This months American Legion Mag.(Dec.07)great article "Fifty Fallen Stars" about the loss of EC121 Aircraft (551st AEW&C Wg.) Otis AFB MA. I was member of 552nd for a short period of time when a shooting war is going on it is easy to forget the loss during Cold War Missions

Great website! It spurred aged memories and has me searching these type websites for more information. I was stationed at the 756th Finland MN from late 65 -66, 30352 in FPS-27 and moved to 648th Benton AFS, PA early 67-Sept 68 working gap fillers at Ulysses and Joliett.

Reading various email accounts in the guestbook and becoming a member of Radomes, I am inspired to look thru old pictures, perhaps I can contribute. Thanks to all who have contributed so far, I hope to reconnect with old memories and old friends.

Don Westphal
Raleigh, NC

I have found a source for Weapons Controller Badge license plates. At the present time I am only planning on the basic badge but I can get senior and master badges if there is enough interest. The price is not firm yet but should be about $20, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, It all depends on the number ordered. I know that I am getting mine one way or the other. If anyone else is interested, send me an email and I will keep you informed as I get this mission near completion.

Bob Kendig
Fertile 80

There is a 602nd AC&W Sq. beer stein on ebay now. http://collectibles.search.ebay.com/602_Germany_W0QQbsZSearchQQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfposZQ5AIPQ2fPostalQQfromZR10QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZ40042QQsadisZ200QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknown I have one that I got earlier even though I was never stationed there. Was TDY working on a Tacan there in 1959...

I'd like to thank Paul Ries for his 'Guestbook' entry (below) which helps provide some of the Army point of view for Cold War air defenses. As many of you know, the Air Force and the Army shared a number of radar sites in support of both missions -- aircraft control & warning by the Air Force, Nike missile defense system by the Army. Both fell under NORAD, and both were part of the SAGE system in many instances. For more information on this topic, check out our page at http://www.radomes.org/cgi-bin/museum/nikeinfo.cgi, or simply click on our ''Nike'' link on the left-side menu (scroll down). If anyone has additional information on this subject, we'd love to hear from you. We'd also like to receive photos of those joint-use radar sites from back in the day. Thanks! -- Tom

RE:

Army NIKE Units; when I was going to High School in the late 1950's in the Cleveland Ohio Area. I had made friends with the Army troops that were stationed at the Nike outfit in Cleveland. Then after I went into the USAF and was assigned to the different SAGE Centers I worked with the Army GI's in the DC's. I was stationed with them in Syracuse NY (Hancock Fld) and again in Duluth MN in the late 1960's.
When I was stationed in Freising Germany at the 604th AC&W Sqn. we had a Army Hawk Battery just down the hill from are site. We had Army troops working in the OPs area with us. I fact I ran into a guy in Thialand at Udorn RTAFB that was an Army Cpl in germany assigned to the HAWK unit. When I met him at Udorn he was TSGT. in the Air Force. Sure is a small world, if fact my brother-in-law is a retired Army CWO who spent time in NIKE units.


G. Wickert

Happy Thanksgiving to all from where it all began (Cape Cod, Ma.) A story of the disappearence of Thanksgiving Tutkeys from chow hall at 902nd AC&W Sq Miles City, MT. circa 1961 the mess sgt. (NOT A LIKEABLE GUY) set out 6-8 24lb. precooked birds the night before it seems as though 2 of the birds were gone next morning culprits young troops who lived in town?? since it was a day troops could bring in familys for dinner, the sgt had it down to the once on what he needed, woke up mgr. of local market to scout out 2 more birds,could of at least set out the gravy too, LOL

Hello everyone
I served at the 35th Arty Brigade HQ from 1965 through 1968. I began my assignment as a plotter behind the "big board" and then moved to a console and later the AADCP Command group and finally ended up in S-2 working on site security, warhead movement, sentry dog training and assignment along with personnel security clearances and removals.

For those who do not know about the 35th we were located on Fort Geo G. Meade half way between Baltimore and Wash DC. We had units located in the Maryland area around Baltimore, Chesipeake and Wash DC areas. Since I was there for the full three year assignment I was fortunate to meet a lot of very nice people and found everyone to be really great to work with. I saw the AADCP go from the big blue room to the "trailer" ANTSQ 51 installation and loss of all the parphenailia of the blue room.

I have good memeories of the such wonderful events as taxi cab conversations on the secure radio channels during the excersizes, conversations with the Air Force Officers who flew the B 52's and 47s and yes a few 58's as they made their practice bomb runs over the various eastern cities.

I remember the scrambles of F 102's out of NY to intercept the Bison Bombers coming in over NS and Maine. I remember the codes (not the exact ones just the fact of them) the changes, security breaches like when someone threw out the old manuals for the Nike system in the dumpster and we had to go dumpster diving to retrieve all the documents before the trash man came.

I remember one night when the guards decided to play quick draw and shot holes in the roof of the guard shack and how mad the CO got when he heard of the event.

I remember the day I got a call that there was a truck in the parking lot (semi) and that the paperwork did not say who should get the delivery or what was on the truck. I got into uniform and went on base to find out what all "action" was about. (the guards did know what to do) Upon arrival I found that they were right the truck instructions only said deliver to Ft. Meade! I authorized them to open the truck and low and behold inside was one (we are talking about a 50 ft semi here) crate of grenades!! I sent him on his way to the ammo dump and call the Officer in charge at Ft. Meade so there was someone to meet the truck.

There are many other stories about the Russian trawlers that routinely tried to get us to turn on the radar units at the outlying sites, people trying to get into or out of the sites, the numerouse issues of personnel actions that still are easily remembered though the names and some details have been lost over time.

The riots of Spring 1968 when King was assinated and Washington burned. The many visits to our sites and AADCP by people from Washington who were working on the intercept system that was being built in North Dakota. And much much more.

And for those that lived at sites for a long period like the NG units and some RA unit people there are many more stories and incidents that tell of Air Defense Life.

Thanks and hope this fills in some blanks for your records.

Paul A. Ries

A note of thanks for our website
As we give thought and thanks for being able to live in this wonderful country of ours,I extend thanks to Gene, Tom, and all the others who continue to provide information and support to Radomes and the Radar Museum. Even though we've already provided a wealth of documentation, there's always more to add.

Nice site. I need pictures of the 753rd RADRON, Sault Ste. Marie AFS, MI.

on the eastern pine tree (late 50's to late 60's. 926ACW Frobisher
to 641'st Melvile (goose bay) FPS-20 Fps6 and BMEWs. Also a short time in Thule. Started in the RCAF and then with Philco (later Ford)
and then RCA. Looking back it seems I spent more time in the air then on the ground

Hey, all you former Gap-Filler Radar technicians (including T-1 techs): We still are looking for vintage photos of, and first-hand stories for, the old gap-filler annexes. If you have any such photos and/or any good ''war stories'' for the gap-filler radar sites, please send those to us. This is one topic your on-line museum needs more displays for. We are also on the look-out for recent photos of the gap-filler facilities (we have some, but not others). So, at your convenience, please dig through your photo collection, and see what turns up. Also, please consider visiting local libraries, museums, historical societies, newspaper archives, etc., where applicable, to see if they might have any old pictures on file. Thank you very much in advance!

Console Operator 1978-79 Pin Main, Cam Main

TILL HELL FREEZES OVER

I can still see the look of horror on my dads face when I brought an old WW2 surplus radar system home and put it in the garage. Guess it was just lucky that I never got it running, was still great fun for a 12 Year Old electronics geek. Great web site.

Michael
Sonora, CA

From the poster below concerning Chinese bases, re: Matsu and Quemoy islands. Hard to believe that they were a large topic in the Nixon-Kennedy debates. Now faded to obscurity, though now and then something like a P-3 Orion plane being paid a too-close visit by a Chinese fighter revives the debates about defense of whatever-it-is at the time.

Well done Web site on that topic, nice large photos and clear explanations of what's going on.

Final thought, imagine in that time of the Nixon-Kennedy debate, later a President Nixon would be going to China. I don't know if now it's possible to go into a U.S. store and not find most of the wares made in China. (I don't want to get political here, it's just an observation on how history has changed things.)

A few months ago there was a discussion about USAF personnel stationed at Chinese Radar sites on Taiwan in the 60's. On this link is a couple of my pictures of the site at Shimen. The first color photo's were taken by Gary Wilson in 1965 & 66. The black and white photos were taken by me in 1964.
Shimen was located on the northern most point of land in Taiwan. I stress that it was a Taiwanese AF radar site, with only a couple Americans assigned.
Click on the link, then at the bottom hit "move to next page".
As close to heaven as a young A3C is going to get. Ha
http://mirach.lunarpages.com/~taipe2/index_files/Page1307.htm

Amazing. I don't believe I ever met G Wickert or Tom Page but I was also at Hancock Field when it closed.

Rocky & Tom:
My second tour at Hancock was from 1975 to 1980 when I retired from AF I worked on the fourth floor Weapons Training Shop then I finished my career on the second floor of the old CC I was NCIOC the Exercise Branch we planned all the Live and Simualted Exercise that ran for the 21st NORAD Region. I held one of the two NORAD slots at Hancock. I actually worked directly for Hqtrs NORAD on site. The kicker is 6 months after I retired I was hired as a Department of the Army Civilian and went to work in the Automatic Switching center there on the third floor of the old CC. The switching center was closed this time of the year in 2000. Iwas able to retire I still live in Cicero NY. Which is about 5 miles from the old SAGE Complex.
G. Wickert

This is wild. When I left Hancock I went to Clear AK for a yr then came right back to the ROCC at Griffiss. My new job? One of those HQ NORAD slots in the Exercise Branch.

I can't help but add my two cents worth to the Hancock Field conversation. I lived in the Syracuse area from 1965 (when I left the Air Force)until 2000 when I moved to Arizona to get away from those nasty winters. I worked for Carrier Corporation and for many years drove by the base along Taft Road. As you all know, Taft Road runs about 100 yards from the SAGE blockhouse. When the base closed, I watched it slowly deteriorate. The only opportunity I ever got to go on the base was in the 90s when I dealt with a business that had taken over the old dispensary. I wouldn't be surprised if our paths unknowingly crossed during those years. I lived and shopped in North Syracuse for many years.

All the msg. about the Radar units & what happened to them, wonder what happened to all the manual scopes 99s and 175s (Handy Dandys) etc. also plotting boards were any kept for display anywhere???

Re G. Wickert's comments below about the closing of Hancock Field (SAGE) -- I was also there at the time, and actually a few of the AN/FSQ-7 consoles and/or indicator panels were saved and shipped off to the then-new Computer Museum in Boston. However, I was told several years later that the Computer Museum closed. So, who knows where those SAGE items then went. Scrap?

By the way, some of the components from the AN/FSQ-7 at Fort Lee AFS were likewise saved, and are on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Some components, such as a Core Memory Unit, are on display at the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum. I was told that some other component was on display at the Smithsonian's American History Museum (I think it was), but I am not sure just what (console, maybe?). Does anyone know? Thanks.

-- Tom

I should mention also that sections of AN/FSQ-7 SAGE Computers found re-use in Hollywood. For a listing of TV shows and movies, with lots of great photos, go to http://ripsaw.cac.psu.edu/~mloewen/Q7/.