Blast From The Past – Summer 1990 – Jeepneys are a common mode of travel in the Philippines. Here we see a couple heading down the streets of Manila, taken during the time I was stationed at Clark Air Base from 1989-1991. It was an interesting assignment where I lived off the base in a compound where we had armed guards, due to the threat from the Abu Sayyaf militants group, among other such groups during the time I was stationed there. During my tour there I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted due to these threats to American Military. Otherwise, it was a great tour and I made many great new friends.
Also, the days leading up to my return to the states and a new assignment the Mount Pinatubo volcano was spewing gas and debris. After I was at my next duty station at Norton AFB, California it erupted on June 15th, 1991 covering most of the regions around and Clark with ash! The base was closed by the United States in the early 1990s due to the refusal by the Philippine government to renew the lease on the base.