Oh the memories, of flat tops high and tight of the many GIs closing up the clubs every other night, The French police did change our cars now It's yellow headlights, t'was just a mud hole with no mid fifty's delights

French builders said their noses were kept hard to the grind, but would the base be finished for Air Force flying time? New folks did arrive and some folks did flee, on that silver bird to home back across the sea

The tour here was just years three, and many said "I'm tired of mud and water all over me", They put boards down over ditches yet many did fall, cussing and asking where's our culverts and sidewalks you all?

Now with hallway barracks doors upstairs and down, we can't hear GI's coming back from a town, some thru the gate front and some thru the rear, let's hope all's well and everyone's back here

There was sand and dirt on our concrete floors, and with stacks of new tiles just outside the doors, maybe real soon they'll put 'em all down, for our shoes look like dirt farmers when we go out on the town

Germany's coming here we heard some say, C-119's by the Rhine-Main way, their hardstands and hangers will they be ready to use, come on you construction workers ain't no time to snooze

From November '55 into '61 our cargo planes got the hauling done, but soon the time would come when we all would shed a tear, Because the birds by Fairchild would lift off no more from here

The base was downsized and folks were sent away, that's just the cookie crumbling some left behind would say, Some Army units moved here for they found plenty of room, The base high school with student dorms, brightened up some of our gloom

Some Airmen and others would rotate to the base, the Alabama Air National Guard with jets even came to the place, Then the French said "non you'll not lift off from Dreux" fouling up our air space, that's just what you'll do

The Air Guard from Dixie Land did not miss a beat, off to another NATO base and from there they would compete, The hand writing looked to be up on the wall, no GI's in France much longer, according to DeGaulle

Will the ax fall residents would say, We know they want us out, it could be any day, Then the news came to the base, We're all moving from this place, We had just a year to pull out all our stuff, then our flag came down, for enough was enough

Our 1st Lt Davis was the commander on that day, when the stars and stripes came down and was lovingly ferruled away, Flash bulbs were popping and there were hand shakes all around, then off went the last blue motorcade, on its way to Paris town.

 Return to Memories of Dreux

Return to Home Page