Free Republic

FAIRBANKS — A recent survey of Eielson Air Force Base’s Lady of the Lake confirmed that the aircraft had a noteworthy history in the air before it was abandoned to its gravel pit lake grave. Work by about a dozen divers from Eielson and Fort Wainwright confirmed earlier this month that when she was airworthy, the Lady of the Lake was the specific aircraft that detected evidence of Soviet atomic testing in 1949, the first aircraft to do this. Most residents and visitors to Eielson Air Force Base know the Lady of the Lake as a specter of a plane....

Approximately 150 maintenance Airmen, 2nd Bomb Wing pilots and support members recently returned from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, where they participated in the 10-day Exercise Red Flag-Alaska. The exercise is designed to provide realistic and demanding air-combat training to flying unit members from across the Air Force, Department of Defense and Allied nations. "Everyone who participates (in the exercise) benefits greatly from the training," said Maj. Thomas Aranda, the 96th Bomb Squadron assistant director of operations. "The aviators enjoy some of the most realistic air-combat training available and the maintainers push the edge of the envelope by generating combat...

This book tour has been an amazing and inspirational experience for me and my family as we crisscrossed the country and met so many wonderful Americans. At nearly every stop we met someone with a connection to Alaska – usually through the military from being stationed at one of Alaska’s bases. With that in mind, we’ve decided to hold the final book signings at Alaska's Elmendorf and Eielson AFBs. Hope to see you there! - Sarah Palin Date, Locations and time:

Joe the Plumber was once Joe the Alaskan (are you surprised?) By Kyle Hopkins | Anchorage Daily News ANCHORAGE — The star of Wednesday night's presidential debate used to live in Alaska. And for once we're not talking about Gov. Sarah Palin. Long before he was "Joe the plumber," Joe Wurzelbacher lived in North Pole and Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks, according to Alaska public records. A family member says Wurzelbacher came to the state in the mid-1990s and stayed about four years — long enough to have the son who can be seen standing next to him in...

8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on...

First of all my apologies for being so late, but I waited for the White House site to update the sitePresident Bush had a stopover at Eielson AFB, Alaska where he spend some time with the troopsPresident Bush, First Lady Laura, Bush and daughter Barbara arrived this morning in South Korea on the first leg of their trip to Asia. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Home of the 354th Fighter Wing Meet the 354th A history of Mile 26 Airstrip, Eielson AFB Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An F-15 fighter jet crashed Monday after colliding in mid-air with another military jet during a training exercise, Air Force officials said. The other jet landed safely, and no one was seriously injured. The pilot of the F-15C ejected safely and was taken a military hospital, said Airman Jennifer Anton, a spokeswoman at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. The pilot did not have serious injuries, she said. The pilot of the other jet, an F-16C that landed safely, was uninjured, she said. It was not immediately clear why the two jets collided at 11:23 a.m. local...

The mission of the 18th AS will be to provide realistic combat adversary training in air, space and information operations. Aggressor squadrons use enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures to give a realistic simulation of air combat. The unit will stand up with 18 Block 30 F-16 Fighting Falcons and later will expand to 24 fighter aircraft. The squadron will be ready to provide aggressor training for Red Flag - Alaska exercises in Spring 2007. The squadron also will support training and exercises throughout the Pacific region and additional requirements of the 57th Aggressor Tactics Group at Nellis AFB, Nev. The...

ANCHORAGE—The Base Realignment and Closure Commission on Thursday rejected the Pentagon’s proposal to place Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks on “warm” status. Instead, commissioners recommended keeping the 354th Fighter Wing’s F-16 fighter planes at the base instead of distributing all fighter aircraft to installations outside Alaska. The base's A-10s would be relocated to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. The 168th air refueling wing, a National Guard unit, would remain at home as well. “I don’t think it can be kept in warm status,” said commission member James Hansen before the vote was taken. “It would be rather foolish...

Remember the old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure"? So it is, believe it or not, with the Department of Defense's plan to all but close Eielson Air Force Base. Locals think the decision is a bunch of garbage, but people down in Georgia seem to be quite pleased at the prospect of gaining from Eielson's demise. Georgia congressman Jack Kingston has written to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to say, among other things, "I am pleased" with the Air Force proposal to add 48 A-10 aircraft to Moody Air Force Base. A dozen of those aircraft...

Faced with losing several thousand jobs in a proposed realignment of Eielson Air Force Base, state leaders have urged residents to show up en masse at a hearing to show their support for keeping the base intact. More than 40 businesses have committed to closing or operating with skeleton crews so employees can attend, and supporters planned to line streets Wednesday as members of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission arrive for the first regional base closure hearing. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner even printed a two-page red and white poster proclaiming, "America Needs Eielson Air Force Base." "We're fighting city...

Across the nation, from the biggest states to some of the smallest communities, the cry of "Save Our Base" has been rolling in to Washington, D.C., as astute politicians and others try to keep their coveted military installations open while the next round of base closings proceeds. Many have been at it for years, some much less so. But regardless of the length of their lobbying effort, their leaders in and out of government were keenly aware that the Base Realignment and Closure Commission was going back to work this year. Base supporters have spent millions of dollars and thousands...

ANCHORAGE—Most aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base would be moved elsewhere under a base closure and realignment plan released Friday by the Pentagon. Kulis Air National Guard Station in Anchorage also was targeted for closure. No major facility in Alaska was on the Department of Defense base closure list, but the state would lose 4,818 military or civilian jobs. Before closures or downsizings can take effect, the Defense Department’s proposal must be approved or changed by a federal base closing commission by Sept. 8, and then agreed to by Congress and President Bush. That process will run into the fall....

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE--Seven A-10 Warthogs brought a little desert sand home with them when they touched down Saturday at Eielson Air Force Base for the first time in almost six months. Though the long journey home provided the A-10s a chance to clean off some of the dust accumulated in Afghanistan, they were still due for a major cleaning and overhaul at the end of a busy 5 1/2-month deployment to Bagram Airbase near Kabul. "We were sitting next to jets in Boise (Idaho)," said Capt. Glenn "Shredder" Ott, an A-10 pilot and West Valley High School graduate. "Boise...

Fairbanks International Airport personnel felt a need for speed Wednesday as the U.S. Air Force diverted 31 F-16 fighter jets to the civilian tarmac. Airport personnel scrambled to direct the traffic, and also hustled up some pizzas and a portable toilet for the pilots, as well as fuel for their jets. The event was the largest military diversion Fairbanks International Airport has seen, according to airport operations manager Ric Barnett. The Air Force and the airport have an agreement to help each other in emergencies. "It was all due to smoke," said Capt. Brad Jessmer, spokesman for Eielson Air Force...

icle Published: Friday, July 23, 2004 Missile installed at GreelyBy DANIEL RICE, Staff Writer • FORT GREELY--Against the backdrop of dust devils whipped up by trademark Delta Junction-area winds, a crane operator slowly lowered a 54-foot missile into a launching silo Thursday while senior Army officers and military contract workers watched proudly from about a football field's distance away. More than two decades after the idea of a missile defense system was conceived during the Reagan administration, workers at Fort Greely installed the first interceptor missile in a launching pad picked for Alaska's strategic location in the globe. About a...

An Eielson Air Force Base airplane crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday night, military officials said. The condition of the Air Force A-10's pilot was unknown in the hours after the crash, which occurred around 8:30 p.m. The pilot was the only person aboard the 355th Fighter Squadron jet when it went down. The crash happened near the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, just south of North Pole. Witnesses said they saw a bright flash after the crash and heard the concussion. Air Force officials were uncertain exactly where the crash of the twin-engine jet happened or whether anyone on...