The fighter jets were a mainstay in Bridgeton… it seemed like every Sunday we would see them flying overhead. Up until now, they were a constant.
Here is a link to the Post-Dispatch article that discusses the pullout of the fighter jet program at Lambert. Yet another familarity disappearing in time.
J. Desy Schoenewies
56 Houses Left 
I wrote this story about sneaking onto Lambert Airport with my best buddy Mark Holsum from St. Ann who died in 6th grade in 1969
When I was oh about 10 years old my friend Mark showed me a way to sneak out onto Lambert Airport. We snuck down along Coldwater Creek and ended up at the departure end of the active runway. It was the mid 60s and the Vietnam War was heating up so McDonnell Douglas was cranking out their Phantom F-4 fighter planes like crazy. I’d sat in the cockpits at Lambert when Dad took me over there for employees’ day and now we were on a sneak & peek mission to see them fly.
It was early evening so the blue lights on the runway looked kewl as we crept along the creek bank. We found a good spot in the high grass to lay and wait, keeping an eye out for any airport security trucks that would occasionally drive around the ramps and taxi ways looking for trespassers.
Several commercial jets went over us and it was kind of a rush, feeling the power of their engines so close, straining hard to lift the big planes. The noise was extreme and we both covered our ears. Then we heard the unmistakeable sound of a jet fighter taxiing to the runway. There was a local Air National Guard squadron and Mac that flew the Phantoms. We peeked over the high grass to watch the plane roll down the runway, 2 long yellow orange flames of fire pouring out the tail. It’s hard to describe an F-4 in full burner, it’s a sound all its own. It sounds like the air is tearing, you feel the rumble starting to build as the plane gets nearer and then, as the jet passes, you get this tremendous rumble in your guts. Mark called it the “burner shake” and shake we did. As soon as the first F-4 flew out of sight we started high fiving each other saying how kewl it was and hoping for some more to take off.
One night we had 2 Phantoms take off side by side, we both stood up and danced around like goofballs watching the glow of the burners fade in the sunset. Most of the Phantoms we saw on the runway were painted USAF green camo. Once in awhile we’d see a Navy or Marine version which were gray.
We never did get caught by airport security but we did get busted by a taxiing fighter pilot one day. We were late getting to our viewing spot and as we ran down the creek to get to our lookout the fighter was already at the end of the runway in position and holding. The tower was using the opposite departure due to the wind and the 2nd seater in the fighter saw us and pointed us out to the front seater. We waved and saluted and both pilots saluted back. It was 10 times better than a train horn blast from an engineer I thought.
The hard part was we couldn’t tell anyone, especially our Mom and Dad.
My mom received hardship early buy out in 2000 , was here house 1st to go on Brumley 12614, I see next door went down 2007.. 12615