Upon arriving at Anchorage for the first time, May of 1970, I reported to Elmendorf Air Force Base. I stayed at the VOQ (Visiting Officer Quarters) while in-processing into Alaska and the AAC. A couple of days were spent preparing for the next eleven months at a remote site. Three of these photos provide a panorama view from the porch of the VOQ. The Officers’ Club was on the left. The other buildings were living quarters for enlisted personnel.
Cold Bay Air Force Station, the 714th Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) Squadron, reported to AAC headquarters at Elmendorf. The HQ housed the headquarters for Radar Maintenance, which would be my primary responsibility. It was here that I met several of the people that would be working with me from afar. I was given a tour of both AAC and the ANRCC (Alaskan NORAD Region Combat Center), unofficially dubbed as the “Kremlin.” Someone had a sense of humor!
When I finally made it to Cold Bay, it was very beneficial for me to have visited and met people at both AAC and the ANRCC. I was to speak with some of them over the phone on a routine basis. It was a Colonel from here that once telephonically bailed me out of an altercation with a senior officer. Elsewhere, I have discussed that situation concerning the time-zone issue with a visiting AF major.
During this brief stay in Anchorage I was anxious to get to Cold Bay and to settle into my new surroundings. My thoughts were mostly work related, wondering about the equipment and staff with whom I would be working. Little did I know that I was in for a great outdoor adventure as well!