USAF Veterans

Strategic Air Command – PEACE IS OUR PROFESSION
Found this old SAC sign deep in the woods. Brought back a lot of memories of the SAC era.
Anyone here serve in SAC or have stories/photos to share?”

Spent many long, hot days and freezing cold nights standing gate guard at the alert area as an Air Policeman back in 1961–62. Those were tough shifts, long hours, and real responsibility—protecting the mission when the Cold War tension was very real. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work, and I’m proud of every minute I stood that post. 💪🇺🇸

Who else here pulled gate guard or alert duty back in the day—and where were you stationed?

First Floor Memories – November 1967 to January 1968 🏠
Another look inside my old open-bay barracks from basic training. Hard to believe how many memories these walls still hold. 🇺🇸

✈️🇺🇸 A Walk Down Memory Lane — Bunker Hill / Grissom AFB 🇺🇸✈️
Recently, while sitting in a cardiologist’s waiting room, I struck up a conversation with someone who had been stationed at Grissom in the 1980s. That simple conversation is how I learned about this group.
My own journey began earlier. I was stationed at what was then Bunker Hill AFB from 1967 to 1969, my first assignment after basic training. I worked in the 305th Bomb Wing Communications Center, a time and place I’ll never forget.
In May 1968, the base was renamed Grissom AFB in honor of astronaut Gus Grissom, adding even more meaning to those memories.
In the photos:
• Standing in front of the three-story barracks are Tom Brown (left) and Jerry Brackney (right)
• Standing in front of the Comm Center are Dan Strickland (left) and Dave Latham (right)
I’ll be sharing more photos in future posts.
Who else here was stationed at Bunker Hill or Grissom AFB during the late ’60s or early ’70s?

Who in your family served in the U.S. Air Force? Tag them below?
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Me with the legendary "Diamond Lil" B-52D 55-083, the most famous B-52 in USAF history. 🛩️ On Christmas Eve 1972, tailgunner Airman 1st Class Albert Moore shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21 pursuing the bomber using his quad .50 cal machine guns during Operation Linebacker II over North Vietnam. Truly an unforgettable moment in aviation and combat history! 🇺🇸💥

On December 28, 1966, I boarded a T-29 at Kelly AFB after completing basic training, bound for Chanute AFB for tech school. As soon as I stepped off the aircraft and began walking across the tarmac toward the bus that would take us to our barracks, I experienced the coldest weather I had ever known up to that point in my life.

I attended school on the midnight to 6:00 a.m. shift—without question, the coldest hours of the day. Each night meant a one-mile march to school, slipping and sliding on ever-present ice, wondering why any sane person would choose to live in such brutal conditions.

I finally reasoned that they must have never been to the South—because if they had, they’d never come back. Some folks do visit the South on vacation and spend the rest of their lives dreaming of moving there when they retire.

And that, my fellow Airmen, is my take on why you rarely hear of anyone retiring and moving North.

Sixty-one years ago, at just 17 years old, I proudly enlisted in the United States Air Force. I still remember riding in a Jeep—young, proud, and ready to serve my country.

Looking back today, I can honestly say I would do it all over again without hesitation.

God bless the United States of America 🇺🇸

Where were you 35 years ago?