Not the “K-bay” of old

I can commiserate with SSG Mike England about his attempts to visit K-Bay last November.  I was assigned to the Station Operations and Maintenance Squadron (SOMS) from 74-77 and finally made it back to Hawaii and K-Bay while on a business trip in 2008.  I retired in '93 so I was able to show my ID and gain access to the Base.  The Base has changed so much - new streets build, old street gone - that I literally got lost trying to find our old buildings, which by the way, once located were now a pile of rubble.  New streets, new barracks, all new housing, gorgeous PX and Commissary complex (Hey Mike, remember the old Quonset hut Commissary that was down near the airfield?  It's history now).    Of course, all my beloved F-4 Phantoms were long gone, replaced by rows of parked Navy P3s left over from when NAS Barbers Point closed.  Sorry Mike, you shoulda clicked your heels together earlier.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home.  Here's a couple of "wuz" and "is" shots of K-Bay for you from an old "Winger".

 

Jeff Howards

Sgt, SOMS/MCAS K-Bay

74-77