Clark AB, Philippines

In October, 1985 I traveled to Clark Air Base, Philippines. What I remember most about that trip was being deathly ill with high fever when I began the trip at DFW Airport on an early evening flight to San Francisco, where I connected to a Philippine Airways overnight flight to Manila. By the time we refueled in Honolulu around 2:00 am, I didn't have the strength to even bother to get off the plane during the 90-minute stopover. Aspirin kept me lucid enough to clear passport and customs in Manila at dawn on a Sunday. Many of the streets in downtown were closed that morning for the Manila Marathon, or somesuch race. The driver dispatched by the Hyatt Regency to pick me up at the airport was available for hire, so I arranged for him to drive me to Clark AB on Monday morning. I spent the rest of Sunday in bed, suffering jet lag and high fever. We departed for Clark before dawn Monday to avoid the horrible city traffic (I still recall the "Stay in Your Lane" banners hanging from various overpasses -- and yes, they were in English, the official language for business, at least, it was in 1985). Best I recall, it was a 2 or 3 hours drive. I still had the fever when I checked into the Visiting Officer's Quarters at Clark, and I went promptly to bed, turning on the radio to listen to the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants game on Armed Forces Radio, a Sunday night game (October 6th) in the US. I napped off and on during the game, but when I awoke for good, I knew I was delirious: The Giants, needing only to kneel down for a couple of snaps to run out the clock and preserve a 2 point victory, inexplicably ran a handoff play and fumbled, with the Cowboys recovering. Rafael Septien kicked a field goal to win the game for the Cowboys, 30-29. My fever broke at the same time. I was never a big Cowboys fan -- still not -- but it can be a good way to pass the time by radio, even in the Philippines.  But I digress...

Clark AB had hosted a FLR-9 antenna since April, 1965, and it was easily spotted as we drove around the base. I do not know if it was dismantled before the US pulled out of Clark rather suddenly in 1991. The Mt. Pinatubo volcano erupted in March and virtually wiped out the base. Rather than rebuild (and with the base lease having expired), the US abandoned the facility and it became dormant looting grounds for many years. Eventually, the Philippine government went in and redeveloped the facility. In doing so, they definitely won the prize for "Best Redevelopment of a FLR-9 Antenna Site". It's called Clark Expo, home of the Nayong Pilipino Historic and Cultural Amusement Park. The site also includes an exhibition center. The distinctive circular arrangement is unmistakable; even the outer ring antenna pole locations were reused.

FLR-9 Site at Clark AB, Philippines [15 12 18N, 120 31 39E]