Suffolk County AFB

THE BELOW PICTURES ARE TAKEN AT SUFFOLK COUNTY AIR FORCE BASE  NEW YORK L.I. SOME WERE DURING OPEN HOUSE AND SOME WHERE DURING BASE OPERATIONS THE AIR DEFENSE COMMAND (ADC) MISSION WAS TO DEFEND THE REGION FROM SOVIET AIRCRAFT WHAT WAS THEN THE ENEMY, SOVIET BOMBERS CARRYING ATOMIC WEAPONS WOULD ROUTINELY FLY UP AND DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND THEY WOULD PLAY GAMES AS THEY DRIFTED INTO US AIRSPACE CAUSING INTERCEPTORS TO SCRAMBLE FROM SUFFOLK TO ESCORT THE "WAYWARD" SOVIET BOMBERS, SOMETIMES THERE WHERE PICTURES TAKEN OF EACH OTHERS AIRCRAFT ,A WAVE, AND EVEN THE BIRD (MIDDLE FINGER)AS THE TWO SUPPOSEDLY ENEMIES MET OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,THE FEELING DURING THE COLD WAR WAS TENSE AS AMERICANS WERE SCHOOLED ON HOW TO SURVIVE A THERMONUCLEAR ATTACK AND THESE PILOTS WERE GIVEN NUCLEAR AIR TO AIR MISSILES TO SHOOT DOWN BOMBERS AND EVEN WERE TOLD IF ALL WEAPONS FAIL "RAM THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT" THE MEN WHO FLEW THESE MISSIONS WOULD OF DONE WHAT EVER NEEDED TO BE DONE AND THAT WAS THE SPECIAL GENERATION OF AMERICAN WHO THOUGH NO WAR WAS DECLARED HAD TO FIGHT A COLD WAR THAT COULD GO HOT AT ANY MOMENT AND FROM ANY INCIDENT EVEN A ROUTINE WAYWARD SOVIET AIRCRAFT COULD SET THE ENTIRE MACHINE IN MOTION ENDING IN A OUTCOME THAT COULD SET MANKIND BACK 1000s OF YEARS AND KILL BILLIONS, THAT WAS THE ATMOSPHERE THESE AIRMEN LIVED EVERY DAY ,  

 

     F-102    F-104 STARFIGHTER  1960s airshow SCAFB          

 


F-106 ALL WEATHER INTERCEPTORS SCRAMBLE ON ALERT TAKING OFF IN PAIRS TO INTERCEPT ENEMY CONTACTS