The following graphics were scanned by Pete Wurzbach C/4/562, Alvarado, Texas
"C/4/562 was our unit ID abreviated: Battery C, 4th Btn, 562d Artillery. This was common in the DFW Defense."

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Shoulder Patch (40 K Bytes)

Decal (131 K Bytes)
Pete wrote "Interestingly, the motto in the decal "family with a future" turned out to be too presumptuous. The Nike family didn't really have a future after the Zeus was canceled."

Bumper Sticker (127 K Bytes)

Life on a Nike site was quite accident free, even in the relatively dangerous Ajax missile fueling operations.

If nothing else, the military abhors accidents including the subsequent writing of accident reports and the following investigations and the placement of accident related documents in your file. An accident reflects upon your military efficiency and promotional possibilities. An accident can cause your already meager pay to decrease.

Most injuries occurred off site, on the highway. The situation of troops trying to maximize visits to home towns 1,000 miles from the site on a 3 day pass, was a definite problem. People would work all day Friday, start driving late Friday afternoon, get home about Saturday noon, see the folks - girl friend - old friends - until Sunday noon, and start driving back, not always successfully.

Later, regulations limited the driving range of a 3 day pass. The range was written right on the pass, and penalties if you were caught outside the range were severe. But headstrong, lonesome, lovesick ...

Pete e-mailed in response to the above:

" By 1966 we did not have weekend passes. In fact, Nike service was treated as a 9-5 job Monday to Friday with weekends off. Except when we were on 'hot' status. We could go anywhere, do anything, as long as we didn't get arrested. One guy did, for rape. I had to attend his trial in Dallas as a military observer. In uniform I couldn't sink low enough on the church type bench to escape the prosecutor's attack on the Army person who was on trial. He was in uniform. I was in uniform. It was a sad event. He got 30 years. He's probably out now. Don't know where he is. He was a cook and made damn good coffee for us. That's all I can remember about that incident. "

If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mail to Ed Thelen

Updated April 27, 1997