While I don't have personal memories of being in at the Alert Pad I was stationed at BAFB from 73-76. I spent most of my time in 97th BWHQ Squadron DOKM SACCS maintaining the Command Post Communications Equipment. In mid 1976 they moved all communications maintenance to 2101 Comm Squadron AFCS. I have a lot of GREAT memories from my time there. I spent a lot of time at the Sportsman's Club on base and helped build the combination Trap/Skeet range. Duck and Dove hunting were top notch as well as fishing at Big Lake. I was back to the base in the spring of 2020 and what a sad site it was to see. I did get back to the old Trap/Skeet range behind the Firing Range. It looks just as I remembered it except for the fence around it now. I also met Michael Jacques at what used to be Hawks Pawn Shop downtown. He told me about the museum, which, while not big, was full of information. Then he took me out to the Alert Pad and we browsed through the building. He told me they were hoping to restore the Alert Pad. I see now they have started and I'm glad to hear that. Good times, GREAT memories, GREAT people.

I was stationed here from 1977 to 1981. I worked in the motor pool dispatch office & I took care of all of the alert vehicles for over a year. I also lived across the street from the gym in those old white raggedy barracks!! Man what a Huge difference here!!! WOW!!! Almost nothing left!!!

Love this song relaxing moody type song, you can feel the weather changing and see the leaves turning brown and gold. In your mind.

Visually and audibly beautiful. Thanks!

What is sad is that with current world events, we need the bombers back on the pad at bases such as Eaker. Also included on that list is K.I., Wurtsmith, Loring, Pease, Castle, March, Carswell, and the list goes on...

We were stationed there 63,64 and 1965. Played little League. Went to Gosnell elementary....could walk yo the theater, bowling alley or ride your bike yo the pool, B52's down the street...great memories

Great vid. Greetings to all the SAC Trained Killers. AMMO Troop (461X0) Carswell AFB, 1984-1988; WSA Storage and Handling. Huge alert commitment, very busy times. Blessed and even prouder to have served.

Appreciate your vids, Sir. 1st assignment was an Electronics Tech in the 2101st Comm Squadron from 1981-84. In my tech duties, I visited the Command Post daily, & also ran Comm Sq. job Control when I worked overnight. I remember being at the gym the first time I heard the Klaxon go off-I thought I was going to be deaf after. Watching Alert Crews scram & get airborne, particularly the MITOs, was always exciting. It was my 1st an only SAC base, which was kind of a shame. I really never had another flying base like Blytheville AFB.

Great video, thanks! Was stationed there from 1981-89. Served as a gunner in the 340th BS and a boomer in the 97th AREFS. Spent many a week in that facility.

I worked in this hospital from March 1990 until January of 1992. My oldest daughter was born here. I'm loving these Eaker videos. Thanks.

A once proud SAC base, and housing for its personnel.......sad😥

I stood alert there as a B-52 EWO from 1962 until 1969. I cannot believe how depressing this area now looks. What a shame.

Came here from My Self Reliance channel !

It always makes me sad to see these old bases. I was at Walker AFB, Roswell New Mexico.

What a waste.

Hey Jack! I was looking into getting some Mary jersey cubs and bears jerseys, have you ordered recently? I’m curious to see if the quality is the same/ better?

The very last view in this video as you leave the base, was where the main gate was. I owned a donut shop there at the time of the closing.. right across the street from the main gate.

I was stationed here (Blytheville AFB) from 1976 to 1978 and was the NCOIC of the Civil Engineering Sq. refrigeration shop. The crew I had was great and the civilians were equally so. I remember the Base Commander hosting a monthly ‘Base Hanger’ party that featured food from around the world prepared by spouses from various countries. The NCO club provided live entertainment and a free ride home was provided to those who had a ‘little’ too much fun. Morale was great and everyone had a great time. One of the most favorable tours I had. My daughter was born at the base hospital in 1977 and is now an RN. Time passes soooo quickly. Now that I’m retired I enjoy looking back and embracing the memories. So much has changed.

I was the first woman to pull Alert duty in 1976, I was crew chief on B-52 191 with Sam Berry, Cleve Lindsay. One of my best memories of my 20 years serving. I see they are having a ground breaking ceremony for a Cold War Museum on March 31, 2020, I am planning to go and be a part of this! So happy to see the museum is coming along, great job to all.

That was the bowling alley by the commissary. I bowled many a games in that building

A friend of mine was a HVAC contractor when the military was building what would have been the last newest homes at Eaker. He said when it was announced of the closure of the base, the military told him to finish the job, even though the home were never -ever used.

This video makes me so sad because my dad David Edwards was stationed there from 77-85 and the alert pad was a huge part of our lives. My mom and dad divorced when I was four and when I would here that siren go off it literally scared me. I didn't know if or when I would see my dad again.

Ironically... The Day After. My father spent a lot of time in buildings like these. One Christmas we went there too. At Warner Robins GA, which was a satellite airfield for McCoy, in case the missiles beat the MITO. We were at the window and Dad said you see those guys by the airplanes...they have orders to shoot anybody that goes out there. I was 9 at the time, and he had been to Guam twice flying KC-135s and B-52Ds. Thanks Dad.

Thanks for the video

Thanks for sharing this Jack. Like others have said, I get a lump in my throat knowing what that building represented and seeing that it's just crumbling away. I worked there as a civilian ('86 until closure in '92). I was the CATV guy for the base. Great job, working for and with the best people in the world. I miss the people, the base, and Buff's and KC135s (and Tweet's) flying overhead all the time. Got "arrested" in that facility once by SP. The old-retired civilian security guard assigned to watch me fell asleep while I was working from the waist up inside the suspended ceiling while pulling new cable. From then on whenever I would get that guy, I was steadily dropping tools, splitters, connectors, etc on the floor to keep him from nodding off! Good memories! From the video, I'm not sure that the taxiway isn't being used for some sort of storage, like dirt or sludge or ??? Maybe that's a good flying adventure for me as we can fly our private planes down there and land on the runway. It's pretty much vacant now except C-130s from Little Rock still visit for training missions from time to time.

BRAC should've never happened. Sad.

I can remember going to this hospital 28 times in April of 90, I ended up seeing the civilian dr that came on base once a month, he is who figured out if i didn’t have surgery soon I would die, he told me if I don’t, he gave me 6 to 8 months to live, the er during that time was crazy, I was told everything from I was pregnant to I had heartburn, nope don’t think so….

My favorite of all your great videos, Jack. Thank you for making the effort. It blesses me with a flood of memories every time l watch it. Made friends and memories for a lifetime there (‘87-‘90 BUFF Nav) Great therapy for my soul. ❤️

Should have kept the base open and turned it to a air reserved base plus air national guard

The US Government sure does know how to waste money!

I find it too depressing to watch these videos of all the AF bases that have closed since I finished my career in the AF (1971-1991). Such a waste of facilities.

Does anyone know if the B52 memorial is being maintained?

Yes I was stationed there from 1975-1979 Was Blytheville AFB a SAC base!

Was this old Blytheville AFB in Arkansas? Looked familiar as I was stationed there in mid 1970’s.

So Sad.

Just think how many base's were closed, So sad, So sad.

Nope. I still call it Blytheville.

It's still Blytheville AFB to me, am I dating myself?

Blytheville Air Force Base, I remember you so well

I was stationed there from 1982 to 1985. Sure is crazy how everything has gone to waste.

So sad to see the decomposition of the once worlds greatest Air Force.

Awesome video. I went to see the a350s last year and actually got the chance to go up into the tower. It hasnt been used since 2001 and has tons of dead birds up there. The eerie thing is all the sectionals, tvs and handbooks are still there just laying out.

I was there from fall of 67 through May of 71. Spent lots of time on Alert as B 52 copilot. I went to see the memorial some years back and it was in sad shape. After I got out some of the guys I knew were shot down in Nam in 72.

This was my duty station in the Air Force back in 1971, I spent less than a year there. I was in the 97th SPS and with being a A!C I spent many day humping either a B-52 or a KC-135. I got an assignment to Clear AFS, AK just before the whole bomb wing went TDY to Guam.

Spent many weeks there pulling alert duty duty (1987-1989) as a B-52 crew chief.......I.do not miss any of it. Blytheville was a terrible place to be stationed as a young single man!

Wow !

I was assigned to this Squadron from June 1991 - September 1992. I was the last Bioenvironmental Engineering troop to leave. I was assigned to the Base Closure Team as well.

This is cool

Thx, Jack. This was my first assignment in the Air Force. I was a weatherman from August 76 to August 79. Briefed many A pilot for two years and then the Wing Commander for one. I even gave an update to astronaut Tom Stafford, and was the on-call weather guy during the Thunderbird airshow. Four-star general Benny Davis from Norrad stopped through one day... Had to use the latrine. Briefed a couple of hairier pilots, they did a fancy landing in front of base ops. Gave an update to possibly the last F101, came up from Louisiana. As far as the actual mission, I’m just glad we never had to use the nuclear option.

Very surreal. It was not that long ago that Eaker was thriving and B-52's sat on alert at this very pad complex. Now, the place is overgrown with weeds and copperheads. Time to reopen some of these SAC bases as the world is still a very dangerous place and Russia has not gone away, they just put us to sleep.