Out With the Old, In With the New
Laythen Streit
Class of ‘20
Class of ‘20
As some of you may recall, the town of Scribner has an airbase that was used during the Second World War. The base has been out of commission for a while but has left behind quite the legacy.
Our main source of information about the base came from a retired airman, Ed Jusiewicz, who served as a fireman at the airbase during the years 1971-1974.
Scribner Army Airfield was built in the year 1942 and served as a training facility for American Pilots. During the early 1970s, the base was used as a communications school. Mr. Jusiewicz stated that during his time at the base there were usually about 50 students residing on the base specifically for the communications training.
During this time, the entirety of the American Airforce was focusing on Operation Looking Glass. The purpose of this operation was to have one of the military generals in a plane constantly in case of a missile attack on the White House and in case the president and vice president were killed. This would ensure that communications could still happen in the event of a ground attack.
During Mr. Jusiewicz’s military duty there were several civilians that worked on the base as groundskeepers and maintenance crews. Local citizens that worked there during the latter years included Herb Osterloh, Marlin Grieser, and Don Hart. The base held about 25-30 active-duty soldiers at a time. The base also allowed a Hooper barber, Don Osbahr, to visit the base in order to give the soldiers haircuts if they needed once a week. They also had a mini theatre at the base for the enjoyment of the soldiers and their loved ones, along with a clubhouse where there were also pool tables and foosball tables for both the soldiers and faculty to use.
During Ed’s time at the base they didn’t have the base camouflaged, for those who are unaware, Scribner’s airbase was not only a training site for pilots, it was also a camouflage school in the early years of activity.
The airbase’s employees have come and gone but their memories of the base follow the citizens of Scribner for a long time still.
Our main source of information about the base came from a retired airman, Ed Jusiewicz, who served as a fireman at the airbase during the years 1971-1974.
Scribner Army Airfield was built in the year 1942 and served as a training facility for American Pilots. During the early 1970s, the base was used as a communications school. Mr. Jusiewicz stated that during his time at the base there were usually about 50 students residing on the base specifically for the communications training.
During this time, the entirety of the American Airforce was focusing on Operation Looking Glass. The purpose of this operation was to have one of the military generals in a plane constantly in case of a missile attack on the White House and in case the president and vice president were killed. This would ensure that communications could still happen in the event of a ground attack.
During Mr. Jusiewicz’s military duty there were several civilians that worked on the base as groundskeepers and maintenance crews. Local citizens that worked there during the latter years included Herb Osterloh, Marlin Grieser, and Don Hart. The base held about 25-30 active-duty soldiers at a time. The base also allowed a Hooper barber, Don Osbahr, to visit the base in order to give the soldiers haircuts if they needed once a week. They also had a mini theatre at the base for the enjoyment of the soldiers and their loved ones, along with a clubhouse where there were also pool tables and foosball tables for both the soldiers and faculty to use.
During Ed’s time at the base they didn’t have the base camouflaged, for those who are unaware, Scribner’s airbase was not only a training site for pilots, it was also a camouflage school in the early years of activity.
The airbase’s employees have come and gone but their memories of the base follow the citizens of Scribner for a long time still.
Various Newspaper Articles about the Airbase
Article about the Scribner Airbase from the Airbase Pulse April 1977.
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Rustler article from 1942
Unknown Source
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