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Rail Garrison SitesDraw Bia BucksBy BEN DOWN INU CN Staff WriterBLYTHEVILLE AFB -Blytheville Air Force Base remains in the running as one of 10 air bases being considered for location of a Peacekeeper HailGarrison. Winning that designation will mean a sizeable boost to the area economy.Col. Peter Walsh, director for environmental planning and an Air Force regional engineer for Ballistic Missile Support, last night told Air Force personnel and civilians at a meeting of Base-Community Council that civilian contractors will build much of the $100 million project. This would mean more jobs for the community during construction. Also, the $6 million annual payroll for additional military and civilian personnel needed to man the facility would mean additional businessfor city merchants.The garrison system is a part of the latest round of President Ronald Reagan’s “MX” Missile proposals. The garrisons would house four “igloos.” Inside each igloo would be a train carrying two small intercontental ballistic missile launch cars, two security cars and a launch control car. The ICBMs will each be about 53 feet long, 46 inches in diameter and weigh about 37,000 pounds.Trains, which would have no markings to distinguish them from other trains and whose specialized cars would look likeregular train cars, would leave- —gnext year. These studies would help determine which bases andhow many would be selected. In 1989 assembling of hardware would begin at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. F.E. Warren, said Walsh, would be the headquarters for the garrison system.Missiles would be shi unarmed — the missile and the warhead separated — from the Wyoming facility and reassembed at the garrison site. Maj. Barry S. Glickman, director of public affairs for the Ballistic Missile Office pointed out that the missiles were not actually armed until launching and there was no danger of an accidental nuclearngerp%p!anon. Warren noted that a buffer zone would serve as protection against accidental explosion of propellent fuels. The garrisons would be housed entirely within the air base boundaries.It would be necessary to build a railroad spur into the base, and right-of-ways for that spur would have to be obtained from property owners Blytheville’s chances of getting the rail garrison are good, said Walsh. Like other SAC bases, BAFB has a solid control facility in place. Access to the nation’s rail system is good. The only problem Walsh forsees is the presence of an Indian burial mound at the air base. While every effort would be made to circumvent the mound itself, excavation for the rail line might turn up artifacts or other burial grounds. American Indianstheir garrisons only if an ‘in-are very “sensitive” about thecrease of international tension” made it necessary or if a “show of force” is necessary. Each train would be able to travel on the nation’s 150,000-mile rail network. Firing of the missiles could be accomplished at an; network. Specia would be used for training exercises, said Walsh.unearthing of such sites, he said. Walsh hopes no such problems would arise.David White of the Memphis Belle Project was on hand to snow slides of the restoration of the historic World War IIB-17 which willbe housed at a special museum at Mud Island. Many BAFB personnel helped with the restoration work.-Aiv for raiL garrisonsbv Congressthis _construction of an as yet undetermined number of such facilities could be completed by the early 1990s. A tentative timetable, said Walsh, calls for environmental impact studies to be completedWithout the help of the from Blytheville Air Force we would have fallen short in our efforts ( to restore the Memphis Belle).The museum is scheduled to open in mid-May.§AIR FORCE BASES UNDER CONSIDERATIONs§§§§§§ISs§s§ISBlytheville AFB, Ark.Fairchild AFB, Wash.Little Rock AFB, Ark. Wm Grand Forks AFB, N.D.Whiteman AFB, Mo.Minot AFB, N.D.Barksdale AFB, La.Malstronj AFB, Mont.Dyess AFB, Texas10Wurtsmith AFB, Mich.umwHr^phis7sueno
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Wed, Apr 29, 1987
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 25 Aug 2021
Other Publications Near Blytheville, Arkansas
Blytheville Army Air Corps News
Blytheville Courier News
