"Christmas tree" Alert Pad (Goldsboro, North Carolina)

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Former alert pad during the days of the 4241st Strategic Wing during the SAC era.

The "Christmas tree" shape is only seen at Strategic Air Command bases, and was intended to get the bombers off the ground during an attack warning in the fastest possible time (SAC bases were expected to be the first to be struck by a missile attack).

The building at the lower left is the "Alert Crew Readiness Shelter", better known as the "mole hole"; it was where the alert crews stayed 24/7 during their shifts, right next to their planes. Velcro shoes for the crewmen, designated trucks for every aircraft so the crews didn't have to run across the tarmac...everything about the process was optimized to shave seconds off getting airborne.