Photo by Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair |
It’s been nearly 29 years since a B-52 Stratofortress has landed in the great state of Maine; the last time being in the Fall of 1993 at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine.
At the time of its closure, Loring AFB was home to the 42nd Bomb Wing, most notable for the dynamic duo consisting of the B-52 and KC-135 tanker; an imperative pair for homeland defence and providing high strategic value during peacetime and wartime, most notable of which was during the Cold War.
Photo by Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair |
Excitement and anticipation were among the many emotions as a crowd of civilians, veterans, and service members stood frantically hunting the County skies looking for the long-awaited Stratofortress to return home after 29 years; a site I can only compare to a feeling we’ve all been privy to as kids searching for Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. And for those of us lucky enough to be on the roof of the former Loring AFB control tower, it certainly seemed as though Santa was expected in Maine’s Northern skies at any moment.
The crowd had a 360-degree view of the airfield, its massive hangars, and what was left of the hundreds of buildings that housed over ten thousand airmen and their families; truly a shell of its former self from 30 years ago.
When the B-52 “BUFF” appeared over the horizon, in flight from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, the onlookers were amazed and stunned in excitement that they were about to witness its landing; a task the locals and Loring Air Museum leadership have been trying to accomplish for a very long time.
Photo by Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair |