From an emai from John Sheehan

Scanning the site I came across Laredo and thought I add some info I know about it. I went into the spacetrack business in 1961(27370s). When ADC took over the satellite-tracking mission and moved it to Colorado Springs.

The only satellite tracking radar belonging to ADC was at the Laredo site. In fact it was so rare to the ADC inventory it was originally assigned as a detachment of my control squadron in Colorado Springs. I had occasion to visit the site many times between 1961-1974. My first trip was in 61. It was like walking onto a ghost AC&W site. All the building were just like a standard P-site (just like North Truro) however no AC&W radar tower.

The story of those there at the time said was it never was operational as an AC&W site. None of the barracks were in use or were ever used in the years I went there. It had something to do with the water supply.

I don`t remember just when we shut down the tracking radar. It later became a sea launch ballistic missile (SLBM) site FSS-7. I’m not sure when they closed it; it was still open when I retired in early 76. Personnel were housed at Laredo AFB which was quite distance away.

The site sat out in the middle of nowhere with the sage brush and rattlesnakes. The only building that was ever used in the years I went there was the orderly room building. Being an old AC&W type, I always got an eerie feeling to see this lost site in the middle of nowhere that appeared to be built and not used for its original mission. I lived in a quonset building on so called M-sites and here were good barracks built and never used. USAF planning…

I hope this make a small grain of sense and possibly fills in a gap.

John Sheehan