A tour of Clark Air Base
(Author Unknown)

THIS IS A TOUR OF CLARK AB AUGUST 2001.  (WHENEVER YOU SEE A UNDERLINED WORD JUST CLICK ON IT FOR A PICTURE OF THAT ITEM.)  AT LONG LAST I HAVE  UPDATE THE CLARK TOUR. THIS WAS DONE IN FEB. 2006. (THE 2006 UPDATES ARE IN RED)  FOR THE MOST PART THE NEW PICTURES ARE OF PLACES THAT HAVE CHANGED.  ASTRO PARK HAS BEEN REDONE BY SHOE MART MALL COMPANY, THEY DID A REAL GOOD JOB OF IT. GOING TOWARD THE BASE FROM THE HI-WAY YOU HAVE TO ENTER VIA 1ST STREET AS BOTH MITCHELL EXTENSION AND 1ST STREET ARE ONE WAY STREETS. THE PARK STARTS AT THE MACARTHUR HI-WAY. ABOUT MIDWAY THEY ERECTED THE FAMOUS HAT THAT USE TO BE AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BASE.
AT THE BASE END OF THE PARK THEY BUILT A JEEP TERMINAL. LOOKING BACK TOWARD THE HI-WAY FROM THE BASE SIDE OF THE PARK ON 1ST STREET IT IS DESIGNED TO BE A FOUR LANE STREET.  HOWEVER ON WEEKDAYS THE JEEPS USE 2 LANES TO TAKE THEIR DAILY NAPS AND GET IN THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. GOING INTO THE BASE AT THE MAIN GATE TO THE RIGHT IS WHERE THE CHECK POINT BX WAS. . THE MAIN GATE WILL BE RELOCATED JUST BEFORE THE BASE CEMETERY. ON THE RIGHT AS YOU ENTER THE BASE THEY ARE BUILDING THE NEW SHOE SHOE MART MALL. THEY SHOULD OPEN THIS YEAR.
AS WE TURN OUT ONTO THE MAIN ROAD GOING INTO THE BASE WE STOP AND PAY OUR RESPECTS TO OUR DEPARTED FRIENDS AT THE CEMETERY. OUR FIRST VIEW IS THE ENTRANCE A MONUMENT IN MEMORY OF THE DEATH MARCH HAS BEEN ERECTED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE BASE CEMETERY BY A FILIPINO ORGANZATION. IT IS STILL BEING MAINTAINED BY THE VFW POST 2485.
TO THE CEMETERY, AS YOU CAN SEE THE CEMETERY IS TAKEN CARE OF.  THIS IS DONE BY THE VFW POST 2485. JUST PAST THE CEMETERY IS A INDUSTRAIL PARK. OUR NEXT STOP IS THE CLARK VIEW BX AND AERO CLUB AREA. ON THE WAY TO THE CLARK AIRPORT WE TURN RIGHT OFF MITCHELL TOWARD THE MAINTANCE COMPLEX. WE ENTER AIR FORCE CITY, THEY HAVE A STATIC DISPLAY OF SOME OF THEIR OLD AIRCRAFT.  GOING TOWARD THE CLARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WE GET A LOOK AT THE OLD AIR FREIGHT BUILDING. DON'T KNOW IT IS BEING USED FOR. NOT MUCH BUSINESS AT THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MOST OF THE FLIGHTS ARE AT NIGHT. THEY ARE ADDING MORE FLIGHTS MONTHLY.
THEN DOWN THE ROAD AND OVER TO AIR FRIGHT BUILDING.  I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE AIR TERMINAL, BUT IT DIDN'T COME OUT GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT ON THE WEB.  STOPPED BY THE FOUR SEASONS BX AND TOOK A COUPLE OF PICTURES.  ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE FOUR SEASONS LOOKING TOWARD C9 OPERATIONS, PAINT SHOP, SHEET METAL SHOP AREA. LOOKS LIKE A JUNGLE  FROM THAT END. HOWEVER AT THE LOWER END OF THE AREA THEY HAVE BUILT SOME MAINTANCE COMPLEXS. THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM THE AIRPORT. IT LOOKS LIKE THE OLD WIND TUNNEL IS BEING MAINTAINED. THEN IT WAS DOWN THE HILL TO BASE SUPPLY.  NEAR THE OLD BASE SUPPLY THEY HAVE A FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUILDING. . ACROSS THE STREET IS WHAT IS LEFT OF THE BASE SUPPLY WAREHOUSE AREA THE NEXT STOP WAS THE PICNIC AREA.  NOT MUCH GOING ON THERE BUT IT IS BEING TAKEN CARE OF. 
THEY HAVE MADE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PICNIC AREA. EVEN HAVE HORSES TO RIDE. A PLAQUE AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE PARK CLAIMS CDC BUILT THE PARK. FUNNY I SWEAR IT WAS THERE IN 1955 WHEN I FIRST GOT TO CLARK.. OH WELL!!
THE RAO BUILDING WAS OUR NEXT STOP. LOOKS LIKE THE RAO BUILDING ABOUT HAD IT.
WE PASSED BY THE SITE OF THE NCO CLUB,  THE MAIN DUTY FREE AREA HASN'T CHANGED MUCH. THEY HAVE LESS BUSINESS NOW BECAUSE OF THE EXCHANGE RATE.
ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL. AS YOU CAN SEE IT IS IN SORRY CONDITION.
THE HOSPITAL AREA IS STILL IN LIMBO. GUESS THEY WANT IT AS A REMINDER OF HOW THE PAF MESSED UP BY NOT SECURING IT.
THEN IT WAS OVER TO THE COMMISARY AND PACKAGE STORE.   THE POST OFFICE AND CHAPEL WAS THE NEXT STOP. THE CHAPEL BY THE MAIN POST OFFICE IS STILL BEING USED AND LOOKS LIKE IS IN GOOD SHAPE.
  DOWN THE ROAD WAS THE MAIN BX AREA WITH BOBBIT THEATER. THE BANK WAS NEXT IT WAS A STORE FOR AWHILE NOW NOTHING. ACROSS THE STREET ON DOWN A LITTLE WAS THE BASE GAS STATION AND THE BX GARAGE. THEY HAVE BUILT A GAS STATION AND GARAGE ACROSS FROM THE MAIN BX AREA.
NEXT STOP WAS THE FIRE STATION, THEN TO THE CREDIT UNION. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE BUILDING. ON THE WAY TO 13TH AIR FORCE WE PASSED BY THE OFFICERS CLUB. AT 13TH AIR FORCE AND CCPO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BUILDINGS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD SHAPE.
THE PUDENTIAL BANK IS BEING TORN DOWN AND NEXT TO THE BANK ON THE MAIN ROAD IS A NEW HOTEL "RAFFLES"
  THE BASE CHAPEL WAS NEXT AND ACROSS THE STREET THE KELLY CAFE. AFTER THAT IT WAS THE KELLY THEATER AND SLIVER WING. THE KELLY THEATER IS TORN DOWN AND THE BASE BOWLING ALLEY IS GONE.
  WENT TO THE BAMBOO BOWL NEXT. THE BAMBOO BOWL LOOKS BETTER AND IT APPEARS THAT THE PAF IS USING IT.
THEN DROVE OVER TO CPO AND PAST 1961ST AREA. IT APPEARS THAT THE 1961ST AREA IS BUILDING UP INTO A INDUSTRIAL PARK.
GOING OUT OF THE BASE TOWARD THE MAIN GATE. THE NEW EXPRESSWAY TO SUBIC IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS GOING THOUGH CLARK NEAR THE CLARK VIEW GATE TOWARD FRIENDSHIP GATE. JUST PAST THE MAIN GATE ON MITCHELL EXTENSION WHICH IS ONE WAY GOING TOWARD MACARTHUR HI-WAY ON THE LEFT IS THE JEEP TEMINAL AREA. ON THE RIGHT IS A CHILDREDS PLAYGROUND.
WE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED THIS SHORT TOUR OF CLARK AB.   ITS TIME TO HEAD FOR
THE LEGION CANTEEN FOR A COOL ONE



copyright 2006, Mac McCallum