KI Sawyer AFB 2018

[@Acemechanicalservices]

I lived at 617 Valkyrie from ‘75 till ‘83. My dad retired when I was 12, and finished 6th grade at KI Elementary school, Mr Corkins class. It was a magical place to me. Sledding at deadman’s hill in the winter, building forts in the woods and BMX in the summer. I raced at the track in Marquette. We also went to dances at the youth center.

[@veteranhelpingveterans2113]

My first duty assignment. I loved the people living in the upper peninsula!!

[@loribadgero1035]

It's really hard to see the Base look this way.

[@MrPepper312]

I was stationed there in 73-74. After discharged I rode home to Mobile on my Kawaski Z1-900. Had some great times with my friends. Mark Z., Ed D., Tony Y.

[@moparluvrsgagarage2898]

Thanks for the Memories dudes, havent visited KI since 1976. Same but VERY different.

[@JorgeM523]

Wish you could have filmed more in the residential areas. My Dad was stationed there in 1971 and our whole family stayed there from 1972 through 1973. I was in 8th grade and went to school in Gwinn. Earned my first Letterman's jacket for football in 9th grade.

[@moparluvrsgagarage2898]

I was right there with your Dad Jorge, 410th OMS at the time, Oct 70 to July 71, then off to U-Tapao, and July 72 Back to KI till March 74 when they gave many of us an early out, TO SAVE MONEY LMAO yeah right. The B-52 on display I Believe is a "D" Model, While we had B-52 H's and KC-135B's. And hiking to the hanger in winter from the barracks down in THE HOLE was never fun. Spent many a day on that B-52 Alert pad. Gawd that was freeking 50 yrs ago LORD oh LORD how time flies. Married a Girl I met up there but not till WELL after Military life for sure.

[@Telyzan]

The "big" hangars mentioned around the end of the video were NOT the hangars that you think they are. The actual B-52 and KC-135 hangers were briefly shown at 5:44 in this video. Back in those days, (middle to late 80's) our Corrosion Control hanger was the only one on the base that could completely fit the B-52 and KC-135 inside with the hangar doors closed. (It's the farthest hangar on the left side of the group of hangars again shown at 5:44. (The one with the black pitched roof). All of the other hangars couldn't fit the tail section of either planes and had special hangar doors that closed around the aft fuselage with canvas (bumpers?) around them to attempt to keep out the cold and weather. I was stationed there from around mid to late March 85 through April 88. Corrosion Control Specialist was my given career picked for me by the Air Force. Put a LOT of paint on the B-52's and KC-135's stationed there. Even had a special job of completely painting one of the old McDonnell F-101 Voodoo that still sets on display on the base by an old model B-52. Was told that the last normal seasonal snow fall by the people stationed on the base was right around St. Patrick's day. The St. Patrick's day snow storm of 86 dropped 2-3 inches shy of 3 feet of snow over that weekend! A LOT of good memories of that place that I miss...

[@StrayCatOrwell]

9:50 mark on the right, my old work place. Dispatch office and warm barn for the 410th Transportation Squadron. Nice to see most of it’s still intact but I heard the hospital is trashed. Would’ve liked to see the area by the chow hall and the alert pad/weapons storage area. I visited Wurtsmith a few years back and those were both abandoned and wide open. The bunker for the alert crews was welded shut, though. Really felt weird driving onto the Christmas tree pad, waiting for the cop to scream “HALT!”

[@eraturbo99999]

The two tone building on the left at 4:00 was the Vehicle Maintenance building. I worked there from '93 - '94. It was a great little base.

[@Comm0ut]

Nice bit of nostalgia for those who spent our youth in the Cold War Air Force. Glad to see they kept the aircraft static displays (those take considerable upkeep) and still get some use of the airport. BTW the relocation of the tankers and Buffs was to save fuel (their now-conventional missions constantly take them overseas especially the tankers) and to avoid winter (winter may be fun but it reduces sortie rates and is horrible for aircraft maintainers). That we don't need nuclear bombers (as much) during the modern era when nuclear missiles coerce peace is good news. The earlier years were FAR less certain and much less stable. The deterrent value of bases like K.I. Sawyer kept the peace and defended the American people. That history deserves to be remembered. Unfortunately (for reuse, not comfy rural privacy) this and similar locations are generally where (almost) no one wants to live and with nil economic or medical infrastructure as the communities rose and fell with the bases construction, use and demise. When the clueless see buildings they don't see CONTEXT. These bases were built first for isolation for security reasons (the pre-nuke era) then rebuilt in the nuclear age where they were expected to be destroyed by enemy counter-force strikes hence their distance from valuable infrastructure. "Homeless servicemen" (per another post) aren't going to live there as they're homeless due to mental illness and like the rest of the mentally ill don't go where directed by others. TBI and PTSD mean they're not going to be up for freezing their arses off in winter any more than the MANY G.I.s who were stationed there and hated it. Isolated institutions lack access to many things only more settled, prosperous areas can deliver. (I'm a career USAF vet of the era before during, and after K.I. Sawyer got BRAC'ed and not speculating!)

[@omahaL98]

Well said

[@glennmorrell4907]

Thanks for the backstory of this place, and many others like it I guess. I grew up in a very rural area and as a boy (in the 60’s)was thrilled to watch occasional convoys of military aircraft flying over the valley to an installation 20 miles away…

[@MegaDave1962]

Wow glad to see some of it still in use I visited in 75 when my older brother was stationed there, we lived down in garden city then.

[@markbarnes988]

I lived on this AFB from 1968 to 1970. Neil Armstrong landed on the moon back then. I was in 4th grade at KI Sawyer Elementary school, and 5th at Gwinn; however, I seem to remember about 60 inches if snow on the ground! Record snows both in '68, and '69. I lived at 114 Crusader Street.

[@alexhaugen9773]

I lived at KI Sawyer I believe 86-89....went to Gwinn MDS and freshman year at HS. I think I lived on 110 Crusader Street, best years of my life. Met so many great people and as a kid had to up and leave with my Dad's military life, OH well....If anyone remembers me please reach out: Alex (ander) Haugen

[@ecksit7637]

I worked out at the base at National Carbon Technologies for a bit. Really cool please to check out. Stayed in one of the old dorms while I was there.

[@bubbamoosecat]

7:30 - Aircraft on the right is a Russian IL-78 that got stuck there by a court order. The court battle has been going on for years. Somebody owes somebody else some money. I doubt it it's airworthy anymore.

[@kendaugherty8092]

A sad end to a great era.

[@johnbarry8482]

I worked in alert facility 75 -76

[@AnnaJuist]

It's nice to see the windows are still intact. Unlike the Calumet Air Force Station. It is really a shame to see so much Gov't waste. I'm pretty sure some of these abandoned bases could easily become homes for so many homeless servicemen. Or even training facilities / educational centers...etc.

[@terryomalley9669]

Anna, Juist, Using the homes, for veterans would have been smart. Unfortunately, the entire process was mismanaged from the beginning. I wouldn't live there today. Every time you hear any news, about that place, it's not good. Useless drug dealers everywhere.

[@ThirdBoyBorn]

can i use a couple of snippets from this for a video I'm doing for a business in Gwinn?

[@jamescbliss2225]

Why did it close

[@3melendr592]

All abandoned S.A.C. bases look the same. K.I. Sawyer appears to be more intact than most. How long ago did the base close? What happened to the dependents quarters and airmen's barracks?

[@nickclayton2517]

3melendr I think 1996. This is a. big base

[@jeremymock9686]

It closed in 1995. My dad was stationed there for 20 years and helped close it down. We were one of the last families to leave the base.

[@3melendr592]

@Jeremy Mock, thank you for the reply. K. I. Sawyer lasted about 4 years after S. A. C. stood down. I saw many S. A. C. bases close down between 1964 to 1967. Some were B-47 bases such as Lincoln A. F. B. here in Nebraska and Schilling down in Kansas. Both bases had Atlas F missile squadrons. Then there was Walker A. F. B. in New Mexico a B-52 base with an Atlas F missile squadron. My dad and I were at Holloman A. F. B. at the time. (1967) The S.P.'s at Walker A. F. B. were still manning the front gate when I went through Roswell in the fall of 1968. The bases served their time well.

[@norman5357]

I was there 91-93

[@terryomalley9669]

@@jeremymock9686 It was a colossal failure and mistake to close that base. I'm not going to argue with anyone about it. That's for sure. It was just plain stupid.

[@thomasheyart7033]

Cargo plane on the tarmac looked like a Russian IL-76

[@accessiblenow]

I got my rotc physical there in 65

[@JeromeG1956]

That was the worst assignment I ever had.....remember when I got there that base was depressing for some reason. Some good came of my time there when all was said and done but still, the worst assignment I ever had.

[@gilbertarnold-percy]

K.I.Sawyer AFB is not abandoned.. Parts of it may be, but it is still a functioning airport. Marquette County Airport moved from between Marquette and Negaunee to KIS. You would know this ii you had done a little research.

[@slcm0248]

How about homeless and illegals ? Better conditions than dumping them in our cities.