As was the case in the St. John's area, there was a great deal of American military activity in the general area of Stephenville NF. It is doubtful that anyone can even manage a guess as to the number of Americans that staged through or once served at Harmon Air Force Base.
The advent of the Cold War resulted in a decision to build a number of radar stations. Construction began at Pinetree, some 13 miles from Harmon AFB in 1951. This AC&W Squadron was built on 50 acres of land, eventually had 32 buildings and was manned by about 125 GI's. The elevation of the site was 1,250 feet.
In October 1953, the USAF assumed control of this site from the 105th AC&W Squadron Air National Guard. The new tenants were to be known as the 640th AC&W Squadron. At the time of the takeover, the unit was operating with the CPS-5D search radar and the MPS-11 height radar. The CPS-5D was older equipment and it did not have a radome. High poles were strategically located around the search antenna and a protective cover was attached in an attempt to protect the antenna from the elements. There were many occasions when fog would roll in and this would result in rime-ice forming on the protective cover - which would eventually snap, making quite a noise.
I first arrived at the 640th AC&W Squadron in January 1954, and I departed in September 1954 to join the 920th AC&W, then located at McAndrew AFB (adjacent to the Argentia Naval Air Station). There was an upgrade of radar equipment in January 1954 as the unit obtained the new CPS-6B which was a combined search and height radar antenna housed under a radome. We even managed to get a new Operations building when the CPS-6B arrived.
There were two two story barracks, an Orderly room, a dining room, a combined Snack Bar/PX, and a diesel building along with separate transmitter and receiver sites. I still remember a nearby café which was called the Pinetree Tea Room where you could obtain a very large piece of pie and a cup of coffee for 35 cents.
-- Ed Vasecka, USAF - (February 21, 1998).