours. I graduated from basic training (Lackland) January 1976. I went to tech school at Chanute until August 1976. My first (and only) permanent duty station was another SAC base called Loring in Maine. Of course, Loring was closed at the same time K.I. was. I was a "Flight Simulator Specialist" on a KC-135 mobile flight simulator. I completed my enlistment in 1980.
I visited Loring once. I was assigned to the 4000th Satellite Operations Group, HQ SAC, Offutt AFB. Our primary customer was Global Weather, also at Offutt. The 4000th operated the Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft in the control center there at Offutt. But our transmitter sites were at Loring, and Fairchild in Washington state. Visited both sites on a logistical inspection of electronics maintenance performed on the equipment there. It was great to get out of Omaha a few times. (I loved my time at Offutt, actually.)
I was stationed there from September 1985 until September 1988. I took my family there in 2005 and we stayed a few days. It was bittersweet realizing the different lives my kids would of had had I been able to stay in longer. The base was in decline even then. The E commerce was the BX the commissary would of been on the same parking lot. The second building you went into was the commissary. I had a trailer in one of the base trailer parks.
Interesting view of ki! I was stationed there from early 1970 to 72 when I went to Vietnam! Returned in 72 & got discharged in sep of 73. I got let go early because of some problems with my supervisors! I’m from Hancock mi, so I went home most weekends. Enjoyed my time there but Vietnam was way better, no snow! I was in security police so I spent a lot of time outside! Great video!
I served almost immediately post-Nam ('76 to '82) so I didn't go there, but I think you're the first I've ever heard of that liked it better than a conus assignment. Being from WI, though, I get the whole K.I. Siberia moanings. You gotta want to be in cold like that, lol.
Amazing that the doors are unlocked without guards. A tribute to the midwest. If this were in San Francisco or Seattle or Portland Oregon, it would be inhabited by drug addicts and criminals with broken windows graffiti and unspeakable drug debris
Yes. The winters up here are a deterrent to unhealthy lifestyles.
@@joyenroute Hi Joy. The winters we get up here, Newfoundland, are not a deterrent to unhealthy lifestyles!
@@roderickcampbell2105 Vices be vices, I guess. When it comes down to it, deterrence must come from within.
@@joyenroute Agreed Joy. From within. Although strong communities certainly help. Best to you.
@@roderickcampbell2105>>> Beauty, eh? 😉
That dorm room was same furniture and faux wood and locker and sink set up (not in same location) for my dorm room at Homestead AFB, FL. I was there in 90-92. I hear ya about bittersweet. The USAF was great and seeing Homestead post devastation was bittersweet; the memories of those days with all the buildings gone, just foundation slabs left. I miss the USAF, I was glad I joined.
I couldn't agree more - on all the points you've made.
Thank you for your service from another SAC veteran. I was at Malmstrom AFB from 1968-1972 as a Civil Engineer. I have a very good friend who served at K. I. Sawyer as a missile guidance system technician. It’s a wonder someone hasn’t suggested using these old bases for homeless housing. Those old dormitories were really sturdy. We had enlisted housing just like that at Malmstrom. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Thanks for a stroll down memory lane.
Hi Bill. Thank you for your service also! From what I understand, the base housing area at K.I. Sawyer was largely occupied by Indigenous Americans after the closing. And yes, "sturdy" is an excellent word for those enlisted dorms. Reinstating them to a livable condition would at least involve reworking all the HVAC to restore heat. Something like what's used in motel rooms might work, idk. I have to wonder if all the electrical wiring has been scavenged, too, given the state of the electrical panel I found in that utility room. Letting them just sit there rotting sure seems a crying shame, but they may be too stripped to ever be functional housing again.
Letting these buildings fall into disrepair and get vandalized falls on the local city/county that the DoD usually hands them over too. These local governments see $$$$ in their eyes that often doesn't fully develop. Usually the Runways and Hangers and Warehouses getting leased out, but housing is the forgotten child and security is limited to non-existent and forget about any maintenance as well . Sad state of affairs.....and they end up eventually getting demolished.
As far as utilizing closed military bases as housing for homelessness, the first thing the homeless does is strip the copper wire and copper pipe and sell it to recycling centers for malt liquor and methamphetamine and when the weather turns cold they start fires for cooking and heating and eventually they will burn the whole place down, quite frankly there is no answer for homelessness in our United States, I've seen it with my own eyes, in my hometown we have a beautiful military base that was closed, Mare Island, and a few buildings were lost to homeless tweakers.
@@davidcole8448 Agree..the one base that was shutdown and at least last I heard survived was the Presido because it was handed over to the National Park Service. Also Fort Ord, was turned into a state college.
CES 5010TH EIELSON AAC, CES 820TH REDHORSE NELLIS
I think it`s cool that there isn`t any vandalism.Shows that people in the UP have better things to do with their time.
My son was born at KI and we went there about 10 years ago. The base was heavily vandalized, especially the dorms and the base hospital. The housing area was severely dilapidated and the multiplexes were just rotting away. It was sad.
I was stationed at KI Sawyer from 77 until 81. Worked as a crash and structural firefighter.
Spent the first two years living in the CE dorm, across from the MWR building.
Your video certainly brings back some great memories.
Starting at about 12:10 in this video:
The *_"Quail"_* was designed to be carried by and launched from a B-52, to act as a decoy to confuse enemy radar about the actual location of the B-52.
I do not know if any were ever launched operationally {such as in Vietnam}.
In general, many of the SAC bases were/are not currently located near large population centers. Inbound weapon flight time factored in the event of an unimaginable Armageddon. Unfortunately, many were in cold climates. McConnell AFB in Florida is now the Orlando International Airport before Mickey Mouse invaded, and Homestead AFB in south FL now a racetrack. Minot veteran 76-79.
I was at the radar site south of Minot (786th Radar Squadron, ADCOM) from 77 to 79 when they closed the site and I headed back to tech school for a round of cross training. I loved Minot, though. I'm looking forward to traveling across the northern states. Minot will be a very special stop.
Ummm, McConnell is an active AFB in Wichita. I think you mean McCoy AFB.
Confirmed McCoy AFB in Orlando becoming ORL!
I was at Minot 1977 to 82
@Timoteo3858 Orlando International Airport is MCO. There is B-52 on display at the entrance to the airport (partially hidden by trees). One of main roads adjacent to the airport is McCoy Road.
Thank you for you're service and Tour.
Yeah I was a 276x0 scope dope :) ,my last duty station was at Tinker flying in AWACs .in 84 we had a TDY deployment to Iceland, on the way we made a stop at K.I.,do not remember why may have been for fuel .Did not get to see the base as we were not there very long just the base snack bar
I have FIVE WHOLE HOURS on an E-3... I flew as an "advisor" on the first tactical flight out of Keflavik back in 1978 (Callsign Thor 01). But I have almost 2500 hours on the Connie with the 963rd (McClellan) and the 79th (Homestead). Loved those days and loved those men and women.
@@maxsdad538 Yeah I also flew on the connie out of Homestead was called det2 552nd AEW&CW was at the end of the active duty unit there oddly about a year later I ended up PCS at Iceland the 644th .did a year and half at the 7th ACCs and much later end up at tinker with E3s ,a rather odd carrier for a scope dope lol
I was in the military and now work on a military base as a Navy DoD Civilian. The base has been around since the 1940s. Great to wander the buildings - especially at night.
Military bases are cool. I'll give them that. They all have their own unique character.
Ditto, I spent 30 years on the Navy side of joint base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and my job had me working and exploring the many hangers
Just like most other closed down military installations, they are too far away from the cities to be useful. Lots of good infrastructure, but nobody wants to make the drive. I only know of a few bases that have been rehabilitated and being used to almost complete capacity. I won't go into why I think the bases were closed. Thank you for your service.
Interesting view. Never was stationed there but I did return to my first duty station after it was deactivated, Lowry AFB in Denver. I was in Civil Engineers and the closest I ever got to an Air Force plane was when I worked on the plumbing in a hanger! I went in Sept 1976 till 1980.
I was at Lowry for cross-training into satellite ground systems fall 79 to spring 80. Really enjoyed my time there. As I was there for retraining, not my initial tech school, I found myself among others of similar rank and who were also cross-training. Having been at at least one duty station before Lowry, we came with 'stuff' and cars that made the stay way more enjoyable. We went skiing and hiking in the mountains rather than spend all our time on base or in the immediate walking vicinity.
I was in the USAF from 1982-1986, stationed at the long closed George AFB, Adelanto, California, thank you for your long service.
My family moved to KI in 1975, same week the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. We were transferred from Pease AFB. I was 4 years old, and attended KIS elementary through 6th grade. It was a magical place to be a kid.
Oh wow! So you actually felt that same "north wind they'd been feelin'". Hard to rationalize all of that at only 4 years old, though. Great to hear it was magical for you. My time in the USAF was totally magical, too.
Wow! Thanks for that amazing walk down memory lane. It's been eighteen years since I retired from the Air Force and I certainly remember life in the barracks/dorms. That little room you saw when you first entered the dormitory could have been the dorm manager's office. I lived in the dorms in the Philippines and at Nellis in Las Vegas. My MAJCOMS were PACAF and Tactical Air Command (TAC), and I worked as an aircraft armament systems mechanic on F-4's, F-5's, F-15's, F-16's, and A-10s. I went to tech school at Lowry AFB CO in 1981 and retired in Grand Forks, ND in 2001. Retrained into food service for the last five years of my career and worked in the dining hall. It was an honor to serve and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and I found myself watching carefully for orbs and other anomalies in your video. HAHA! I agree with you that our once proud installations are now falling into disrepair. A sad end to a proud heritage. Thank you for your service!
My pleasure! Glad to stir up some memories for the Air Force vets out there. My enlistment saw two primary duty stations, one up in ND in what were probably 1950's style barracks (which I enjoyed quite a lot), and the other was at Offutt AFB. When I got to Offutt, they said "we're full up here, so BAQ and BAS for you. Now, go find someplace to live!" lol. The dorms here at K.I. Sawyer seemed very much like the ones at Lowry AFB (also now decommissioned) where I cross-trained into satellite ground systems. I think that must have driven my comments about the rooms here being two-man rooms. That's probably more likely the case for the training commands, whereas actual duty stations were more likely just one to a room. And TBH, I should have stayed in for 20. When I reached the age when it would have been the 20 year mark for me, I thought, "Wow - that would have been a walk in the park! Why did you get out!?!" Of course, I had other dreams and ambitions, and no concept that I could have had it all since 20 years is only about a fourth of a full life. Ah well.
@@joyenroute now that you mentioned it, the dorms at KI did remind me of the dorms at Lowry. My dorm was across the street from the Airmen's Club. Bldg 1477 Highway Side. I memorized that address for Dominoe's and Pizza Transit. Haha. I've seen so many changes during my career and not all of them were beneficial to those of us serving. For example, I remember when I first enlisted that there were so many recreational activities and clubs offered with memberships at greatly discounted prices or for next to nothing. Over the years, many of these clubs have sadly gone away, like the Aero Club where you could get flying lessons and earn a private pilot license, Scuba Club, Rod and Gun club, Skeet and Trap shooting club, Equestrian clubs and Open Mess membership has also dwindled down and the Air Force has now contracted its clubs to private companies like JR Rockers. I think that interest in these activities had waned over the decades and without the interest and participation to generate enough revenue to sustain these activities, they became a financial burden and were no longer cost effective, so they eventually went away. It was sad to see these benefits erode before my eyes.
@@jayb8369 Sad alright! Not sure if Aero Club was around when I was in (76-82), but I sure would have liked to take advantage of getting a PPL on the cheap.
@@jayb8369I hear that. I was stationed at Nellis AFB between 2000-2005 and 2008-2011 and during my first time, there were many activities available to single folks and young families. Bowling alley, library with computers to jump online, quite a few swimming pools, and a theater. Now nearly all of those places are shut down.
I was stationed at KI in the 410 MMS. From '82-'85. There's not much to do as a young 20 year old.
I was told at the museum that the base was a favorite among the outdoorsy types. Not being one back in my 20's I might have agreed with you. My how times have changed, lol.
@joyenroute you are correct. It's a great place for hunting, fishing, and most any outdoor sports. Imagine a kid from New York City in this environment who is not into outdoor sports. Lol
Michigan U.P. was once a favorite destination for military retirees for proximity to base services and great place to live.
The Air Force dorms or barracks were much better than the Army barracks than I have been to state side. Ft. Carson we had 4 man rooms with one toilet and shower built in the early 1970s known as the Banana Belt. Ft, Bragg NC was built differently but were the same 4 man rooms. Germany at Mainz were old German NAZI barracks converted into 4 man rooms but we had a central communal shower. Ft. Kobbe Panama next to Howard AFB were built in the 1920s Spanish Art Deco barracks done with 4 man rooms and communal showers, originally they were open bay platoon floor. I have been to Lowry AFB when it was still active in 1988 when my high school buddy was going through Air Force supply school to visit him. I was amazed on how the Air Force lived much better than the Army especially for me living in infantry barracks.
Thank you for this video! I was stationed there from '83-'87. The dorm you went in looked like the one I lived in before I got married and moved to base housing. It was very eerie watching this video, but also entertaining. I've got to get back there sometime to experience it for myself.
Hurry! I've gotten other comments from people who have apparently been contracted to do demolition work at K.I. Sawyer. They suggested that the buildings I toured, or at least the dorms, are the ones slated for destruction. :(
Stationed there Jan 76 til Jul 79. A SAC base with the 87th. I had a great time there, the UP was wonderful - but you'd better like cold and snow. Worked and met many great folks there - both military and the Uppers.
Thanks for the visit..... As a kid out of HS, I was in the security police career field (ramp rat ) in SAC at Dyess from 1968 to 71. Bases like Sawyer & Minot didn't sound like good places for us rats in the winter. In 70 our wing went TDY to Guam. We watched the real heroes in "BUFs" take off in the AM & return in the PM from conventional missions. Spent the last 14 interesting months at Incirlik CDI, Turkey....I don't regret any part of those 4 years .
Sad, but you should see what they did to the old Roswell AFB. Some folks bought the old base housing for retirement homes. Slum lords got the rest. You can imagine what it is like now. At least you guys have the old air park.
I did do Chanute a few years ago while they were tearing the schools down. The museum had just shut down and the last aircraft were being disassembled.
The D model bomber came from Carswell AFB in 1982 or 1983. I was stationed at Carswell when the D models were being phased out and retired. Carswell brought in the H model B-52 an I ended up PCSing to Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda 1983 - 1991. I maintained the gunners fire control system 1978 - 1992 until the career field was eliminated. No telling how many hours I spent working on that D model 0062 at Carswell AFB.
Wow. Must be bittersweet to see 0062 again, even though not where you saw her last. At least she's on display rather than just out in the aircraft boneyard. Thanks for keeping her going as long as you could.
This looks remarkably similar to a dorm room I stayed at in DM in Tucson in 2003, I was the last to live in that dorm building before they moved everyone out to the fancy new dorms. Those old dorm buildings are gone though, they demo'ed them and put a parking lot in their place.
Same type of shared bathroom and lockers. But no radiator that I can remember.
I went through weapons load crew training at Lowry AFB in Denver. I was a armament systems speciualis from October 1987 to September 2020.
The dorm plans were used Air Force wide. The same was at Luke AFB, AZ, RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge and Moody AFB, GA. I was last at Luke in 1991 assigned to the 58th AGS/314 AMU and there was a plan then to tear down those dorms due to...asbestos materials. The dorms were also bomb shelter structures. Very sound structurally. Had many a good time during dorm life.
This reminds me of England AFB where I retired. It closed in 1994. I was a crash rescue FF. Our base was remade into the new airport but a lot is still abandoned
Was there from fall of 1961 till fall of 64. Flew In the back seat of the F101B as a Radar Intercept Officer (Navigator) before going to pilot training. Lived on base in a brand new four-plex. First two boys were born there and shopped in that BX many times. Was a great first operational experience just out of nav school.
Kind of cool, this video looks to have exploded in views compared to most. Good luck with the channel and thanks for taking us along.
Yes, it did blow up! I think I should be looking for decommissioned bases in whatever state I happen to be travelling through and see if they are accessible. Clearly this is interesting content to many!
Thank you for your service. My dad was stationed at K.I. from 76-95, and we were one of the last families to leave after my dad helped close it down. You were looking in the BX (the Walmart of the Air Force) which was repurposed and then the Commissary (the grocery store of the Air Force) which was the big open area. Behind the BX and Commissary was an outlet mall with various other stores which changed over the years. There was once a toy store and a chow hall before renovations connected these stores together with a long hallway. Next to the BX was a bank and across the lot near the planes on display was a credit union. So much had changed over the 20 years we lived there, and it is so sad to see that Marquette County neglected to take care of the place.
Thank you for all that insightful information! It must have been amazing watching the evolution of the base over all that time.
My Dad was stationed there from 75 - 83. I attended KI elementary K-6
My brother was stationed there in the '70s after transferring from Wright Patt,then over to Dover. He was a ATC
Interesting...I did visit the base TDY when I was working out the Chicago regional Storage Mgt office (RSMO) as a civilian who issued contracts to store the military household goods. Like movers of Stevens and Dobson etc. I am an ex-AF transporter, back from 1956 to 62, .(discharged as E4) Parks AFB Ca for my basic (shipped from my home in Davenport IA). Then later to Sheppard AFB, Tx to the AF School of Transportation (I worked at the TMO/Logistic offices) shipped over to Japan, and then returned to Maxwell AFB, Al. Worked for 32 years with the US Govt/DOD, retiring as a GM 15 at the Western Area HQ of the Military Traffic Mgt Comd and moving to Fernley, NV. My whole career in transportation what I learned at Sheppard and OJT I too always feel sorry when the govt closes bases, as I used to provide cost estimates on base closures. KI Sawyer looks in fair shape compared to other bases that have closed.
You would be correct as to the reason for the supporting wheels on the wing ends. When fully fueled they would actually be on the ground until it hit terminal velocity on takeoff.
Loved the video. I had friends that were stationed at K.I. Sawyer although I never was. The video made note you were at Lowry AFB. I was at Lowry in 1978 for Aircraft Armaments System School.
Your barracks tour sure brought back memories!
First off thank you for your service. second my dad lived on K.I. Sawyer afb for awhile back around 2006 thus I spent 2 or 3 summers up there it was a beautiful place back then. Ps when he lived there he lived in the town house on commando street and just so you know no he is just a civilian no military ties
Richard Smith was one of my roommates in the 410th OMS dorm. I was stationed at K.I. from September 1985 until May 1989. I was a crew chief in Bomber Branch.
The dorm rooms look like they are singles with a shared bathroom in the middle. They did a lot of upgrades right before KI Sawyer closed to try to retain enlisted men/women. Turns out the Government should have retained the base first. Did the same thing 150 miles east at Kincheloe AFB where the Government upgraded the facilities only to close the base before the paint dried on the new buildings. I closed that base down Sept 1, 1977 as a leaving Sgt to go to college. My old dorm is now part of a prison at Kincheloe. How ironic!
@mgt 2010fla, like you I left Kinchloe, but in mid-August of '77 ('75-77). Did make a 3-day weekend trip with a couple of buddies to KI, it seemed lots bigger then Kinch. Left Kinch for Blytheville in Arkansas, got there in time to visit Memphis when Elvis had just died at the end of August and before he was moved to Graceland. Blytheville would close a few short years after being renamed Eaker AFB. With the closing of both AFB's in the UP, it had to have a dramatic impact on the economy of the UP. I liked my stay at "Kinch" because of the people stationed there but you might recall we received 185-205 inches of snow in each of those years, while Paradise Michigan near KI was bombarded (pun intended) with 300 inches--- 25 feet. Sadly, I saw the Edmund Fitzgerald ship pass through the Soo Locks (did a tour of the locks with my family upon first arriving) and will never forget that miserable day in November when it sank in Lake Superior. Wish I could turn back the clock. With google and RUclips it's possible to visit these bases or sadly what remains of them. Crazy how so much money was sunk into Kinch upgrades before it was turned into the prison, Uncle Sugar sure knows how to spend our money.
There were some good times at Kincheloe, I grew up a little. I was on call for the Hospital Pharmacy the night "The Fitz" sank. We just played cards until about 2am, then were sent back to the dorm. Chances are if you had a prescription filled there, I was doing the filling. I joined the USAF on Halloween in MIAMI, FL and spent 3 winters in the UP. Broke the 55 miles an hour speed limit a lot heading south, Sept 1, 1977@@EugeneGoga
@@mgt2010fla Then you then must have filled a few prescriptions I wrote, as I was a dentist there and worked out of the hosp. clinic next to the shrink up front Mike Lew--. Could you possibly be an old friend of mine Larry Wyd---c. who was also from FL, father was a pilot? What was the pharmacist's name? Russ Wil--r was the vet. Col. Weeks the hosp. commander, had a cute daughter Shei--. Small world if it's you. You would remember we had a great slow pitch softball team winning the 72 hour tournaments every year. Another friend Jerry Wr---pitched and played first base, he could blast homers at will. Steve Mal--- excellent 3rd baseman. Little brother John Cl------d. Denny with dark hair and glasses, Donny Eck--. and a SP cop who joined our team I think named Denny. Remember when we made a trip to Ann Arbor to see the wolverines with Dave and Lance? Either way we should arrange to talk again. This is crazy.
Larry, I'm not sure why my previous comment was crossed over. Since then, a few memories came back: was Capt Norton your boss? Who was the hosp administrator, a nice guy, skinny blonde haired guy? The hosp SMSgt, Roy something or other, nice guy also. Remember when the head chef had some suspicious scrapings found under his fingernails, won't mention his name, too embarrassing? Another front office 2nd Lt. named Val, then there was Danny K who had a thing for singer Tanya Tucker? There was a short guy who worked in ER admitting area from Bowling Green Ohio, nice guy. Come to think of it most guys were. There was Ray last name rhymes with Cop. An older guy named Ty who ended up at Blytheville with me, good guitar player. Can't go without mentioning Joe B another dent officer who was also on our softball team, we were good weren't we? A couple of young hot nurses who came during the last year of Kinch, one was blonde and a dark haired one whose name I think was Mary B, they added a bit of needed interest as the 2 existing staff nurses were old enough to be our mothers, nice people but we were kids to them. In the dent area we had a cute WAF named Madeline. I can name a few more dent enlisted but you might not remember them, It's only because I was in the hosp clinic that I remember the guys mentioned above. What have you got to add?
I just wrote for 30 minutes, in a hotel, and lost everything when it's cheap ass network hiccupped. I guess it will lost, forever! Or until we get back home when the hurricane lets us back in our house There is a LOT of stuff I remember. And, I'm on the wrong message so I'll try later.@@EugeneGoga
Good video! I was at Chanute from 1980 to 1986, and it's the same way as KI now. I really loved my time at Chanute and I drove through there around 2010, it was very depressing to see how the base has been left to decay. I retired in 2005.
Took my tech school at Chanute in 1970..3357 Squadron. Very sad to hear that is closed now...that was a nice base, alot of history, that is now gone.
January to May 1988. I did technical training. To be a jet engine mechanic
Chanute AFB 1980 - 1984 then 1986 - 1990. 👍