Adak - anybody out there? (Anchorage: housing, rent, vacation)

[DannyB]

Hey from the great state of GA! I spent 13 months on Adak in 1977, I was 17 yrs old at the time - it was an adventure for sure - I fell in love with Alaska during the time on Adak & visits to Anchorage. I would really enjoy a visit with anyone from Adak, or with anyone whos been there, or anyone who might be familar with the current status of the island. Looking forward to hearing from you!
DannyB <><

[Alaska49er]

Hi Danny,

Were you in the Navy at the time or a military dependent? Adak NAS is now just Adak, with the U.S. Navy having pulled out some ten years ago or so. The Island was turned over to the Aleuts, the Alaska natives who live in the Aleutian Islands. Many ideas have surfaced over the years, including turning the island into a maximum security state prison, but so far little development has happened. There are about 300 full time residents on Adak, mostly Aleuts, I'm sure. I think they are trying to develop tourism and commercial development, such as a fishing industry. I visited Adak once, for about 5 hours, when we flew a C-130 in about 20 years ago (Alaska Air National Guard). It was a very busy naval air station and even had a McDonalds on base! P-3 Orion aircraft were based there (sub hunters) and patrolled the northern Pacific Ocean.

Go to http://www.adakisland.com for the official website.....lots of info!

Pat

[Jerry Johnson]

Hello Danny,
I was on Adak in 1973 with the Navy SeaBees. It sounds as though the place has changed tremendously, but it was a good experiance.

[mountain_time_Blues]

city-data.com/forum/alaska/272-adak.html?highlight=Adak+Island

Here's an old thread from last year that talked a little about Adak.

[DannyB]

Hey,
its great to hear from everyone! thank you for answering my post. I was attached to NAS Adak with the SeaBees. If anyone has any photos I would love to see them. I found a few on the net, but none from 1977-78. the few I saw were more recent, sadly the place looks run down. I live just outside Atlanta , GA, where are you guys from?
Thanks,
DannyB <><

[mal_flisk]

Hey Danny

Adak is now in the hands of the Aleut people, and they want to create a fishing town with a cannery and processing plant. The infrastructure left behind by the Navy was in great shape, but maintenance anywhere is a requirement for any thing and more so in the Aleutians.

Personally, I have been out through Adak twice in the past 5 years, and both were only refueling stops. Saw only the passenger terminal and flew over the island.

[RobertMerchant]

hi danny i was in the navy in adak from 86 to 88 and iwould love to go back imiss it alot the fishing the eagles and the clean hardly any people there it was nice and the winters wasnt that bad . iwas in the fire dept. airfield,nsga and struc.iwas at all the fire stations i sure do miss it and every thing about adak iwould love to move back there if i could but my wife saw pictures of adak and noway but i still would like to go for about a month.i look at some of the pictures and boy is it ever run since iwas there how sad cause it is such beautiful island if you info on how to get on the island please share i live in ft.myers fla. thank you hope to here from you soon

[DannyB]

Robert,
I know what you mean, ADAK got under my skin too. you should have saw it in 1977! It was so very beautiful and the entire base was in great condition, I was attached with the seabees. we all had access to the cabins, they had been renovated many times and mine was almost as comfortable as my dorm room. Did you guys use the cabins? was the "wiliwah" (not sure about the spelling) in use when you were there; there was a bowling alley, a gym, a theater etc... there were underground tunnels from the dorms.
Its my understanding that the island was returned to the natives. I would love to by an acre of land on ADAK just say it was mine! I was 17 when I was last there, I'm 46 now and its my plan to visit again before I'm 55. I really regret not taking a ton of photos. Shoot me an email at loda5ga@gmail.com
Great to hear from you!
DannyB <><

[Monica Berninghaus]

Hi -I was there from Sept 90-Mar 92 - wow what a beautiful place. Was stationed at the dental clinic right across from the air terminal.
From what I understand no more Reeve Aleutian Airways - now only Alaska Airlines and real pricy - like $2700- guess they have these fishing and birdwatching vacations you can go to....

I lived in BOQ then in Old Roberts. Old Roberts all torn down in 2002, and now there is MAJOR toxic waster clean-up going on. Old Roberts housing was built on top of a landfill and now it was torn down and they found all sorts of bad chemicals there. Heck they used to heat our houses w/ JP-5!!!

After I left in 1992 I heard there were all kinds of weird birth defects - most likely due to the chemicals they found in the soil and a few people I found on one blog developed cancer.

I am still Navy - 2 years until I retire and am on the Bangor submarine base in Silverdale, WA. Wish I could go back there - the recent photos I saw on one website - all the houses are falling apart and kids they are vandalizing everything out of boredom!

[AKBound]

Its amazing to see how many people on this forum are from GA...