Guest Guest Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 I too have passed through Rheinmain several times, so it is with both gladness and a bit of sorrow that I post this. U.S. air base in Germany closes FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt closed operations Thursday as part of a 1999 agreement to return the facility to Germany by the end of this year. The base had been the U.S. military's "Gateway to Europe" since World War II, the Deutsche Welle reported. A formal base closure ceremony is set for October 10. It played a key role in the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49 and had been the U.S. Air Force's main hub in Europe throughout the Cold War, the report said. In addition to operating costs, the U.S. Air Force is leaving the base to allow for the expansion of Germany's commercial airport at Frankfurt. The U.S. airlift capability will be shifted to Ramstein and Spangdahlem in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The $500 million cost of the move will be covered by the German government and NATO. "It's the most significant air base in Europe. Nearly all the U.S. military personnel stationed in Germany have passed through Rhein-Main Air Base. We have touched more lives than any other air base in Europe," said base spokesman Matthew Summers. Base Closing Link to comment
Homesteader Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I think just about every Air Force "lifer" that I knew, had been stationed there at some point in their career. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Wow...this is sad...and scary too. Link to comment
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