Islands
 

EC- and NKC-135s, with the old "water wagon" engines and a high ZFW due to onboard equipment. Wake had enough runway, but Kwaj and Midway were for emergencies only. Guam was best operationally -- huge SAC runways and available maintenance -- but for a while they were full of BUFFs doing Vietnam strikes, so we used Wake (mainly to stage for missile tests aimed at the Kwajalein lagoon).

Flew out of Shemya 81-83 - RC135S Cobra Ball - we were TDY from Eielson AFB - stayed out on the "Rock" for 3-4 weeks at a time - lots of great flying in 25 knots direct crosswind at mins because of the fog - and actually got to see the "wind sock" move - it was really a huge log on a heavy chain - but wouldn't trade that time for anything

Shemya wasn't so bad for a night. Flew in one day on vis only (1/2mi) and it went down to 100 and 1/4 on apph. We found the runway but the taxi way was a little bit harder. Anyway we stayed the night and almost took a scruffy home the next day (walked right up the ramp). The foxes left by the Russians are so mutated from the lack of branches on their family tree I wonder how they survive there.:D

T-1