Page Title

Webmaster's note: These are excerpts from
recent e-mails I have received on the web site.
They are edited where appropriate.

Scott Sampson, 1969-1970

Wonderful site. Brings back lots of memories
of my childhood. Do you have or know of any
pictures of base housing from the late 60's
early 70's? Any information about the Bowie
school or the base theatre, commissary, BX
and cleaners.

Thanks for the great website.
Regards
Scott

Frank J Andruss Sr

Love the work you are doing on the web site. It
looks very good and I enjoyed going thru the
old photographs. It brought back memories of
a time when I had visited the Base over the
years.

Dick Miller

Looking good !! Do you know if there is an
organized Westover Air Force Base Veterans
Group ? I belong to the Sampson Air Force
Base Veterans Association. (Former basic
training base at Geneva NY). I also belong to
the 28th Wing Association (Ellsworth AFB).
These are both very active groups that hold
reunions each year and a lot of "chatter"
between members.
You might find the SAFB website interesting:
www.sampsonvets.com

Jerry Springman, 1958-1961 Rugrat

Lived at Westover 58-61. My Dad, MSGT
G.F.Springman, was an ECM operator on a
B-52. I believe he was with the 346th. He
retired from there. Many good memories from
there. Went up there a few weeks ago just to
look around. Not at all like I remembered. I
learned to hunt at the Rod & Gun club, worked
at the riding stables and also caddied at the
Golf course. The base was real busy back in
those days. Did a stint in the Marines from 66
to 70. My Dad could never figure that out.
Guess he figured I would join the Air Force.
Saw Viet Nam from the ground.
I enjoyed your site.........Thanks.

Fay Ward, 1960 -1964

My late husband,at that time, Lt. Col. Albert
Ward was in 8th AF HQ.I worked with the Girl
Scouts and later in the Base Library.
We lived in the Wherry housing on Davis Ave.
I was in the area, visiting a grandson in 2005
and was shocked to see all that empty space!

Fred Clark

Thank you for the great overview of Westover
AFB. My father was stationed there in 58 to 60
and we lived just outside the base. I still am in
contact with several friends from our time at
that base.

Art Spafford Jr

Another fine update to your site. Thanks
again. I have watched, for some weeks now,
early morning (0500) informational
programming including segments of "Cowboy
57" on both the A&E television network and it's
sister network, the Biography channel. The
programming is part of A&E's "Classroom"
series. In the black and white segment, which
runs approximately five minutes, many of the
Westover AFB crews, command post and
facilities are depicted. The original control
tower above the Base Hangar is displayed as
is a vintage Ford station wagon racing alert
crews down the "Christmas Tree" to awaiting
aircraft. The alert fighter "barns" are visible in
the background. The film ends with a
Minimum Interval Take Off (MITO) over what
appears to be the Pioneer valley. 99BW
patches are visible on the aircrew member's
jackets. I remember many such MITOs as the
planes arched over the Connecticut River and
over flew our home in Holyoke. I recall the
event usually coinciding with supper around
1800. I've not had any luck finding a
commercial copy of Mr. Stewart's film nor have
I been able to find anything on either of the
network's Internet pages. They list only
"informational programming" for their
respective timeslots. There is a short mention
of the film under the Internet Movie Data Base.
Just thought I'd pass along this information on
the films broadcast. I'd be surprised if your
PAO shop did not have a copy of the film
archived.

Regards,
Art Spafford Jr.

J.N. Maxson

Andrew, the Emblems Picture looks great. FYI
when I sent you that picture of all Westover
emblems I think I failed to inform you of its
origin. It is a cut down copy of a picture of the
award presented to MSgt Frank Sylvanovich
for being the Top EWO in SAC (don't ask me
what year it covered). It was framed and had a
brass plaque attached to the lower part of the
frame so engraved when we presented it to
him. Years later Frank had agreed to send the
picture to me to be included with our material
honoring the Enlisted B-52 EWO's that served
on B-52 Combat Ready Crews at the Gunter
Enlisted Heritage Hall but he passed away
before he sent it. I tried for years to get it from
his son but to no avail. Frank had sent me a
photo of it and I trimmed off the edges to use it
as my computer wall paper and that is what I
sent you.....Keep up the great work it brings
back memories....Max

Dennis Thibodeau, President B-52
Stratofortress Association

This is a Great new Home Page. Now the B-52
model brings back many memories for me as
I personally worked on 608 many times and it
was crewed by my room mate at the time
Dave Moore. The real 608 is still in a lake in
the middle of Hanoi. It went down with a
Westover crew aboard. Some of them got out,
others didn't.
I will contact Dave and let him know that his
bird has been memorialized at Westover.

Thanks
Dennis Thibodeau, President B52
Stratofortress Association

Pete Ferraro

Andrew,
I also grew up in Concord under the departure
path of the Hanscom One SID and fondly
recall the beautiful noise of those 124's
passing overhead. Nice job on this site. Keep
up the good work.

Pete Ferraro

Arlie Burns, 8th Recon Tech Sqdn

When I got back to Westover in May 1967, the
8th RTS was at Stony Brook until 1970 when it
disbanded.

Patches of pride mark units' lineage at Westover

SAC
This famous emblem once
graced the B-52s and KC-135s
that flew at Westover. Click on
the thumbnail to see such
examples.

Guestbook

The 99th Bombardment
Wing patch could be
seen on the left side of
the noses of the B-52s.
The translation from the
Latin words is
"Aggressors Beware."

The 4050th Air Refueling Wing
was SAC's first flying unit at
Westover. It arrived with KC-97F
and G-model tankers in April 1955.
In August 1957, the 4050th
became one of the first SAC units
to fly the KC-135 Stratotanker.

99th Air Refueling Squadron

SAC's "Mighty Eighth" Air
Force moved from Carswell
AFB, Texas, to Westover in
June 1955. For the next 15
years, strategies affecting
thousands of airmen and
aircraft were made at
Westover's headquarters.

The 57th Air Division
reported to HQ 8th Air
Force. It was assigned to
Westover from 1956 until
1969. The 57th
headquarters was in Bldg.
1100, which still stands
today near the base ellipse.

The 26th Air Refueling
Squadron was assigned
at Westover from April
1955 to August 1957,
when it relocated to
Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y.,
with its KC-97s.

The 384th Air Refueling
Squadron flew KC-97s out
of Westover from 1955 to
1965. The tanker crews flew
the last KC-97 from
Westover to the boneyard
on Nov. 10, 1965.

     Webmaster's note: These are excerpts
from recent e-mails I have received on the
web site, which also include memories of
Westover. They are edited where necessary.

Duty with the 18th COMM squadron

Jim Musser
lojm2@msn.com
18th Communicatons Squadron
"Short Order" Receiver Site
10 Dec 62-- 27 Sep 65

     My wife and I along with our 4-month-old
daughter Jayne arrived at Westover in early
December 1962 in search of a place to live. I
had just completed a years tour on North
Mountain, remote from Thule Air Base,
Greenland, at the 1983 Comm's Tx Site there.
     We set up housekeeping initially at Gill's
trailer park which was located just outside the
main gate. I was assigned to the Maintenance
Section at the Short Order Receiver Site,
which was located out past the rifle range and
near the curve on the road that went around to
Stonybrook Air Force Station.
     "Short Order" was SAC's Primary Alert
System. The system played a vital role in
SAC's system of Command and Control,
enabling communications with SAC bases
and planes anywhere in the world.
     18th COMM had their transmitter Site in
nearby Granby, MA. The Receiver Site also
housed the Short Order Radio Ops section.
The staff there routinely handled the "traffic" of
planes coming and going from the base, as
well as liasoning between the COC and other
Short Order Stations, and other 8AF bases.
We had our own Power Production Section on
site that in minimal time could supply all
power needed to run the sites equipment in
event of loss of commercial power.
Everything was duplicated at Barksdale AFB,
La., March AFB, Calif., and Omaha (SAC hq).
All the redundancy was designed to ensure
that SAC would retain abilityto Command and
Control SAC forces.
     If Omaha was knocked out Westover could
assume C&C, etc. Westover (SAC) was a lot
different than Thule. Security was much more
rigid. To this day I regret not having snuck
some photos of my duty station (cameras
were not allowed).
     The noise the Buff's (B-52s) made was
loud normally but really LOUD during MITO
scrambles(and even on the Coco alerts). My
wife and I used to joke that B-52 wheels
sometimes rubbed the trailer roof.
     Later we moved to South Hadley Falls and
sleep was easier to obtain. Some other
memories include seeing the Kennedys when
they landed at WAFB in Oct of 63, enroute to
Amherst to dedicate a library I think it was. And
of course the fateful day in November when
the commander-in-chief was assassinated.
I was on duty at the time and we got the "This
is Dropkick with an alert message....THIS IS
NO DRILL...I REPEAT THIS IS NO DRILL".
Then they issued us M-1's and locked the
base down as we went to DEFCON 3. In
January of 64 we had a BROKEN ARROW
when a B-52 went down near Cumberland,
MD. I was a member of the 8AF Disaster
Control Team, but was alternate for this event.
A2C Frank Sis (from MD) went down to set up
field communications for this accident. It was
an ordeal due to a heavy snowstorm at the
time.
     Our second daughter Karen was born in
the Westover Hospital in July 65. Although I
mustered out in Sept 65 I still remember the
tremendous pride of the people on Westover.
      SAC had slogans like "Peace is our
Profession", and "Zero Defects" (not a bad
idea dealing with nuclear weapons, and the
multiple millions of dollars of equipment...
right?) At that time with WAFB, having a fighter
wing, a Bomb Wing, and a refueling wing, and
8AF HQ, Westover was the largest employer
in Massachusetts.
     I was on North Mountain in Greenland
during the Cuban Missile Crisis when we
went to DEFCON 2. Then while at Westover I
regularly drove by the Recce Tech and Film
labs buildings without understanding then,
the role they played in the Cuban Missile
Crisis the previous year. I enjoy your website.
Keep up the good work. Thanks.

Remembering the 8th AF three-star

Steve Arbes
Assignment: HQ 8AF, 1969-71

      I remember 3 star (Lt) Gen William Kieffer
walking those halls with his entourage of
majors and colonels, all in step and the
sounds of their steps reverberating
down those long gone hallways!