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Was just wondering if anyone was stationed here in the past?
The US pulled out of Iceland about 2 years ago and Iceland is in the process of converting some of the buildings for use. I'm in a student group spending the week in one of the buildings which are set up sort of like suites.
It's sort of eerie here because many areas are like they were when the base was occupied. There are still US military bus schedules in the bus stops (one is still in use for the public bus to Reykjavik) and even in our "dorm", there are military names on the message boards.
I was just wondering if anyone was stationed here and if they could talk about what it was like when it was actually in use. Right now, it's all but completely abandoned and the fence is still up so we can't even really do much exploring without hiking all the way out of the base. Is there anything interesting to see on the base that would be accessible just by walking around?
I spent two years in Keflavik mid-1977 to mid-1979. My son was born there.
It was an amazing experience, both from a professional and from a personal perspective.
It is hard to suggest what to see since the closed base is a good bit different from what the base was when I was stationed there.
Specifically, I was stationed at an off-site location known as a NAVFAC, although I lived with my family on the air station. NAVFAC's were the terminal sites for the Navy's SOSUS system. You can Google SOSUS to get more information, or if you ever read Tom Clancy, he discusses SOSUS in a few of his books.
In addition to the NAVFAC, a bit further out there was an NSGA station. Although NSGA were owned an operated by the Navy (there were a few Air Force and Marine types working there as well), it was part of the NSA for intell gathering purposes. The NAVFAC was about 6 miles from the main base and NSGA about 12 miles (as I recall).
Otherwise, you might explore the old hangers or any other open buildings, or head down into Kef to see how an Icelandic fishing village operates.
Last edited by Oberon476; 07-16-2008 at 07:32 PM..
I wasn't stationed there but visited on orders several times. It was boring there when it was full of people! It must be downright spooky now. There isn't a lot to see on base. Some of the buildings might be interesting as relics of the Cold War - like the old HQ, but mostly they are just government issue with no interest. We went off base any chance we got. At least you are there for the good weather. You don't want to see the place in December.
I've never been there.. but tried several times before they closed it down. Since I was in the Intelligence community, the only reason I knew Keflavik was for the P-3 Orion squadrons that would deploy there. P-3 Orion aircraft had/has missions of maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare. I've heard from all the people I've worked with that have been stationed there that it was one of the most beautiful countries they'd ever been to.
I was stationed from Jan 98 to Jan 99 with the USAF 85th Group.
The US Air Force had about 2,000 active-duty airmen stationed with the 85th Group at Naval Air Station Keflavik. The air defense mission is carried out by F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft rotating every 90 days to Iceland. Using four ground-based radars and occasionally AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, the 85th Group’s 932nd Air Control Squadron provides air surveillance of Iceland and the North Atlantic.
I helped ferry OV-10A aircraft from Sembach AB, Germany to George AFB, CA in July, '84. We only spent one night at Kef, and I didn't even get to leave the base. Sigh... The black lava soil was interesting, though.
I was never stationed in Iceland, but I once had an extremely drunk staff sergeant set up camp in my ass because apparently I managed to somehow kill a Marine in Iceland through a negligent discharge with my rifle. This guy was screaming and carrying on and I was just like "Uhhhh.... Staff sergeant???". In the condition he was in, it was best just to go along with it.... It was hard not to laugh.
I visited Iceland last fall (and didn't kill anyone, btw), it's a beautiful country. I can't wait to go back there again sometime. Have fun.
When I was on my way to and back from Iraq with my Marine KC-130 Squadron we stopped over for fuel and to spend the night. We rented a car and drove out to Reykjavik and over to the Blue Lagoon. Great place to visit. I actually got a parking ticket while I was there...hmm...maybe I should pay that one day...
The Blue Lagoon is awesome. In a perfect world, I would start out every morning with a visit to the Blue Lagoon.
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