With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.

"But I've put them on an SAC bomber, sir," Elliott said.

After the Vietnam conflict, SAC bombers reverted to the nuclear mission for which they had been designed.

The crisis passed and the SAC bombers went off alert status and returned to normal rotational deployments.

"Genux-B was in the process of scrambling all SAC bombers and wep-sats for an all-out assault on the area around Sacramento, California."

It was also used to house SAC bombers on temporary duty (TDY) from the United States.

Stationing SAC bombers at British air bases, from where the Soviet Union was within range, offered a certain amount of support to America's strategic plans.

The squadron was sent to Turner AFB, Georgia where it continued its mission to provide fighter escorts to SAC bombers on training missions.

Most of the runway alert exercises involved interceptions of SAC bombers; although a few actual scrambles turned out to be interceptions of late or off-course commercial airliners.

Mactan Air Base began life as an emergency field for SAC bombers to recover in the event of a war.