from
Joseph R Williams
I just read the excellent article about the Nike Warhead Detachments
supporting the NATO Forces.
My first assignment was as XO (Executive
Officer) of the 357th Artillery Detachment in Stetten a.k.m. (A Cold Market
in German) , FRG supporting the French Air Force in 12/1963. While I was
there we spent our time training our warhead teams and taking TPI',s
(Technical Proficiency Inspections for warhead operations) .
Since France
was in the decision process of leaving NATO, they were dragging their feet
with the total deployment of NIKE sites in Germany. There were two 4 battery
battalions and only one 4 Team Artillery Detachment. Not enough to support
fully deployed units. Why is unknown, but maybe the Team and Detachment
facilities weren't provided by the French, so the US didn't provide the
Detachment. The French wouldn't spend the money on the facilities and
equipment needed to pass the inspections or support the Teams.
These detachments had a lot of pressure on them to be outstanding, so every
little thing was a major situation. These officers and enlisted men were
probably some of the finest in the US Army if they were in the original
packages that were trained at Fort Bliss and deployed as a cohesive unit.
However, some were not deployed for various reasons and those slots were
filled after the unit arrived in Germany. The replacements sometimes were
not as top notch, even though they had the qualifications and were in the
reliability program and of course were not 'members of the team'.
I think
the situation with the French was even worse because the frustration level
was so high. Higher HQ wanted us to get the French to provide all the
facilities, equipment, etc. and become proficient enough to pass the TPI/NSI.
That was the Detachment Commander, XO and the Team Commanders daily task,
meet with the French, influence the training schedule and the facility and
equipment situation. So these well trained Teams were becoming more and more
frustrated each day. I am sure the French units wanted to do well, but were
not allowed to by France. A political situation. In fact, I believe the
French units had no idea they were leaving NATO and they were as surprised
as we were when it happened. If you look at the time frames, you will see
that Bottengen passed the inspections, was stocked and almost immediately
thereafter the French left NATO.
I was transferred North in late 1964 and I was the Team Commander of C Team,
42d Artillery Detachment located in Lohne, FRG in 1965-66. The 42d Arty Det
was another matter. High morale and we supported an excellent German Air
Force Battalion and it was a race between us and the German batteries to
pass every inspection and evaluation. The difficult terrain and climate of
Northern Germany where our launching site was sinking was our only downfall.
We were the first units to successfully complete the TPI/NSI (Technical
Proficiency Inspection/ Nuclear Security Inspection) . Our Team was very
good at the TPI and our German Battery passed their portion, the NSI, with
flying colors. After passing, we were stocked with the warheads and the
business of 24/7 began.
Later, we were the first to perform a real NATO
convoy when we had to remove all the warheads to Soergal because our
launching area was sinking. One difference in our set up was we had a
complete cooks section and our people prepared and served three meals a day
and of course when we went on 24/7, a fourth meal at mid-night. We also had
a small beer club in the basement of the building for our troops. We were
also authorized to live in German Military housing which was located in
Deipolz, FRG. All others lived in the Team facility. We had excellent
soldiers and absolutely no disciplinary problems.
Joe
Joseph R Williams
LTC (Ret), Field Artillery
|
From: Alex Purcell
January 11, 2004
Subject: Nike web site: HA-25
> and if there were indoor
> ranges on Nike housing sites elsewhere in the country.
[response by Ed Thelen]
I REALLY doubt it. The Army, in my day, seemed to
regard shooting as an outdoor activity,
and besides they saved money and fuss on ear protection
the old 30-06 round is extremely noisy (and kicked like a mule!)
it is bad enough outside.
I used to chew toilet paper into wet "spit-ball wads"
and stick them into my ears when we went to the range
and my ears would still ring and hurt
and this was outside.
And when pulling targets in the pits at say 100 yards,
the *CRACK* of the supersonic (say mach 4) slugs
going by 6 feet above your head was very unpleasant.
It was much better at 500 yards -
I can't imagine what it was like for the armored infantry
with those big tank guns going off next to you!!!
It isn't that I'm a super whimp with guns.
I grew up in a rural community. A nice weekend
activity was to take my 22 rifle up or down the
local river and shoot much too much. I regarded
myself as reasonably accurate "offhand" with a 22 rifle
or pistol. But military weapons were something else
definitely not friendly nor fun.
Except the 30 caliber carbine was kind of a pop-gun.
|
BatMan ???
from Richard Turner
Hi Ed...enjoy your website.
While serving as an IFC maintenance man, I had occasion to be working on the large
plotting board in the BC van. When I had finished, I pulled out about 4 or 5 feet
of the large paper and drew a batman symbol on it...then rerolled it.
Wouldn't
you know it....an ORI team hit the unit and during the wring out of the radar,
our computer operator pulled the plotting board paper out to have a clean board
and lo and behold...BATMAN.
I was called on the carpet for that little escapade.
I was known for this kindof thing however and I think everyone had a laugh, perhaps in secret later on.
This happened on Site 61 Vashon Island Washington State probably about 1970 or so.
Richard Turner
SGM Retired
|
'Friendly' North Korea
from Bob Sykes
Us Nike guys may not have fired a Missile in defense of our location, but we
did serve our Country and my Korean experience did make me sleep with my 45
and M-16.
We were on the coast just below Inchon on White Tigar Mountain (Camp Sarafi)
Sak Son Ni and the North Koreans had a bad habit of coming in at night to
assassinate the local politician or anyone who got in their way.
When they did that, the whole coast line would be as bright as day with all
the flares going off. I was there when the North Koreans shot down the recon
plane (B-47) and we went to Red Alert.
Thanks again!
Bob Sykes
|
Menu for Red Canyon Range Camp for Christmas 1957
from J.P. Moore
Dear friends,
If you were at Red Canyon Range Camp for Christmas 1957, you probably
received one of these special mess hall menus, personally signed by Lt.
Colonel John J. McCarthy. He was so proud of his troops that he signed
every single menu.
Menu courtesy of Mary Elliot, daughter of Lt. Col. McCarthy, who sends best
wishes to you this Christmas of 2002.
Wishing each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
JP Moore
Shreveport, Luzianna
Visit my HomePage website at
http://home.sport.rr.com/nikeajax/rcrc_welcome.html
|
The Big E at SF 88 IFC
from Eshleman, John
One week end in '71 the troops were given the order to repaint the lines
in the small parking area at the IFC area. I returned Monday morning to
find this one lined parking space with a very large "E" painted in the
middle of it.
The "E" wasn't just large, it was very large and thick. I ask SFC
Herrin (Maint Sgt) "What's with the big E parking space?" The reply,
"Chief, that's your parking space, you're the only Big "E" in this IFC."
In the painting process, the paint can was sitting in the middle of a
parking space when one of the troops kicked the paint can over and paint
was running. Another troop grabbed a paint brush and directed the flow
of the spill into the letter E
I visited SF88 in Oct of '86 and was bearly able to drive up to the IFC
and sure enough, some one had painted the big E over with black (tar)
paint, but big as the nose on your face, the "Big E" was still there.
Should they ever reactivate that NIKE site, I will always be there.
|
HALT! from Bruce Graydon via J. P. Moore
Someone mentioned area 5000 the other day and that reminded me of the time
just before we packed up to head to RCRC for our attempted firings. We were
hanging out in front of our building waiting to go to mess. A guard from the
stockade was wrangling a detail of prisoners who were planting the tree's
around the buildings.
They came into our building to get water and when they came out, the 3
prisoners made a break and scattered. The guard yelled, 'HALT". They kept
on running. We all just kinda stood there not believing what we were seeing.
He yelled, "HALT" again and the third time he leveled his carbine and killed
one of the prisoners. The other 2 stopped and were gathered up by a few of
us gawkers. I still can't imagine that they thought they were really going
to escape.
Bruce Graydon. Package 8, RCRC 1953-54. D Battery, 738 Missile Bn,
Philadelphia 1954-55
|
Statute Of Limitations from B R Blaydes
It has been a long time since this happened , I wonder if it is worth telling.
I was stationed at Jacobsville [BA-43]C36th the summer of 1956. One day I was assigned to
take two men and go to the ships store at Annapolis to pick up surplus material for
construction of a PX
.I and the two met a Navy Chief who directed use to the material we were to receive .
One of the men I took with me noticed several old canon in the yard and asked
the Chief if he could have one and the answer was that of course a strong no way .
Well it seems that when no one was looking one canon was loaded on the Deuce
and a Half and covered and we left with material plus a canon.
As we neared Jacobsville we dropped the canon on a field to be retrieved later.
Sometime later one Saturday morning the Company Commander called me
and told me to get the truck and some men and report to the orderly room.
When we arrived at the orderly room we met with the company commander
and were advised that a farmer had found the canon in his field and we were
to go with the farmer and retrieve it.
Well to shorten this story a mount was made and it was placed outside the orderly room
by the flag pole and there it remained. The men that went with me were the ones who
loaded the canon that day at the ship yard. I have often wondered about that canon
and where it ended up. Needles to say I had visions of repercussions for a long time after.
|
SAC Perspective
from Dick Roush
I was one of many from our Air Force Radar Bomb Scoring site in
Ironwood, Michigan who trained Nike personnel in Chicago, Milwaukee and
Detroit in 1961, and 1962, right when the joint AF/ARMY project first
started. Just thought I'd make contact.
We were just a small SAC
detachment of about 50 men. Our equipment at the RBS sites across the
nation was very similar to your NIKE Ajax and Hercules. We had a
trailer (MSQ-1) with a computerized X-Y plotting board in it, along with
the radio communications for communicating with aircraft using the the
bomb plot - assigning bomb release times, taking crew info and bomb run
information (type, ECM activity, post-release maneuvers, IP inbound, 50
mile call, 25 mile call, bomb release tone, and then transmitting the
encoded bomb run and ECM scores).
There was a separate ECM trailer, and the automatic tracking radar
(MPS-9). This was very similar to what the Army had, so since the Air
Force needed fresh targets provided by larger cities (surrounded by NIKE
sites), and the Army needed live "targets" for practice, the two
branches got together............and we got TDY assignments in our
assigned cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit to do the training
and handle the communications - at first.
I can share with you now, Ed, that in my experience, had our bombers
been from Russia, they would have walked right through us in the
beginning. We knew the azimuth, altitude, and bomb release times, and
we had so many "aborts" that the Army was embarrassed, and we got our
asses kicked by the Air Force for not doing a better job of training.
Eventually, we got it worked out.
I noticed a big difference in how the Army functioned during these bomb
runs and how we in the AF functioned. The Army was much more "by the
numbers" and more rigid in how they allowed their men to operate. We
were all cross-trained and could do all jobs, plus maintain the
equipment. Once they let the men use their heads a little more, they
did much better. But until then, they were more robotic in their
assignments. This is not mentioned as a slur against those Army
personnel, just our observation.
My son, Jeff, was born while I was on assignment in La Porte, Ind (or
near there, anyway) at a NIKE site. It was the furthest from my home
town, Woodstock, Illinois, where my wife was in the hospital. I arrived
after the birth. She was NOT happy.
I really enjoyed working with the Army guys during those 3 month
assignments. The father of one of the guys was a Vice-President at
Magnavox at an Illinois plant. I got a job interview with him when I
got out, but ended up working for Sundstrand Aviation in Rockford,
Illinois on the XB-70 supersonic bomber (the Concorde equivalent), then
went to college, graduated, went to work for IBM as an engineer, and now
I'm retired. But those years in RBS and working with the Army will
always be important years for me. Ain't it always that way, huh?
...
Regards,
Dick
|
Happy Ramblings
from Chuck Zellers
Ed,
I assume all US units that had Missile Masters had a FUIF system installed. The reasoning was to
control which battery was targeting which target(s) within the range of all the Nike sites. As an example,
the Missile Master in Omaha was operated by the Air Force who operated the radar at Missile Master
used to identify all flying aircraft. Target information from Missile Master was sent via phone lines to
each battery FUIF system, allowing selective targeting, i.e., avoiding two or more missile sites locking
on and firing at the same target(s). I'm not sure when FUIF equipment was 1st installed at sites...I do
know the system I worked on was there in 1961.
I did visit the "Blue Room" in the Missile Master in Omaha...it was blue or had a blue lighting cast over
it and was big, many displays, large plotting boards, a big computer room.
Looking at my orders for the FUIF training at Pedricktown, NJ I notice several others attended, looks like
two people for each site in the Philadelphia area...but I never did run into anyone else who was trained
to fix FUIF, at least Army people.
Oh, also I remember during the Cuban Missile Crisis while stationed at Swedesboro, NJ, the Army had
Juliet Prowse visit the site. We all went to the mess hall, they handed out those sample pack of cigarettes
to us. I assume this was for a morale builder. Yes, she was good looking!....I think at the time she was
going with Frank Sinatra.
Another time the Battery Commander loaded us in an Army bus, took us to the Jersey shore, we went
clamming (sic). After the task of finding clams, they took us to a night club who treated us to front row
seats and dinner (I think this may have been after the Cuban thing).
Another story at Crete, Nebraska: After arriving at Crete, the ABAR (AN/FPS-75) radar was not yet installed.
When the equipment arrived, we assembled the antenna (parabolic reflector) which was 10' x 40'. The antenna
was made of aluminum and weighted around 1200 to 2000 lbs. Anyhow, the assembled antenna was set
on the ground until we could lift it to the pedestal. One night the wind came up (it's always windy in
Nebraska it seems). The wind blew the antenna over the parimeter fence into a farm field. Boy the
Battalion Commander was pissed!
Another thing at Crete, I guess I remember hearing from other guys about using the MTR or TTR to
discourage radar traps by the police. Now I don't know if it really had any effect but one day/night a
police car was parked on a side road near the IFC area. The antenna was aimed at the car and the
magnetron was fired. The car left shortly thereafter.
I remember during IG inspection times, if any part count (magnetrons, tubes, etc) was over the TOE(sic?)
count, they had us haul them off site...one time dumping in a river!
I remember becoming the Soldier of the Quarter in Swedesboro and still have the certificate I received.
In Nebraska, rank at the time was hard to come by. I had enough time in grade as a SP4-E4 and went
before a "Board of Review" along with several others. The board was used to select the next E5 in the
battalion. A couple of the people had been before the board before. I was selected and of course felt good about it.
About 6 months before I left the Army, I got orders for Germany. In order to go to Germany I had to
reup. I decided not to, partly because SP5-E5 was the highest rank I could achieve in MOS 229.1 (ABAR Maintenance).
After my decision, a few of my Army friends said :"you'll be back". I never did look back until now.
My electronic training in the Army allowed me to work in the computer field until I retired from Unisys.
Sorry for the rambling.....it just comes out as a person types!
Regards,
Chuck Zellers
|
Souvenir Hunters
from Mark Morgan
Oh no, going into a national park or particularly a national military
park/ battlefield is a federal crime.
These two yahoos came in the back side
of the park through one of the adjacent developments; the locals noted these
two white guys in a fancy truck with all these metal detection gear and
immediately called the police and the park.
We grabbed them with the gear and
a few minie balls, got their truck and they both spent some quality time in
jail. Well deserved!
Artifact collectors and pot hunters are a major problem throughout the
country; far as I'm concerned if they get caught, they can go to jail
permanently.
MK
|
Nothing special, just life
from Chuch Sandlin
We were lucky at C-03 since a group of new troops arrived at about the same
time, trained together and stayed together for almost 3 years. Our IFC crews
were the same people for all of that time so we worked extremely well
together. We also seemed to get excellent officers to work with. Maybe
because our battery was tops in the Battalion and the defense most of the
time based on SNAP and ORE scores.
I ran the battery PX for a period of time in addition to my other duties.
Toward the end of my tour I was detached to 45th Brigade to run the SAC Radar
Bomb Scoring operation and get it back on track. The Brigade was receiving
poor performance scores in this area and the colonel wanted it corrected.
Sure was nice being a Sp/5 reporting directly to a bird.
Having HQ 90 miles away in Milwaukee was nice since they tended to bug A & B
Batteries more than us. The only disadvantage was that we got hit by ARADCOM
and 5th Region regularly since we were so close to the Chicago O'Hare airport
and Glenview Naval Air Station.
C-03 started as a 120mm gun site and was converted to Ajax in the 50's. I'm
not sure when it was converted to Herc, but believe it was a dual Ajax/Herc
site for some period of time and became a HERC only site in the early 60's.
THe HQ and IFC were at Montrose Beach Harbor while the Launching area was at
Belmont Harbor. We had a direct line of site across Lake Michgan from IFC to
Launch.
Our radars were on 40 foot towers so wintertime checks and adjustments could
get interesting. Both areas were on the lake shore and exposed to wind, snow
and waves. On the other hand, there were a lot of high rise apartments to
the west and the columating telescopes really provide a detailed view of
certain windows. Amazing that people on the 10th floor don't think that they
need cutains!
There are two pictures in the Redstone library that were taken at the C-03
launch area. One is the scene of troops running for cover with a HERC in the
background and a highrise building evident. The other is of several HERCs
raised on the launchers with a highrise building in the background. Pretty
sure both of these are from C-03 launching area.
C-03 was decommissioned in late 1968 or early 1969 after our group finihed
their tour of duty. At one point, the launching area was occupied by an
American Indian group trying to claim that it belonged to them as a result of
a long lost treaty. The site buildings have been completely removed
including the 40' concrete radar towers. The only thing that remains is an
access door to the warhead storage area. It is still on the Corps of
Engineers list of contaminated sites and may still be "hot".
Some of the folks I remember:
[a long list of people - and at the end -]
Mick Mindikowski - Chicago - we made his brand new car disappear one day - TTR
|
Annual Family Day
From Duke Borchardt, CW5, FLARNG
For about 4 years before site deactivation, at Site NY-25 we would
actually plan and carry out an annual 'Family Appreciation Day', with the
festivities actually taking place in the Launcher Area. The festivities
certainly consisted of some formal(escorted)tours of the entire site by
family members, dog handling demonstrations etc..., followed by fun and
games for all children, and those young at heart. We would always provide a
great cookout and some beer and sodas, and give-always of prizes by the
local community. Members of B Btry would always look forward to this
function, and was always well attended.
DUKE BORCHARDT
CW5, FLARNG
|
Cuban Missile Crisis, how I grew up in a hurry in October 1962.
From Jim Whitaker
After graduating from the University of Nevada in Reno in 1962, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and ordered to report to the Army Air Defense Hercules Missile School at Ft. Bliss, Texas. Halfway through my officer basic school, the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted on October 13 1962. I was pulled out of school early and assigned to Battery B, 2nd Missile Battalion, 52nd Artillery, stationed at Ft. Bliss. This was the only mobile Nike Hercules unit in the world and an integral part of the “strategic army command” force. We immediately initiated procedures for a deployment to Southern Florida, making up only a small part of the myriad of military forces from all the services being mobilized and assembled to address the Cuban missile threat.
Battery B was deployed at the very most southern tip of the Florida mainland in the Everglades less than 100 miles from Havana and the Russian missile sites. In a two week period, 24 hours a day, the Army Corps of Engineers literally built an island for us in the swamp by bringing in hundreds of truck loads of earthfill to construct an elevated land surface for our missiles and radars which would keep the equipment elevated above the Everglades water level. Battery B was the very first operational Hercules unit in the theater. Batteries A, C and D were deployed further north, aligned in a defensive mode around the “Strategic Air Command” B52 base at Homestead. Three battalions of Hawk missiles were also integrated into the overall aerial defense strategy to bolster capabilities against a low level, over-water attack. Batteries were deployed from Key West, north to Miami on the Atlantic coast, and around the southern tip of the mainland to the west Gulf Coast. Hercules batteries were armed with 36 missiles with varying warheads. Due to the close proximity of our battery to Havana and the Russian missile sites, Battery B was the only Hercules unit that had the capability of conducting either surface to air defensive engagements or surface to surface strikes on the island.
Battery B went to “battle stations” many times during and after the initial crisis. After President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, the Battery also operated at the highest alert status for many weeks.
Each day and night during the crisis we played war games with sorties of Russian Migs from Havana flying straight at our site, only to turn around at the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) off our southern shore and return to Cuba. Their objective was to determine how fast and how efficient we were in locking on to their planes with our target tracking radar. We regularly exchanged electronic counter measures in testing each other’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
During my entire duty assignment in Florida until my discharge in September 1964, we lived in tents in the Everglades. The site was totally isolated, but completely self-sufficient. All missile systems and site support activities were conducted only with generator power.
Security all around the perimeter of the site, consisted of six rows of stacked concertina razor wire and armed walking sentries. We had no guard dogs.
Battery B repeatedly distinguished itself during and after the Cuban Crisis. In February 1964, the unit was given the “ARADCOM (Army Air Defense Command) Outstanding Firing Battery” award, in competition with over 130 permanent sites located around the United States. This award was determined by excellence in performance at the required annual “Short Notice Annual Service Practice” which included firing three missiles at drone targets at McGregor Range in New Mexico. The battery was also extended special honors through a “proclamation of appreciation” from the City of Miami for our efforts in the defense of the community.
The unit was further distinguished by being selected to participate in the testing and firing of a nuclear warhead in a Hercules missile. These tests were conducted at Johnston Island in the South Pacific, and the only time a Hercules nuclear warhead was ever detonated.
After leaving the regular Army in September 1964, I completed my reserve requirements in an air defense reserve unit with the Nevada National Guard. I stayed active until 1969. Annual training was conducted at the Presidio in San Francisco and Fort Bliss, Texas. I had the opportunity of working and training on various Hercules sites in the San Francisco air defense arena.
I have an extensive collection of pictures, memorabilia, and film showing actual missile and site deployments along with various daily life activities at our battery during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Most citizens of the United States today don’t realize how close our country came to being involved in a horrible nuclear war in 1962. I know I will never forget it.
Jim Whitaker
Captain, U.S. Army
|
Ordered to a closed site
From Bill Ellis
In July of 1957, I had finished basic training, and my orders
sent me to a 90 millimeter AAA gun battery at 103rd and Cicero Avenue,
in Chicago, Illinois. I got off of the plane at Midway Airport
(a few miles north on Cicero Ave), and I took a taxi to the post
that was stated in my orders.
When I got there, the place was in an advanced state of collapse,
the Jamesway buildings were falling down, the ones still standing,
had weeds growing in the broken windows, even the taxi driver
laughed when he saw it, but, I checked my orders again for
the 30th time, and sure enough, this was the place. I paid
the taxi driver, and threw my duffle bag down on the ground
in front of the locked gate and sat down on it.
For a brief moment, it occured to me, that I could just go
back to the airport, get back on a plane bound for L.A.
(where my home was), and my hitch would be over before
the Army ever missed me. I was totally dumbfounded that
the US Army would send me to a closed installation,
especially one that had closed for a VERY long time.
But, being very young, (and somewhat naive), I just
sat there for about 2 hours, wondering what to do next.
Eventually a passing deuce and a half came along
on 103rd St, and I flagged it down, just to ask somebody
what they thought I should do next. The 2 soldiers in the
truck laughed out loud when they saw my orders, and they
gave me a ride then to 22nd Group Hdqrs in Orland Park, Illinois.
At this point, my Army career was rekindled., and I was posted
to the Nike (Ajax) site in Munster, Indiana. I have had many
occasions to tell this story over the years,
always evoking a laugh.
|
Getting Attention
From Rod Van Ausdall
I was there in Bliss in 1958 -59 or so.After graduation I taught the M31
nuclear warhead - theory and safety in the Special Weapons Department of
HAM. Taught general officer and field and company grade classes.
I remember
opening the classes with the potential Battery Commanders by telling them
"Listen to me or you will be relieved of your first missile battery command".
Some of them sure were in those days!! Great fun!
|
Helicopters and Operational Readyness Evaluations
From Bill Shaw
Just a short comment on the helicopter pad on our site in Bristol,RI. If
my memory serves me right at least 90% of our big Operational Readyness
Evaluations and Inspector General etc. inspections where "scrambled eggs"
were on the hats came by whirlybird. Looked more official that way anyway.
One such inspection we had, the helicopter had just gotten off the ground in
the launcher area and the rear prop failed about 3 ft above the ground.
Nobody was hurt tho.
On the humorous side the pad in the IFC area had a fair size CO2
extinguisher and we were all the time "borrowing" it to cool the beer fast.
Finally the Fire Marshall got after us big time.. He kept wondering where
all the fires were!
Then of course there was the added advantage of the element of surprise
using the whirlybird on the Evaluation tests. The other inspections were
supposed to be somewhat surprise in nature but ALWAYS we were sent an
itinerary of the pending arrival of a big wheel.
|
Navy AA, Pearl Harbor
From
Joseph K. Taussig, Jr., Captain, U.S.Navy (Ret.)
I was writing a discussion about the total ineffectiveness of the 3"/ and 5"
AA guns at Pearl Harbor. I ran across your Nike effort, and your pre-Nike
discussion.
I was a 21 year old Ensign on USS NEVADA (BB-36) on December 7.1941. My
battle station was the starboard AA Director in the foremast, just above the
Navigation Bridge. We had ten 5"/25 AA guns, and the extremely complex (over
2,000 parts) Ford 19 Director. My guns were firing before 0800 ("At dawn we
slept), and around 0805 a strafing bullet went completely through my left
hip. The bullet entered the director and it went dead on me. I spent the rest
of the morning in Sky Control as the "senior AA Officer available.) All of
us, save the starboard director officer were wounded, but all stayed at their
batteries. Lots of blood, we lost 60 men killed and 110 wounded on batteries
with only 70 assigned men. The second that third firing strings were also
slaughtered.
The trouble is, I have not been able to find a single individual, out of
scores of old AA Officers I have called who claim that the old 3" and 5" AA
guns (before the VT fuse)
ever hit an enemy plane.
I was hospitalized until April 1946 when I talked the doctors into amputating
my leg, and was so glad to get rid of it, I returned to full duty three days
later. It took the Navy eight more years to catch their only one legged
officer, and the Korean drawdown caught me.
Our NIKE site in Annapolis is closed and was one of my "stomping grounds."
(see www.safety-ndi.navy.mil )
I am still trying to find a reported "Pye Report" accumulated shortly after
the attack by Rear Admiral William S. Pye which listed all the ammunition
expended by the ships present. If you have any leads, I would appreciate it.
... thank you.
Joseph K. Taussig, Jr., Captain, U.S.Navy (Ret.)
|
Naha, Okinawa
From Levine, Richard M
... at the Nike
Hercules site at Naha AFB in Naha, Okinawa. My enlistment ended in 1965.
There was a Vietnamese Colonel who visited to determine if the Nike's would
be deployed in Vietnam. Evidently, he decided they were too large, and too
big a target. I believe he settled on the smaller, more mobile Hawk
missiles.
We had a little training in riot control, because it was expected that the
Okinawians might riot in protest of the nuclear subs that would be visiting
the island. However, there never were any riots.
I also noted that the Airforce turned off the runway lights when a U2
spyplane would land in the evenings.
I understand that one of the missiles had accidently ignited, scooted
accross the runway, and killed the guards in the launch-site guardhouse.
This was before my tour on Okinawa.
During the typhoon season, they installed large ropes between the buildings,
so that we could get between the buildings presumably without being blown
away.
Our commander died at the beach, while his family were enjoying the sun with
him. The undertow was just too strong to swim away from. He just
disappeared, never to be seen again.
It was so hot and humid on Okinawa that we needed to keep a bulb lighted in
the clothing closet to avoid fungus on the shoes and clothing. One time the
bulb went out, and all my shoes grew fungus on them.
Since the Vietnam war was just heating up at the time my three years was
about to be up, the government was considering extending enlistments.
Luckily, mine wasn't extended.
Richard M. Levine
123 W. Ramapo Av.
Mahwah, NJ 07430
201-307-7140
|
Re-up-blues?
This was information for "Nike People", but I thought it also an interesting "Short Story".
"served in Korea after AIT in Ft. Bliss. AIT was sep 74-Mar 75. Korea F-2/44 launch
area, Apr 75- Mar 76. 24U. Then Ft Bliss HHB 2/52 attched, 76-78. Re-upped for
Satellite Comm, got training, but because of critical shortage in Nike, was assigned to A
2/56 79-80. Last was Sp/5 24U40.
Timothy H. Smith (Byrne) "
|
Indianapolis Star history item
From Frank Martinez
Indianapolis Nike Preservation Group
Dear Ed,
Thought you might be interested in this article from the Indianapolis
Star News. By Rob Schneider Indianapolis Star/News
WHEELER, Ind. (August 15, 1998) -- It's easy to miss. But
along a county road near here is a paved drive that leads to the
past.
It looks as if it's heading into a cornfield. It doesn't.
Instead, it leads to an 8-foot-high cyclone fence tipped with
barbed wire. Bushes and trees have done their best to obscure a
guardhouse that sits just inside a padlocked gate.
There are no signs to mark what went on here -- the anxious
moments that occurred when the "red phone" rang and everyone
wondered if this was the day the country would go to war.
But past the gate, up the road where grass and weeds have
sprouted and through another 8-foot fence, was the business end
of an Army Nike missile base.
Armed with the best radar of the day, the base known as C47
stood ready to launch missiles at invading squadrons of Soviet
bombers, which Pentagon planners were sure would be used
against the United States in case of war.
The missiles were long gone when Don Peterson stumbled
across the base as a teen-ager. But the sight stuck in his mind.
In the years since, he's wondered how long it would take before
people began appreciating the Cold War relic.
He's still waiting for an answer.
Last November, Peterson found himself choking on his
Thanksgiving dinner after reading a story about how the federal
government would pay to have the launch area of the base
demolished.
Incensed, Peterson fired off a number of letters, helped create
the Nike Preservation Group and launched a crusade to save the
launch area of C47.
"The Cold War was the longest war in United States history,"
Peterson said in a letter to U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. "This
facility stands as a constant reminder to future generations of the
dark threat of nuclear war, which haunted the American way of
life for more than four decades."
His letters didn't get much attention. Porter County officials just
saw the base, which was closed in 1972, as a nuisance.
But the state historic preservation staff began looking at the
situation because of the pending demolition. Soon, the staff
started receiving information from the preservation group.
In June, the staff recommended that the base be placed on state
and national registers of historic places. In the meantime, the
demolition plans were shelved, and in October, the Indiana
Historic Preservation Board will review the staff
recommendation.
C47 and other bases like it were developed as a last line of
defense in the 1950s as the United States focused on the Soviet
Union and its aims.
Altogether, there were about 300 bases in 29 states. In C47's
case, it was one spoke in a defense ring of 21 bases built to
protect the Chicago area and the Gary steelworks. Of those, five
were in northwestern Indiana.
Work on the bases began in the early 1950s, and they were first
armed with the Ajax missile. Later, it was replaced by the
Hercules, which provided one option the earlier missile didn't --
nuclear capability.
C47 was less than hospitable for those who were not supposed
to be there.
An armed sentry was posted in the guardhouse, and attack dogs
were used to patrol the ground between the two 8-foot-high
fences. About 100 men were assigned to the base.
Among those was Frank Martinez, who in 1966 was an
18-year-old soldier from New York.
His images of C47 are still sharp.
People thought the Russians had built up huge numbers of
long-range bombers, and those bombers "would be first in," said
Martinez, who now lives in California.
The notion of using a nuclear weapon to destroy bombers before
they released their payloads made sense. The memories of U.S.
planes dropping atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima,
Japan, at the end of World War II were still fresh in people's
minds.
With a nuclear warhead, the Hercules missile could do more than
just knock down a single plane. It could wipe out anything within
miles of its blast.
"It wasn't so much to kill the pilots. It was to destroy the aircraft,
to stop it from flying."
If things ever reached that point, C47's soldiers were trained for
what would follow. The base had a fallout shelter with a 60-day
supply of food. Geiger counters and pocket radiation counters
that measure radiation doses were part of the equipment on
hand.
Martinez, a fire control technician, traveled to an Army test range
in Texas to fire missiles.
"If your eyes were not on the launcher when it took off, you
couldn't snap your head fast enough to catch it," he said of the
Hercules.
"It was kind of eerie to stand there. You could see the target, see
the missile coming up in an arc, and a little spark would occur. It
was a very quick thing."
John Braun of Indianapolis didn't serve at C47 but was a fire
control technician at a Nike base in Munster in neighboring Lake
County.
Like Martinez, Braun needed a top secret clearance before
being allowed to do his job.
Secrecy and security permeated his work.
At any moment the red phone might come alive. "When that
phone rang, it could be only from one place," Braun said.
A voice at the other end would announce an alert. An officer and
enlisted man each would open a special safe, take out and snap
open plastic-covered instruction cards with coded information,
and start readying the missiles for use.
But you couldn't talk about any of that, Braun said.
When base personnel went into town, it was against the rules to
talk to civilians about what they did.
"If people ever approached us and asked, there was actually a
time when we were to get their license number. They would have
been picked up and questioned why they wanted to know that."
If someone from the base forgot and "shot his mouth off," his
friends were expected to report it. Similarly, Braun didn't even
discuss what they did with other men on the base, such as the
gate guards or clerical staff.
Even when he left the base, Braun was never more than a phone
call away. If he went somewhere, he had to leave an itinerary of
where he was going and where he could be reached every day.
Changes in the country's defense strategies eventually eliminated
the need for the bases. The Munster base was closed in 1968,
and the Wheeler site in 1972.
Before becoming involved in trying to preserve the site,
Peterson, 36, had never served on a Nike base, never met
anyone who had.
He did serve in the Army in Europe toward the end of the Cold
War, though, and is a member of the Indiana National Guard.
"I still guard whatever we're still guarding," said Peterson, who
now lives in Noblesville.
He believes the site is one of the last in the Midwest, if not in
the
country, where all the components -- launch area, radar towers
and administration -- remain primarily intact.
That doesn't mean there haven't been some changes to the
buildings that once made up the 14-acre base.
The area occupied by the administration buildings and radar
towers is privately held and is being used as a paint ball camp.
Vandals have taken their toll on seven buildings in the launch
area. But Peterson, whose background is construction, thinks
they are still sound.
The launch area land is controlled by the General Services
Administration, pending disposal of the property. The land is
generally offered to local governments first and if there are no
takers, is put up for auction.
It's Peterson's hope that he can persuade the state to acquire the
launch site and lease it to the preservation group. He expects to
submit a plan to the state's Division of Museums and Historic
Sites.
His model is an effort outside San Francisco where a Nike
launch area was restored using donations and volunteer labor.
Peterson's preservation idea will also be submitted to a state
committee of the American Legion next month for consideration.
Stephen W. Short, assistant department adjutant with the
Legion, has said he would advise the committee that he believes
the effort to be worthwhile.
For Martinez, the goal is more personal: not to forget or repeat a
time when nuclear weapons were part of the Indiana landscape.
"Here were actual nuclear weapons. A lot of times people didn't
know it. They thought it was high explosives on a missile. But
there they were."
People interested in more information about C47 can call
Peterson at (317) 776-3868 or contact him by e-mail at:
dspeterson3/5commat4/5musa.org. They can also call Robert T.
Peterson of Valparaiso, president of the preservation group,
(219) 464-1851, for fax him at (219) 465-6879.
Best regards,
FAM
|
Korean 'Battle Stations' Nike launch
From Roger Rigney
I was a launcher crewman with "D" Batterty , 4th Bn. , 44th Ada , Camp
Huston, Yogu, Korea from about Jan 1967 to about Mar 1968 , supposed to be only a
13 month tour, but a few of us got extended because of the Pueblo incident
....
I was on duty 20 Apr 1967 when we got a "Battle Stations" (this was nearly
an everyday occurance). I was first to check out my missile so it was
selected to fire.
The IFC had been tracking a North Korean Mig ..... after about 20
minutes the Launcher Control Panel Operator was told to stand down, about that
time the missile took off.
The booster landed in the Hahn River , the missile for
some reason did not failsafe (blow itself up) as planned, instead came apart in
the air and fell over many square miles of S. Korea.
I remember only one other
crewman, the Launcher Control Panel crewman was Myron W. Goad. Maybe some other
readers who were on the crew will read this and add their perspective .....
More info from Ed Durffee, CW4 Ret
After reading a comment by a
missile man in Korea, D Btry, Yogu Re: Inadvertant launch of a Missile,
I would just add this which may not be acceptable.
At the time of the incedent the N. Koreans and the US Pilots in the
South were constantly challenging the Air Def on the opposit side by
making high speed runs directly at the DMZ and turning just before
crossing the line. They could tell who was up to par and who wasn't by
the response they got and the time it took.
It was on one of these occasions that D-btry, Commanded by a Capt Voltz
was hot and called to Battle Stations. It was at stand down and the
Missile was to be lowered when it took off as described by the young man
before and created a real problem. Two things resulted from that
incecent.
- Batteries were brought to only 5 min Status after that
- Capt Voltz was refered to as Stray Voltz from that day on.
He and his men were found not at fault. BTW, It was not funny at the time.
Followup from Roger Rigney
... 2nd Lt. Voltz ... was probably B.C.O. Battery Control Operator on the day
this happened. The Battery Commander was Earl B Savage, he commanded this
unit from 3 Aug 1966 to 10 June 1967. ...
Added story by Phil Esquibel
Roger, I was the Ops and training NCO, worked with the 1SG and CPT
Savage. I had nine days till rotation, my hold baggage had been shipped and
I was counting the days. I was a short timer (So I Thought). I had pulled
CQ the night before and came off duty. I had just returned from the shower
and the house boy was doing his morning chores when suddenly all hell broke
loose in the quansonhut, we heard the explosion the place was shaking. The
wall lockers fell on us and then moments later here comes SPC Kitchens
running from outside to tell uas a missile had taken off and I thought to
myself well I guess this is it.
Later the personnel at the admin area were ordered to the arms room to draw our weapons and
then later we were briefed and dispersed to the mountain sides to look for
parts and peices. We found some large peices during the next few days and they
were taken to the assembly area where they were being collected. As I
recall they posted a reward to recover the batteries and I remember the
excitement at the admin area the day the gate guard called the orderly room
to notify us there was a papason at the gate claiming to have the batteries
and he did on his ox drawn cart. I was always curious how much that guy
received in won.
We had a lot of visitors during the first few days to follow. The 8th army
CG flew in and the ROK infantry was nearby and special forces guys. I was
told that there were some navy personnel at the site also. I assume that
they were to be the ones coordinating diving the Hahn river.
|
My first Korean 'Battle Stations'
from Ted Willard
June 1974 A Btry 2-44th----ChinChon, Korea.
This is a true story about life at a front line ADA site.
I had just arrived in country and after the usual time at the Replacement
and Processing Center was shuffled off onto the back of a deuce and a half
for the 2 hour ride to my new home for the nexdt 12 months. I was greeted
by the first shirt and assigned to the launcher barracks and pointed the
way. Stepping into the quanson hut, I found the vacant cube and started
unloading my duffel bag when the siren started going off.
Men running past
me with web gear and helmets was quite a sight to a 17 year old fresh out
of AIT. I ran back up the hill to the orderly room and was handed a M-16
and 6 loaded clips and told to get on the truck with a bunch of other men.
We made a dash thru the village to the launching area and as I jumped off,
a buck sergeant asked who I was. I told him my name and MOS and he pointed
to a berm surrounding one of 3 launching areas and said "get down there and
make sure nothing crosses the fence line". Well now I am really freaking
out but dutifully assume my post not knowing what the hell is going on.
There was a flurry of activity in the launcher section which I recognized
as crew drills and then the 3 birds were raised into the air as Red Status
was announced over the PA. I did your basic low crawl down the side of the
berm because I knew if the missle went off I didn't want to be there. I
heard a whining scream coming and looked up as 2 MIG-21's came ripping down
thru the valley between the IFC and Launcher areas, followed VERY shortly
after by 2 F4 Phantoms in full burner. The birds were lowered after a few
minutes and status was lowered to Blue.
I found out later that this was one of those active probes by the North
Koreans to see how we would respond to a threat. It was definitely an eye
opener for me as to the gravity of the "Cold War" on the penisula.
|
U.S. AirForce exercises Chicago Nike Ajax systems
from Phil Rowe
Hey Phil, you tell some mighty good B-52/B-58 stories on your web site
Flying Stories for your Enjoyment.
Did you ever play games with NIKE sites?
Hello again, Ed ...
Yup. Ever hear of the WEXVAL exercises? They were a while back,
late 50's. Well, I was sent ( as a young lieutenant ) as an
observer/evaluator to a Chicago area Nike AJAX site to see how
the Army troops handled the exercise. Dozens of SAC bombers (B-36's,
B-47's and B-52's) staged a mock air invasion of the USA from Canada.
Fifty or so airplanes were Chicago-bound and it was up to a
coordinated NORAD/ARMY team to find and "shoot" 'em down in the]
wee hours of the morning. I was in an AJAX radar van south of
Gary (as I recall) watching the exercise unfold.
Well, you never saw such a Chinese fire drill in your life. My
AJAX site saw only two of the penetrators and both of those were
heading south, long past their Chicago targets. The troops did
manage to track one airplane but never got a good altitude on
it, so couldn't "fire". It's a good thing Chicagoans didn't
get the results of that fiasco .. or they'd not sleep another
night during those Cold War scary days.
But I did get to view the effects of radar jamming, various
chaff drops and the dificulties of trying to get a coordinated
air defense system going ... back in those dark ages.
Phil
An Old Crow and Old Navigator/Bombardier
Yup, easy to believe - as of Jan 1957, at my site in Chicago,
we had never seen any form of jamming, even in training.
And inter-site and NORAD communication was chancy at best.
I'm told that things got much better in the 1960's.
Ed Thelen
|
Nike Radar vs Cop's Speed Gun
from Steve Bardowski
I wound up being stationed with a Nike battery just over the county line from
my home, in fact, I lived at home. I was at Fort Bliss going through ADA
Basic and then Herc officer's course, and managed to swap assingments with a
guy from Detroit. He was going to Chicago, and I was headed for Detroit.
Worked out well.
ARADCOM was the first major unit of the Army to meet VOLAR [ Volunteer Army]
goals. If you re-upped, you could have your choice of assignment, so most of
the troops signed up for the Defense Closest to their homes, plus, although
the Marines had HAWKs in Viet Nam, there were no Nike sites.
On of the guys, a 16C named Pat B**** was also a Lake County Indiana boy like
me. So he would commute. Many times he was a tad late and push the gas pedal
too hard. Whenever a local or State police officer needed to meet his "never
existed" speeding ticket quota, he would just hang near the roads leading to
the base gate, and sure enough nab some speeding Nike troop. Pat got nailed
two mornings in one week. An easy going guy,but the same State Trooper got
him both times, and also he missed formation. So, he got restricted to base.
Next time he pulled dailies, he made sure he checked out the MTR. Using the 4
power rifle scope issued to calibrate the radar to the individual missiles, he
sighted in othe officer's speed radar antenna, called down to his cohort in
the van, and had him run full power through the MTR antenna. State trooper's
radar goes "BIP". After a while the officer fires up his Dodge and heads for
the State Police barracks for a new radar unit. Supposedly Pat did the same
thing the next day, and oddly the officer never set up a radar speed trap near
the site again.
Now this may be one of the "stories" EM use to tease the Officers, but I was
back in the corner listening him tell a new arrival.
By the way, the South Gary admin site, was located with the pits. The IFC was
on the East side of Grant street. My Dad was Civil Defense Directer for Gary
and was given the site as a base for his volunteer firemen and police. They
also had a water rescue unit with a salvaged DUCK. I also learned to drive
using the battery roads there. Dad also arranged for an M4E8 Korean war
Sherman that had been sinking into the mud at the Gary airport to be moved to
the Civil Defense site as a "gate guard" [he was a tanker in World War II].
Steve Bardowski
B/1-60 [HERC] ADA
1972-1973
|
Ground Observer Corps
from Tom Van Vleck
Not all people providing active defense were military -
Interesting web page about Nike missiles. I remember some stuff from
before the Nikes: My dad was Chief Observer for our town in the
Ground Observer Corps during the 1950s.
These civilian volunteers watched the skies for Russian aircraft.
Our post, on top of a building known as the Hinsdale
Community House (burned down later), was known as
Coco-Metro-zero-four-Roger. It was a little unroofed plywood pen
about six feet square, unadorned except for a telephone in
one of those all-weather clamshells.
If an observer saw any aircraft, he logged it on a clipboard and
called in a report to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago,
where all observations were tracked.
Dad organized the volunteers and assigned observing shifts,
and took a turn in the booth himself. I was ten or so, and
got to go along a couple of times. The observers
didn't use binoculars or anything; they just filled out a
little checklist for each sighting, and called it in.
There was no attempt at aircraft type recognition either,
though I do think they asked if it was a jet or propeller.
Jets were rare.
|
Site 'Clean-up' but screwed out of a Christmas party
from Julian A. Cini, Major retired
I deactivated Site C-48, outside of Gary, Indiana. I finished the
deactivation right around 1 August, 1962 as I recall. As the battery
commander my life was not that bad, I tried to do what I could for the men
under my command.
I was to be assigned to Fort Sheridan, the day I reported to Sheridan the
previous commander at C-48 was relieved and I was given command. I was a very
old captain with ten years enlisted service, 1940-1950. I got the job with
direction from my commanding officer to clean the site up. The first thing I
did was fire the First Sergeant, he was a stereotypical lifer, complete with a
half full fifth of whiskey in his desk. It did not take long before I
discovered that most of the section chiefs were rejects from other batteries
sent to C-48, to hide them. I fired most of the senior NCO's, for the most
part they were transferred to be someone else's headache, I then was able to
choose the best NCO's on site to fill the section chief slots. Colonel
Goldman supported me, and it meant quite a fiew promotions for the men left at
the site. Most of the replacements I received in my time at C-48 were look
ranking missilemen, that made the old hands happy because there was
opportunity to get ahead.
Working Conditions
The men for the most part were overworked, underpaid, and not appreciated.
Many had part time jobs at the Montegomery Wards store, within walking
distance of the control site. I was able to get rid of many undesirables at
the site because they were involved in a theft ring from the Auto Center. The
store manager appreciated the cooperation that I gave him and treated the
honest employees well. Duty swapping was acceptable to help meet moonlighting
schedules, and the Store accepted the problems associated with alerts.
Military Duty was one alert after another. We never had enough man to
get everything done. Men were given additional duties of grass cutting, and
snow removal. For the most part we had to act as our own Civil Engineers, the
men had to fix anything that was broken. In those days we had draftees who
often brought decent Civilian skills with them. Carpenters, Plumbers, Car
Mechanics etc. We relied on them for many things. For the most part the low
ranking enlisted men were very good soldiers, intelligent, reliable,
hardworking. Really they were the ones who carried the Program. I never
thought it was fair that they had to work so hard, long tedious hours, with so
little reward.
Living Conditions
Officers and Senior NCO's could live off base in contract housing. The
lower ranks were in one story barracks, typical. Open bay, foot lockers and
wall lockers, latrine with no water closets. We had a hobby shop, a day room
with TV, Pool tables, and Ping Pong, but little else. There was no club or
theatre, and only a very small Post Exchange Annex. A Nike Site was it's on
little Army Post with very limited facilities. Gary was an industrial city
full of hardworking men from the steel mills, the type soldiers we had did not
fit in with the local population very well. Intelligent young middle class
soldiers don't fight very well in working class bars.
Sick Call
We had sick call daily, but the type soldiers we had did not malinger so
we did not have takers everyday. For medical services we contracted with the
Methodist Hospital in Gary. If an Army facility was needed a carryall took
the man to Fort Sheridan. If it was serious then Great Lakes Naval Hospital
was the best military facility in the area. I had come from Korea, where I
had to deal with a high VD rate among the men, at C-48 that was not an issue.
For routine dental work their was a dental van that traveled from site to
site.
Morale
Morale at C-48 was very low. We had far too many alerts and too few men to
do the work. An example of this problem is the story of a party we had
planned. The young lieutenants, all very good officers, planned a party for
the battery. The food was waiting in the mess hall, there was a well stocked
open bar ready to go, and there were models from a Chicago modeling agency who
were coming so there would be a few women at the party. Married soldiers and
senior NCO's were to take the duty for the night. At 4:00pm we were put on
"HOT" status. If we remained on "HOT" the party would have to be cancelled.
I called everyone I could to downgrade our status, but no one cared. From
that day on the officers and men were bitter, and I could not blame them. The
site had improved greatly, it was no longer considered the worst site in the
area, the men were doing a great job, and they got no thanks for what they
did.
When C-48 closed, I do not think that anyone regretted leaving that
place. It the worst assignment I encounter in twenty-four years in the
military. I believe I did my best to improve it, but making the assignment
desirable was impossible. Most ADA officers looked for greener pastures, good
missilemen went to the National Guard, or got out of the Army. At the time
the program was important and men did a good job for their country.
|
Practical Joke
from Bill Shaw
Stationed at C Btry 739th AAA Msl Bn to be called later C Btry 4th Msl Bn,
56 Arty in Bristol, RI (PR38) from Sept 1956 to June 1963
I lived off post and every time they had one of those things
{inspections} I had to either come in and help clean
the latrine or supervise same. There was one time however, that we had an
inspection that I did get the last laugh (and almost had to face the firing
squad), and that was when we had some big Colonel coming through.
I took a
roofing nail and soldered it to one side of a quarter and nailed the whole
thing to the bottom of a doorway inside the maintenance shack. The Col. and
his cohorts came through and would you believe it the Col. tried to pick it
up, his cohorts tried, and just about everyone with him tried to kick it
loose. Needless to say, they didn't have much of a sense of humor. Oh well
!! In fact the word was put out that the person responsible "would be
hanged". This is when our crew all stuck together and nobody said nuttin. I
can still see them doing the "bend and stretch" trying to make themselves a
quarter richer.
|
Greek Adventure
from John J Federico, Jr.
After I transitioned to the Ord Corps from ADA (a dark day), my first field
assignment was to the 138th Ord Co (Jan 76-Jun 78) in Elefsis, Greece
(about 30 miles outside of Athens). The 558th Artillery Group provided
command and control for the Ord Co, 4 FA Cannon & Honest John Rocket
Detachments in northern Greece, and 4 Nike warhead support teams (A-D) of
the 37th AD Det (NH) which were located in and around the Athens area. I
ran a crew that supported the Herc teams and 155mm Atomic projectile.
The teams were typical host nation custodial support operations similar
to those is USAREUR. Alpha team was located in Keretaea ; Bravo in
Koropi (on a mountain top overlooking Athens), Charlie in Katsimidi, and
Delta in the town of Kiffisia, Greece. The Greek fire units were manned
by the Hellenic Air Force. The Air Force backed the wrong bunch of
Colonels during a coup attempt and the gov't that remained in power never
forgot that, so the AF had turned into a rag-tag bunch, whose airmen and
equip reflected no command interest and minimal financial support. Their
launching area equip was in a sorry state of readiness. If I remember
right, each site had three sections in an aboveground configuration.
(When I served in Nike at Delta 2-44th Arty in Korea, we had a mobile
configuration and I think that was the Greek setup too) The missiles
were stored in barns (2 sections were all HE heads and 1was a HE/l Nuke
mix or was at one time!).
I felt sorry for the US missile men that had to serve on those sites.
The 24U folks never got to do any of what they were trained to do and the
16B folks pulled many hours of guard duty. No nukes were mated to Greek
missiles when I arrived there for duty. It seems that during the war
with Turkey, the Greek battery commanders thought the Turks were going to
attack, so they wanted the US LTs running those custodial teams to hand
over the nukes! Fortunately, the Greek HE missiles were closest to the
barn doors, so the Americans rolled out the HE rounds, quickly locked the
barn doors and got really close to blowing the Greek missiles with US
warheads attached in place before things cooled down. At first chance the
nukes were taken off status, demated and canned up. This all happened in
the mid to late Sixties. I did DS/GS warhead maint on them during my
tour in Ord and during a tour at HQ USAREUR, I did the logistics planning
to remove those heads from Greece during the early part of 1990.
So that's my story and I'm stick' in to it!
|
Alaska Stories
While checking opinions and memories about some Alaska events, the following
stories came up.
Bill Momsen wrote:
After basic training and electronics at Ft. Monmouth, I was sent to Redstone
for Internal Guidance Repair (Nike) MOS 254.1 (although I worked in Launcher
Control - does anyone work in their MOS?) and posted to Alameda California,
December 1957. There we serviced AJAX. We (197th Ord Det, NIKE) were based
in OAT (Oakland Army Terminal) actually in a small corner of the Alameda Air
Station. ...
I was there in until December 1958, when I was sent to Anchorage, Alaska
(December in California to December in Alaska!) to install the Hercules
(194th Ord Det). It was quite interesting, since all the cables were cut to
fit underground sites in the US. Because of the permafrost, the missiles had
to be housed in above-surface buildings and rolled out on carriages rather
than going up by elevator. Of course, none of the cables fit ...
Foy, Robert wrote:
We did have live fire ASP in Alaska. The batteries that belonged to the
2d Bn 562d Arty fired out of Bravo Btry which was out in the boondocks
behind Eileson AFB. Alpha Btry's
IFC and Admin Area looked down from Moose Creek Bluff at Eileson's
runway just off the Richardson Highway.
... We did fire from "Bravo" Btry. Our unit
fired a surface to surface HE round from there. Unfortunately, the
section crew only put four screws on the HPU hatch the morning of the
firing and when the round was fired, the hatch came off and the round
would not take any dive commands. I remember the ASP board that was
maintained at "Bravo". It wasn't long before they put up a Herc diving
on an outhouse to signify "Alpha's" moonball shot.
KEITH SIMS wrote:
Ed, We were at ASP in March-April of 1979 and were celebrating at the
conclusion, when the Bn Cmdr announced that we had received our
closing orders. It was at this time that Key West also was notified, but I
don't know what the exact dates were for the closing.
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StateSide life in 1967
Bill Evans wrote:
... I was skimming thru the other entries,
and here are some thoughts about life at the IFC of W92 (A-4-1) in 1967:
- Barracks: Once I got a car, I lived off-post for some months. Those of us
who did, still had to maintain an 'area' ie a bunk, lockers,
etc in the barracks, and had to be there each morning for the
sweep, damp-mop, and buffer exercise. I enjoyed running the
buffer: 'It's all in the wrist.' Of course, since we had to
keep up an area in the barracks, during 'hot battery' us
off-post guys would have a bunk all ready to go.
The barracks was a long, low (one-story) building, with a large
open area for bunks (double). There were a couple of rooms for the
senior E5's, and an attached BOQ for the E6/E7's. I think all the
officers lived off-post. The barracks/BOQ is still there, pretty
much intact.
- Guard duty: We had MPs most of the time, but for a while we had to pull
guard duty ourselves. That meant we had to go over to Ft.
Meade to qualify with the (as I recall) M1 carbine (or M2?)
and the .45 pistol. I distinctly recall firing the carbine
on full automatic, and with tracer rounds, setting the target
on fire. We stood guard duty with live ammo (IFC).
There was also a commo watch in the BC van, and a fire watch
in the HIPAR building. One time on commo I had to hit the
red button that sounded a horn in the barracks; we had to come
up in status, in the middle of the night. I also remember the
message-authentication procedure.
- KP: We did our own KP. Names would be posted on the bulletin board (which
we were responsible for reading, twice a day). There were 3 jobs:
DRO (dining room orderly); dishes; pots & pans. The jobs were assigned
based on the choices of who got there first. I lived off-post, and had
to get up _real_ early in the morning to drive some 30 miles to get
to the mess hall first, compared to someone in the barracks, who would
just have to walk a few feet. The cook lived in the BOQ.
I picked DRO till I realized that was actually a whole lot of work: put
up all the chairs, do the sweep-mop-buff thing, etc. Then I started
choosing dishes, where you worked real hard toward the end of the meals,
but the rest of the day wasn't so bad. Pot & pans was by far the worst.
One guy just threw a bunch of filthy-dirty, burned pans into the dumpster.
They were found by one of the officers. Not good.
- Mess hall: Everyone was of course there for lunch (many would leave in the
evening, and not everyone went to breakfast). Being up on the hill
in the IFC area, we could see the bus from the launcher area coming
up Muddy Branch Road, which at the time was a one-lane dirt road;
we could see the dust. So we'd all hustle down the hill to the mess
hall before the bus got there, to get in line before the launcher guys.
Sometimes the food was so bad, I'd eat several of those little boxes
of Frosted Flakes. From time to time they had great rolls, though.
For breakfast you could get eggs fixed however you liked them.
Sometimes to this day I'll get a whiff of a greasy breakfast cooking
somewhere, and it takes me right back to W92.
- Striking the colors: I think that was the name of the ritual, in the evening when
the flag was lowered. There was a scratchy record of the
national anthem. When you heard the scratches, everyone would
run to get 'under cover' ie in a doorway, so that you wouldn't
have to stand at attention and salute outside while the flag
was lowered. As I recall, even if you were in your car, you had
to stop, get out, and salute. Today they could use a CD, and
so there wouldn't be any scratchy sound to use as a cue.
- PX: We had a little room at the back of the admin building in the IFC, that was
the 'PX.' From time to time, notably at the end of hot-battery week, we'd have
a bit of a party. There was even beer, if I remember right. Being a guitar
player, when I lived on-post and had my guitar and amp there, I would play,
and there would be a lot of general goofiness. In context, it was fun.
- 'War games': One time we had an exercise where the off-duty IFC guys were taken in
the bus to the launcher area, and we spent the night in one of the
magazines, ie a 'fallout shelter.' It was crowded, and the spot I got
was directly under the warhead of a Herc.
Another time, I was doing EWPB/commo during a nighttime exercise,
and had headphones on, but I could hear a low sound outside, getting
louder. It was a chopper, and all of a sudden someone was shouting
'Gas! Gas!' We all know what that means- masks on. I can't remember
if they actually dropped some gas.
Bill Evans
evans@cmr.gov
G.I. Soap
I (Ed Thelen) was exchanging e-mail with JP Moore
about Red Canyon. Quoting from one of his messages:
"Our ships have passed in the night. Feb 55 I was one of two GI's who kept the
mess-kit wash facility operating! After eating in the mess hall, you exited
to MY PLACE, where I had lye soap laced water boiling in GI cans in which you
washed your kit. One soapy barrel and two clear rinses. The other guy and I
alternated, 24 on, 24 off. For five months! ( A highly specialized field,
few replacement volunteers.)
I never received any formal Nike training. All OJT, much of it from civilian
tech-reps.
Yet, I believe I could walk into an Ajax site today and operate the system.
Same way with the Bomb/Nav system on B-47 bombers. Some things you enjoy so
much that they are never forgotten."
I had completely forgotten about those big brown ugly all-purpose evil-smelling
bars of "GI Soap". According
to very easy to believe folklore, if you did not rinse the soap off well, you would
get the "GIs", gastro-intestinal misery involving many sudden trips to the toilet.
That soap was definitely not ready for the civilian market!
A person could easily modify a "Jody Call" to
GI soap and
GI gravy
Gee I wish I'd joined the Navy
Sound Off, One, Two
Sound Off, Three, Four
Sound Off ...
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|
?Re-Up or not?
From Ed Thelen
Phil Rigney was telling of his dis-jointed military carrier
which reminded me of this story on me.
I was in for 3 years 1954-1957, then mustered out, and then went right back to the site
in Jackson Park (63rd & Outer Drive) Chicago and lived there -
a civilian, just as though I was still in the army.
After about a week the battery commander saw me in the mess hall and
came over to me and asked if I was thinking of re-enlisting.
That suggested to me that maybe I should think more seriously
about my future.
I remembered that if you catch a fly in your hands
- with out harming it - (I was quicker then) - you could keep
it as a pet for a while by the following trick.
Keep the fly in your 2 cuped hands in the dark for several minutes.
Shake your hands sharply several times,
I thought that helped dis-orient the fly.
Then open your hands - the fly will not fly away for a while
- it will walk around but not fly away.
I thought my military experience was like that
- and that I was like the fly.
I decided that I did not want to be a fly,
so I went back home, got a job, went to college, ...
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Alaska 'Chopper
From Bob Getman
Hi Ed, a short tale you may enjoy.
Shortly after arriving at Ft. Richardson, outside Anchorage, Alaska, I was
assigned to C Battery of the 1st Bn 43rd ADA, The battery was located at
Goose Bay on Knik Arm, an inlet adjacent to Anchorage and the Fort. Located
across the inlet from the fort, it was pretty much out in the middle of
nowhere, and the drive by truck, from the fort,around the Arm, was close to
90 minutes. The battery did, however, have its own gravel airstrip which
allowed for travel by air.
When I was first assigned there in '72 this was accomplished by, "Otter".
Single engined DeHavilland prop planes, which made enough noise to deafen you
on one flight. The fort had 2 and they made daily flights in the morning and
afternoon,transporting personnel who lived at the fort to the battery and
back again. I'm not sure how old they were, but I recall that one had a brass
plate behind the pilots seat proudly proclaiming its rebuilding by the
manufactruer in 1957!
I couldn't say just when it took place , but sometime later a helicopter unit
was assigned to the fort. Gradually, transport was taken over by the Huey's.
During the more moderate weather some of the pilots( it was said they were
the vets form 'Nam) flew with the doors locked open . A ride from some of
these guys could turn into a real adventure. I vividly recall one flight when
the pilot decided to chase a moose he'd spotted down on the mud flats. He got
right down on the deck and made a half dozen passes,after that galloping old
cow! One pass in partifcular, he whipped that chopper up on it's side to
follow her and my buddy and I hung suspended, held in the side gunners seats
only by the seat belts and straps! From that ride on we always ran for the
choppers with the open doors!
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Electrifying Experience
From Frank Martinez
December of 1967 at C-Battery (Wheeler, Indiana site, Porter County)
Our site was snowed in due to the worst storm in twenty years.
The site was locked down but still functional. I was working with another IFC
Mechanic when we found a problem with the PPI scope. We notified
Battalion that we had to drop status for one hour and proceeded to power
the BC van down in order to change the scope.
We pulled the PPI chassis
and secured it for the swap. My fellow IFC mechanic reached around to
unplug the power cable and immediately started dancing without music. I
recognized a pained look on his face and saw that the power cable did
not want to let him go. I decided it was not in my best interest to
relieve him of the cable. Instead, I rolled the BC's chair forcibly at
him and managed to get him disconnected.
He spun around a few times and
kissed the computer cabinet. Now he was face down (All 250 lbs) on the
floor, unconscious and barely breathing. I weighed in at 135 lbs. I
managed to role him over and proceeded to give him mouth to mouth.
The frequency converter prevented me from attracting any attention in the
IFC area for assistance between breaths. A TTR operator was passing the
van entrance and glanced in. He kept walking because he didn't believe
what he saw, which was two IFC mechanics kissing. Well after he regained
his composure, the idiot called for help.
A CWO ran in and proceeded to
provide cardio resuscitation. The patient now regained steady breathing.
We contacted our Medic who was new to NIKE sites and didn't know where
the IFC area was. The next problem was how we were going to get him
hospitalized.
No vehicular traffic nor helicopter could move in the
storm. We notified the police and they agreed to assist us if we could
get him to a major highway. We drove the company commanders station
wagon out of the battery area until it stalled then lugged this gorilla
two miles by hand on a stretcher. Our boy recovered and was eating a
steak dinner at Valparaiso Hospital that night. We had to eat C-Rations
because we ran out of food during the storm. The local Reserve Marines
came to our rescue with a bulldozer and shoveled the battery area and
helipad.
This PPI scope was now under intense scrutiny. The Battery Commander was
trying to figure out who he was going to blame. Further investigation
found the PPI scope bleeder resistor open (Thanks to our repair depot).
This made the entire PPI scope a slow discharging capacitor of several
thousand volts. The gorilla could no longer touch a cable without
sweating. I was supposed to be written up for an award (Army
Commendation etc.). Since this was very embarrassing to the Repair Depot
my award was swept under the carpet, never to be heard of again.
I walked back to the barracks, brushed my teeth and washed my mouth out
for several hours. Later that night in below zero weather I was on the
ACQ tower changing a magnetron and wonder what I had done wrong to
deserve this kind of treatment. End of Story
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On-The-Job Training
From Mike Jordan, Major, ADA (Ret), Albuquerque, NM
As a brand new 2LT, commissioned out of Fort Sill Artillery OCS in January
1968, I went directly to Battery D, 1st Bn, 62d Arty, Grafton, IL (Site
SL-90). I did not go to Fort Bliss for any Nike specific training. All of
my training was OJT on Site. I was assigned as Launcher Platoon Leader.
One night that remains very strong in my memory was a night on duty as BCO in
April 1968. This was the night that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in
Memphis, TN. We were not the "hot" battery. I got a call about 0200 hours
in the morning from the duty officer at 53d Arty Gp (our next higher
headquarters) at Scott AFB, IL, wanting to know how many troops we could
afford to send down to the St. Louis inner city for riot control duty.
I was never given an explanation for being sent straight to the site without
going to formal schooling at Fort Bliss, but everyone at the site said it was
to my advantage to learn how thing were done "in the real world". I was told
by the Battery Commander when I arrived that I had 30 days to get BCO
qualified or I would move into the BOQ on site until I did. I passed my ORE
on the 29th day. I arrived on Site in Feb '68 and went to Bliss for the
first time as LCO with the SNAP crew in April.
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'Tracking' with alignment scope
From Peter Wurzbach C/4/562 (1966-67)
According to technical information elsewhere on this website, the
tracking radars were calibrated mechanically with telescopes and
electronically with pulses. One day a guy brought a telescope to me to
send in for repair or calibration. I can do that. But being curious I
asked what it was for and was told that it was for mechanical alignment
of the tracking radars. How? And I was told.
So I got this bright idea to go out to the TTR the next time we were on
hot status, mount the telescope and see whatever.
Now, when we were on hot status (1966-67) we tracked Air Force B-52s to
test our radar tracking skills. We knew there would be 'runs' at us but
we never knew when or how often. Runs would start after dinner and end
before breakfast. I think the record was 23 runs one night. That drove
one of our ACK operator nuts. But he was good at it. The B-52s scored
us based on our capability to avoid their jamming and lock onto them
with either TTR or TRR. This scoring was serious stuff. Missed
lock-ons (successful jams) generated hot memos.
So the next time we were on hot status I mounted the telescope on the
TTR and watched. I'm on the TTR platform so I rotated with the
antenna. No doubt about it, we were locked onto a B-52, I tracked it on
the telescope for 10 minutes as it traversed our area. Fantastic!
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'Visiting' with a purpose
From Ted Willies
Just for the record, I
wasn't exactly "visiting" when I went to other sites. While at Group HQ I
was on the Operational Readiness Inspection [ORI] Team, so I got to see all the
sites in the SF Defense.
They were not usually happy to have us stop by,
however. It was often late at night and 15 minutes after we cleared the
gate, there had better be a missile ready and a target tracked light.
...we usually traveled by vehicle (sedan if we were lucky, van if we
weren't). Sometimes we could hitch a ride with the old man in his chopper
if he was going to visit the site. General Lolli liked to go on the ORI's
every so often. He was qualified as a BCO and had fired missiles at the range.
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Hoover the computer
From Holger
little story. When I arrived at our missile site right after basic training I
thought Wow high tech until they told me to Hoover the computer. Thought they
were teasing me. Then I saw the tubes.....
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Password
From Peter Vaneynde
My late father was the commander of one of the Belgian Nike sites in
Germany. Aah, the German sausage, the English bread, the Belgian food,
the American barbecues... bliss.
I know my father was trained at El Paso, and that the test firings where
in Crete (Souda bay).
I also have heard a lot of amusing stories. Like one day my mother gets
dozens of phone calls of personnel that only asked one question : "What's
your name again?". Guess what the password for the day was?
The day the US bombed Libya security was at an all time high. I knew
something was up when the gate was closed, the barbed wire was extended,
the concrete gate was closed and a lot of security people walked around
with guns at the ready... And I just wanted to go see the movie that
evening :-).
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Air Mobile Nike & Germany wasn't all fun and drinking
From Dennis T. Morgan
I brief, I attended one of the very last Army AIT's for 24Q20(Nike-
Hercules Fire Control Technician) matter of fact they were considering sending
our class to Fort Benning, GA to jump school. Some idiot
got the idea to make a Nike Sys. air mobile. They pushed one out of
the back of a C-130 over White Sands. Needless to say vacuum tubes
don't take kindly to being bounced off the desert floor, chute or no
chute. Ended up send the whole system back to Letterkenny Army Depot
for rebuild. Incidentally, Letterkenny (of Nike, Hawk, and Patriot Missile fame)
is located in the town of Chambersburg, PA. I happen to be
from Chambersburg, PA.
I graduated after 40 some weeks of AIT and was sent to Dexheim,
Germany. There the concept of 24 hours on duty 24 off introduced me to
military mathematics 'cause 24 off sure equated to a couple of beers a few
hours of sleep and back to the IFC area. I was stationed there during the
Iranian hostage crises and the trash can bombing in Munchen during
Octoberfest, Polish MIG Fighter Pilot defection (there's a joke to that,
something about suck starting a jet engine) and not to mention the Red Army
Faction and other terrorist group activities in the area at the time.
Point is we stayed hot pretty regular. We'd come down in status to perform
scheduled maintenance and the age old adage, (I had always thought it was
introduced in the original M33/Ajax Tech Manual) "If ain't broke don't fix
it" came into play. Due to these occurrences I received a massive amount of
OJT. For an example...you have an ORE (Operation Readiness Evaluation)
Team walk up to your gate and announce "Blazing Skies Simulate Case 3"
You're looking at either firing a surface to surface round in less than 20
minutes or being called out of action which means every other battery moves
up a status notch. Even the battery with the waveguide torn apart in their
TRR from replacing ferrite switches. So you learn your systems quirks and
capabilities, and how to pass an ORE. Sometimes you had to cheat a little
but the idea there was not to get caught and lord help you if you did. I
was never told nor did I ever hear of what the punishment was for get
nailed falsifying and tactical evaluation. I never wanted to know but I
seriously doubt it would have been a pat on the back for being creative.
Moving right along, I left Deutchland to come back to the world. Big
mistake. In Germany you were rated by job performance, back in the states
I had to be reacquainted to regular haircuts, a high gloss shine on my jump
boots, and biting my tongue when I saw an NCO screw up. I guess I was
elite, refined, and combat capable were as the most of the other troops at
McGregor Range/White Sands had no idea what it was like to live eat and
sleep in an RC Van the high frequency pitch of syncro resolvers humming
you to sleep as you lean back against the Radar Set Group and prop your
feet up on the black Formica topped board used to rest you're hands on
after they get to feeling as thought they weigh a ton from the constant
and steady cranking of the handwheel drives. Pretty poetic huh? I
finished my
tour even followed the process of re-up. Took the Army flight physical (I
wanted to go to Warrant Officer school and fly helicopters).
But, job offers convinced me to go to the private sector.
I got back to Chambersburg, figured on drawing unemployment and doing
some hunting and fishing for a few months before jumping into a job, that
didn't work out. Seems Ronald Regan came up with an Omnibus Budget Act
stating that if you got out of the military on your own accord you were
not eligible for unemployment. After a high toned conversation with the
supervisor at the unemployment office it was clear that since I was not
dishonorably discharged and was not barred from reenlistment I couldn't
draw. The VA Rep. heard of conversation (and my opinion of the whole concept)
and came over to somewhat calm me down. He had a job opening at
Letterkenny with a private contractor but the guy was looking for someone
with 10 years Nike experience. He asked me how well I could bull**** and
after I explained that I was an honest upstanding young man and that the
truth was my forte I believe he'd of hired me on the spot. Two hours
later I was sitting in the home/office of a Mr. Alfred Cyril Toll Jr. We
talked Nike talk and he hired me that day I was to start the next day 13
November 1981 a Friday at that.
RAD Consultant Services Inc. was a dream job. Owned by Al Toll we
contracted directly with the government. What occurred was that Al had
retired from the military at Letterkenny. His retirement coincided with
the Army's phasing out and salvage of Nike assets. Al pick up damn near
every asset that Letterkenny had. We in turn re-engineered the Receiver/
Transmitter somewhat state of the arting following the guide line that the
Norwegians, Germans, and Japanese had set. Of course we were able to
freelance and I virtually rewrote the Theory Manual. We would install
these systems, mostly for the Navy, and instruct a course on the operation
and theory of. This kept me traveling quite a bit. EW Ranges and Naval
Air Stations such as Fallon, Widby Island, Pincastle, China Lake, Pacino-
Sicily, and Roosevelt Roads-Peurto Rico became like second homes. We
would engineer from the field and R&D as we went along.
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Nike as Bomb Scoring
From David and/or Minnie Hawkins
I was a BC van operator in the Boston/Providence defense sector. First
at Rehoboth, Mass. then at Bristol, R.I. The first was an Ajax site and
the second was an Hercules; the improved Hercules site. I was in Nikes
for 3 years.
A few years ago I was at the Fallon, NV Naval Aviator
training site and went to the range on a day off. They were using an
IFC site setup to score bombing runs and things. They had an RC van
with all three radars and they worked great. This was more than
twenty years after I had left the Army. You may still be able to go
there.
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Non-technical Support operations
From wurzbach
Keep in mind that I was a support person in the capacity of supply
specialist. At our site support personnel usually bunked in the IFC
barracks. So I naturally migrated towards IFC personnel and felt
attached to them. Perhaps the real action was in the missile pits and I
missed it. I don't know. On the few occasions when I visited the
launcher area I did not feel unwelcome. This was in 1966-67. We did
have our rivalry, though: scope dopes Vs pit rats. My closest contact
was with an SP5 who worked in the warhead building.
Story # 1
I arrived at Battery C, 4th Battalion, 562nd Artillery on March 24,
1966. I was an SP4 supply specialist and armorer by MOS 76K30. My duty
assignment was as 'duty driver' instead of guard duty or KP and I pulled
this duty about one week every month. The best and most interesting
duty was when our battery was on 'hot' status.
As duty driver, I was available from dinner to breakfast to drive anyone
anywhere on official business. I also manned the telephone switchboard,
which was a manual unit, during my shift.
One of my jobs as duty driver was to strike the U.S. Flag every evening
and raise it again the following morning. Flag raising formally
required a ceremony performed around sunrise. But in reality, troops
and officers arriving on-post came in after sunrise and were more
interested in breakfast and coffee than a flag raising ceremony.
Texas in 1966 did not observe daylight savings time. During the summer
months the sky lightened around 4:15 to 4:45 am. There's no one around
at that hour so what I did was to go out to the flagpole when the sky
began to lighten and raise the flag. No one ever knew that a flag
raising ceremony was never held. No bugles, either. No reveille, no
taps.
Later on in the year when sunrise came later in the day I just went out
and raised the flag in the dark before any officers or men began arriving
on post for the day. No one ever knew what they missed.
Story # 2
At C/4/562 in Alvarado, Texas we depended on many other facilities for
support. Our mess hall drew rations from the Carswell Air Force Base
commissary in Fort Worth. Our site PX also 'bought' stuff from
Carswell's Base Exchange. I was an employee of the Army & Air Force
Exchange Service running our site exchange. Medical hospitalization was
provided by Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, TX which also was the
location of our Battery D. Military driver's licenses were issued at
Fort Wolters and service exit medical exams were performed there. I
once had to drive to Fort Hood to exchange some missile igniters. When
we needed to send excess or expended items to a salvage facility, I took
them to the Dallas Naval Air Station.
On one such trip, I took a load of worn out lawn mowers to DNAS. But
the clerk wasn't up to his challenge that day and I got him to sign off
on having received this junk and then I took it all back to my battery.
I don't remember what we then did with it. Maybe we donated it, I don't
know.
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.
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Saw First Herc at White Sands
From B.R. Blaydes
I don't know where you served but the unit I served with both sections
got along very well. I trained at White Sands and TAS at Bliss and then
Edgewood we went on permanent site at Jacobsonville every where I served
the men all got along very well . I also served from Feb 1955 to Feb
1957 and we fired all of our shots from Mcgregor Range the R-cats were
launched from Oscura range camp
When I was first assigned I did a short stint at white sands and had
the chance to see the first Hercules fired at the proving grounds I then
went back to Bliss with the 602nd AAA for more training and then back to
Mcgregor to fire the equipment .About the time our training was complete
we were to go to Chicago and I was happy about that because it would
put me about 3 hours drive from home , well as luck would have it at the
last minute orders were changed and the 602nd was assigned temp at the
Edgewood arsenal on the south edge of Aberdeen Proving grounds
We stayed there until the permanent site was completed.
We were then realigned and
my unit became "C" btry 36 AAA missile Btn.Headquartered at Fort Meade,
The site I was located at was at Jacobsonville ,Pasadena MD located on
the Chesapeake about 10 miles north of Annapolis. I find it very unusual
that you were not permitted in the fire control area as it were with our
unit there were times when I came to the fire control area and worked as
a ttr operator, acq operator or missile tracking operator, the only area
that was left totally to certain personnel was the fuel and assembly and
Rf Check and war head installation as you have probably noticed I did the
fueling and war head installation but all of us who trained at Bliss who
came with the original package worked where ever we were needed. The
shoulder patch I wore was similar to the one on you page but it was one
missile in the center with an A on either side of it. I do have several
pictures of the launcher area.
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The Sky is Falling
from Paul
Hi Ed,
I thought that I might fill you in on my Nike experience of 1958.
My mom and I were visiting my aunt and my cousin Nancy on the fateful
day. After lunch Nancy and I were out playing and wandered off to the radar
installation which was through two neighbor's yards and then a bit into
the woods. Just as we got there we heard the explosions and started running
home, sure that we were under attack. As we ran, I heard things falling
through the trees. We went into my aunt's cellar and waited for about an
hour, before going upstairs to listen to the radio and turn on the TV. We
noticed that all of the drinking glasses in the sink had their bottoms
broken out but there did not seem to be any other damage.
Outside the Army was closing the roads and going door to door to make
sure everyone was all right. A large piece of one of the exploded missiles
landed on my Aunt's property, down near the Earle military road. We were
never able to find out what it was.
Interestingly, only a week or so before the explosions, my father had
taken me to the Middletown base for an armed Forces Day Open House.
Everything was on display, hot dogs, popcorn.
I haven't got started on newspaper research, since I live in Oregon
now, but hopefully the net will help.
Hope that this little diatribe isn't too long.
Paul
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Moon Shot from Alaska
From Bill J. Proffitt
I saw the comment on the webs site about the Anchorage sites. Thank
you. I really don't know too much more except the nuke Nikes were kept
at site A next to the Anchorage Intl. Airport.
Lots of barbed wire,
razor wire and cyclone fences. The first sign you encounter is-If you
are not on official business-turn back deadly force will be encountered.
Consequently I had to reason to be there and did not go past the first
gate.
Site B on the mountain top and Site C at Goose Bay had only the
HE heads. The mountain site was spectacular. Then engineers cut off
the top of a mountain in the Chugach range, and bored a base in it. It
seemed kind of funny though that you could see the whole base from the
top chairlift of the Arctic Valley Ski Slope (commercial side). They
did a test fire once per year and everyone at Ft. Richardson would
gather to watch the fire come from the mountain.
One of the missiles did
have a problem and went straight up and then straight down into the Moose
Run Golf course at the base of the mountain. Scared the hell out of some
duffers on the driving range!!. I never understood, except for security
reasons, why they kept the nukes literally in town next to an airport
and the HE stuff out of town. If god forbid, something had went wrong
with one of the nukes, I would have thought it safer to have one go off
way on top of a mountain range or across the large inlet from the major
population area of Alaska. An airliner crash possibly could have
contaminated the area. I realize the safeguards on our weapons are
supposed to be top notch, but when a 707 crashes, it does lots of
damage. Anything else I can do for you, please drop me a line. Thank
you for adding and maintaining this essential part of our history.
Bill P.
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"Roll #@%@ $%@ Roll!"
From John Morgan
http://cs.colostate.edu/~morganj
I was a Nike Hercules fire controlman when I was in the service.
(NATO Germany). Thanks for collecting the information.
"They drew a line and the Herc made sure they never
crossed it."
(Quote from web page") "Remember, this missile goes off like a bottle rocket..."
More like a bullet. Boom....gone. I was on an ASP crew.
I was scored for the drill so I got to see that beast disappear.
I was impressed... Manned space shots have to go slow
else their eyeballs would drain through their ears.
The moonshots you mention were a bit of concern. When
the Herc was launched I was standing under a concrete
cover with the WO4. A few seconds after launch we were
staring straight up and Chief yells "Roll #@%@ $%@ Roll!"
Just like everything else around those sites the Chief ordered
a roll and the missile put its nose down range.
---------- Life on the site remembered --------
I think it's evident who were the real manly men of the
Nike sites. It seems every month some group of terrorists
just ran over all the MP's and pit rats and took over a barn.
In my two years on site, 30 drunk radar tech's and operators
never failed to retake the barns so quickly that our beer
got warm.
I've noticed a forgotten group of people. The MP's that manned
the towers and defended the space between the fences were
indeed a part of the life of the site. They had the worst job of all.
They used to have dogs to help them patrol the fence lines, but
the dogs were always getting lost. When the Army decided to
quit replacing them the MP's had no choice but to give up the
monthly barbeques.
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Juarez - South of the Border
from Ed Thelen
I received some junk mail, in German, that had strings like
"Dating Web Team" and references what appeared to be Russia.
I sent it to Don Bender for mutual
amusement. Don sent back
> ... Are you going to
> put this down as a link on your site? Or, maybe you
> could have a link to the "Girls of Juarez" Web site if
> there is such a thing. It might be more appropriate
> for the Nike topic! Part of Nike package training??
Well - That aspect of Nike training life is a bit under reported.
Juarez, Mexico was just across the bridge from El Paso, Texas,
where The Artillery School at Ft. Bliss was situated.
El Paso was a bit stuffy - most of the locals and soldiers seemed
to go across the border for bull fights, liquor shopping, ...
There were good cheap resturants with outstanding
Mexican music. Older folks might remember the popular album
by herb Alpert "Tijuana Brass" - similar quality.
There were other recreations.
Part to the recreation available
was a street of brothels "Pig Alley", reportedly owned by the chief of police.
A drunken soldier was safer there than most places in the world.
The booze was slightly cheaper in the establishments in Pig Alley than the usual bars,
and you could talk and joke there - may I say like a British pub? And there were girls
hanging about there.
We had a guy in our barracks, not in our training package,
who wanted to marry one of the "working girls".
He was really upset when she ran-off-with/married? a truck driver.
Another guy in our barracks had a "working girl" as his girl friend.
He would visit with her in her place of employment,
bar on ground floor, bed rooms above.
If someone else got interested in her, off she would go
upstairs with the paying customer.
Our guy had trouble
keeping money from month to month - so he just
gave her his pay check and she kept the accounts.
When he needed some of his money, he got some more from his girl friend.
That way he had money during the last two weeks of the month.
When he was going to be shipped out, she presented
him with what he said were accurate records, and also
about two months of his accumulated pay. Even at that time
the arrangement seemed more honest than the average
American marriage.
Ah - stories - where to stop?
There was a serious guy in
our class who showed up at school one Monday morning and
would not take his hat off - not even when suggested by
the civilian instructor. One of his friends grabbed
his hat. The head was freshly shaved bald, and tattooed across the
top of the skull was something like "I Love Suzie".
Apparently this serious guy had been led far astray by his
rowdy friends. The guy said that he remembered nothing.
One establishment seemed populated by Texas Western co-eds (local El Paso college).
Many shunned the place - too close to home? - maybe reminded us
of previous girl troubles? the girls seemed loud, brazen, unfriendly? who knows?
Life in the military student barracks was - er - confining. No privacy, even the toilets
were exposed to public view. Wiping your butt in plain view of 5 other people doing the same
is not the togetherness I wish for. All your stuff had to fit into
a footlocker and tiny vertical locker, daily area inspection - place had to be neat and all beds made.
Walking to the mess hall several hundred yards away with its limited open hours was not fun. ...
We envied married students who could live "off-post" in rental housing. Three of us
decided to try to rent a house - in cheap Juarez (our take home pay was $72/month).
So as we strolled about a residential section of Juarez we started asking
about renting a house - casa. (That was just about our limit of Spanish).
So we three gringos wound up in a little residential store
using our extremely limited Spanish and waved our arms to help fill in the language gaps,
Suddenly the young lady cashier turned very embarrassed and called for her husband.
His knowledge of English was slightly (I think) greater than our Spanish.
"AH - I know" and waving arms and fingers, he directed us three block this way
and a block that way. We arrived at a much more classy "cat house" than found
in "pig alley". Not the kind of rental house we had in mind! We were very out of place.
I always felt sorry that we had embarrassed the lady cashier -
We really didn't think we were "Ugly Americans".
It turned out that the Army was way ahead of us - enlisted students had to be
*married* to live off post. :-((
For many years there after, I could claim to have been in more whorehouses than hotels.
Little experience with either, but the basic fact was correct ;-))
While at Ft. Bliss, I bought a car, (with my $72/month Army pay)
$25 down and $25 when the paperwork arrived from his sister. (never did)
Car smoked a lot - needed a ring job - at least -
I worked on that car, at night, in the parking lot - for a week.
crawling around on the cold tar, no jacks
putting in new rings and main bearings -
My first (and last !!! ) engine job !!!
Unfortunately the pistons had been damaged by all the blow-by
and I knew the new rings would soon fail.
Sold car to friend who had helped for $50 - (no papers)
friend wanted to sell car in Mexico, "had connections" .
Well, no paperwork triggers his arrest in Mexico -
his "connections" got lost - he went to jail -
His mother (in Wisconsin) got him out in 2 weeks.
He never told us a thing about his jail time !!!
We assumed it was worse than being mugged.
My game in Juarez was to come home with a
quart of that lovely Bacardi dark rum, $1.25 each, each time.
- one quart was the US Customs limit for free -
Great stuff !!
When I left Ft. Bliss, I had like 40 quarts in my trunk
thought I was set for life :-))
Along about Oklahoma, I starting smelling this wonderful smell,
great, what happy memories - but it was too good -
I stopped, and opened the trunk,
it was swimming, overflowing in rum -
Somehow many of the horizontally stacked bottles
- had opened - and mostly emptied -
Story over, everyone cry with me :-(( ;-))
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Updated Mar 6, 2014
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