Back in 69 and 70 they did maintenance differently in South Korea at the ROKAF AC&W sites. The `7-level` screwdriver was mainstream. I saw a radar squadron commander replace a magnetron in an FPS-90 height finder radar. There were concentric rings of site personnel around him as the deed was done. First the squadron officers, then the NCOs, and then the airmen by rank. Not eneough room for all, so the lower ranking airmen milled about the door to take a quick look, as did I. All went well with the replacement. Other activities were delayed. At the time in Korea, funds for training were limited and by necessity focused on the officers and senior NCOs - those who would be retained in service the longest. It worked well for them at the time. One of the initiatives we tried to implement then was a Warrant Officer program to retain the trained NCOs past their retirement. This was of limited success when I was there. One reason was the Korean economy began to boom. One notable success was in the alignment of the IFF system displays. Some sites had no problem and others did (e.g. ringing). A visit by a ROKAF WO `on leave` with extensive IFF experience did the trick. It all goes to prove, when in Rome ..... ROKAF did a great job then with most of their sites in very difficult/isolated areas, with limited funds, and our MAP spares. Visits by USAF radar eval teams confirmed this. ROKAF AC&W sites were a critical asset in 5th AF ops, and plans and programs. The `7-level` screwdriver was A-OK in ROKAF way back when.....

I, too, would be interested in any information about a Mt. Hebo (689th) reunion. I attended the one in 2002 but have not heard anything since; all my e-mail contacts seem to have gone belly-up. About `7-level` screwdrivers: As a Captain Radar Maintenance Officer, I always carried one with me in my shirt pocket. It was there because my troops knew I always had one and they would borrow it from me when they could not locate their own. As their boss, I always got `mine` back! (They were careful to return it.) I really believe a few of the maintenance guys were deathly afraid I`d actually use the screwdriver on the equipment some day (I had been trained on some of the gear) but I never did. I carried the screwdriver as a minor service to a great bunch of hard-working men.

To all veterans of Fort Fisher Air Force Station, North Carolina (701st AC&W Squadron / 701st Radar Squadron / 701st Air Defense Group; and Detachment 5, 14th Missile Warning Squadron): If you are interested in having a site reunion, please contact me. The proposed location is the Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area. The proposed date is the weekend of 28-29 June 2008 (note that 30 June 2008 will mark the 20-year anniversary of the site closing). This gives us over two years to plan this thing right. I e-mailed everyone listed in the Site Roster, and so far all replies have been positive. Of course, there are many veterans who are not signed in. Also, quite a few of the notes bounced, indicating out-of-date e-mail addresses. So, please notify other FFAFS veterans with whom you might be in-touch, and ask them to contact me. We are also looking for volunteers to help organize the event. Let`s make this happen! Thanks!! -- Tom

I was a rookie 18 yr old ops troop at Makah AFS Neah Bay in 65/66.I seem to recall a Chief Naylor/Nayler(?). The Chief ran the club. Would there have been a chief in the old club field back then?

When I was at Makah 76-78, the club was run by a SSgt and I worked for him part time in a job that was similar to bar manager. Our Chief Dillard was known to have tipped a few in the club, but did not run the place. The `chief` was a good guy to have around.

1956-60 681st AC&W Cut Bank Montana 740th AC&W Rapid City SD

I WAS STATIONED AT NORTH TRURO AFS, AND THE 762ND RADAR SQD FROM NOV OF 1983 TO DEC OF 1984.

Can`t let the note below about Chief Dillard go without a comment. I was the 25AD QC Officer in the 74-75 timeframe(after a tour at Neah Bay as Maintenacne Officer)and Chief Dillard was the real manager and force behind what was a super group of AF NCO`s. He had been at Makah before me and came to 25th and from the note below he must have gone back to Makah. I think his wife was from there and I have had a note from someone in the area (not him) that he still lives in Neah Bay. He was one fine troop. In general, I have the highest regard for not only the E-9`s but for all radar NCO`s. We had a bunch of excellent technicians.

Miles, I hope my comments about Chief Dillard weren`t misunderstood or seen as disrepectful. I, too, had nothing but the utmost respect for his leadership and him as an individual. As much authority as he had at his disposal, he treated us well and made us all feel important to our mission. He was a friend to all. I am taking a trip to the area and Neah Bay next spring and am going to look him up. I heard he was working at the tribal center. Makah was one of my favorite duty stations.

For Dave Auvil; In an earlier note you mentioned a Hal Jordan. I knew Hal at Giebelstadt 602nd AC&W in 57. He was a S/Sgt. at the time and was in Radar Maintenance. He was a fine Sgt. at that time also. I had never heard where he went from there. Where did you know him as a Chief? Ed

I think I posted this in the wrong place, so put it here also. I served at 710th ac&w (tin City) from march 54 to late march 55. I was in the supply section, and remember that the commander was Capt. Fremont E. Stillman. I talked with him by telephone a couple of years ago, and he indicated he had not heard from many, or maybe none of the guys who were there then. We had one guy who won the air force blue contest and appeared on the aurthur godfrey show and won, then made somewhat of a singing career. His name was Ocie Smith, know as O. C. Smith. Somewhere I have a list of the 50+ people that was there one of the months I served. I just stumbled across this site and was very surprised, if any one served and still survives please contact. thanks MAC MCCULLAR

I was stationed at the 641st AC&WRON from Jan 59 - May 60, at the 663rd AC&WRON, Lake City, TN from June-Oct 1960 (till we closed the site), and at the 28th ADIV (WADF), (4661ST Support Sq), Hamilton AFB Combat Operations Center, Hamilton AFB, CA, Oct 60 - Jun 62.

Just whant to say HI! I love this place!

[I received this email this morning, and decided to post it here. If anyone has any old home movies of anywhere on the Pinetree Line, please contact Pierre at pparent@mts.net. - Gene ] Hi Gene, It`s been a long time since I dropped you a line... I e-mailed Larry Wilson and asked him if he knew anyone who may have had some old home movie footage of events on the sites and he can`t think of anything. The reason is that the CTV television network here in Manitoba plans to do a story of the province`s participation in the Cold War and after I got hold of them, they plan to feature `Beausejour` because it still has buildings standing and such. After talking to the producer of the show for most of two hours the other day, he told me that this will be a people type story and he wondered if anyone would have movies and stories of their time in Beausejour or in any of the sites during the early fifties. In researching the project, they`ve come to realize that this story is not one that can be told in a half hour program and they plan for a full hour documentary follow up about Canada`s contribution that may well go National. Another angle I reminded the producer was that there was an American presence in all this and if he includes the idea, you may well get a call from the fellow. So, with your vast contacts from your side of the fence, would you have a look..?? I`m sure they will be returned in good order. I`ll personally guarantee this. Thanks a lot.. As they say, `See you in the Movies` Pierre Parent Gimli Manitoba.

Let me be clear about one thing: No way was I intending a slight on chiefs. That I didn`t know what they were up to is more a comment on me than they.

For Gary Jacobs. The First Shirt at the 622nd was a Chief. Norm Lang was his name and he was from an Ops background. There was a Chief Arnold, who was , I think, Crypto or a Comm type, and Hal Jordan, a Chief with a Radar Maintenance background, and his position at the site was Chief of Maintenance. All good guys, but we did all the hard work! I do know Chief Lang got his phd while there.

Just noted this in the Houston Chronicle, re Eldorado (TX) Pave Paws...thought it might be of interest to all. Gene & Tom, I don`t have hi-speed in Breckenridge, CO yet, so I didn`t attempt a post to the Eldorado site... Paper: Houston Chronicle Date: Sun 03/26/2006 Section: B Page: 3 Edition: 2 STAR $200 million facility stands abandoned / Eldorado radar station became obsolete in 1995 By MICHAEL GRACZYK Associated Press ELDORADO - Sheriff David Doran slides a key in a lock, pulls a door open, looks down and cautiously glances left and right. And then up. `I always look for snakes,` the Schleicher County sheriff said. `This is a rattlesnake haven. I`ve seen them hanging out the door.` Then he steps inside a building next to an odd pyramid-shaped edifice, carefully walks around some rodent droppings at the door threshold and steps back a generation into the Cold War and into what the Air Force called PAVE PAWS. The nearly dozen desert tan-painted structures perched on the highest spot in his rocky, goat-raising county about 175 miles west of San Antonio cost nearly $200 million to build in the early 1980s, county Judge Johnny Griffin said. It was home to powerful radar devices installed on two of the three sides of the 10-story pyramid that dominates the cluster of buildings and juts into the horizon like some weird giant drive-in movie theater. But in 1995, it was shuttered, a cost-cutting measure by the military because it no longer was needed. Other technology replaced it and the Soviet submarine fleet was rusting in ports, no longer capable of hurling sea-launched ballistic missiles the radar was supposed to detect. Many of the station`s components were cannibalized and moved to a similar site outside Fairbanks, Alaska. Now, more than a decade later, PAVE PAWS is still empty, still on the Air Force books, but merely an unidentified curiosity for motorists traveling nearby U.S. 277. Doran and his deputies routinely travel the unmarked bumpy asphalt road leading to the site as part of their daily patrols in the 1,311-acre county. But that hasn`t stopped vandals from getting over fences topped with razor wire, from shooting out locks and door handles to try to get into some of the buildings, or using the paved parking lot bordered by goat and cattle ranches as a meeting place for illegal drug deals. Griffin, who for the past 28 years has been the top elected official in Schleicher County, believes the property could be used for legitimate purposes. `If they made a hay barn out of it, it would be better than what it`s doing. I think the county could get in the alfalfa hay business and use that and fill it up,` Griffin said. `It`s got to have to have some use of some kind. It just seems absolutely stupid to me that we can just have such a cavalier attitude toward a $183 million taxpayer facility.` It wasn`t supposed to be that way. The Texas station was one of four PAVE PAWS installations, the first going active in 1979 at Cape Cod, Mass. The `PAVE` was what the Air Force calls the `program name for electronic systems.` The `PAWS` is an acronym for `Phased Array Warning System.` Unlike the traditional mechanical spinning disk radar, PAVE PAWS used a physically fixed antenna and aimed it electronically by controlling the timing of signals it sent and received. In 1983, the Schleicher County site was selected. Its proximity to Goodfellow Air Force Base, 40 miles to the north in San Angelo, didn`t hurt. The base provided support and the radar site helped remove Goodfellow from a Defense Department base closure list. Eldorado went active in 1987, primarily monitoring the middle and southern Pacific Ocean areas and sending its data to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colo. - headquarters for the nation`s air warning network. It was staffed by U.S. and Canadian Air Force personnel along with employees of Raytheon Corp., a $20 billion Massachusetts-based defense and aerospace contractor. Local workers performed tasks such as maintenance, although some county residents had feared the station would make their area a Soviet target. When it became clear the operation was closing, Griffin said he went to Austin to see then-Gov. George W. Bush and asked if something could be made of the place to benefit his area, maybe a training or vocational center. Nothing happened. Ken Spain, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Midland, whose 11th District covers all or parts of three dozen West Texas counties, including Schleicher, said the Air Force is keeping the property in case `conditions change` that would necessitate its reactivation. `However, reconstituting the mission would be considerably challenging since all hardware except the site`s diesel generators were transferred,` he said. Tom Scanlan LtCol, USAF (Ret) Radomes member

I still have my original `7 level screwdriver` from 1959.I used it as a30352 in the Af and for about 20 more years in the Air Gaurd in radio and radar maintenance. I even used it as a 9 level. Istill use it on my `boatanchor radios and ham gear`.I guess some US made stuff does last longer than the junk made in china you find in stores today.

Where were the Chiefs? Refresh my memory -- if you were a Chief Master Sergeant in radar, what were your assignments? For some odd reason we had one at the 622nd TCF in Germany in 1974, with somehting like 40 guys assigned. I think he also function as our first sergeant as well, but I may be mistaken. Not really a great use of a chief at that level of staffing. My memory of the 661st AC&W Sq., Selfridge ANBG, Mich., was the 26 Tower was run by a Tech Sergeant, then later a Master Sergeant. Don`t remember any chiefs around. But then a shift weenie may not have seen his striped eminence. The NCOs I most admired were those who talked the talk and walked the walk, took care of their troops and if you were smart enough to listen, gave damn good advice. Backbone of the Air Force!

Trust me the Chiefs were there usually in the 30100 (top of 30xxx) Field acting as Maimtenace Supt. or sometimes in smaller units as Chief of Maintenance. Our job was as a laison between the maintenace troops and the higher ups. We also had to be the bad guy on occasion and tell the unwilling the way it really was. That included breaking in jeep 2nd. Lts. and Capts. as commander so they could fill a block for promotion. Some of them listened and got ahead and some didn`t and stayed in trouble. The fact that you didn`t know what they were doing really meant they were doing their job and allowing the technicains to do their job unhampered by some bad decisions.

A radar repairman could not wear metal-framed glasses. In conversation with some recent veterans, I mentioned the black-rimmed plastic glasses of yore, also known as `birth control glasses,` since they generally confirmed any woman`s worst suspicions about the electronic nerd or geek. In 1971 I recall they had a kind gray frame that was more circular that was later replaced by the black horn-rimmed item used into the 80s at least. Along the lines of personal accoutrament, a magnetron could screw up a mechanical watch if one was not careful. Here I think not of working around it (you shouldn`t have had a watch on) but when it was replaced and then sitting on a work bench. I used to wear my wedding ring on deployment and took it off when working. Once I jumped out the end of a 2 1/2 ton truck and got the ring caught on something inside. The driver took off and I jumped back up, thinking my finger was going to come off otherwise. It didn`t. Left the ring home after that. Of course, in your left chest pocket was your 7-level screwdriver, though I don`t know how it got that name. I know what a 7-level was. But about that screwdriver, anyone?

For Gary Jacobs I believe the 7-Level screwdriver got its name from a tongue in cheek reference to the amount of work that a 7-level NCO would do on equipment

For Jerry, and equally tongue-in-cheek. Perhaps only 7 level techs were capable of the delicate adjustments that required the breast-pocket size screwdriver. Best to all, 3,5,7 & 9s. (Were 9s allowed to have ANY tools at all?)

Nine levels were only allowed to carry a 16` long screwdriver so they couldn`t screw up any fine adjustments. It also wouldn`t fit in their pockets.

1965-1967 NORAD Duluth Minnesota 1967-1969 606th AC&W Doebraberg, West Germany

I served at 710th ac&w (tin City) from marck 54 to late march 55. I was in the supply section, and remember that the commander was Capt. Fremont E. Stillman. I talked with him by telephone a couple of years ago, and he indicated he had not heard from many, or maybe none of the guys who were there then. We had one guy who won the air force blue contest and appeared on the aurthur godfrey show and won, then amde somewhat of a singing career. His name was Ocie Smith, know as O> C> Smith. Somewhere I have a list of the 50+ people that was there one of the months I served. I just stumbled across this site and was very surprised, if any one served and still survises please contact. thanks MAC MCCULLAR

Excellent site. I was with the 738th in Olathe from 1966 till it was closed in 1998. From there I went to Thule from 1968 to 1969. Would be interested in hearing from others.

Enjoyed being stationed at Charleston AFS, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine from 1969 to 1972.

had the fortune to spend the final two years of my air force career stationed at the 770 Radar Squadron Palermo AFS outside of Ocean City New Jersey. What an assignment, ocean and Atlantic City on one side and Wildwood Cape May on the other side of our station. I was there from May 1960 thru June 1962. Would appreciate talking to anyone else that was there during this period; also, if there are any reunions of any sort for the facility would like to be apprised of same.

Father was stationed at 632nd Radar Squad from 59-64. Anybody out there stationed there at this time?

From Sept. until Dec. 1952 I was assigned to the 776th AC&W Squdron, Point Arena Calif. as a air policeman. I`m aware that the base was closed many years ago. In 1999 while in California, I drove up the mountain to the old base and took pictures of what remained. All of the barracks had been torn down however, the Officers Club at the top of the hill was still standing. The radar block house was still standing but the whole base was in disrepair in expectation of closeing. The was a civilian matainence man who was living on the site just waiting to retire the next year. Wondering if there is anyone out there who was stationed at the site during the late 52 era?

Was stationed a t 674 th acw Osceola Wis late 50 and 1951 . Had the satisfaction of seeing it operational . Enjoyed the tour of duty .. Was there a shoulder patch ? Love to have it for my memories .

I was among the very first to `open` the 789th before it became operational. Stationed there 5/51 to 12/54. My home was Washington, D.C., and,not surprisingly, I was often called `Senator`. Anybody here from those days?

I was at the 637th Radron, Othello, WA from mid-1963 to mid-1965. Then at the 932 ACWron, Rockville, Iceland, mid-1965 thru mid-1966. Have we crossed paths during that time? Jim

Any former denizens of `RoRo` at Rockville, Iceland, hanging out in this place?

There is a group of radar squadron patches currently listed on EBay for anyone who is interested sadly none from the old 779th.

I was in NORAD from 1973-1978 and stationed at Opheim AFS, Montana from 1975-1978.

Great find!! 25th ADC 74-78, couple 552nd missions (Connies) SAGE guy, one tour in Alaska (Clear) Been with FAA since 1982. ALways lokk back fondly on the friendships, experiences.

I don`t know if the first message went through. We`re getting a lot of wind up here in NH right now. Was at 774th Madera AFS California Dec/65 and last enlisted man to leave in July of 1966. Good duty and who could forget that chow hall especially on Sundays. Larry Smith, Westmoreland, NH

1962 When I was stationed at Tyndall AFB Weapons Controllers School. Air force had some boats like Jerry Sitzlar mentioned. They were stationed at the U. S. Navy Nine Defense Laboratory Docks on west side of Panama City before you get to Panama city Beach. They were used then to launch & recover the Firebee Drones & their pieces shot down by Interceptors F-101,F102 & F106`s at Tyndalls Gulf of Mexico target range. One night a bunch of us Radar Ops went to the Two Chiefs Bar (owned by Retired Navy Chief Petty Officers cheap pitchers of beer) while there met one of the U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to one of the boats. After trips to a few other places he invited us to come on board his boat and he would feed us Breakfast. We entered the Navy Base (Civilian Guards) Be out in 15 minutes. OK. About an hour later the guards came looking for us just as we were leaving the boat and eating eggs & bacon. They were highly upset said had been looking for us for and hour-not many cars on that base that Saturday night, 5 or 6 at boat dock-(They forgot what my car looked like)`1955 Mercury Montclair Convertible Pastel Green White Top` they were going to report us and to never try to get on their base again. Navy always had more restrictive entrance policys than Air Force at that time. never heard anymore about invasion of Navy base

Re: USAF PT Boats at Tyndall AFB. They were still there in the early 1970`s when I was stationed at Tyndall. They were used to recover Drones that fired off as targets for live intercepts. I was assigned to the Tech. Training Squadron and drove T-4`s for Basic Weapons Controller School. I had a ball at Tyndall played Fast Pitch Intermural softball on Squadron team for two years. I also attended the USAF Interceptor Weapons School there. I returned there in 1975 to attend the Air Defence Command NCO Academy.

I was stationed at the Eglin Test Range radar site (A19?) in 1966-68. I believe it was the best duty I ever had as a 303X2. It looked and smelled just like any ADC manual site. We had an FPS-67B search and the FPS-6 heightfinder, plenty of UPA-35`s and GPA-127`S, UPX-14, plus one-of-a-kind pieces of equipment to support the engineering efforts of the Air Proving Ground Center. We also took care of the electronic gear (radar, radio, etc) of the USAF Navy. The AF had converted PT boats that were rigged to be able to rescue Gemini capsules and also patrol the ranges in the Gulf of Mexico. Air Force personnel ran and maintained the boats. Their uniforms were US Navy dungarees with USAF insignia. A SSgt was usually master of the boat. I was assigned to take care of the SPN-11 ship radars which usually required a trip out into the gulf to make sure the radars could paint the shoreline correctly, etc. I also had a locker where I kept my fishing gear (no trip was ever wasted). I was assigned to this site after coming from Wallace Air Station, PI, but after a very quick two year stay, the AF took revenge on my good fortunes and packed me off to Fort Yukon, AK. I finally made it back to Eglin in 1980 to the FPS-85 site, but that was just too boring of a job and I retired in 1981.

712th ACW on St. Lawrence Island Alaska in 1957-58. 641st ACW at the Goose, 1959-60. If you were there, give me a yell!

Where was the 760 AC& W Squadron located at?

The 760th was at Colville, Washington. Go over to the left hand side of the Radomes Home Page, and click on `Radar Sites`. The Air Defense Radar Site Search Page will open for you. Just type 760 into the first box, hit Enter, and it`ll take you right into the page for the 760th. Scroll down a little ways, and you`ll see what`s available for this site - photos, documents, site roster, maps, etc.. Happy hunting.

Thanks for the memories!!!! I was assigned to Texas Tower #3 Jan. 1960-April 1961. Currently belong to The Texas Tower Veterans and would like former tower mates to contact me to catch up on old times. Thank You

Just been doing some great surfing. Was at the 774th Radar Squadron, Madera Air Force Station, California. `THE WATCHDOG OF THE VALLEY`. Got there in December 1965 and was the last enlisted person to leave in July of 1966 when it closed. Great duty! Best chow I ever had in the Air Force. Wish it could have lasted longer.

A brief weekend `war story.` Today we stopped at Starbucks so that my wife could get her daily `coffee fix.` After sitting in the car for a few minutes, I saw her waving for me to come in. Inside she said: `I`d like you to meet a man I just bought coffee for.” A white haired gentlemen, in a suit and tie, stood up to shake hands. Turns out he, with his wife, were in our town (Coral Springs, FL) to attend a luncheon for the Flying Tigers. Currently age 83, he flew with the Flying Tigers over China during World War II. Fifteen minutes later, as we shook hands to say goodbye, I said: “thank you for your service to our country.” The look on his face has made our entire weekend much more enjoyable.

Those Flying Tigers were a special breed. Spring of 1967 we dedicated a P-40 on pedestal at the main gate of Gunter AFB Al. A few Flying Tigers were special guests, and one of them was Tex Hill if my memory serves me. It was a big event that took many weeks planning, consisting of speeches and us marching in troop review. The only time I marched other than basic and going to class at Keesler. Mr. Hill was a big man and I marveled at how he could squeese into the cockpit of a P-40.

does any one know the email address of the lady that takes care of the Mt. Hebo 689th reunion? I was stationed at Mt Hebo from August of 1962 to August 1964.

Stationed at Winslow from 1956 to 1958

Trying to find John R. Effinger who was assigned to Tatalina AFS from 1959-1960. Was Ops Officer (Capt). Believe he had a home in Orlando FL. Capt Effinger was a former WWII Marine and graduated from Ohio State University in the mid-1950s.

If anyone has a patch from their radar sites would you be willing to sell or trade. Contact me. Thanks Ron

From WNBC, March 7, NEW YORK -- The main radar system, which controls all three New York metro airports, failed Tuesday afternoon. A backup system is up and running. However, there are delays at all three major airports (LaGuardia, JFK and Newark) and smaller airports in the New York metro area. The problem is reportedly with the main computer system at the New York Center in Ronkonkoma on Long Island. The radar system can see the aircraft as a blip on the screen, but is not getting the identifying information tag attached to each flight. As a result, controllers at New York center are having to manually notify other centers and control towers about each plane. The Federal Aviation Administration has increased separation between aircraft to fifteen miles. There are up to one-hour delays at the major airports.

Chicago Tribune, March 7 --Hundreds of flights bound for O`Hare International Airport were delayed for about 3 1/2 hours Monday when a telephone link used by air-traffic controllers was accidentally shut off during routine maintenance, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Radar serving the airport was never lost, but the line that was shut down by a telephone company about 3:30 p.m. and restored about 7 p.m. linked the air-traffic control tower at O`Hare to a radar facility in Elgin where controllers direct flights arriving in and departing from the Chicago area, said FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro. Controllers at the two facilities hand off flights to each other in Chicago`s crowded airspace. As a precaution, the FAA switched to a backup radar system that`s located in south suburban Tinley Park used primarily for flights at Midway Airport.

At 740th AC&W near Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota from 1954 to 1956 30352 Radar tech

We are thinking of starting a group for those collecting military/radar patches and emblems. If you are interested please contact me. Also if you have any radar patches for trade, donate or sell contact me

What a wonderful time I and my husband (also a radar maintenance person) had looking through this site. We will definitely come back again and again to look for old friends and co workers. Thanks for this site!!

enjoyed the tour

I was stationed at the cottonwood afb in cottonwood idaho from 1960 thru 1962. I can find absolutely no information on the web concerning it`s history or existence. Contact me; maybe two heads are better than one. Thanks in advance!! Jerry

I just can`t say enough about this site. It brings back so many memories. It`s just great to read about other experiances. Kind of brings a tear to this old farts eye. I can recall some of the other men from the 616th in the mid 50s. You just have to forgive me if I don`t get the spelling right. Pavelchek, whom I believe came from around Crabondale, Pa. I also mentioned a Boatswine, but then realized I made a mistake, it should have been Boatright. I think he came from Columbus, Oh. Livine from Chicago, Il. Quigley from ,I think Ks. or Neb. there was also Hoit from Falmouth, Ma.? It would be nice to hear from some of the old crew. If anyone knows any of these `misfits`, tell them to get in touch with me.

Clarance Hauke, I tried to get ahold of you at your posted email address but it didn`t go through. If anyone knows of him, tell him to get in touch with me.

Yes, I know about the radar you are talking about at Eglin and I don`t see anything about it on Radomes either. I believe there has been something about it in the guest book before. But, I am not sure there should be an entry in Radomes because it was not an air defense radar per se. The radar you are talking about was the range control radar. There was an ops center full of UPA-35`s and controllers who controlled all the many ranges at Eglin. I believe the call sign was `Wolfcall`. The range schedule function was there too. So if you wanted to schedule a range, tracking radar, aircraft...whatever, you had to submit an Eglin Form 20. I was a project officer on Project Paveway that developed the Laser and TV guided bombs at Eglin several (many)years ago. The range scheduling function was automated in the late 60`s. It turns out that my future brother-in-law who worked with IBM at the time was involved with that automation. I did see where Tom Page had located a gapfiller site at Eglin. But, Tom that building may not have been a gap filler. I hope you had some coordinates to confirm that was the right location. The Eglin range was full of radar sites that were not known to the public. They were used for all sorts of tests. Some were the good guys and some were the bad guys. I have been escorted to some of them off back dirt roads that I would not have been able to find the next day.

I`d like to hear from anyone stationed in Ulm, Germany in the 616th AC&W SQ. IN 1954-57

I went through basic at Sampson in January of 1954. I can discribe it in one word.`COLD`. I was in FLT# 3026. A/3C J. Hewitt was my TI. Going out on the obstacle course had to be the worst. When it came time for chow, you couldn`t take your gloves off, for fear of getting frostbite. By the time you got to eat, it was nearly frozen, so you just picked your food up with your gloved hand and put it into your mouth.

Miles Martin: Thanks for the comments. Two things. One, you are correct about why we don`t include the range radar at Eglin AFB. It was not an air-defense radar. Two, the gap-filler building at Eglin is absolutely correct as ID`ed. Its location was verified by a veteran who used to service the site. Plus, those gap-filler buildings were pretty much built to the same blue print (sometimes with minor nuances). Thanks again. -- Tom

I spent Oct 72 thru Oct 73 at the 717th AC&W, Tatalina AFS, AK. I was a `Hilltopper` 30352 Radar Maint. Tech. After that I was assigned to a radar site on main base Eglin AFB, FL. I did not find the Eglin site when looking thru the sites listed in Florida. I did find the Spacetraker FPS85 site and another remote site on the Eglin preserve. Does anyone remember the site on main base? It was on the north end of the base near the end of the runway and had a long range search radar, but no height finder.