New housing at the former Fort Fisher AFS, NC (now Military Recreation Area):

http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20160427/peek-inside-kure-beachs-military-vacation-homes

News item regarding the former Campion AFS, AK:

http://www.ktva.com/city-galena-receive-1290-acres-land-national-defense-authorization-act-798/

Christmas eve 1973 637th ADGp Othello, WA. 27 houses in base hoousing. Many of us gathered at LTC John Postas house for a toddy. We then proceeded to the other 26 houses singing Christmas carols. Others joined as we went. We then proceeded to the barracks and went through all floors of the barracks caroling. Surprised many young airman in their tidy whities. We finished at the club for a night cap and then drifted off to our houses. A memorable night at Radar Site.

Col Postas always made 4th of July big. That story for another time!

Gene - With respect to the College Eye Task Force community. Have you checked in with the Cold War Writers Society?

Thanks to all for the photos of the NADRM work this past summer and fall. There have been many significant changes since I attended the June 16 reunion.

Glad to see and read about the improvements to the 26 tower, the FPS-18 antenna mounting and rotation, and the Guard Shack relocation. The painting inside the tower and the lighting is great! I am looking forward to the day I can see the antenna rotating. I like the FPS-18 antenna display sign. The Guard Shack is an outstanding addition and took me right back to my memories of reporting in over 50 years ago at Mt Hebo AFS (689th).

Merry Christmas to all and I am looking forward to the new year. I expect it will include the unveiling at the NADRM of the the Almaden AFS model that includes a scale model of the FPS-24 (tower and rotating antenna).

My gratitude and salute to all those volunteers and contributors that made this all happen.

Steve

Served at Mt Tamilpias in the 666th Air Craft Control And Warning Squadron (Mill Valley AFS, Ca) in 1954 and 1955. Our call sign was Sliphorn Control. Before Mt Tam I was in the 84th FIS at Hamilton AFB, Ca in 1952 and 1953, our call sign was Blue Jersey.

I have been asked to assist in gathering information related to action at Lima Site 85on 11 March 1968. I have been assured that the information in this request is no longer classified. If you have any of the information requested below, please contact me at hq@afrmaonline.org.
The following is the request along with background data:
====================================================================================
Background data:
From October 1967 until 11 March 1968 the TACC-North Sector [the Rolling Thunder/Barrel Roll Battle Staff ] ( "Motel") was the ground support node for the USAF covert Commando Club operations ("Wager") located at Lima Site 85 (Phou Pha Thi) in northern Laos. As TACC-NS Senior Director I had a secure voice link on my console which enabled me to communicate daily with Commando Club (any support they needed from "Blue Chip" HQ 7AF at TSN, Frag Order info, Bomb Damage Assessment, etc). The CC radio operators and I got to be radio buddies (Mel Holland for one), as did the unit commander (Lt. Col. Bill Blanton), and occasionally the Sky Spot unit commander (Col. Gerry Clayton). The Sky Spot system was used in about 7 locations in Vietnam/Thailand for Arc Light missions (B-52 cells, F-105, others). --- After the war, 2005 until 2011, Gerry Clayton and I became best friends and talked frequently about what really happened on LS 85 the night they were overrun by PAVN Dac Cong (a North Vietnam Regular Army Special Forces guerrilla team). Gerry died and I continued our work. Gerry had also been working with a very committed, very tenacious and well-informed lady who was primary next of kin (PNOK) to one of Gerry's men who was killed at LS 85. She and I began working together upon Gerry's death. She is this good: she and the family went to see the Secretary of the Air Force and convinced him to elevate her uncle's Bronze Star w/V to the Silver Star based on the information about the battle at LS 85 that she had in her possession. He did. In fact, had there been living witnesses it is entirely possible that the elevation could have been considerably higher. That is the beginning of a chain of events that brings us to today.
I have now spent the last 11 years putting a great amount of information together to finally determine the specific details of what happened before, during and after the attack. On January 12, 2016 I was called by Lt.Gen. Mike Linnington, USA (Ret) in his capacity as Director of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency http://www.dpaa.mil/ We talked for about 40 minutes and he told me he wanted me to "solve the LS 85 problem" and then to begin working on POW/MIA "Scope Losses" cases (I was able to find Magpie 91, an RAAF B-57 lost on 3 November 1970 after 39 years).
My request for you today:
Is there anybody in the College Eye Task Force community who has any information whatsoever concerning the NVA attack on Commando Club?
There were 12 men killed of the 16 USAF men on the LS 85 mountain that night. It is possible that 3 of those 12 men were not KIA but in fact were MIA. We have facts to back that up.
Please do not tell me about Tim Castle's book (One Day Too Long) I've read it a dozen times. But there are other bits and pieces of information that could be linked to other bits and pieces. It's the small factual details which are often overlooked as people grab onto the big picture that can make a difference. I am looking for things a CETF WD or SD or ASO might remember about USAF missions to bomb the Commando Club site on 11 March 1968 from about 0600 take off to 0900 local and the rest of the day (and continuing for about a week).
* Do you recall A-1E flights, F-4 or F-105 flights tasked with bombing Phou Pha Thi (check the location out on Google Earth at 20deg 26.813'N 103deg 42.870'E).
* Do you recall any recce missions to the mountain by USAF or Air America from 11 March over the course of several days?
* Do you recall anything during the very early morning to around noon on 11 March 1968 - as the Air America helicopter, and then the Jolly Green 67 chopper, brought USAF survivors to an en route Lima Site and then transferred them to a fixed wing aircraft flight to Udorn RTAFB. (Korat RTAFB hospital was also used.)
* Are there Mission Logs for CETF Charlie Missions any time before, during or after 11 March 1968? Are there CETF Crew Briefings for those days? Are there CETF Crew Debriefings.
* Were there an unusual events - maybe an air abort for a flight of strike aircraft - that could be important and related, or a ground abort of a EC-121D?
* Does anybody know where "old Frag Orders" are kept?
* Does anybody have Air America contacts who might know specifics?
* Any special mission tasking for Charlie missions on/around Mid to late March 1968?
* Any contacts, personal or otherwise, with RIVET TOP aircrew?
1968.
There's a possibility that you might have something we are looking for.
If you have any ideas, facts, suggestions, memories or knowledge of CETF records - please contact me at hq@afrmaonline.org.

In the news re the former 762nd RADS, North Truro AFS, MA (Z-10): http://capeandislands.org/post/defunct-air-force-base-offers-reminder-cold-wars-impact-cape-cod#stream/0

In the news re the former 762nd RADS, North Truro AFS, MA (Z-10): http://capeandislands.org/post/defunct-air-force-base-offers-reminder-cold-wars-impact-cape-cod#stream/0

Dennis - Membership is either on an annual or lifetime basis. Lifetime dues are equal to 10 years annual dues.

You are a former Radomes member, so to reinstate, the dues are $15/annual. If you become an AFRMA member, the annual dues is $25, and will also reinstate your Radomes membership at the same time.

The AFRMA dues are higher because our project of building a physical museum (National Air Defense Radar Museum) is way more expensive than maintaining a web site only.

Both Radomes and AFRMA memberships get you our quarterly newsletter, "Echoes" and access to a few "special" web pages, as well as museum admission (when it gets opened to the public - long way to go here) at no extra charge.

Thank you for your support.

previous member. Is membership on a per year basis?

Just a note to let everyone know that our Fall 2016 Campaign to raise funds for the next phase of NADRM construction is into its final month. If you can, please send us a donation to help to build our museum focused on air defense, and primarily on the defense of North America against nuclear attack.

Thank you!
Gene

AFRMA Hq.
9976 Stoudertown Rd
Baltimore, OH 43105