I attended an eight month class at White Hall from 1974 to 1975. After completing school, I served in a role of close air support to protect our troops on the ground. In light of current world affairs, it is frightening to see our defensive systems slowly erode, our troop numbers decrease and top military aircraft slowly diminish. I’m sad to see the erosion of a fine institution. I'm glad to have served during a time when we had the tools to get the job done.
I went through Chanute for Crash\Rescue training. I was there from November 1977 to January 1978. Very cold wind chill. I did not get to see outside much. Domino's delivery was very busy. Left there and went home on leave before going to Clark, A.B. Philippines. Home was So. Boston and we had the blizzard of '78'. 55" of snow in two days. I was glad I was at home rather than Chanute.
Someday, I'd love to travel to New Zealand. I've seen pictures. You certainly live in a beautiful country. I have been to Thailand. I flew there myself. (Well, not quite by myself. I had a few hundred passengers)
My wife's father was in the Thai Airforce and served time at Chanute. My wife's name is Chanute. I am a Kiwi and we now live in New Zealand. I too were in the NZ airforce
I was at Chanute from Sept 1991 - Jan 92. Though it was many years after you and it was already on the BRAC list, I still enjoyed my time there. My AFSC was 2A5X1 which was merged from the welder/machinist jobs. A lot probably changed in the years between our time there, but I bet we used the same damn buffers. :)
Great video and brought back a lot of different but positive memories of my own.
@Harleypilot767 I live on the old base.. just came upon this video... the base looks now nothing like it did in these pictures, everything abandon and falling apart.. kinda sad
The retiree affairs and base historian from the closure, CMSgt ret Don Weckhorst (who also taught Parkland CC classes on base and I had for personnel mgt class) used to be listed in the museum staff, he might have retired out of it as he was getting older - the staff would love copies of your pics and stuff anyway especially of the same building the musuem occupies. You probably know some old Hounddog folks too from then. The museum has a site at aeromuseum (google it as Chanute AFB museum)
Don is still around there, I found a video here on Youtube with him in it. Search for "Chanute Air Force Base Documentary" posted by tbrassf2 - that's him talking it so the museum staff can probably hook you up with him, or anyone else that has Chanute Field or Chanute AFB memorabilia they can use.
Wow this goes way back -1505's especially. I went in Jun 76 and went to Lowry AFB for my 316x1L training, went to Nellis till Dec 80 then till Dec 82 in Iceland when they merged it with ammo (461x0) and I retrained into 316X0T SRAM/ALCM/ACM - in Grisson Hall as well. Went to Plattsburgh till Jun 85 when I went back to Chanute as an instructor, in Grissom Hall on the opposite end. The wooden dorms were torn down around 88 except the one they used for correctional near the main gate...
They shut down the airfield about 76, probably what killed Chanute for the base closure folks. They closed Chanute in 93, I was one of the people to close the gate behind us. Grissom Hall is now the Chanute Museum and the rest of the base was sold or is rotting in place. Last I saw and heard White Hall where we both did Electronics Principles (and I taught EP in for a while) is rotting away unused. They reopened the runways for light aircraft but they pretty much ruined a nice base. ..
White Hall is used as a storage facility for NASCAR tires. Yes, it is rotting away. It'll take millions to tear it down or millions to fix it up. Vandals burglarize it and we lost a drug dog a few years back. It chased a burglar off a three story roof. The dog died, the burglar got away. We now have a top notch airport and several new buildings on base. Chanute was put on the closure list because you can't play golf in the winter. Thanks to the elitist pig officer bastards.
I attended an eight month class at White Hall from 1974 to 1975. After completing school, I served in a role of close air support to protect our troops on the ground. In light of current world affairs, it is frightening to see our defensive systems slowly erode, our troop numbers decrease and top military aircraft slowly diminish. I’m sad to see the erosion of a fine institution. I'm glad to have served during a time when we had the tools to get the job done.
SSgt, USAF 1974 - 1981
1974Airman 4 months ago
I went through Chanute for Crash\Rescue training. I was there from November 1977 to January 1978. Very cold wind chill. I did not get to see outside much. Domino's delivery was very busy. Left there and went home on leave before going to Clark, A.B. Philippines. Home was So. Boston and we had the blizzard of '78'. 55" of snow in two days. I was glad I was at home rather than Chanute.
PFD935 1 year ago
Someday, I'd love to travel to New Zealand. I've seen pictures. You certainly live in a beautiful country. I have been to Thailand. I flew there myself. (Well, not quite by myself. I had a few hundred passengers)
Harleypilot767 1 year ago
My wife's father was in the Thai Airforce and served time at Chanute. My wife's name is Chanute. I am a Kiwi and we now live in New Zealand. I too were in the NZ airforce
chanute1 1 year ago
awesome video, airforce security polce 91-93 toby, one of the last on the active base
tobscad 1 year ago
Chanute January 1976 April 1976 So many good memorues. A BEER Machine. LOL
kev53222 1 year ago
I was at Chanute from Sept 1991 - Jan 92. Though it was many years after you and it was already on the BRAC list, I still enjoyed my time there. My AFSC was 2A5X1 which was merged from the welder/machinist jobs. A lot probably changed in the years between our time there, but I bet we used the same damn buffers. :)
Great video and brought back a lot of different but positive memories of my own.
qwest4knowledge 2 years ago
Thanks...I can still remember Chanute like it was yesterday. My Father was there too in the 40's when he was in the Army Air Corps.
Harleypilot767 2 years ago
@Harleypilot767 I live on the old base.. just came upon this video... the base looks now nothing like it did in these pictures, everything abandon and falling apart.. kinda sad
west156 1 year ago
The retiree affairs and base historian from the closure, CMSgt ret Don Weckhorst (who also taught Parkland CC classes on base and I had for personnel mgt class) used to be listed in the museum staff, he might have retired out of it as he was getting older - the staff would love copies of your pics and stuff anyway especially of the same building the musuem occupies. You probably know some old Hounddog folks too from then. The museum has a site at aeromuseum (google it as Chanute AFB museum)
rhblakeman 2 years ago
Don is still around there, I found a video here on Youtube with him in it. Search for "Chanute Air Force Base Documentary" posted by tbrassf2 - that's him talking it so the museum staff can probably hook you up with him, or anyone else that has Chanute Field or Chanute AFB memorabilia they can use.
rhblakeman 2 years ago
Wow this goes way back -1505's especially. I went in Jun 76 and went to Lowry AFB for my 316x1L training, went to Nellis till Dec 80 then till Dec 82 in Iceland when they merged it with ammo (461x0) and I retrained into 316X0T SRAM/ALCM/ACM - in Grisson Hall as well. Went to Plattsburgh till Jun 85 when I went back to Chanute as an instructor, in Grissom Hall on the opposite end. The wooden dorms were torn down around 88 except the one they used for correctional near the main gate...
rhblakeman 2 years ago
They shut down the airfield about 76, probably what killed Chanute for the base closure folks. They closed Chanute in 93, I was one of the people to close the gate behind us. Grissom Hall is now the Chanute Museum and the rest of the base was sold or is rotting in place. Last I saw and heard White Hall where we both did Electronics Principles (and I taught EP in for a while) is rotting away unused. They reopened the runways for light aircraft but they pretty much ruined a nice base. ..
rhblakeman 2 years ago
White Hall is used as a storage facility for NASCAR tires. Yes, it is rotting away. It'll take millions to tear it down or millions to fix it up. Vandals burglarize it and we lost a drug dog a few years back. It chased a burglar off a three story roof. The dog died, the burglar got away. We now have a top notch airport and several new buildings on base. Chanute was put on the closure list because you can't play golf in the winter. Thanks to the elitist pig officer bastards.
born2soon 2 years ago