USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

1950 - 1952, M38, questions, discussions, regarding anything related to the M38.
Post Reply
Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:38 pm

Dow had 3 M-38 Jeeps assigned to the 506 Stratigic Fighter Wing which arrived at the base in late 1952. They were a familiar sight, yellow in color with the insulated winter enclosures. I used to walk up the hill to sit by the fence near the runway and watch the ground crews driving the M-38's to meet their new F-84F Thunderstreaks at the end of the runway to insert safety locks in the main landing gears to prevent them from collapsing during taxi. There were quite a few incidents of landing gear collapse on these factory new F-84F's. Dow was the first to receive them operationally starting in December of 1953. It was just as interesting to watch the M-38's as it was to watch the aircraft. The M-38's were also used to lead transient aircraft such as KB-29 and C-124 to the parking aprons.
At the time the M-38 looked strange with their large NDCC tires as I was used to seeng the maajority of CJ-2A and CJ-3A Jeeps with 600X16 NDT's.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO


wc16
G-Master Sergeant
G-Master Sergeant
Posts: 100
Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:35 pm
Location:

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by wc16 » Sun Feb 07, 2010 6:39 pm

Was Dow at Bangor Maine?

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Feb 07, 2010 6:45 pm

Yes, it was active from 41 thru 1968 with a short closure from fall 1949 thru mid 1950. Lots of action during the war years and it got most of the latest jet fighters from 1947 thru the 60's.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Cuz
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 6671
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:26 am
Location: Northwestern Wisconsin
Contact:

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Cuz » Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:44 am

It sent it's B-52G's to Barksdale AFB LA. in 1968 when the base closed. My brother-in-law was at Dow and moved to Barksdale with the Buffs. I was assigned to Barksdale in Jan 70.
Cuz (AKA Wes K)
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 6? M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D & 47 T3-C

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Feb 08, 2010 2:21 pm

A bit of Bangor came to an end in the Spring of 68 when the last B-52G and KC-135A made a final pass over Bangor. The roar of a loaded KC-135A taking off was gone and the city was suddenly quiet.was The B-52 was piloted by Col Grover Greene. Bangor lost a lot of income, the restaurants and watering holes were always filled with of duty Airmen. I spent a few hours at the A&E building in the Bomb Nav Radar Shop repairing my stereo equipment and at the base hobby shop helping out on the salvaged M-38A1 that was assigned to DOW PRIDE NCO for use at Rec Services. I used to operate the same Jeep as a QC Inspector when it was bailed to Foster Wheeler for use during the final phase of the BOMARC Missile installation. It was turned back to the USAF at Dow as salvage and rebuilt by my friend S/SGT Ernie Bradshaw the greatest scrounger in the USAF. He was the Dow PRIDE NCO and somehow had more pull than most NCO's.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:39 pm

The Rec Services M-38A1 was long gone by the time the base closed in 1968.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:02 pm

The M-38A1 used by the DOW PRIDE "Professional Results In Daily Effort" disappeared in bits and pieces and reappeared over a period in time thru the base hobby shop.
A yellow "Follow Me" M-38 with a fast taxiing KB-29P on its rear was an impressive sight.
The KB-29P was a vert quiet aircraft for its' size, the B-25 and T-6 were very noisy compared to the B-29. Gone, but not forgotten is the familiar noise of a C-45 or T-6 exercising their props as they flew over their houses reminded me of giant Hummingbirds.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

warbrds
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 469
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:49 am
Location: Stevi, MT

Re: USAF M-38's at DOW FIELD

Post by warbrds » Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:20 pm

Ahhh nothing like the sound of a radial engine
I have worked on R3350’s...


Post Reply

Return to “M38 Technical Knowledge Base”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests