Almaden Air Force Station Reunion 2006
682nd Radar Squadron (AC&W)
United States Air Force
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All rights reserved.
Mt. Umunhum
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Click on each photo below to enlarge to 1024x768 high resolution.
Waiting at the gate.
MidPen was very gracious to host this event and let the AAFS veterans check out the base.
Parked at the motor pool.
The ranger giving everyone instructions. (no structure entry!)
The bowling alley was one of the first buildings they went to.
The veterans were so excited to start their tour.
The lower base gate was opened and everyone walked down.
The road down to the lower base area.
Looking left to the doors of the recreation center.
Various photos of the lower base buildings
(non-residential...i.e. dispensary, Open
Mess, Chapel, Recreation center)
One of the residential buildings.
Everyone was abuzz with stories and conversation.
It was great to see all the smiles.
This truly was a special moment for these people who have not been here
since at
least 26 years ago...most of them at least 30 or 40 more years ago.
Jack Smith taking video of the pool.
Jack was a dependent there in the early 70's while his father was the medic at
the station.
Looking back at the motor pool area.
BOQ, Orderly Room, and Squadron Headquarters.
Guard post for the Operations area.
Misc pictures half way up the summit road.
Road to summit.
Warehouse supply and equipment storage
Engineering building sign.
End of the road...the old MPS tower platform.
AN/FPS-24 radar tower. (80 feet tall)
Doors of the FPS-24 radar tower. Welded shut and then metal bars welded across the
doors. There are obvious signs of forced entry (or attempted entry
maybe before the bars were welded on). It looks like someone took a
crowbar to these doors. It is illegal to enter this building, not to
mention unhealthy...there are high amounts of lead and asbestos.
Visible structural damage possibly from the Loma Prieta quake of 1989.
MPS height finder tower platform. The writing says "Height does it up and
down".
Looking inside the Training Room (old GATR) through the open door.
Looking in from a broken window outside.
Walking around the Training Room.
Channels all over the upper summit area which routed wiring and power lines to
all the buildings.
These are the support bases for the old MPS height finder tower.
Entrance to the underground fallout shelter.
At the bottom of the stairs was a decontamination "shower".
Rear (east facing) side of the FPS tower.
Warehouse storage and equipment supply building.
Walking up to the rear of the engineering building (facing west)
Helipad. (old AN/FPS-20 foundation)
Standing on the helipad looking east toward the
engineering building.
Behind the engineering building - concrete foundation supports for the original
MPS height
finder tower.
Looking back down the road from the summit
Diesel generator power building
Two of the veterans walking up the road to the summit.
The Ranger said we were OK to drive to the summit.
That was very nice of MidPen to allow that as some of the veterans were in
wheelchairs or could barely walk.
The AAFS veterans at the summit.
Group photos! (both also enlarged below).
Please feel free to link to these photos or download them, but please be sure to mention my name and give credit where credit is due. Please email me for name and contact info.
Thanks and hope you enjoyed the photos. I enjoyed my visit with the AAFS veterans and their families at this very special event and I am thankful to have been there to photograph it for them and you..
STRICT WARNING: Mt. Umunhum and the former Almaden Air Force Station are both off limits to public access and are PRIVATE PROPERTY (well marked as such). The area is heavily patrolled both day and night and is under camera surveillance 24 hours a day. Being caught up there can net you a misdemeanor trespassing violation (MROSD ord. 805.2B) resulting in fines of $300 or worse! Criminal charges may be brought upon you if you are caught on this military facility. Consider this fair warning.
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