3973rd Combat Defense Squadron

The Moron flight line of 50 years ago was a very interesting place. Mechanics hanging on, standing on the wing, outside the cockpit while someone was doing a high-speed taxi in an F-86 on the runway. One of the old German tri-motors was taxiing out to the runway when part of the tail fell off. The plane stopped, a crew member jumped out, picked up part of the vertical stabilizer & put it in the plane before it took off...

Fred Madden

From David Kerr:

"I was in the barracks when Alex Furmanski came in white as a sheet and shaking. I of course asked him what in the world happened. He replied that he, along with other Air Police Security, was guarding the B47's at the Hot Alert area when one of the Spanish mechanics accidentally triggered the 50 caliber machine gun on one of the Spanish F86's, hangered along with and near our F102's. Alex said bullets were wildly spraying the ramp where the B47's were on hot alert, fully loaded with bombs. I don't remember how many rounds went off, but it was enough to where all the crews had to go over the aircraft with a fine tooth comb for damage. Alex said he and the other Security Airmen were eating the asphalt, praying they weren't going to be hit. All I can say is that God was surely with them and it took Alex hours to calm down, and I sure couldn't blame him. This would have happened sometime in 1964, I think."

Bread in Morón

Contributed by Gene Lake who was assigned to Morón in 1957 and again in 1967:

"Although Spanish pan (bread) was very good and most Americans loved it, they still missed sliced bread for toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc.  American-style sliced bread was not available in Spain in the 1950’s. In 1957, La Modelo bakery in Alcala de Guadaira got the contract to make American-style sliced bread for the dining halls, commissary, and cafeterias.  For some reason, despite all efforts, this bread was not satisfactory; it became stale very quickly and also tore when something was being spread on it.  In 1958, when the Operation Reflex B-47 aircraft began to arrive for their tour of duty, it was decided that their empty bomb bays could be utilized coming over from the United States.  These aircraft brought bomb bays full of American sliced bread.  This was an unofficial operation.  A revolving fund was established.  Anyone who worked on the flight line was authorized 2 loaves of bread per week.  Other base personnel could buy a loaf a week if sufficient supplies were available.  (It was rumored that the B-47 aircraft also could carry 3 (or 6?) Austin-Healy Sprite sports cars in the bomb bays on the return trip to the United States.  One story was that one of the aircraft had an in-flight emergency and had to jettison the cars that were in the bomb bay.)  Operation Reflex ended in 1965.  By 1966, the bread problem had a solution.  The bakery at San Pablo Air Base made excellent bread and sold it to the mess halls, commissaries, and exchanges throughout Spain. In 1968, it was decided that the US Air Force shouldn’t be in a commercial type endeavor and the bread baking was discontinued.  The commissaries at Moron and San Pablo Air Bases then began stocking frozen Wonder® bread.  It was in high demand; even the personnel from Rota Naval Station came to buy the bread.  After the 1970 Moron Air Base phase-down, the frozen bread was no longer carried.  By that time American-style sliced bread was becoming available on the Spanish economy."

Adamuz Station

Contributed by Gene Lake

Detachment 3 (Adamuz) of the pipeline squadron was a remote duty site (1 year unaccompanied tour). It was a pump station and authorized 10 enlisted men plus several local nationals who prepared the food. Site personnel were responsible for all maintenance, painting, grass cutting, cleaning, etc.
The site existed from 1957 to 1971. It was a boring assignment. The town of Adamuz was small and several miles from the site. Cordoba was twenty -plus miles away. This was before the advent of video cassette recorders/players. Personnel stationed there did not speak much (if any) Spanish. Although local television was available starting in the early 1960’s, site personnel were not interested in viewing it. They did a lot of reading. The small dayroom was covered from floor to ceiling with book shelves full of paperback novels. In the mid-1960’s, a request was submitted to higher headquarters requesting a swimming pool. It was denied. The next year a request was submitted for an emergency fire-fighting reservoir. It was approved. Mission accomplished. The guys had a place to swim.