Above is an aerial view of Tin City AFS Alaska. The large building on the right housed the barracks, theater, mess hall, and so forth. This area was known as lower camp, and was the main part of the site. .

                       
                This is the view of upper camp. Upper camp was a radar station that monitored Russian Activity.  Notice the structures just to the left of the facility itself. Those are pylons that were used to support the tram run. A tram run is a box car (cable car) that is moved by cables and pulleys. Tin City AFS had the largest single cable tram run in the world; over 7,700 feet, and the only way you could get to upper camp is by using it.



                     


 This is the view on the top of upper camp. However, I wasn't as courageous as this photographer was; I never ventured to far a way from the facility itself. This photographer must have some very big kahuna's, because it was just to treacherous to venture this far out. The area where the mountain ranges are and to the right was in the direction of the Bering Sea, Little Diamedes island, big Diamedes island, and Siberia.

 When I arrived at the site there were about 135 people there, normally there are only 85 military personal on site. However, construction workers were there because upper camp, about a month earlier, had blown off of the top of the mountain killing 7 people. Tin City AFS was known to have the worse weather in the entire world. It had the worse snow, sleet, rain; and cold, not to mention winds (Japanese currents) that would gust up to 150 miles per hour. Construction workers were also there to fix the cable car and the tram run. It seems  that during the time that upper camp fell off the mountain, the Japanese currents from the Bering Sea and Siberia also whipped around the mountain causing the tram run cable to snap. The cable car fell about 90 feet straight down killing one person when he thought it better to jump from the cable car. This proved to be a mistake, the other two with him stayed in the cable car. They had injuries, but they survived.

 My main function there was in communications. Our facility was right across the hall from the radar facility that was maned by soldiers monitor the radar scope looking for any UFO's (unidentified flying objects. I suppose it could mean foreign objects, but most radar is pointing up in the air.) These UFO's were called, "pin balls," because they showed up as blips and little dots on the scope. We use to play a game on the radar scope that wasn't in service. We would plot our points, and see which one of us could intercept an aircraft. It wasn't easy, I found out that a degree was a very small measurement.

What is interesting about radar is that the radar dish monitors the direction that it is facing at an angle. In other words, it didn't scan from the ground all the way up to the top of the horizon. if you were to fly a plane low enough at tree top leve; or high enough above the horizon, you wouldn't be detected by radar. I think today things have changed, but back then there were area's that the radar scope couldn't scan and detect.

  In the Air Force we had commanders call each month; and it was no different at TIN City. During one commanders call we heard on the P.A. system, "pin balls on the scope," This is how we were told about UFO's in our area. We had to take evasive action, or go to battle stations. Soldiers would go to their perspective area's of assignments, sort of like a naval ship under attack, and the naval personal running all over the place.

However, there were others that had to walk outside of the building to see if they could make visual contact with the UFO, or UFO's. I was assigned to do this; and when I walked out of the building, I heard a tremendous noise just behind the building. As I looked up, I saw a squadron of Russian Bear bombers flying just a few feet of our building. They were so close to the ground that I could see the pilot clearly. I waved at him, and he waved back. I saw three Bear bombers; but how many more, I have no idea. By the sound that they made, there may have been a few more. 

These Bear bombers flew at tree top level, and that is why our radar system didn't detect them until it was actually to late. I say actually, because in a declared war scenario, we would have been toast. It is interesting that we had fighters (F-102, F-104, F-106) flying around the perimeter of Alaska 24/7. Or in other words, continually. Evidently the Russians planned their flyover at the time our fighters weren't in the area. Since they were flying at tree top level, it is possible that our fighters wouldn't have picked them up on their radar even if they were in the area.

The Russians actually had a history of this; and in reality, they were teasing us. One time, a fighter was on his rounds right by Cold Bay Alaska when he was over flown by a Russian Bear Bomber. The pilot went through all sorts of manuevers and radioed "May Day," to his base. When he leveled off he looked to his left, and there was a Russian Bear bomber flying with him. Again he went through all kinds of manuevers and contacted his base again. Each time he got no response. When he leveled off he looked to his left, and there was a Russian Bear bomber; he looked to his right, another Russian Bear bomber; and flying above him still another Russian Bear bomber. When he finally received a response to his two transmissions, his radio operator said, "Oh, they probably just want to give you an escort." That is what happened. They escorted him for a number of miles, and then saluted, waved goodbye; and they were off on their own.
 
Another time we had a squadron of Russian Bear bombers penetrate American air space. Fighters from Eielson AFB Fairbanks Alaska and Elmendorf AFB Anchorage Alaska took off to intercept them. Believe it or not, the fighters from Elmendorf intercepted the Bear bombers first, and they were 600 miles farther a way than Eielson. The Bear bomber commander acknowledge the fighter commanders command and then invited the American's to put on an air show for the Russians in Siberia. The following week American fighters penetrated Russian air space, and put on an aerial show for them. This sort of attitude went on all the time. Even when I made phone calls for eskimos and soldiers in the area. We knew that the Russians were monitoring our phone lines. We would ask them if they wanted to hear Army Air Force Radio network, one tap for yes, two for no. When we received a yes tap, would put down the phone and turn up the radio.