Chanute AFB Memories 1973

SlideShow Memories of my days stationed at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Illinos in 1973. I was in training as a 'Missle Systems Analyst Specialist' for Minuteman ICBMs. I started out in the 'Transient' Barracks in Jan 73 then moved to the Korean Barracks directly behing the very entertaining 'Airmans Club' We had strippers. The NCO club did not!! I don't know everyone's name. The ones I remember are in the tags. I returned in 74 for a short TDY and ran into my Lackland 'T.I.' Ssgt Will Turner. My girlfriend got him a date and we double dated that night. She was a WAF, and the prettiest one on the base. We never married but I remember her fondly. A nice Lady!!

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• Ron rogowski
• Roger maufort
• Kevin Torkelson

[Harleypilot767]

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)

[qwest4knowledge]

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]

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.

[1974Airman]

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

[PFD935]

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.

[chanute1]

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

[west156]

@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

[tobscad]

awesome video, airforce security polce 91-93 toby, one of the last on the active base

[kev53222]

Chanute January 1976 April 1976 So many good memorues. A BEER Machine. LOL

[born2soon]

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.