Military debris removal completed at northwestern Alaska NP units
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The National Park Service says it has completed a five-year-long project to remove heavy debris from areas it oversees in Northwest Alaska -- including more than two dozen military fuel pods, mostly from F-4 Phantom II fighter jets.
According to NPS spokesperson John Quinley, the aluminum pods -- which measure about 15 feet long and weigh about 450 pounds each -- were dropped during the 1970s by jets training over the western Brooks Range. A similar fuel pod from an F-4 was found last month at the Port of Anchorage and removed by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson personnel.