Bombs Away with Ric Mixter
Tuesday, February 17 at 7 PMDocumentary producer Ric Mixter was born at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base (AFB), and as a journalist was invited to fly training missions on B-52 bombers to hit practice targets in Wisconsin, Scotland and the Netherlands. He also was selected among dozens of journalists to fly with the Air Force Thunderbirds during their final visit to Wurtsmith AFB, and he was the only journalist to fly the last mission of the most decorated bomber in Desert Storm to the AMARC facility in Arizona. Ric was also selected to fly as the only journalist when Michigan’s final airbase closed at his birthplace of K.I. Sawyer AFB. That bomber flew to Minot, North Dakota in November of 1994.
“Bombs Away” chronicles the most famous missions of four air bases; Sawyer, Wurtsmith, Selfridge and Kincheloe, which was home to nuclear armed B-52s from 1961 to 1977. This base was also among the first for a missile defense network called BOMARC that once shielded North America from Soviet threats. Ric’s lecture features the Tuskegee Airmen, bomber activity in Viet Nam, and long range missions that quickly ended the war in Iraq. Also highlighted is bomber production in Michigan, where “Rosie the Riveter” assembled B-24 Liberators used in World War II.