Posted on 06/08/2012 10:36:57 PM PDT by LibWhacker
With the U.S. moving the majority of its naval fleet to the Pacific, commanders are eagerly looking for invitations to park the planes and ships that will be pouring into the region.
Travis Tritten at Stars and Stripes reports that the Pentagon has apparently been fanning the old flame of friendship with the Philippines and will be re-opening two bases it left in 1991 — Subic Bay and Clark Air Base.
The U.S. had a falling out with the island nation in the early nineties and pulled out of the bases, which were then built-up by a series of private developers and builders. How useful what's left is a matter of debate, but the locations used to be major centers of operation for American forces in the Pacific.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
It may be awhile before those massive bases restored because the gov’t there made them to Freeport Zone with international airports within, they’ll have to relocate those freeports and international airports.
Why would we bother to do this?
I was never there, but I know how important those two bases were. If we really get them back, I’d have to give Obama his credit. We need them to stay a world power - and I, for one, would rather be a world power, than to cede it to China.
This is all pork to pay back his supporters in the Philipines./wild guess, but nothing surprises me anymore.
Subic Bay, Cubi Point and Olongapo, ADULT DISNEYLAND! Kind of “remember” it “well”.
One word, “Smiles”.
haha too funny, was thinking the same when i saw the thread, i know a vet whom married 2 of them.
I would make them give us the bases “Long Time”.
I was in a naval air unit that did evacuations after
Pinatubo blew. Lots of them packed in whatever they
could find to put their stuff in. Golf bags, paper
cartons pillow cases.
To check Chinese expansion.
heck yeah. Jeepmee, jeepmee take me to mamasan's. Got a bottle of Tanqueray and a carton of smokes, we're playing King for a Day. Oh man what times, like Disney for adults.
Course Hong Kong was also splendid cause the expat girls were overjoyed to be flirting with American guys as well.. And the pubs were fabulous.
Clark AFB, in the Angeles City area, was closed due to the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Due to the upcoming expiration of our base leases in the Philippines in 1992, Clark AFB was declared a total loss and we did not attempt to repair the base or renew its lease, due to the Billion$$$ it would have cost to totally rebuild it.
Just prior to the 1991 eruption that destroyed Clark AFB, Clark was the largest U.S. Air Force Base outside the Continental United States. I believe that at the time I was stationed in nearby Subic Bay Naval Base in the mid to late 1980's, Clark had nearly 10,000 Air Force members stationed there. There is a good nostalgic website dedicated to Clark AFB that you can check out by clicking the link below:
The Subic Bay Naval Base was also heavily damaged by the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, but unlike Clark AFB, after the dependents were evacuated, the base was repaired and the dependents were returned. After Pinatubo, the U.S. did not attempt to renew the lease to Clark AFB, but instead attempted to just renew the lease and keep our naval base at Subic Bay.
As with Clark AFB, when the Subic Bay Naval Base was open, it was the largest Naval Base outside the United States. When I was there in the mid to late 1980's, there were approximately 5,000 or so sailors and marines stationed there. You could add a few thousand more who were there temporarily there for a few weeks to a few months and whenever 'the fleet' would pull in (a Carrier Battle group), you could add 10,000 sailors/marines in town and on base for liberty. (Back during the Vietnam War, Subic Bay could handle three Carrier battle groups in port at the same time.)
However, it all came to naught as the Philippine Senate in 1992 rejected any lease extension and ordered our remaining forces out of the Philippines by the end of that year. I believe the final personnel left Subic Bay in November, 1992 and returned total control of the Subic Bay Naval Base over to the Philippine Government. There is also a nostalgic website dedicated to the former Subic Bay Naval Base that you can click on below:
Just outside the old bases, the old "rackets" still remain pretty much the same, just that the name of the primary clientele has changed from U.S. Military to International Tourist. Slightly less so in the Subic Bay area, slightly more so in the Angeles City area than in the old base days.
Exactly. We make war that we may live in peace. Aristotle said that. It’s no less true today than it was 2,000 years ago. And this isn’t even really a war yet. But we always, always, always have to be ready for it. We always have to be maneuvering for it.
BTW, I’m feeling really deprived reading all these comments. Why couldn’t I have been sent to the Philippines when I was in the Army? Sounds like it was really a sweet assignment.
From an earlier post from a Freeper who is a military retiree residing in the Philippines, he said in post #34 that this new agreement, if it ever becomes a reality, will not involve our retaking total control of our former Philippine bases in Subic Bay or Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City.
Instead, we will be allowed to use the existing facilities for resupply, minor repairs and R&R. We will not be allowed to permanently station any ship, squadron or unit there and only be allowed to station a skeleton force at each base for logistic support of the mission, small enough to not disrupt the business activity currently going on in the former bases. There will not be thousands stationed at each base as there were during the base days.
It doesn't appear that the businesses/resorts there will be relocating or closing. With the billions these businesses (international corporations)/resorts have sunk into the former bases in the 20 years since we were kicked out, I doubt the PI Government can afford to move them or reimburse them for their loss.
Marilyn's Bar in Subic City where that 'game' was played, if my memory is correct. My Navy Recruiter also called Subic "A Disneyland For Adults" as well - used to show us Delayed Entry Recruits a slide show of Olongapo/Subic Bay liberty photos whenever he got the chance ;-)
Because obama has run out of other ideas of ways to bankrupt the US?
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