Return to Comiso Air Station 2010 - Abandoned but Never forgotten

[1Skyforce]

Hi Daniell, Thank you so much for the taking the time to answer and post the video about the best year of my life, bar none!! And I thank God for the friends, the traveling and experiences that Comiso Air Station gave to me that I carry on to this day. Sad yes, but Mission Accomplished! I have three pieces of the Berlin Wall that I look at every day. A constant reminder of our dedication to duty, honor and country. God Bless The USA!!

[thetrifakta]

Thank you for this!

I lived there '88-91ish. I was in 8th grade going into 9th grade stateside then.

Amazing video, mixed emotions.

How did you get on base to get these photos? I would love to spend a day walking around......

Thanks again

[TheTGibby]

Daniell,

I concur on the video, pics and sound track are so good. I was there in the last year, 90-91. We all thought the base was being demilitarized for a return to the Italian Air Force to use for theirs and civilian purposes, but I can tell you right now those pics are like the days we closed many of those buildings. Sad, so sad. We were there when Iraq invaded Kuwait and the days we spent on alert during Operations Desert Shield/Storm.

SSgt Tim "Gibby" Gibson, Ret, 2189th Comm Sq

[treeape69]

wow nice video i was there from march 85 till sept 86 i put up almost all the razor tape around the missiles.it's sad they couldn't do something with the base. it was a great palce to be station. sgt. john ryan

[GeorgieEyahxxxxxx]

Hi great video..I was here in 1990 with the coles family Ron lisa.. lauren and Adam.. if anyone knows them please tell them to contact me on facebook..MAXINE AYRES..thank you we had a fab time here...it is very sad to see this.. but pleased you did it... memories ...god bless xxxxxxxxx

[redricard]

Thanks for the wonderful album. I served in the command post in 89 and 90. Comiso was a good assignment. Sadly, the base has been allowed to rot away into oblivion. Peter Ricard

[NieNi3r]

when I saw the base housing literally brought tears to my eyes! Im courious if the street I lived on was shown. I have home footage of out home there so to see the inside of some of them like that just brought me back to that time!

[NieNi3r]

this is awesome! My father was stationed here in 87-88 I believe! Seeing this brings back memories! We where lucky enought to go with him and attended school here! I cant believe this is what has become of it. I would love to go back! Thanks for this.

[papacalzone1]

I was stationed in Comiso in 1984 on a one year remote. I don't remember a lot of the pictures as a lot of what you took was not there yet. Thank You - I has been doing a lot of reminising lately and finding this was nice. Thanks. Steve Calzone, Comiso A.S. Fire Dept 1984

[SgtRock57]

I was at Comiso from the start ('83-'84) I recall the mud and the joy of getting concrete side walks. We were billeted down town with the locals and they found us quite odd. I remember Christmas and the base hosting some orphans. I bought a doll for a little girl and she was so happy. I also recall some tragedies, . overall , it was a memorable tour. Thanks for posting.

[sopmastertbill]

My father served at Comiso AS for one year '86-87. We were not able to join him on his remote tour. I remember the tan he had when he got back. He looked like George Hamilton. I can only imagine the weather he had there for that year. I remember he brought picture home of Mt. Etna erupting and sheep herds that clogged the streets. Thanks for posting this. Its the tour I never got to have and now that he is gone, its a great way to remember him. Thank you!

[1Skyforce]

@sopmastertbill

Hi, I probably ran into your father, maybe, maybe not. I was in the 487th SPS, Delta Flight. The GAMA Tower and Central Security Control were my homes for the year I was there. I was in the tower the day Etna erupted and I remember the sheep and the truckers strike and Maj. Mason. God only knows how much I miss the people and the country. Best year of my life.

[usaf317]

@1Skyforce I worked in the GAMA is an SP also. 90-91...i think i was D flight

[japanbrats]

Awesome video Daniell. Your photography and soundtrack are superb. It gave me chills. And, as someone else said before, really sad. I want to put together similar videos of some of the abandoned bases and installations in Japan and yours gave me inspiration. Incidentally, I'm afraid this is what MCAS Futenma will look like in a few years if the Japanese and Okinawans have their way. I would've thought the Sicilian and Italian governments could've done something with Comiso. What a waste.

[419Cyberspace]

Thank you for making this video. I was stationed there from Aug 89 - Aug 90, & I consider it my favorite year! Thank you for bringing back many fond memories... The base will always hold a special place in my heart...

[Wunder50]

Wow. This was beautiful and sad. We had a mission over there and now to see it as a ghost town is really hard to take. Thanks for putting this together, sure brought back lots of memories. I worked at the Chapel when it was new (shown at the very beginning) and this jarred lots of memories.

[Sub0wins1]

I was there in '90 and had good friends in base housing that lived on Pisa street they had cookouts all the time. I miss those days.

[SgtRock57]

Good ole Comiso. I got there in '83 when we had no paved roads. As you walked in the mud, you gained a couple of inches in height. Me and two other guys started the first martial arts school there. We had a few students, but we had fun. Remember that Bob? I was one of the rare individuals who had a car there, so I got to see a lot of the countryside. I must say my initial impression of Comiso was OH NO!, but looking back, it was a great tour..

[Matrix8369]

wow now that brings back memories. My family was stationed there for about 2 years back when I was little. I think I went to preschool and kindergarden during that time. My parents are Tom/Barb Wilson if any of you want to get in touch with them let me know and I will pass your information along to them. I was the youngest that road my little bike every place lol. Its so sad seeing this place so over grown. I loved living here.

[NIKILUPIN]

.....ho fatto il militare qui'.....gia' nel 95 non c'erano piu' gli americani.....oggi vedendo queste immagini..mi viene un nodo alla gola......grazie per le foto...bellissime.....oggi pagherei per rifare un giro li' .....

[fcmullins]

It's a shame how much money the US put in just to walk away. I was never there but I was TDY to NAS Sigonella in 1983 when they were flying the missles in to be trucked to Comiso.

[japanbrats]

@fcmullins Yeah, it was the same way with Tachikawa Air Base, Johnson AB, Camp Drake, Fuchu Air Station and plenty others in Japan that were established after World War II. Each was like a slice of home...Small Town America in a foreign land. Then, in the '70s with the end of 'Nam, we just walked away. I've gone back since to visit and they're in a lot worse shape than Comiso. Virtual ghost towns. So sad to see.

[Quiptos]

Wow thanks so much for the video, I have seen a couple on here but never caught my mural in the BCC. I think it's at about 3:14 in there, I still have my drawings for creating it but never thought I would get a picture of it. Camera's were a big nono in there back when I painted it!

[MOESZY25]

THANKS FOR THE WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE.WAS THERE IN 86.487TH SUPS.

[1Skyforce]

Thanks for the video, I served with the 487th Security Police Squadron from May 86 to May 87. Best assignment I ever had. I practically lived in the tower in the GAMA and was up there with Col. Cleveland when we went operational in June 86. My email is Skyforce1@msn.com. SSgt JM Fricano

[stuckintruck5897]

thats sad.....i was there from like 89 to 90,i loved it there...miss the people i met

[jcdramaqueen]

Thank you for this video. My father was stationed here and we moved there when I was in Kindergarden and left when I was in second grade. I have fond memories of Comiso and I can't believe what it looks like now. The pictures of base housing really got to me. I've always wanted to go back. December 86 to December 88

[othreeeleven]

holy shit my stepdad was stationed here..I was like 5 or 6 and remember alot of these places thanks..I just posted it to my moms wall..shes been wanting to go back and has no idea its abandoned

[hunterkiller45]

where is this

[Gilmore2325]

Thank you for sharing! I made a lot of friends there and had a great time! That brings back a lot of great memories. I was there in 86, 87? i think.

Lori

[rocktashot]

wow great pics i live here in the US. my family is from Scoglitti a small town which is near by and everyone always told me how nice every one was from the base. have those kids drawings been there for all that time ?

[plem42]

Very sad indeed. I was stationed there from 84-85 met my daughters mother and now my daughter is in the USAF.

[crossstick]

I was stationed the same time (jan '87 - jan '88) doing GLCM dispersals during a time when the base was really starting to develop, so I agree that these photos are quite sad.

[cornishrob123]

what a great place for a comune

[hockeycapt4]

that could be turned into some prime real-estate

[britjmcnab]

Wow-thank you so much for posting this. My ex husband and I were stationed here at the end of 88-90 and had many great memories. I often wondered how it looks now, andam saddened :-( I am going to show my daughter this s she lived here as a baby and is now a junior at the air force academy. Thankyou again

[futureunset]

oh my god i was there 1988-1989 i cant believe what has happened to the place we called home,fell in love there with a lovely sicilian,at the time transportation squad being run by incompetent ncoic so i chose to leave have regetted since,thanks for the shock of what is left,scottbraund 487th mobiledecon

[Morfeo28569]

semplicemente vergognoso

[bkurowski]

Wow...This was fantastic, but super sad. I remember the pool, the Burger Bar playing Motley Crue on the juke box, the school. My dad was the Hospital Commander there from 89 - 91, and it's crazy to see the deterioration.

[hsdgasgd]

ciao daniel hai fatto proprio un buon lavoro!!!

ma mi chiedevo? la polizia non ti ha contattato ?non ti hanno ancora arrestato??

[ColleenYT]

Molto grazie, dominicteretto! How very poignant! I'm SWBaileyYT's mother, who was there with him. I echo his sentiments. So very sad that it was left to just fall down. So much life was there! I will send you pictures of happier days. :D Ciao!

[SWBaileyYT]

My dad (and our family) was stationed there from '89-'91. Thanks for the walk down memory lane even if it's a bit sad to see such a wonderful place of some of my best childhood memories so left to fall apart.

Thanks again.

[pigncs]

As CMB said, wasn't that much there in the early 80's, but I loved the time I spent there.

Especially the food. I would've definitely looked for a long tour if it had stayed open.

[ClosedMindedBastage]

Thanks for sharing these photos, brings back many memories of my time stationed at Comiso AS, though most of those building weren't there in 83/84.

[1wesleyboggs1]

Thank you so much, Daniell. And thank you a million times for going to our house one last time...

[ERKTURK1000]

Many thanks to Daniell. I was there from 1983 until 1991. There wasn't much there in 1983 and I took down the flag at the last ceremony and we drove out the front gate. Every photograph brings back great memories. I still have friends in the city of Comiso and Ragusa I keep in touch with. I will pass this on to other Air Force members who were there.

[dominicteretto]

thank you very much.... it took me 3 days walking arround inside the base to take all those pics... but i think it was worth it :-)