Tour da UP

[RedLdr1]

he Government made a sizable effort to put the facilities to good civilian use when the AFB closed.

Same thing happened when they closed Glasgow AFB in Glasgow, Montana. In that case Boeing finally came in and restored part of the local economy. As a kid growing up on Air Force bases, mostly Strategic Air Command (SAC), I saw things that make it hard for me to feel sorry for the locals. The military was welcome for their money but was was often treated as second class citizens to be preyed upon. That observation didn't change when I was on active duty. :cautious: When the military leaves the locals finally get a wake up call....Karma....

 

[Frosty]

I remember that various groups and the population in general around Sacramento wanted Mather AFB closed. They did not seem kind about it. After it was finally closed in the early 90's, groups in that area petitioned the government for tens of or perhaps hundreds of millions of $$$$$ to replace the revenue derived from the base. Take the airplanes and airmen but leave the money.

 

[mikesim]

I remember that various groups and the population in general around Sacramento wanted Mather AFB closed. They did not seem kind about it. After it was finally closed in the early 90's, groups in that area petitioned the government for tens of or perhaps hundreds of millions of $$$$$ to replace the revenue derived from the base. Take the airplanes and airmen but leave the money.

I hope they didn't get a dime!

Mike

 

[Phil Tarman]

RedLdr1 said: "The military was welcome for their money but was was often treated as second class citizens to be preyed upon. That observation didn't change when I was on active duty."

When I was a kid, my dad was a civilian contract primary flight instructor at Graham AFB in Marianna, FL. Marianna had a population of about 5,000 and the base brought in at least 3,000 more. I understand that kind of sudden population increase causes all kinds of problems for local infrastructure, but the citizens did treat some people with something less than warmth. After about a year, there came a time when Graham (the civilian contractor) decided to pay all the civilian employees with silver dollars and asked them to use those for all their local transactions. When the locals saw how many silver dollars they had in their cash registers, their attitudes changed quite a bit.

 

[mikesim]

RedLdr1 said: "The military was welcome for their money but was was often treated as second class citizens to be preyed upon. That observation didn't change when I was on active duty."

When I was a kid, my dad was a civilian contract primary flight instructor at Graham AFB in Marianna, FL. Marianna had a population of about 5,000 and the base brought in at least 3,000 more. I understand that kind of sudden population increase causes all kinds of problems for local infrastructure, but the citizens did treat some people with something less than warmth. After about a year, there came a time when Graham (the civilian contractor) decided to pay all the civilian employees with silver dollars and asked them to use those for all their local transactions. When the locals saw how many silver dollars they had in their cash registers, their attitudes changed quite a bit.

What a cool idea! Somebody at Graham was using the old noodle.


Mike

 

[turbojim]

RedLdr1 said: "The military was welcome for their money but was was often treated as second class citizens to be preyed upon. That observation didn't change when I was on active duty."

When I was a kid, my dad was a civilian contract primary flight instructor at Graham AFB in Marianna, FL. Marianna had a population of about 5,000 and the base brought in at least 3,000 more. I understand that kind of sudden population increase causes all kinds of problems for local infrastructure, but the citizens did treat some people with something less than warmth. After about a year, there came a time when Graham (the civilian contractor) decided to pay all the civilian employees with silver dollars and asked them to use those for all their local transactions. When the locals saw how many silver dollars they had in their cash registers, their attitudes changed quite a bit.

That was brilliant! I think we could call that a social experiment with a profitable end! Prof that one person can have a positive affect on society, like that friendly guy in the neighborhood that waves at everybody or the waitress that always smiles and treats everybody as a friend. Jim and I meet people like that everywhere we went throughout the UP. A truly great place to visit!