How Luke Field in Arizona was a part of the Cuban Crisis!

[Cupajo]

While I was in Arizona in the Air Force a few incidents happened that someone may find of interest. One of them was our deployment during the Cuban crisis; our fighter/bomber squadron was deployed to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. the main jumping off place for Cuba and my first time to Florida. Luke Field had the F-100 series aircraft then. We loaded them with all the weapons they could carry and they sat over-night full of fuel, on full alert; ready to fly to Cuba and back.

Some one with a cooler head than most people were exhibiting at that moment, calculated the fuel supply against the payload of the aircraft and realized that the pilots had enough fuel to make it to Cuba and drop their payload, but didn

 

[david(tx)]

a couple years later they had some problems in the dominican republic and we sent troops in.i think all the service bases in puerto rico were effected.we lived close to the runways and their was the constant noise of planes taking off and landing.props and jets.

 

[Cupajo]

When the USA responded with so much heavy fire-power moving to Florida that it dropped a few inches lower in the water The Commies had to take notice and backed down!! It was interesting to be involved and the only reaction I had to all the upheaval was I ordered a Marble Manufacturing Co.survival knife that I have to this day!!