42 years ago…
We were deployed to Keflavik, IC and it was one of the worst winters on record. This was just another day for us to go flying. The ones that had it the worst were the maintainers that had to go out and do the required inspections, dailies, and maintenance in that crap…
If, big if, I remember correctly, this was one of ‘those’ days, where we flew the 10 or 11 hour mission, came back, couldn’t land due to zero-zero vis, and flew 2 hours over to Scotland as that was the closest ‘divert’ base. We sat there for 4 or 5 hours, then flew back and landed at Kef. LONG day…
Fun times…for versions of ‘fun’… But what the hey, we were young and bulletproof…
And this is why you live in Texas now. 🙂
Hey Old NFO,
I remember those day, and I kinda miss them. ANd I second Argentium’s comment about you moving to Texas…well except for the weird weather…then you send it to my state, where it frolics in my backyard.
Unfortunately 1983*84 wws not 22 years ago….
Shhh! We don’t talk about that.
I know… sigh… When I originally posted this is WAS 20 years later… I fixed it!
I love the whooshing sound of the decades as they fly by.
😂
I look back at what we’ve all gone through and wonder how we did the things we’ve done it – and survived to discuss it.
Luck.
Providence…
I miss Kef. One of my favorite places to go. I deployed there twice with VP-56, then did two tours at the ASWOC. A little snow won’t kill you. Dumpsters sliding down an icy road being driven by a 50 knot wind will kill you. Good times.
I’ll pass on freezing to the ground. WestPac cruises were much nicer. The Sea of Japan is lovely in the fall. 30+ degree rolls and nice calm 35 foot seas made for lovely sleeping weather. Riding in the small boys FFG and DDG.
Ag/Bob- Snort…yep!
Richard/Tuvela- I know, I know…
LL- Ain’t THAT the truth!
Ray- Oh, I forgot about that! And the carnage in the parking lot when one ‘blew through’ the cars!!!
Ray- Misawa and Adak were no fun either! And your ‘nice’ seas were why I went airdale!!! LOL
I kinda/sorta miss Adak. It was always fun watching the dumpsters roll over as the Volkswagons were flying by.
Join the service for fun, travel, and adventure. A cousin joined the Navy to see the world. He spent all of his post training enlistment in Adak.
Jim, I’ve always wondered how many patches you have? Might be good post fodder.
Minot ND: In his second floor bedroom, our son pushed the dresser to the window, pulled the drawers, climbed up and opened the window, climbed out onto the window-level garage roof, body surfed from the garage roof down to the plowed driveway, came in the front door, repeated several times. Our visitor and we in the living room didn’t catch on until we realized he kept coming in the front door but never went out. Not unusual for snow to drift that high every winter.
😂
One winter in ND and you Minot want to come back. (I flew out of NW Iowa, 30 miles south of the Lutefisk Line [MN border].)
My first winter at Minot (74-75) my Missile Crew partner had a snow drift that started at the curb and went over the roof of his house.
My last winter(77-78)storms got so bad we were stuck out at the Launch control centers due to impassable roads, and helicopters couldn’t get to us. I got stuck twice for two days and once for three. 72 hours underground. That storm was so bad (below ninus-40F) they grounded the Bomb Wing, but the Missileers maintained the Alert!
Hah! Only windows you had were at home! 🙂
As First Sergeant of 91MSS ( the cops up top) and the Security Group, I traveled the field a LOT. Stayed at the LCFs many nights, got stuck too many times to remember. Always brought office work with me because… 92MSS (in the same Group) had camper schedules to protect for Maintenance work, but in the winter their return was questionable. Really screwed up schedules, as I’m sure it did for the Mx folks. Heck of it is I don’t remember a single time the guys didn’t get to a silo when an intrusion alarm went off.
Minot Chamber of Commerce gave out large pin-on buttons, white with red or black lettering, “-40 keeps the Riff-Raff Out.” I was base liaison to the CoC. Wish I still had that button!
BTW, ~6000 at Minot and 1100 were cops.
Keflavik, there’s a name from my Dad’s past, he was stationed there from late June ’42 to early November ’43, USAAF. The stories he told.
A friend did see the world … from the radar room on a flat top.
The winter of 83 was bad in the Pacific too. Prolonged series of winter storms, massive swell, destruction of piers and ports.
While some were riding their ‘small’ DDGs, we were bobbing in the fishing fleet. Dutch that year was where we ran to get out of the worst weather.
Roger on the decades whooshing past.
Rev- Sigh… and sliding down the hill from the barracks to the ramp in the duty bus!
WSF- Ouch!
Jay- I’ve got a bunch! Thanks for the idea!
Bob- Snerk… bet he was a tad chilly!
TXRed- Sigh…that…
Ed- I can believe it!
Nylon- Some of the quonsets were STILL there an in use!
r- Having done a winter deployment to Misawa, I can vouch for that too!!!