Went to MacDill AFB

[Leutnant]

So I have this old buddy (Im under 18, so I call him old, but he kind of is) who was Air Force Security POLICE (before it was changed to Secuirty Forces (SF)), and he has unlimited access to MacDill and any other bases he would like to go to. Long story short, he thought it would be cool to take me since I've always been astounded by the refuelers (which is what MacDill has). I was astounded at the fact that the base was so different to what I thought it would be. IT'S LITERALLY A CITY IN A CITY. HOUSES, MCDONALDS, WENDYS, TREES, LAND, ETC EVERYWHERE! Anyways, I will upload the pictures I took later, just thought it was something interesting to post.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

You just described most US Military installations. They are literally cities, and most have their own zipcodes.

I have lived on quite a few of them, having been a military brat, and then eventually a soldier myself.

 

[ODonovan]

You should visit MacDill for the AirFest air show. It's every two years, in early May. The last one was in 2018 so there is one coming up next year.

I've lived in central Florida since the mid 1960s. Starting in October 1970, MacDill was always home to a fighter wing flying Phantoms. Four of them flying over, opening up their throttles to head toward the Avon Park Gunnery Range, would rattle all the windows for miles and set off car alarms all over the place. I remember being in the parking lot of the main Exchange and having just two F-4s go over. There must have been 30 car alarms in that parking lot, all beeping and flashing to the high heavens. Then, in 1980, the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing transitioned from F-4s to F-16s. Four of them could go over and you'd barely notice.

Only after MacDill surviving a few rounds of the base closures, being "on the block" and rescued at the last minute, did they become home to tankers (in January 1994) which have been flying from there ever since.



-Irish