Bombers, Tankers, and the Crown of Maine
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- In 1947 construction began on a Strategic Air Command Base in far northern Maine, in a town called Limestone. It helped transform the area and its impact, as well as its shadow, are still felt today.
Loring Air Museum (Cuppy Johndro): loringairmuseu...
Loring Commerce Center (Jon Judkins):
loringcommerce...
Enormous thank-you to Ms. Brockelbank, who I would not have been able to finish this project without.
Thank-you to Zoe, who went up with me the first time and whom I had a blast with.
TH-cam video sources - check them out:
- John Garbinski (Cold War Films): / @coldwarfilms1947
- Cuppy Johndro: / @redcuppy
Both John and Cuppy make amazing Loring/SAC content - give them a watch!
Correction:
The third Phish concert at Loring was in 2003, not 2001 (35:46)
Music:
- Breaking Free by Jonas Kvarnstrom, Stefan Schramm
- On The Roof by The Feelies
- Nino 2 by The Symposium
- 1977 by Adam Young
- Creeper by The Symposium
- Atlantic City by Real Estate
- Posing For Cars by Japanese Breakfast
- Smooth Little Operator by Stop Light Observations
- 1000 Balloons by Tom Hillock
- Planet Td1 by Trip The Witch
- Serene Night by Peppsen
- The High Road by The Feelies
- Fealty by Alistair Lindsay
- Going Undercover by The Symposium
Thank you all for watching!
Brief correction: at 35:45 I say that Phish came back and played at Loring in 1998 and 2001. They played in 2003, not 2001. Thanks to madogruca for pointing that out.
Once again, thank you all for watching and for commenting!
@@William_McDowell Fine job! I'd like to contact you, if I can find a way .
@@williamdegnan4718Hey thank you! If you’re on a computer you can go to my channel and right under where it says my number of subscribers is my short description and if you click on it my email should be somewhere in there.
Got bless you forgotten Americans! You may have been left with a small stone, but I’m betting you will find that boulder to help you build a spectacular future!
I attended both of those concerts/festivals. In addition to the shows, the setting was awe inspiring. The scale of Loring AFB was incredible to think about at my young age, just old enough to drive the 8 hours to Limestone, 2 hours north of the most northern point in Maine that I had previously been to, Patten, where my grandparents lived. It's always interesting to see videos on TH-cam that I can relate to personally. Thanks for making this one.
Hats off to the people of limestone for trying to resurect loring AFB. We have seen many bases abandoned over the years. As an Air Force brat, child of a military parent as we were called, and veteran myself, I lived on those bases and have a soft spot in my heart for them. My memories are all that’s left. To see one gain new strength is fantastic. Best of luck going forward.
Clearly, a lot of time, effort and care was put into this production to make it the best it can be. These videos shine lights on stories that otherwise would be impossible to find without the extensive, intricate, and diligent research that Will McDowell gives us. Absolutely wonderful! Keep these videos coming. Maine needs more people like you! 💛
While my Dad was stationed at Loring, I attend the 6th through the 9th grade in Limestone. In January we had moved from Alabama to Limestone and were not prepared for the cold weather. I have great memories of learning how to ice skate, picking potatoes for 25 cents per barrel, and gathering wild blueberries near our home. I recognized the main street and library in your presentation. My Dad retired and we moved to Orlando Florida.
This is an unparalleled level of dedication and quality. Nice work, man.
Will, Thanks so much for producing this video. I was born at Loring AFB in 1956. My dad was a B-36 and B-52 pilot in SAC, and he was transferred south to Turner AFB in SW Georgia in mid-1959, when that base was being redesignated as a SAC bomber base. So, in July 1959, at the age of 3 years old, I left Loring and Limestone. I have yet to return. But, thanks to Cuppy Johndro, and now your video, I sincerely hope to make it back to Limestone and Loring for a visit in 2025! By the way, I became a geologist! Limestone...geology...life is strange! Thanks again. Beautiful documentary!
That means so much to me - you have no idea. I hope you have a great trip up (and that's awesome that you became a geologist!)
This video has inspired me to visit this area. I live in a more southern Maine county… This rustic area intrigues me… 👏👏👏BRAVO to the production team and narrator for a totally professional job. 👍 👏👏👏👏 🙏
I'm born and raised in the County and very proud of my heritage
Will...WOW, WOW, WOW ! ! ! What a fantastic video about Loring and Limestone ! ! ! My Dad was a WWII bomber pilot and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. He was assigned to Loring and served there from 1953 to the end of 1958, flying B-36s and B-52s with the 69th Bomb Squadron.
this is an absolute gem of TH-cam! good on you sir for completing the project
Man, as a Mainer, this really caught my eye. Well done!👏
The irony is that the base was built for death and destruction in a kinder, gentler place...
I was stationed at Loring from 1984 to 1987. Excellent video!
Damn. I had not known Loring closed
My grandpa served in the US Air Force and was stationed in Loring Air Force Base. I now live just 20 miles away.
Well done Will!
I figured I`d only watch a couple minutes of your video because, although I wasn`t stationed there, I am a New Englander and Loring always intrigued me. Well, that couple minutes turned into me watching the whole thing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you told Loring`s story with knowledge and with compassion for the people of Limestone and the surrounding towns. Thanks again.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. Not only did you do an outstanding job of telling the story of the base, you did so with a warm compassion and sincerity. Also, I was surprised to see a lot of footage from my own archives that I have posted on TH-cam. I am glad that you were able to use them in your presentation. Best of luck young man, in your future endeavors.
I’m glad you enjoyed! I’ll add you and Cuppy to the description because your archive footage was really incredibly helpful
This is a very well done and interesting video. I graduated from high school in Limestone 1971. This was the last base my dad was stationed at before he retired. It is so sad to see the Arch Hanger in such disrepair. My hope is that someone someday soon will wake up and donate it to the museum before it crumbles into nothingness.
Very good Will. Clearly, the hours spent putting this together has rewarded your new viewers with a treat.
Watching this as I cook some crispy duck pancakes in my London kitchen.
Now, I want to fly to Maine… preferably in one of SAC’s old bombers (but without the original payload!).
I was stationed at Loring from 1988 to 1990. I wish I'd known the history of the area when I was there, but knowing now gives me a deeper appreciation of the memories I have from that time.
What squadron? I was there 89-93
I was there also in 1982. I worked off base at the transmitter site for the 2192 communication squadron. Even though I was only there for one year, it was a very special place. The cold weather wasn’t too hard for me since I was from New York.
Kudos to Will McDowell for an excellent video, you had me at Limestone.😊
I was there as a Boy Scout and spent the day there. The highlight amongst skiing, swimming, was getting in the cockpit of a B-52 and lying in the fueling control cockpit on a tanker. Thanks for posting.
Best video on the County I've seen. Well done guys.
This has to be one of the most informative videos I have ever watched !! Great job!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I have been driving up to Loring for work (from Cumberland county) for years. I was aware of the crash resulting from the decommissioning of the base, but was not fully educated on the base's beginnings. Thank you for making this video. Local history is one of those things we never seem to know about as transplants (admittedly, of which I am, but 15 years and counting). You are providing a vital service to the people of the state who have always loved it, and those of us who moved here later in life. Liked and Subscribed. I look forward to your future videos.
Great production and super fascinating. Thanks for highlighting our state history!
Wow, very well done! I am impressed. The quality of the story, the images, the narration (the tonality), the interjection of humor, surprises, the relaxed pace, conclusion. Great story telling (beginning, middle, end). And best of all, I didn't know any of this (I'm 65yrs old, Texas home). Everyone (I assume) loves to hear something they didn't know, every day, about our world. I hope you can make a good living out of this, somehow, some way.
Loring has been greatly part of my live, both in growing & then Marrying what we called then "a Fly Boy" We were Stationed there 2 differnt times . I lived there for over a year whn My husband went to Thailnd At the end of the Vietname. Our youngest child was born there in the "Old Hospital' Later I moved back north , when my husband passed. Came back home. But I was still able to partake in Loring for shopping food etc as well as the hospital a new one. Was sad to see the schools taken down , where my first strted school. Then the housing where we had lived A waste if you ask me. I like this film, Another one could be nade on how it also affected the surrounding towns Not only Military but other Civil workers left with their families Subtracted our town population as well the schools where their attended Good Job Good Film
i went to Loring job corps, best years ever the place is awesome
This was honestly one of the best produced TH-cam videos I have ever seen. I’ve never known about that town or base, but I now feel connected to it on a new level. Keep it up man!!! Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Incredible video, with clearly a ton of time and attention focused on making this the best it can be! I grew up in Limestone, and moved away due to a lack of jobs. I love seeing people like Cuppy & Jon that are putting their all into making Limestone a great place to be once again ... a powerhouse if you would! Great job on putting this together, it came out fantastic!!
Congratulations on a great video. We have visited Loring when going to camp. We were fascinated by the history and you've given us a much deeper understanding. What a great project!
I was born at Loring in 1960 & my sister in 1962. Dad was part of the ADC inertecptor squadron working F-102’s or F-106’s back then. Left right after Sis was born when Dad got stationed at Goose Bay for a short tour. Haven’t been back since. Was kinda neat seeing this! Thanks.
Excellent documentary Will. Well done! I was stationed at Loring AFB 1970 - 1973. Being from Michigan the winters didn’t bother me too much. The isolation of the base was the toughest part. The Rendezvous outside the east gate was our solitude. 😉
The number of aircraft 645at Loring was heavily restricted by winter conditions. When there over the summer of '65 there were 65 pieces of snow removal equipment on the base. Keeping aircraft prepared to fly at a moment's notice meant concentrating them on the operating ramp of the base where they could be kept clean through the snow and ice of winter as there wasn't indoor storage.
Came across this video somehow. I happen to own a house that was former officers family housing on Loring Drive on what was once Larson Air Force Base in eastern Washington State. This base was built in 1942/3 to train bomber pilots in WW II and was a SAC base by the time the Air Force closed it after only 23 years in 1966. Much of the base is now a community college, there is also a large industrial park. Boeing maintains a facility here to do finish work on 737's.
This is amazing dude!!
Great job Will! This video brought back lots of good memories. Thanks for sharing!!
I was stationed at Loring between 1980-1983, thank you for doing g this great video about the history of the area. My wife grew up up about 5 miles from the base.
I am retired Air Force and although I was never stationed at Loring, I served with many people in SAC who did. Every one of them loved it there and said they would have gone back enthusiastically.
I was station there and worked in the 42 FMS in the Jet Engine shop between the Arch and the DC Hangers.
Great job!!
A great video I’ve lived in Maine most of my life. I’m in my 50s yet. This was very enlightening. Like many of us I’ve never been there. The perspective and work that I can tell you put into this.
I echo the compliments from prior posters...
Amazing Documentary!
A chid hood friend growing up was stationed at Loring AFB in the early 90's and was there for the closing.
It was always talked about as a very special place. Thank you for showing us the history!!
Very well done.
Great job!! Am really enjoying this. Mount Desert Island guy here. Maine is truly great. Really too bad the AF left Brunswick as well as Limestone. Used to love seeing the C-130’s and P-3’s.
Can't praise you enough for what a good job you did--thorough, largely accurate, pleasant to the eyes and ears. Not being from Maine, but being a specialist in US-Canada relations & trade I was curious about the town's potential role in that regard. That one economic developer touched on the subject but it was not explored further, Keep up the good work!
This is the hypest I’ve ever been for a premiere 🔥🔥🔥
You did a wonderful job by making this video! I lived there from 60 - 65.
Very well done! Thanks
Will, this is so well researched, written, illustrated and narrated. You are a documentary artist, to be encouraged! follow your interests, and keep up your intelligent narratives! Very enjoyable docu.
You're onto something here. Keep focusing on different Maine towns, telling their story, and showing the beautiful Maine countryside and people.
Thanks for sharing this. I was born on base many years ago and my dad was transfered out when I was 6 months old, so it was great to see this stuff. I plan on getting up there at some point to see everything. Cuppy shared on a county FB group.
Spent a week in Loring back in winter of 91 staging for the troops coming back home from Desert Storm.
I truly should have been said in the video that Major Loring received the Medal of Honor for his selfless act of sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty to save others.
Spent a week there in the 80s. I remember it _snowed_ on July 7th. It didn't stick. But it snowed!
The 69th Bomb Squadron went to a Conventional Only Bomb Squadron in Oct 1988. The 69th Bomb Squadron was the "Point Tip of The Spear" for Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Wonderful, learned a lot even as someone has lived in Maine pretty much my entire life.
Westover ARB in Chicopee, Mass., a former SAC B-52 base where I was a reservist had a big hangar always called the "DC" hangar, I never knew why it was that until now as they look alike...."double cantilever". Learn something new every day.
Good luck to you folks up there🙏
So well done, from the graphics and editing to the script and voiceover. Our Air Force family transferred from Wiesbaden, Germany to Loring AFB in 1963. I was 8 years old. We lived on the base and in Limestone until 1970. Imagine living there during the turbulent 60s. It’s like we watched everything go down from another planet. Is it possible to get onto the base today?
It is possible to get on the base, but to get on the runway and be by the hangars you have to call and ask Jon Judkins and the Loring Commerce Center. Being on the runway is a fascinating experience to me
@@William_McDowell I recall sub zero winter nights lying in my bed on base, probably less than mile from the flight line and hearing the sound of airmen cleaning snow off the runway with a jet engine strapped to a trailer. The air was so cold and dense that you could hear them talking in between blasts from the engine. We dependents had no idea we were 14 minutes from potential destruction-our fathers, probably. My next door neighbor Robbie James’ dad was a boom operator on a KC-135 toad. He never let on that his mission was one way.
Many people how live in small rural towns are friendly and they are welcoming as well, that's why i love small town with very view homes they are unci to America, I hate to see them die.
I worked with a guy who was stationed at Loring during Vietnam. He met and married a girl from Limestone. Still see them occasionally. He said it was lonely, cold, but better than Vietnam. One of his stories involved working on the B-52's jamming system (he was an electronics tech). They would listen to the late night TV shows on the receiver in the plane, wait for the monologue and then jam the punchlines to the jokes...because of the way the jammer worked, they could still hear them, but nobody else on the base could (because of the jamming). Yeah, they got found out and got in (not too much) trouble.
Lovely video about an Air Force base I didn't know much of. As a fellow North East resident, my best wishes to the town and area for regrowth and a prosperous future.
I live on Moosehead Lake and it's cool to see a YT video about the state.
Nice work. Your dedication says alot.
Superb production, indeed. I hope you plan an occasional follow-up to update your viewers on the former base’s development.
Very good research and production layout. While the closure of Loring was almost unimaginable, The Air Force had been closing SAC bases well before the Wall came down. Some B-52 units were closed at the height of Vietnam. Anybody out there remember bases like Eaker, Clinton Sherman, Glasgow? That to name just a small sample of what are now long gone runways and inventory.Thank you again , Excellent job.
Loved it, absolutely next level
Great video!! I do believe the runway is used a few times a year for some organized speed runs for motorsport enthusiast.
coolest video on the internet 🙌🏻
This is a fabulous, inspiring, educational, monumental piece of work.
This is awesome! I really enjoyed it
Superb video! I've always wanted to see what this area of Maine looked like.
Nice job!!!
If I heard correctly in the film, you are only a couple of teenagers? I was extremely impressed by the quality of this video. The subject, the narrative, the camera work and the editing were all great. If this is what you are producing as teenagers, you have a very very bright future ahead.
Thank you!
LOTS OF GREAT COMMENTS WILL,I DONT SEE TO MANY HEART ON SOME OF THE GREAT COMMENTS.JUST YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS GET HEARTS?
WELL DONE ON THIS VIDEO..THANK YOU.
great work Will!!!! what got me sitting up straight was the potato chip facility...smart, which also made me wonder, can one grow cucumbers?....chips and pickles?
This was a great documentary. Could you please do one on Moscow Radar? That also was quite an historical and great undertaking in the wilds of Maine. The Over the Horizon radars were very important for the safety of North America.
As a followup, you may want look into the closing of the Casswell Radar station and the Ashland Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) sites. Ashland RBS was used alot by Loring B-52s and the two FB-111 wings in the NorthEast.
Parallels the story of Rome, NY & Griffiss AFB.
I was happy to hear about the potato chip factory coming which will work well if they are still farming potato's or are willing to do it again. I would seen that the hangar could house a number of businesses at the same time, perhaps an aerospace machine shop. Or a tractor repair and restoration shop to support the local farmers. I really enjoyed the documentary. It was well done.
Well done You did a great job job this video Thank you 👍
Very well done!
Absolutely insane, keep it up 🔥
Good video
Awesome!
That was one great video.
Really enjoyed this video.
Huge like and a sub for you Will, great job presenting this interesting place of history, there was just something about the remoteness of this area that is appealing. I pray Many great things happen for you and yours, many blessings from western Colorado. 🏜
That place is being saved... could be operational in no time...
I will say one really fun thing to do at Loring Air Force Base in the winter is go 100 miles an hour on your snowmobile on the runway
Nice job, at Loring 1981-1083
I saw Phish at Loring once. Seems like a million years ago. Maybe it was.
Nicely done but a slight correction, Aroostook is actually the largest county east of the Mississippi with 6,672 square miles. Thanks
Fine jb Mr. Mcdowell...try Rangely next..
The arch hangar was built for the 230 ft B-36 wingspan. The newer hangar would not have fit a B 36 inside it its bays arent wide enough to pass that size of plane.
You should do one on Plattsburgh AFB. PHISH played there.
Very well done video I am from Presque isle , I have a few on my channel showing old equipment in the dc hangar. If you ever find yourself interested in the toxic side of the base I would love too. Using a Geiger counter you can see how the EPA lied about safety. The north river depot is terrible, absolutely toxic.
YES 🙌
My dad was at Dow AFB in bangor in 58'
You should also cover the East Loring facility along with the NIKE missile sites around Presque Isle, Caribou, and Limestone. East Loring was run by the DOE for nuclear warhead maintenance.
I may be wrong but there may also have been BOMARC very long range air defense sites up there too.