Forum: Air Force Life

As a subject of pride, what fighter squadron has the best bar? The 390th at Mountain Home as well as the 391st have pretty bad a$$ bars. Also, the 2nd FS at Tyndall wasn't too bad, could have used a touch up when I was last there. During many a FAM rides have I gotten to see various squadron bars. The 61st at Luke isn't bad either.

Any opinions out there?

PS: When I'm talking best bar, I'm referring to the best design of the bar itself.

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There was a bartender at the old o club bar at Nellis. If you walked in there once, he would remember your name. I've never met the guy, but I have heard stories about him. Bernie I think his name was. He left when they built the new one a few years back...

I've been to Tyndall, Luke, and Mountain Home, so far. My pick for best fighter Sq bar would be the 390th. It is newer, cleaner, and more spacious than most bars off-base!

77FS at Shaw, the story how they got it is even better...

whats typically in a fighter bar anyway? the only one I've seen is the 95th FS at tyndall, but that was on the tv show American Fighter Pilot, so i didnt really get a chance to see much. But how often do guys hang out in there?

P.S. What is the story about how the 77 FS got theirs?

Whoa!

Without a doubt, the Rapskeller at Bien Hoa in the late 60's takes the cake. Never made it there, but the Nailhole at NKP might vie.......

You must remember that war venues offer a great deal of flexibility, access to supplies, less rules/regs, a ready-made clientele, cheap local labor, etc.

Being the junior troop, I was assigned "snack bar officer". So I had to find, procure and deliver "snacks", chips, beer, etc. Looked at the setup and decided to "expand". A flare chute from the Spooky troops for the ceiling, wall lights made from napalm nosecones, some paint, and finally, two little gals from downtown to serve the drinks.

Business was good, and we prospered.

I talked the boss into an assistant. The guy was a procurement and business genius.

New barracks were under construction and we talked the Boss into using the center of the building and one room across the hallway(had to store booze someplace).

Squad scrounger trades 'yard crossbows, Air Guard steaks or something (don't ask, don't tell) for plywood and stain and paint and...... Assistant uses our profit to have a mahogany bar and stool set made in the PI, then shipped via Herc as "office equipment". Sucker was so heavy we all used it during rocket attacks as a bunker. We also had a Vegas style craps table made, plus a poker table. Used the nape nosecones pointed down over the tables for a really neat look.

Business is very good, so we hire an old mamasan to supervise the young, nubile waitresses and keep track of stuff. Business so good that other squad bars are hurting, as is the O-club. We are soon having caseloads of booze flown in from Thailand in a C-47. We acquire another room across hall for the booze. Trained barmaids to provide beverage of choice for anyone entering bar second time. Tab was started and we had our "enforcer" collect fees at a time of our choosing.

Wrote to Hamm's beer and Bud folks. They sent us coasters, displays, even a clock with U.S. time zones and one for 'nam.

The bar finally closed in 1972 when USA pulled out. But ask anyone who was at Bien Hoa from 1968 to 1972 about it.

Those were the days, my friends.....................

We stole it...

Great stories Gums. Various squadron bars would be a good setup for a large coffee table picture book on the subject. Smile

Oh God....who'd you steal it from?

Swanee,

I think Bernie was discovered with his fingers in the till and may have spent some time with the Corrections system...

Cubi Point Officer's Club (now reassembled at NAS Pensacola) is a great place. They sell San Miguel Beer, but it's not the same as you get from the P.I.

Favorite bar is actually another off-base bar...The Kansas City Barbecue in San Diego. It was a filming location for "Top Gun" and the troops have kept the place well decorated over the years.

Rumor has it that an admiral's wife donated her bra to the collection hanging over the bar.

The bar features one of the best business cards in history...

"Gone to Pee. Don't F#%k With my Drink!"

Anybody else remember "The Afterburner" next to Homestead?

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

The Afterburner... ol what memories of that place!!!! Swing shift watching days go into work...

Heh heh! I guess you closed it down a few times did you? Laughing

I would have thought there would be more SQ bars out there to brag about....sad to see that those times/ and crud games are long gone. Everyone just goes home to the wife/hubby and kids...there's never any chill sessions anymore. What ever happened to the hard charging days of work hard / play hard? Cheers

Cheers!

Newbie Joined: Jan 28, 2006 - 06:30 PM Posts: 11

I know the best over all USAF bars Ive been in were at some of the remotes. We had a lot of "remotes" back when I was in. We probably had twice the number of air bases too. The Taverns and chow in the remotes were so good because it was pretty much all you could do at them was eat and drink. And we "played hard" back then.

Forum: Air Force Life

Best squadron bar