Yes they were. When we first lived there, the bases were used by B-36’s, which had six rear-facing propeller engines. The B-36 was the air force’s nuclear bomber before the B-52. The ground rumbled beneath you when they took off or flew overhead. The first jet bombers were B-47’s. The B-52 replaced both these planes in 1954 as SAC’s nuclear bomber. Hard to believe it is still in service. The 357th Fighter-Interceptor squadron was also stationed at Nouasseur AFB. I googled Ben Geurir AFB to verify the spelling and found out that it is a designated alternate landing site for the space shuttle.

My sister and her husband, an US Army officer, were stationed in Germany in the mid-seventies and they visited Morocco on vacation. They tried to get on the base at Nouasseur to pick some items at the base exchange, but were denied entry. An Air Force officer took them on in, but when the came out of the BX, the Air Police were waiting for them and kicked them off the base.

The school at Nouasseur was closed in 1963. I thought the bases were turned over to the Moroccans then, but it appears that there was a US military presence into the 1970’s and perhaps we’re still there, but with a very low profile. Given the state of the world today, I doubt the Moroccan government would want to publicize any relations with the US military.

Some alumni of the dependents’school visited Morocco three or four years ago, and had a very warm and friendly reception at the base, which is now the International Airport for Casablanca. They were taken around to all the old haunts–pool, movie theater, snack bar, bowling alley, etc as well as the dependents housing area. Moroccan flight controllers and their families now live in the homes that we moved into brand new in the mid-50’s.

Ed