Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 21:50:44 -0700 From: Tom VaughnSubject: Reasearch in Gary Hello All, I stopped at the Gary Library today. They had some old newspaper clippings on area Nike sites in the reference section. Here is what I found: Jan 8, 1959 The first Army Reserve (not National Guard) missile battalion is to be activated in the Gary area, probably at Wheeler Nike base.The new detachment, to be known as the U.S. Army Air Defense Reserve Detachment, will undergo a six month trail. The new unit will include 8 Army Reserve officres and Warrant officers and 27 enlisted men. The article goes on to say that the reservist will be under Battery C, 1st Missile Battalion, 60 Artillary Regiment. The article mentions that Nike sites in the area are being converted to Nike Hercules and mentions how the new missile can carry an atomic warhead. As far as I know the Army Reserve never manned or served at Nike sites in any numbers so this program, after the test, must of been dropped. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 20 1959 Brig. Gen Peter Schmick commanding general of the 45 Artillary Brigade, Chicage/NW Indiana Nike sites, (was commanding general for 2 years) was transfered to Germany. During his tour he did the following: Created a rest & recreation area for the brigade at Moss Lake which is near Valparaiso IN. Anybody know anything about this R&R area? Moved Brigade headquarters from Chicago to Arlington Heights In 2/58 sent brigade helicopters to Michigan City IN to help locate people in a snow storm. On Aug 28, 1958 converted Battery A, 2nd missile battalion, 57 Artillary to Nike Hercules. Doesn't say where that unit was. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 13, 1959 This article talks more about the Army's test of using Army Reservist at Nike sites. It says there are reservists at the Orland Park, IL site along with the Gary area. (It seems that to this newspaper that all of NW Indiana was the Gary area). There are two good pictures with this article. The first shows 5 soldiers around a Ajax "conducting an electrical check" The man are idenified as Lt John Polihronis, Gary (reserve) detachment commander. Sgt Marvin Downey & PFC L. Marrs; Hammond (Hammond may of been were the reservist were from?) Lt John Durkin and Capt Carl Koffler who is idenified as "site commander". I wonder which site? The other picture shows two unnamed reservists being trained by Capt Koffler on radar tracking equipment. Must be a staged picture. I never saw my battery commander unless I was in trouble. Some of the names mentioned are not common names. Maybe some of them are still with us. Some of the men look to be in their twenties. So they would be in there sixties today. I'll use the web to do some searching. As I have mentioned in past messages I found the first sgt and battery commander of C-47 from 1966. Unfortunately it seems they didn't want to be found. If you want to hear that story let me know.