It's a shame. The place was in pretty good shape when I was there for Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) training Dec 79 - Apr 80. I remember the chow was good, especially on Sundays when they served steak and dancing at the Airman's club. I also remember freezing my tail off marching to/from class in 20 below weather. It sucked!
I was stationed there in 1993, one of the last classes to graduate. Good thing we painted the walls and buffed the floors in the dorms before I left! LOL! That place was depressing at best! Fitting that it's a ghost town now, it was 3/4 vacant when I arrived there.
In the UK they have converted the old bases to university student dorms and they allow people to us the runways to race cars and bikes or just to play around on. Look up RAF Alconbury, RAF Upwood, RAF Kettering, RAFLakenheath and so on. Wonder why we arn't doing so here? We have an old missile base that has been closed since the very early 70's. It was part of Barksdale AFB LA. So grown up you can't see the concret.
I was there from Sep 89 through Feb 90 for Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Systems tech school. I stopped by in Oct of 2010 to check the place out, and indeed it was sad. The Chanute Air Museum occupies the very halls where I learned the trade I have been in for the past 20+ years. I had some good times there, some bad times, but I won't forget the people I was with or the instructors I had - many of whom still teach at the school which is now at Sheppard AFB, TX.
I was there as well in 1991 just for training, I remember what a bunch of A**holes lived in Rantoul..they gave us a hard time and then when they announced the closing..they started this "don't be cruel save Rantoul" BS kind of sad to see it now on these videos.
My dad, a WW II B-17 pilot went to Chanutte back in 1944 and I was there in 1970 I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I would think of my dad being there and then 26 years later there I was. I regret it closed,
Thank you for the video.....my family got stationed there in 1960 and my dad retired in 1967..He was in the 505th Band of the Midwest....He passed in 1998....he was there when the based closed and was so sad and me too....he loved to run out to the commissary and the bx....I haven't been there since 2007 and I'll tell what a disgrace to the USAF....to see the headquarters trashed that I saw in another video just taken in 2009....I must say Chanute was a swinging base and glad my dad served.
this town (Rantoul) is a shit hole like no offense but property taxes are outragous here this town is nothing but a drug town now and cops wont do anything the base is terrable white hall is pretty much all white now and the theatre got torn down a few years ago i hate this town
I was stationed here from Dec 87 to Apr 88, then returned in Nov 91 to Jan 92. It may sound silly but I had a really good time both times. May have just been the circumstances. It makes me sad. Those were some very good times. One of the most popular saying then was "Shoot me don't Chanute me" LOL but I never found that to be true at all.
@gevans3523 I was there from late Oct '91 to Dec '91 for tech school (POL). I also had a great time there and it makes me sad as well. I have a terribly strong sense of nostalgia for Chanute. I stayed in the southern facing "quad" dorm building on Borman Drive. I remember the first thing I did after our inbriefing was haul ass to that great BX for a pack of Camels! The food was good there too! Chanute was probably the happiest time in my life... at least the fondest in retrospect :-)
Fire School 1979. I remember the heavy summer downpours that would literally overwhelm the gutters!! Had a B-29 on display right outside my quarters!!
I was stationed there from Sept thru Dec 1977. I was in the 54th school squadron. Aircraft Maint. Jet over two. 431x1 code. Anyone else stationed there then?
Please remind everyone that the base has since been designated by the EPA as a Priority SuperFund site, with asbestos buildings, dioxins and furans, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, in the soil, ground water, and leachate in buried hidden dumps. Even the hospital there was PCB contaminated. Unusual health problems? see your doctor, then a lawyer, then write your congressman.
I remember the A&W Root Beer joint in Rantoul. That does make me sad I was an AGE graduate in '68'...I left a part of me there. Of course most of the facilities I was at have been abandoned or torn down. Utapao doesn't look the same either...
Didn't support the military? What did you do for us? Car prices were jacked up because we had you airmen here. Only one grocery store in town, with high prices, but you had the commissary. Rent was high because you were here, and that goes all the way back to 1917! Military dependants effected our schools. The AF provided you with FREE baby delivery, but lousy wages. MSGTs had to bag groceries to pay their bills, leaving their teenagers to rip off stereos for money. Good riddance.
Maybe some of those local people you talk about should have been a little more concerned with doing the right things instead of just trying rip off all those young GI's that had no choice but to be there!
@fcmullins Point well taken. ALL the businesses that were military oriented are gone. The back alley slums are torn down, and the car dealers (AMC, Chevrolet, , and Pontiac) sit empty. The townsfolk wouldn't to;erate the price gouging.
I was there Oct '72 to Jan '73 Jet aircraft Over Two Engine School 431x1E :)
Mr Loug?? taught he class!! What happened to the old planes b-52 and b36? and Pizza Pop with the RC colas' Was in the new Barracks at the time!! Great Food out of Basic Training great Chow Hall! Hated the cotton face mask we had to wear when marching, Sliding to School in the dark!! COLD but on to Loring AFB, Maine and Kadena AFB , Okinawa!! Those were the days!! Didn't think so at the time!!!!!!!
There is a B-52 cockpit in the Aeromuseum. Remember all the airplanes that sat at the streetcorners? Most were sent to other airbases and Wright-Pat Museum. We are slowly tearing down the buildings and/or using them for other purposes. A plastic factory moved into Hangar 1 for 15 years... All the classrooms were gutted... "Buckingham Palace" will cost milliions to refurbish or millions to tear down, so it just sits there and gets vandalized. You would not recognize Rantoul or Chanute today.
I used to live on Chanute as a kid. Father was part of the 3505th Recruiting Squadron. I remember all those planes on the street corners. Right now I live in Dayton, Oh and I literally live right next to the AF Museum at Wright-Patt AFB and go there often.
I was at Chanute in 73 and 74 and in 1984 , it was a beautiful base and is a shame to have let it rot away like that it should be kept as a memorial to the thousands of airmen who defended liberty throughout the world. Instead of wasting billions on arabs who are so backward it will take 5 centuries just to bring them to the 18th century.we could spend a billion on chanute to reopen it as a job training center and temporary housing for the poor.
It's not rotting away. We're utilizing the buildings for manufacturing, storage, and offices. White Hall is sitting there like the Titanic as it will cost millions to rehab it or millions to raze it. There's not enough room on this reply to tell you all that has been done. You would not recognize Rantoul or Chanute today. It was later admitted that Chanute was put on the list by mistake, but the list was all or nothing. It should never have closed.
We used statements like "the armpit of the Air Force" or "don't shoot 'em, Chanute 'em" in our descriptions of the base. I was there in 1971, right after they shut the run-ways down, for Life Support training.. and ended up there 2-years later as an instructor... but then I was from Peoria, 90 miles away.
I attended Analog Flight Simulator School at Chanute from 1/76 through 8/76.
The money spent to run Chanute was not wasted. It helped to ensure US readiness to defend our freedoms and it produced many fine technicians that have gone out into the world and took advantage of their training (including me).
That was a black dude you're thinking of...can't remember his name, but he looked like Forrest Whittaker. He was among the "STA's" that wore taps. Remember that shit?
not much left on the base at chunute I was born there live in Rantoul my name is Rusty too,,,they tore down the old tradewinds ,,,its a ghost town out there
The base should have been closed (more appropriately demolished) way before I enlisted in the early 80s. By far, one of my worst assignments (I volunteered for a remote tour to leave that sh*thole) with credit going to the vociferously anti-military local community (like most bases located in the Northern U.S.). With the foisting of Magic Mulatto from Crook Co. on this Nation, I really detest the State of Illinois.
Yep, actually one of the guys from shield Chevrolet (they screwed over anyone, let alone military) is running the vehicle processing center in fairbanks AK. I'm glad I'm out of illinois. When my 3 years in alaska are done there are gunna be claw marks from my dorm to the airport...
@locknload4691 "vociferously anti-military local community (like most bases located in the Northern U.S.)" That was any community near a tech school. Biloxi and Wichita Falls were just as bad if not worse. I'm from Illinois, went to my 10 year high school reunion and a friends wedding in my blues. I got a lot of appreciation and respect. If you didn't leave the Rantoul area during your whole assignment. That's your fuck up.
@locknload4691 Amen, Brother! I went to that turd pile in '71 for Aircraft Maint School. I didn't care much about the base but I DESPISED Rantoul ! Those pukes absolutely hated us and gave us crap every time we ventured off base. I always hoped that those corn fed country turkeys lost all their jobs when they closed the place and that Rantoul just dried up and blew away!!
@Snorkleslug I spent my last two years of High School there. The place is a total mess now. Ironically, most of the high school grads from there (myself included) end up joining the military.
Place is over run by illegals and drug dealers... it's a really shitty place now-a-days. I'm glad I ended up getting stationed far away from there.
Also, I found out one of the car dealers that preyed on the Airmen ended up packing up and opening shot in Fairbanks AK, near Eielson AFB and Fort Wainwright.
I was a student at Chanute - twice - once as cryogenics Spec. 1963;(59th 'C' shift -- still remember) and again for missile propellants in 1965.
The great thing about being at Chanute was that I was a "seasoned SAC Trained Killer" by that time, while most everyone else was shipping out to Laos.
"It Was The Worst of Times, and The Best of Times." I'll always remember .........
I just graduated from the security forces tech school this week. I'm coming back home to rantoul tomorrow. I'll be stopping by the base in full service dress...
@billthearc I was stationed at Chanute in '62 for Cryogenic Fluid Production. On to Wheelus AB for 18 mos. then Little Rock AFB. Cross-trained into Unconventional Fuels (Hypergolics-Titan ll's...OJT training on base.) Couldn't stand SAC so I volunteered for SE Asia in early '65. By May the AF was in bad need of experienced LOX guys so they broke their "12 mos. back in the US" regulation and cut my orders for SE Asia. Had to go back to Chanute for a 4 week Cryogenic refresher course.
I went to tech school 39130. Maintenance Data Systems Analyst - October 1986 - January 1996. What a great time we had once we were able to get off the base.
I returned to the base before it closed for advanced training. We were the last class to graduate. It was depressing then and more depressing to look at these pictures.
These will have to be memories that stay in my mind.
My dad was an instructor there forever and we were one of the few families that didn't constantly move around alot. I grew up at Chanute, from age 2 to 16. That base was awesome and Sheppard A.F.B. sucks! Rantoul really was a great place to live and the education system is much better up north! It is sad to see it this condition. I was in the Navy and Ive seen worse bases! they shouldn't have closed it. I wish I was rich and could buy it all up.
Alot of the base is being used, alot of the housing is occupied, the boweling alley is now the new rantoul liberary, there is a new swimming pool, there are some businesses in some of the building but some of the building were not sold either due to dod, or rantoul restrictions. why didn't a grocery store go into the commissary because one family owns IGA and Savealot and stopped one from going in. I lived in rantoul 69-81 and my Dad moved in 2004.just a little bit of politics there.
I was a USMC student at Chanute during the winter of 1984/1985. What a great place to be a 17 year old Marine! I remember watching the movie Red Dawn (during President Reagan's part of the Cold War) at the base theater and hanging out at the enlisted club. The people in Rantoul were very friendly. I visited the base about 3 years ago and was sorry see the condition its now in. What a waste!
Unfortunately, to read about it in the local papers they've sugar coated the waste by pointing out that a couple of the old buildings are being used...
I was a student at Chanute in early 1982, and an Instructor at White Hall from 1985 thru 1897. 2 days ago I rode over the Rantoul on my motorcycle. It is about 3 hrs. from where I live now. Town looked good, but I could not believe the shape the base was in. It is terrible the way the old historic building have been left to decay. I am glad some of the base has been able to be used, but disappointed that the older building are being left to crumble. I could not believe it. I was very sad to see.
I graduated from Chanute in 1982..I guess the marching to school..for 8 hours..then from school to study for another 3 hours is the most memorable...taking the train into Chicago for the weekend...I studied fuel system mechanics..to go on and work for PAN AM til they dissolved..too bad to see what it has become
I also graduated from Chanute AFB in May 1982. I remember watching the movie 'Strips' when it came to the movie theater there on base. I was in Aerospace Ground Equipment. It was a very cold winter there in 1981/1982. Don't remember much else. Went on to Eastern Airlines and currently at American.
Definately Goodtimes was spent there. Met my first wife there. We have a son, 27 now, born at Clark AB. Remember the Pit & Ping and Rantoul Motel? - Great Times. Went thru Tech School as an AGE Mechanic, yup this Hawaiian got his first taste of WINTER. Huge Waste - they should have turned it over to the community. Good use may have come from it. Us Hawaiians even made a Luau sponsored by the YMCA in Rantoul for the public with hula dancing, hawaiian music and huli-huli pig. Aloha, Oct80-Jan81
Chanute AFB was the home of the 505th Air Force Band of the Midwest,The Pacesetters Jazz Ensemble. I arrived fresh out of basic training 01 Dec 1988, with my Tenor Saxophone and PCSed on July 28th, 1991. The old band hall is torn down, and the old Airmans club is used for a construction dumping facility! It's so sad! I remember how proud we were to serve there. The flight line was not operational, but the chow hall won the award for best in the Air Force! I miss those days! RIP Chanute AFB
When the base was active, it was a thing of beauty. Troops marching to and from school. Base parades on the flight line. A thousand troops in formation. Schools producing men and women to feed our nation's defense machine. The greates Air Force in the world. I was a jet mech instructor from Sep 69 thru Feb 78. Rantoul was a great town who made us feel welcome. Thank you Rantoul. I had my two daughter there. Many wonderful friends. Good memories. It was a great place. Chanute AFB IL 61866
On that level, yes it did help win the cold war and that I fully acknowledge... However, The younger generation (which im almost ashamed to admit being apart of) forgets the sacrifices and dedicated work that want into the base. Now it's just a place for teens to break into and get drunk and stoned.
My dad was stationed here in 1966 to 1970. I had many memories here and was one of the best times of my life. We lived on the corner of Arnold Dr(now Colier) and Marco. Anyone remember Rabbit Hill? This was the dirt that was dug out for the hospital and placed just south of the hospital. Jack rabbits in the summer and snow sledding during the winter. We have 8mm movies of the 4 years we spent here. Memories
My grandpa transfered here in 1968. Then after graduation my dad joined in 1969 and retired in 1999. Needless to say i'm expected to follow in their footsteps.
i went to tech school there from sept 91' to march of 92'. i was EE, electro environmental sys spec. i remember what a cold, depressing place it was in the middle of nowhere.
This video made my cry. Thank you for the memories. Yet I don't miss it, I do regret that it is in such a dire state. Just sad. It is a lifetime ago, and yet seems as if it wasn't even real when I watched this. My son was born on that base.. IN that hosptial in 1985. All I can say is WOW what a WASTE the Government has created. HOMELESS people in the US could use a helping hand? They should come up with a USE for this place.. WOW FACTOR on a scale of 1 to 10 would be a TEN!
They used the hospital at one point to house migrant farm workers. I dont now what it is used for now. Last time I was their to visit was in 1981. Id like to get back. The two bases that was shut down in the Sacramento area was cleaned up and made into thriving industrial business centers. (Mather AFB and McClellan AFB) Nice and clean. Chanute deserves the same.
They did come up with a use for this place...the hospital houses migrant workers and ALL housing has been sold to individuals who have refurbished them into beautiful HOMES, not cookie cutter housing the Air Force required. One dormitory is now an assisted living facility. Manufacturing companies have moved into the hangars. The library is a Developmental Services Center, and the bowling alley is our library. If it was a wood building it is gone, or soon to be. Don't cry. We're not.
I must say, I like your username (I'm a competitive shooter). It is a shame how this base has gone under. Currently the closest base to here is Scott AFB, which chances are, will be my duty station after graduation when I enlist.
Went through the Fire School during the winter of 1977. Coldest I've been in my entire life. Also, there was a measles epidemic that winter. Ahhhh ... memories. Too bad Chanute has been allowed to run down like that.
I was born on that base! :) Sad to see such a large area turn into a pile of rubish... Here in WI we have an old bomb making plant that is run down, but them fuckers still gaurd it hardcore!
I know Chanute was only an Air Training Command base. But as the clowns in DC get us into quagmire unjustified wars like Iraq,They continue to downsize an overstretched military and close bases and cut spending while China is massively expanding and modernizing their military forces. We are gonna end up in trouble.
Brings back a few...I trained for Weather Observer in 1984 and Weather Forecaster in 1986-1987. Man the time flies. I had some interesting memories from this place. A form of coming of age in so many ways.
I was an Air Force "brat" in the early 70's at Chanute. Good memories of that place. NCO patches on my swimsuits, swivel seats on the golf course, the crabapple trees we'd use for crabapple fights, 1319-B Talbott Rd (our base housing where I'd go out my window to the carport roof to go across to my best friend's window). Too bad it is no longer. RIP
WOW!! The only TECH School I ever knew.From Nov-Jan '82 was there for POL School.Cross-trained to Weather and was there from Jul-Oct '86 for Oserving School.Returned May-Oct '89 for Forecasting School.Upon arrival for Forecasting School saw all the "DON'T BE CRUEL SAVE RANTOUL" signs.Our Forecasting class was the 1st to grad fr the new Weather Building.Actually had to give up a week end to move all the stuff from old-new building.
Right on man! At least you got to go to Cali. I got stuck up at Minot AFB for my whole gig. Had I stayed in, I'm quite sure I'd be at Vandyland now as an instructor.
Autumn 1992 to Winter 1993. I was in one of the last 2 or 3 Missile Maintenance classes that went thru Chanute before everything moved to Vandy. 3362 STUS.
Wow. I was there for weather observing school in the fall of '91. They'd just built a 15 million dollar state-of-the-art weather building a year or two prior. What a waste that turned out to be since they only got a few yrs use out of it. I have some great memories of Chanute, Rantoul and Champaign...sad to see the place turn out like that. Oddly enough, I now live near another base that was closed in the 70s. It looks worse, but it also appears Chanute is heading in that same direction.
burtburt69, I was there for weather observing school from Aug-oct 1990. I remember the new building just opening. You could still smell the newness of it all. I had great memories of the place. It was a much better place than Lackland basic training. I wonder if they abandoned the new weather school building. After all it is was only 3 years old when the base closed.
from apearence most of the facilitys are ruins. The airport itself is now used for civilian aircraft, R/c plane contests, and autoracing... besides that and going by appearences im not too sure about the rest.
Didn't even know it had closed! Stationed there in '81 in the 3702 Training Squadron. Stayed in the WWII-era barracks most of the time. Luckily it was only four months, but I have some fond memories all the same.
Wow. I was at Chanute winter/spring of 1982. What a shame. I reconise some of those buildings,especialy the theaters. I think I saw the Airmans club in those pictures also.
Was a dep child there in 1952-1954. My dad was an instructor. I went to the elem school withing walking dist. of our home in the then new housing (a sea of mud the firs winter). Hoping to get there this summer if possible to get on the site.
I was stationed at Chanute back in 1984. It was a pretty nice base as I recall. I went back there in 2002 and the difference was astounding. Despite all the negatives, I did find one of my old classrooms was converted into a museum. Its the largest aerospace museum in Illinios. There having their First Annual Chanute Air Festival this summer I just discovered, so there is a ray of light on an otherwise sad situation: Goggle their site: Chanute Air Museum
I was assigned to the 3345th CES. I got there Dec. 22, 1988 and stayed until 2 years after base closure. I was glad to see that someone could see what I saw. The Company that took over maint. of the building for the AF after closure was Johnson Controls World Services. I finally left in 1995. I prefer to remember it was the day I got there, but the sad reality is...it's not. Thanks for the video. I hope others find it too and can see what happened to our base.
cool, yea my dad's friend vera was also stationed there and I made it half-way with the intent of letting her show some of her friends in the american legion, I heard quite a few enjoyed it also.. thanks
So sad, but so true. Rantoul really had a good thing when the base closed. Lots of opportunities, but then the mayor brought down a little piece of the ghetto from Chicago. Now no developers will go near the old base. Makes me sad and a bit angry to see how that beautiful base was just left to fall apart. I saw it first hand in October and your pictures are a great sample of what it has become. Nice work!
It's a shame. The place was in pretty good shape when I was there for Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) training Dec 79 - Apr 80. I remember the chow was good, especially on Sundays when they served steak and dancing at the Airman's club. I also remember freezing my tail off marching to/from class in 20 below weather. It sucked!
juliaadennis 1 month ago
I was stationed there in 1993, one of the last classes to graduate. Good thing we painted the walls and buffed the floors in the dorms before I left! LOL! That place was depressing at best! Fitting that it's a ghost town now, it was 3/4 vacant when I arrived there.
AFNCO1 2 months ago
In the UK they have converted the old bases to university student dorms and they allow people to us the runways to race cars and bikes or just to play around on. Look up RAF Alconbury, RAF Upwood, RAF Kettering, RAFLakenheath and so on. Wonder why we arn't doing so here? We have an old missile base that has been closed since the very early 70's. It was part of Barksdale AFB LA. So grown up you can't see the concret.
Arwrologist 4 months ago
I was there for Missile Maintenance Tech School in 1988. The only good thing I remember at Chanute AFB was that the food was good at the mess hall.
Classyjazz 7 months ago
I was there for Missile Maintenance Tech School in 1988. The only good thing I remember at Chanute AFB was the food was good at the mess hall.
Classyjazz 7 months ago
I was there from Sep 89 through Feb 90 for Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Systems tech school. I stopped by in Oct of 2010 to check the place out, and indeed it was sad. The Chanute Air Museum occupies the very halls where I learned the trade I have been in for the past 20+ years. I had some good times there, some bad times, but I won't forget the people I was with or the instructors I had - many of whom still teach at the school which is now at Sheppard AFB, TX.
nasiriyah110 7 months ago
I was there as well in 1991 just for training, I remember what a bunch of A**holes lived in Rantoul..they gave us a hard time and then when they announced the closing..they started this "don't be cruel save Rantoul" BS kind of sad to see it now on these videos.
paulanthonydfw 10 months ago
My dad, a WW II B-17 pilot went to Chanutte back in 1944 and I was there in 1970 I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I would think of my dad being there and then 26 years later there I was. I regret it closed,
rjkisback 11 months ago
I was there for tech school in 91. The only thing I really remember about Rantoul is that they had a movie theater we could get into for $2!!
darthmikeyd 11 months ago
@darthmikeyd I was also there in '91 for tech school (POL). I loved Chanute... I have very fond memories of that place.
CSK225 1 month ago
just like my active duty bas homestead-left to rot-was at chanute in 82 for egress..sad...
tankerman135 1 year ago
Thank you for the video.....my family got stationed there in 1960 and my dad retired in 1967..He was in the 505th Band of the Midwest....He passed in 1998....he was there when the based closed and was so sad and me too....he loved to run out to the commissary and the bx....I haven't been there since 2007 and I'll tell what a disgrace to the USAF....to see the headquarters trashed that I saw in another video just taken in 2009....I must say Chanute was a swinging base and glad my dad served.
squeakerini 1 year ago
this town (Rantoul) is a shit hole like no offense but property taxes are outragous here this town is nothing but a drug town now and cops wont do anything the base is terrable white hall is pretty much all white now and the theatre got torn down a few years ago i hate this town
kalelain 1 year ago
I was stationed here from Dec 87 to Apr 88, then returned in Nov 91 to Jan 92. It may sound silly but I had a really good time both times. May have just been the circumstances. It makes me sad. Those were some very good times. One of the most popular saying then was "Shoot me don't Chanute me" LOL but I never found that to be true at all.
gevans3523 1 year ago
@gevans3523 I was there from late Oct '91 to Dec '91 for tech school (POL). I also had a great time there and it makes me sad as well. I have a terribly strong sense of nostalgia for Chanute. I stayed in the southern facing "quad" dorm building on Borman Drive. I remember the first thing I did after our inbriefing was haul ass to that great BX for a pack of Camels! The food was good there too! Chanute was probably the happiest time in my life... at least the fondest in retrospect :-)
CSK225 1 month ago
Fire School 1979. I remember the heavy summer downpours that would literally overwhelm the gutters!! Had a B-29 on display right outside my quarters!!
ConvairDart106 1 year ago
I was stationed there from Sept thru Dec 1977. I was in the 54th school squadron. Aircraft Maint. Jet over two. 431x1 code. Anyone else stationed there then?
wv5003 1 year ago
Any AGE school grads in here?
AcebassII 1 year ago
I was stationed there in '77. Fire school. Any others from that school or time?
pasi9622 1 year ago
Please remind everyone that the base has since been designated by the EPA as a Priority SuperFund site, with asbestos buildings, dioxins and furans, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, in the soil, ground water, and leachate in buried hidden dumps. Even the hospital there was PCB contaminated. Unusual health problems? see your doctor, then a lawyer, then write your congressman.
Proof, see: epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/nar1615.htm
isom88811 1 year ago
Awesome... can't even use music on a slideshow without WMG approval. Bastards....
Carterjl2 1 year ago
loved that base
tobscad 1 year ago
I remember the A&W Root Beer joint in Rantoul. That does make me sad I was an AGE graduate in '68'...I left a part of me there. Of course most of the facilities I was at have been abandoned or torn down. Utapao doesn't look the same either...
AcebassII 1 year ago
Didn't support the military? What did you do for us? Car prices were jacked up because we had you airmen here. Only one grocery store in town, with high prices, but you had the commissary. Rent was high because you were here, and that goes all the way back to 1917! Military dependants effected our schools. The AF provided you with FREE baby delivery, but lousy wages. MSGTs had to bag groceries to pay their bills, leaving their teenagers to rip off stereos for money. Good riddance.
born2soon 2 years ago
Maybe some of those local people you talk about should have been a little more concerned with doing the right things instead of just trying rip off all those young GI's that had no choice but to be there!
fcmullins 1 year ago
@fcmullins Point well taken. ALL the businesses that were military oriented are gone. The back alley slums are torn down, and the car dealers (AMC, Chevrolet, , and Pontiac) sit empty. The townsfolk wouldn't to;erate the price gouging.
born2soon 1 year ago
Those were the Days! Little did we know!
jukeboxjo 2 years ago
I was there Oct '72 to Jan '73 Jet aircraft Over Two Engine School 431x1E :)
Mr Loug?? taught he class!! What happened to the old planes b-52 and b36? and Pizza Pop with the RC colas' Was in the new Barracks at the time!! Great Food out of Basic Training great Chow Hall! Hated the cotton face mask we had to wear when marching, Sliding to School in the dark!! COLD but on to Loring AFB, Maine and Kadena AFB , Okinawa!! Those were the days!! Didn't think so at the time!!!!!!!
jukeboxjo 2 years ago 2
There is a B-52 cockpit in the Aeromuseum. Remember all the airplanes that sat at the streetcorners? Most were sent to other airbases and Wright-Pat Museum. We are slowly tearing down the buildings and/or using them for other purposes. A plastic factory moved into Hangar 1 for 15 years... All the classrooms were gutted... "Buckingham Palace" will cost milliions to refurbish or millions to tear down, so it just sits there and gets vandalized. You would not recognize Rantoul or Chanute today.
born2soon 2 years ago
I used to live on Chanute as a kid. Father was part of the 3505th Recruiting Squadron. I remember all those planes on the street corners. Right now I live in Dayton, Oh and I literally live right next to the AF Museum at Wright-Patt AFB and go there often.
vexnsiolence 2 years ago
I was at Chanute in 73 and 74 and in 1984 , it was a beautiful base and is a shame to have let it rot away like that it should be kept as a memorial to the thousands of airmen who defended liberty throughout the world. Instead of wasting billions on arabs who are so backward it will take 5 centuries just to bring them to the 18th century.we could spend a billion on chanute to reopen it as a job training center and temporary housing for the poor.
eduardalet 2 years ago
It's not rotting away. We're utilizing the buildings for manufacturing, storage, and offices. White Hall is sitting there like the Titanic as it will cost millions to rehab it or millions to raze it. There's not enough room on this reply to tell you all that has been done. You would not recognize Rantoul or Chanute today. It was later admitted that Chanute was put on the list by mistake, but the list was all or nothing. It should never have closed.
born2soon 2 years ago
AGE school, 1968. That was depressing and made me feel very old.
AcebassII 2 years ago
I was there in late 1985 for fire school. had a great time. froze riding tailboard back from the burn house! rest in peace chanute.
terrybird33 2 years ago
We used statements like "the armpit of the Air Force" or "don't shoot 'em, Chanute 'em" in our descriptions of the base. I was there in 1971, right after they shut the run-ways down, for Life Support training.. and ended up there 2-years later as an instructor... but then I was from Peoria, 90 miles away.
gittar 2 years ago 2
AGE graduate and Red Rope, October 1963, went to Tyndall for a year then on to Yokota AB JP, Many trips to Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay & Ubon Thailand
dewsaw1 2 years ago
I attended Analog Flight Simulator School at Chanute from 1/76 through 8/76.
The money spent to run Chanute was not wasted. It helped to ensure US readiness to defend our freedoms and it produced many fine technicians that have gone out into the world and took advantage of their training (including me).
GregSr 2 years ago
That was a black dude you're thinking of...can't remember his name, but he looked like Forrest Whittaker. He was among the "STA's" that wore taps. Remember that shit?
qwest4knowledge 2 years ago
I was there from 1984 to 1993...closed the gates to the Jet Engine School. What a shame. Had some good memories there.
formula80 2 years ago
not much left on the base at chunute I was born there live in Rantoul my name is Rusty too,,,they tore down the old tradewinds ,,,its a ghost town out there
Dolphindream15 2 years ago
Thanks. I was there for Fire protection school in '89. Really sad to see it go to waste. I actually liked it there.
mrrod67 2 years ago
The base should have been closed (more appropriately demolished) way before I enlisted in the early 80s. By far, one of my worst assignments (I volunteered for a remote tour to leave that sh*thole) with credit going to the vociferously anti-military local community (like most bases located in the Northern U.S.). With the foisting of Magic Mulatto from Crook Co. on this Nation, I really detest the State of Illinois.
locknload4691 2 years ago
Yep, actually one of the guys from shield Chevrolet (they screwed over anyone, let alone military) is running the vehicle processing center in fairbanks AK. I'm glad I'm out of illinois. When my 3 years in alaska are done there are gunna be claw marks from my dorm to the airport...
rustycj7 2 years ago
@locknload4691 "vociferously anti-military local community (like most bases located in the Northern U.S.)" That was any community near a tech school. Biloxi and Wichita Falls were just as bad if not worse. I'm from Illinois, went to my 10 year high school reunion and a friends wedding in my blues. I got a lot of appreciation and respect. If you didn't leave the Rantoul area during your whole assignment. That's your fuck up.
xdassinx 1 year ago
@locknload4691 Amen, Brother! I went to that turd pile in '71 for Aircraft Maint School. I didn't care much about the base but I DESPISED Rantoul ! Those pukes absolutely hated us and gave us crap every time we ventured off base. I always hoped that those corn fed country turkeys lost all their jobs when they closed the place and that Rantoul just dried up and blew away!!
Snorkleslug 1 year ago
@Snorkleslug I spent my last two years of High School there. The place is a total mess now. Ironically, most of the high school grads from there (myself included) end up joining the military.
Place is over run by illegals and drug dealers... it's a really shitty place now-a-days. I'm glad I ended up getting stationed far away from there.
Also, I found out one of the car dealers that preyed on the Airmen ended up packing up and opening shot in Fairbanks AK, near Eielson AFB and Fort Wainwright.
rustycj7 1 year ago
I was a student at Chanute - twice - once as cryogenics Spec. 1963;(59th 'C' shift -- still remember) and again for missile propellants in 1965.
The great thing about being at Chanute was that I was a "seasoned SAC Trained Killer" by that time, while most everyone else was shipping out to Laos.
"It Was The Worst of Times, and The Best of Times." I'll always remember .........
billthearc 2 years ago
I just graduated from the security forces tech school this week. I'm coming back home to rantoul tomorrow. I'll be stopping by the base in full service dress...
rustycj7 2 years ago
Congratulation Rusty!! Say hello to the ole base for me.
greghol 2 years ago
Check tour PM Rusty.
greghol 2 years ago
@billthearc I was stationed at Chanute in '62 for Cryogenic Fluid Production. On to Wheelus AB for 18 mos. then Little Rock AFB. Cross-trained into Unconventional Fuels (Hypergolics-Titan ll's...OJT training on base.) Couldn't stand SAC so I volunteered for SE Asia in early '65. By May the AF was in bad need of experienced LOX guys so they broke their "12 mos. back in the US" regulation and cut my orders for SE Asia. Had to go back to Chanute for a 4 week Cryogenic refresher course.
35slantback 1 year ago
Sorry - typo in my previous post
Maintenance Data Systems Analyist October 1986 to January 1986 not 1996. Sorry for the confusion.
turnermkjd 3 years ago
I went to tech school 39130. Maintenance Data Systems Analyst - October 1986 - January 1996. What a great time we had once we were able to get off the base.
I returned to the base before it closed for advanced training. We were the last class to graduate. It was depressing then and more depressing to look at these pictures.
These will have to be memories that stay in my mind.
What a horrible waste.....
Good Luck Rantoul....
turnermkjd 3 years ago
My dad was an instructor there forever and we were one of the few families that didn't constantly move around alot. I grew up at Chanute, from age 2 to 16. That base was awesome and Sheppard A.F.B. sucks! Rantoul really was a great place to live and the education system is much better up north! It is sad to see it this condition. I was in the Navy and Ive seen worse bases! they shouldn't have closed it. I wish I was rich and could buy it all up.
swordofisis 3 years ago
Alot of the base is being used, alot of the housing is occupied, the boweling alley is now the new rantoul liberary, there is a new swimming pool, there are some businesses in some of the building but some of the building were not sold either due to dod, or rantoul restrictions. why didn't a grocery store go into the commissary because one family owns IGA and Savealot and stopped one from going in. I lived in rantoul 69-81 and my Dad moved in 2004.just a little bit of politics there.
tofogurl 3 years ago
I was a USMC student at Chanute during the winter of 1984/1985. What a great place to be a 17 year old Marine! I remember watching the movie Red Dawn (during President Reagan's part of the Cold War) at the base theater and hanging out at the enlisted club. The people in Rantoul were very friendly. I visited the base about 3 years ago and was sorry see the condition its now in. What a waste!
okiedokie1966 3 years ago
Unfortunately, to read about it in the local papers they've sugar coated the waste by pointing out that a couple of the old buildings are being used...
rustycj7 3 years ago
I was a student at Chanute in early 1982, and an Instructor at White Hall from 1985 thru 1897. 2 days ago I rode over the Rantoul on my motorcycle. It is about 3 hrs. from where I live now. Town looked good, but I could not believe the shape the base was in. It is terrible the way the old historic building have been left to decay. I am glad some of the base has been able to be used, but disappointed that the older building are being left to crumble. I could not believe it. I was very sad to see.
icengineer42 3 years ago
I grew up in Rantoul. Moved there in '71 when my dad got stationed there as a weather instructor. I never felt like we didn't support the military.
dgarard795 3 years ago
Thought some of those photos looked familiar, I took those and submitted them to abandonedbutnotforgotten! You should give credit where it's due!
manteno 3 years ago
I put the addresses of the websites at the end of the video.
rustycj7 3 years ago
I was born in the hospital on the base in 1981and stayed there for 9 years then moved all over the place but Rantoul/Chanute will always be home
illnicka81 3 years ago
I graduated from Chanute in 1982..I guess the marching to school..for 8 hours..then from school to study for another 3 hours is the most memorable...taking the train into Chicago for the weekend...I studied fuel system mechanics..to go on and work for PAN AM til they dissolved..too bad to see what it has become
DanniMase 3 years ago
I also graduated from Chanute AFB in May 1982. I remember watching the movie 'Strips' when it came to the movie theater there on base. I was in Aerospace Ground Equipment. It was a very cold winter there in 1981/1982. Don't remember much else. Went on to Eastern Airlines and currently at American.
redfireroush 3 years ago
Definately Goodtimes was spent there. Met my first wife there. We have a son, 27 now, born at Clark AB. Remember the Pit & Ping and Rantoul Motel? - Great Times. Went thru Tech School as an AGE Mechanic, yup this Hawaiian got his first taste of WINTER. Huge Waste - they should have turned it over to the community. Good use may have come from it. Us Hawaiians even made a Luau sponsored by the YMCA in Rantoul for the public with hula dancing, hawaiian music and huli-huli pig. Aloha, Oct80-Jan81
B8Cast 3 years ago
Chanute AFB was the home of the 505th Air Force Band of the Midwest,The Pacesetters Jazz Ensemble. I arrived fresh out of basic training 01 Dec 1988, with my Tenor Saxophone and PCSed on July 28th, 1991. The old band hall is torn down, and the old Airmans club is used for a construction dumping facility! It's so sad! I remember how proud we were to serve there. The flight line was not operational, but the chow hall won the award for best in the Air Force! I miss those days! RIP Chanute AFB
kingkoeller 3 years ago
When the base was active, it was a thing of beauty. Troops marching to and from school. Base parades on the flight line. A thousand troops in formation. Schools producing men and women to feed our nation's defense machine. The greates Air Force in the world. I was a jet mech instructor from Sep 69 thru Feb 78. Rantoul was a great town who made us feel welcome. Thank you Rantoul. I had my two daughter there. Many wonderful friends. Good memories. It was a great place. Chanute AFB IL 61866
citytwo02 3 years ago
had my tech school there in 89. sad to see the condition of the place.
g2145cal 3 years ago
my fathers a CMSgnt. in the airforce at Scott AFB and we just visited this AFB it was in bad shape the vandalism was outragous
spiritsoldier415 3 years ago
"...what does it have to stand for it?" What was it all for you ask? Russian isn't the official language in the U.S.; we won the cold war.
Chief Master Sergeant USAF: Chanute AFB Jet Engine Mechanic School spring 1983
spiritsoldier415 3 years ago
On that level, yes it did help win the cold war and that I fully acknowledge... However, The younger generation (which im almost ashamed to admit being apart of) forgets the sacrifices and dedicated work that want into the base. Now it's just a place for teens to break into and get drunk and stoned.
rustycj7 3 years ago
My dad was stationed here in 1966 to 1970. I had many memories here and was one of the best times of my life. We lived on the corner of Arnold Dr(now Colier) and Marco. Anyone remember Rabbit Hill? This was the dirt that was dug out for the hospital and placed just south of the hospital. Jack rabbits in the summer and snow sledding during the winter. We have 8mm movies of the 4 years we spent here. Memories
greghol 4 years ago
My grandpa transfered here in 1968. Then after graduation my dad joined in 1969 and retired in 1999. Needless to say i'm expected to follow in their footsteps.
rustycj7 4 years ago
i went to tech school there from sept 91' to march of 92'. i was EE, electro environmental sys spec. i remember what a cold, depressing place it was in the middle of nowhere.
0920197234 4 years ago
This video made my cry. Thank you for the memories. Yet I don't miss it, I do regret that it is in such a dire state. Just sad. It is a lifetime ago, and yet seems as if it wasn't even real when I watched this. My son was born on that base.. IN that hosptial in 1985. All I can say is WOW what a WASTE the Government has created. HOMELESS people in the US could use a helping hand? They should come up with a USE for this place.. WOW FACTOR on a scale of 1 to 10 would be a TEN!
nannetta 4 years ago
They used the hospital at one point to house migrant farm workers. I dont now what it is used for now. Last time I was their to visit was in 1981. Id like to get back. The two bases that was shut down in the Sacramento area was cleaned up and made into thriving industrial business centers. (Mather AFB and McClellan AFB) Nice and clean. Chanute deserves the same.
greghol 4 years ago
They did come up with a use for this place...the hospital houses migrant workers and ALL housing has been sold to individuals who have refurbished them into beautiful HOMES, not cookie cutter housing the Air Force required. One dormitory is now an assisted living facility. Manufacturing companies have moved into the hangars. The library is a Developmental Services Center, and the bowling alley is our library. If it was a wood building it is gone, or soon to be. Don't cry. We're not.
born2soon 2 years ago
wow i was there from jan 91 to jun 91 in the EE school.
shoottrue 4 years ago
I must say, I like your username (I'm a competitive shooter). It is a shame how this base has gone under. Currently the closest base to here is Scott AFB, which chances are, will be my duty station after graduation when I enlist.
rustycj7 4 years ago
Went through the Fire School during the winter of 1977. Coldest I've been in my entire life. Also, there was a measles epidemic that winter. Ahhhh ... memories. Too bad Chanute has been allowed to run down like that.
Jack57Wms 4 years ago
I was born on that base! :) Sad to see such a large area turn into a pile of rubish... Here in WI we have an old bomb making plant that is run down, but them fuckers still gaurd it hardcore!
krustynut 4 years ago
I know Chanute was only an Air Training Command base. But as the clowns in DC get us into quagmire unjustified wars like Iraq,They continue to downsize an overstretched military and close bases and cut spending while China is massively expanding and modernizing their military forces. We are gonna end up in trouble.
BrynMawrYamBag 4 years ago
whoa, what a difference a couple of decades make. I was born in Rantoul and moved away at age 15 in 1985. Good to see how things are.
EasilyOdd 4 years ago
yea I just moved in last year and plan on moving out after I graduate...
rustycj7 4 years ago
Was a Fire Instructor there from 1990 -1993, when moved to Texas.
rob80nikki 4 years ago
I was at Chanute from Aug.-Nov. '74 for Acft. Maint. training(3369!). Lotta good memories. Champaign-Urbana best places to come of age!
Originalbud55 4 years ago
Brings back a few...I trained for Weather Observer in 1984 and Weather Forecaster in 1986-1987. Man the time flies. I had some interesting memories from this place. A form of coming of age in so many ways.
jwperry123 4 years ago
i like this version of message in a bottle... who is it?
sheshercat 4 years ago
If I recall correctly its Machinehead
rustycj7 4 years ago
I was an Air Force "brat" in the early 70's at Chanute. Good memories of that place. NCO patches on my swimsuits, swivel seats on the golf course, the crabapple trees we'd use for crabapple fights, 1319-B Talbott Rd (our base housing where I'd go out my window to the carport roof to go across to my best friend's window). Too bad it is no longer. RIP
sheshercat 4 years ago
WOW!! The only TECH School I ever knew.From Nov-Jan '82 was there for POL School.Cross-trained to Weather and was there from Jul-Oct '86 for Oserving School.Returned May-Oct '89 for Forecasting School.Upon arrival for Forecasting School saw all the "DON'T BE CRUEL SAVE RANTOUL" signs.Our Forecasting class was the 1st to grad fr the new Weather Building.Actually had to give up a week end to move all the stuff from old-new building.
stracu 4 years ago
I'm not sure. He was skinny and pretty homo looking. I think he smoked Virginia Slims cigarettes... heh heh.
veedub87 4 years ago
Right on man! At least you got to go to Cali. I got stuck up at Minot AFB for my whole gig. Had I stayed in, I'm quite sure I'd be at Vandyland now as an instructor.
veedub87 4 years ago
Do you happen to remember Sgt Braun? He was an STA/MTM. I hated that effer.
veedub87 4 years ago
Autumn 1992 to Winter 1993. I was in one of the last 2 or 3 Missile Maintenance classes that went thru Chanute before everything moved to Vandy. 3362 STUS.
veedub87 4 years ago 2
Wow. I was there for weather observing school in the fall of '91. They'd just built a 15 million dollar state-of-the-art weather building a year or two prior. What a waste that turned out to be since they only got a few yrs use out of it. I have some great memories of Chanute, Rantoul and Champaign...sad to see the place turn out like that. Oddly enough, I now live near another base that was closed in the 70s. It looks worse, but it also appears Chanute is heading in that same direction.
burtburt69 4 years ago 3
wow, I didn't know about the weather build costing that much...
rustycj7 4 years ago
Yeah, and to make matters worse, they built ON the runway. Right smack dab in the middle of it.
burtburt69 4 years ago
burtburt69, I was there for weather observing school from Aug-oct 1990. I remember the new building just opening. You could still smell the newness of it all. I had great memories of the place. It was a much better place than Lackland basic training. I wonder if they abandoned the new weather school building. After all it is was only 3 years old when the base closed.
grwhi065 4 years ago
from apearence most of the facilitys are ruins. The airport itself is now used for civilian aircraft, R/c plane contests, and autoracing... besides that and going by appearences im not too sure about the rest.
rustycj7 4 years ago
That building now contains the customer service center for AT&T wireless.
dgarard795 3 years ago
i live in gifford 6 miles east of there and it is sad all the resources that are not being used there
i believe they lifted the ban on the fish in that lake though
gfpd2722 4 years ago
yea it is sad. I was out there about 6 months ago and the sign was still out there but that could just mean they didn't take the signs out...idk
rustycj7 4 years ago
i am not quite sure i just heard that you could fish there again
gfpd2722 4 years ago
Thanks for the video, Jet Mech school, late '83 to early '84.
dean350b 4 years ago
Didn't even know it had closed! Stationed there in '81 in the 3702 Training Squadron. Stayed in the WWII-era barracks most of the time. Luckily it was only four months, but I have some fond memories all the same.
sliptip 4 years ago
Nice pix. Was there in '83.
jrg8008 4 years ago
Wow. I was at Chanute winter/spring of 1982. What a shame. I reconise some of those buildings,especialy the theaters. I think I saw the Airmans club in those pictures also.
JamesDamit 4 years ago 2
yea, its all in shambles right now, quite a shame...
rustycj7 4 years ago
So sad. I was there winter of 1990 for ALS (Aircrew Life Support) School.
StringBolt 4 years ago
Was a dep child there in 1952-1954. My dad was an instructor. I went to the elem school withing walking dist. of our home in the then new housing (a sea of mud the firs winter). Hoping to get there this summer if possible to get on the site.
mrcart 4 years ago
I was stationed at Chanute back in 1984. It was a pretty nice base as I recall. I went back there in 2002 and the difference was astounding. Despite all the negatives, I did find one of my old classrooms was converted into a museum. Its the largest aerospace museum in Illinios. There having their First Annual Chanute Air Festival this summer I just discovered, so there is a ray of light on an otherwise sad situation: Goggle their site: Chanute Air Museum
teako170 4 years ago
Thanks, I'm looking at the site right now.
jrg8008 4 years ago
My sister was born there in 1971
monkeybuttX 4 years ago
I was assigned to the 3345th CES. I got there Dec. 22, 1988 and stayed until 2 years after base closure. I was glad to see that someone could see what I saw. The Company that took over maint. of the building for the AF after closure was Johnson Controls World Services. I finally left in 1995. I prefer to remember it was the day I got there, but the sad reality is...it's not. Thanks for the video. I hope others find it too and can see what happened to our base.
3345CES 5 years ago
cool, yea my dad's friend vera was also stationed there and I made it half-way with the intent of letting her show some of her friends in the american legion, I heard quite a few enjoyed it also.. thanks
rustycj7 5 years ago
So sad, but so true. Rantoul really had a good thing when the base closed. Lots of opportunities, but then the mayor brought down a little piece of the ghetto from Chicago. Now no developers will go near the old base. Makes me sad and a bit angry to see how that beautiful base was just left to fall apart. I saw it first hand in October and your pictures are a great sample of what it has become. Nice work!
Brandonrobert76 5 years ago
Thanks... yea We imported a Huge piece of chicago. sad thing is there gun-hating politics are coming down with them. However thats another subject.
rustycj7 5 years ago
That is soooo sad. Fire school. summer of 91
HockeyMetalRPG 5 years ago
My dad was there, CMSG Ronald Beatty, he was a medic though. Personally im enlisting after my senior year and I want something to do with you armory.
rustycj7 5 years ago
Crazy. I remember when Chanute was fully operational. It's funny how things end up.
xtreme17nc13 5 years ago