I descended the stairs, turned into the hallway and walked past the Motor Pool on the right. The warehouse, BX and Engineering shop were on the left. While I walked, I was mentally going through what I was going to say to the Major, Hugh O'Connor. I had just finished a phone conversation with one of my contacts at HQ. He had casually told me that my replacement was at Elmendorf, and going through in-processing. In a few days he would be in Cold Bay!
It was still April. Technically, my one- year assignment would not be complete until mid-May. Yet, I had been commissioned in March. That is when my four-year commitment had started. A Reeve flight was due to return to Anchorage later in the day. Could I convince the Major to let me go now? I had already shipped home a foot locker with most of my belongings. What else I possessed could easily be thrown together for the trip. The next thing I remember, I was being driven to town and the Reeves terminal. Everything had happened so quickly. I was going home and, as the plane gained altitude, I leaned to see Cold Bay and familiar places below. No such luck. It all had disappeared in a “poof!” However, the memories would never disappear!

Next stop was Anchorage and Elmendorf for out-processing from Alaska. I would spend some time again photographing the city and base. As I looked out at the mountains towering over the city, I remembered my first-ever landing at Anchorage the previous May. It was exciting, to say the least. This is that story from the previous May, almost exactly one year ago:

When I boarded the Alaska Airlines plane at Sea/Tac I was surprised to find the interior of the plane decorated like a frontier bawdy-house straight out of a Jack London novel. As I found my seat, two people that resembled mountain men followed me, looking like they were straight from the wilderness. I was elated! My boyhood dreams were coming true!
It was late at night. I was taking the so-called red eye flight. I had first flown when I was nineteen, so traveling by air was not new to me. I soon settled down to take a nap, and fell fast asleep. The flight was smooth and uneventful until I woke up with the pilot on the intercom saying it was time to fasten our seatbelts. We were nearing the approach to Anchorage. Then, after a few minutes, the aircraft suddenly plunged into a steep nosedive! I held onto the armrests to keep myself from sliding out of my seat. Were we crashing? No, the plane then leveled out and we made a smooth landing. Why was everyone so calm? They all acted like nothing had happened. I was puzzled until the next day when I walked outside in the daylight. The city was surrounded by amazing mountains! The pilot had been cruising at a significant altitude and had needed to drop quickly into the pocket between the peaks.
Welcome to Alaska, Cheechako!

In April of 1971, I left Cold Bay for the last time. After flying to Anchorage, I spent a short time out-processing from Alaska before flying to McChord Air Force Base just outside of Seattle. There I ended my active duty. I was to remain in the inactive reserves as an officer until 1975.