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2nd LAAM Bn Reunion 15-18 Mar 2009 Yuma, AZ
Best Western Inn/Suites
View of the Yuma Palms Mall next to the Best Western Hotel
This is me checking people, along with my wife Judy, in at our Hospitality Room.
Gary "Melvin" Koehn
Dan Nason and Miguel "Mickey" Soler
Dan "Underdog" Simmons
John Ehrat
L-R Debbie & John Ehrat, Karl Hart
L-R Karl Hart, Joe "Screech" McCarthy & Dan Simmons
Jim Campbell helping handout souvenir coffee cups in the hospitality room
L-R Debbie & John Ehrat and Karl & Karen Hart
Newtt Talley
L-R Dan Simmons, Mickey Soler, Dan Nason & Bruce Mahurin
Karen Hart
Tour day bus. We went to MCAS Yuma, P-111, Sand Dunes, Senators Wash and drove by Yuma Proving Grounds Display.
L-R Mary McCarthy, my back, Debbie & John Ehrat and Gather "Gator" Cantrell
Once we picked up our escort Sgt. King, we proceeded to the of the Harrier. There was also a F-18 Hornet there for us to look at up close. We had the pleasure of seeing an F-5 Tiger II fighter from Aggressor Squadron VMFT- 401 land on the runway and taxi close by. After the display, we drove around the base heading towards the Base Joint Club for lunch. There was nothing left of Bn HQ up by the water tower.
Sgt King (standing) was our escort for our base tour
The ratty shacks, just off the main gate, that served as off base housing are gone and replaced by this Dole Processing Plant.
Gary Beardsley leaving the operations building
Above: the sign in front of the P-111 gate now.
Below: the sign when 2nd LAAM Bn was here
(picture courtesy of Joe McCarthy)
"B" Battery 2nd LAAM Bn Men
This was the building that housed H&S and also B Btry, when we became the training btry for the Bn., just beyond the gate. It's now joined by a couple other buildings
We took the bus around the P-111 site starting at the H&S area and heading down to "B" Btry. The only thing left of 2nd LAAM Bn were the btry office buildings and the missile launcher pads.
The picture below is looking toward the "B" & "C" Btry offices from the launcher line. "B" Btry missile test section would have been located where the truck on the left is. In fact, that's about where we had our missile test shop located. We drove around the perimeter back to the gate area
MCAS Yuma main gate display. Unfortunately now the HAWK missiles have been replaced by the SAR Huey.
Yuma International Airport across the flight line
The buildings on the left are the "A" & "D" Btry office buildings. A launcher pad is at the bottom of photo. On the horizon you can see housing has replaced the orange groves that where once beyond the fence line.
These dummy missiles on a pallet trailer were the only evidence that a LAAM Bn was once here. Even though 2nd LAAM Bn and HAWK had been gone for about seven years, they wheeled this out for the Yuma parades.
After we left P-111 we headed west towards El Centro,
along the border to see the sand dunes.Â
After the sand dunes, we made our way back to Yuma by way of Senator Wash Reservoir. I was amazed at how low the water was, due to several years of drought. After the Wash, we stopped by the display of military hardware and rockets, in front of Yuma Proving Grounds, that were developed and tested there over it's history.
Castle Dome Mt in the distance and closer in the other shot.
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