My Cold War Years (Part Nine): The Ending Of A Legacy
- Tracy's Thoughts
- Jan 14, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 16, 2019
"For forty or fifty years past, Mr. H. G. Wells and others have been warning us that man is in danger of destroying himself with his own weapons, leaving the ants or some other gregarious species to take over. Anyone who has seen the ruined cities of Germany will find this notion at least thinkable. Nevertheless, looking at the world as a whole, the drift for many decades has been not towards anarchy but towards the reimposition of slavery. We may be heading not for general breakdown but for an epoch as horribly stable as the slave empires of antiquity. James Burnham's theory has been much discussed, but few people have yet considered its ideological implications--that is, the kind of world-view, the kind of beliefs, and the social structure that would probably prevail in a state which was at once UNCONQUERABLE and in a permanent state of 'cold war' with its neighbors." - George Orwell, "You and the Atomic Bomb", October 19, 1945.
In "The Man Who Won the Cold War", an article by Richard V. Allen, it reads, "In January 1977, I visited Ronald Reagan in Los Angeles. During our four-hour conversation, he said many memorable things, but none more significant than this. "My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic," he said. "It is this: We win and they lose. What do you think of that?" One had never heard such words from the lips of a major political figure; until then, we had thought only in terms of managing the relationship with the Soviet Union. Reagan went right to the heart of the matter. Utilizing American values, strength, and creativity, he believed we could outdistance the Soviets and cause them to withdraw from the Cold War or perhaps even to collapse. Herein lay the great difference, back in early 1977, between Reagan and every other politician: He literally believed we could win and was prepared to carry this message to the nation as the intellectual foundation of a presidency."
On Friday, June 12, 1987 in a speech by President Ronald Reagan, he said, "We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" He was of course calling for the leader of the Soviet Union to open up the Berlin Wall which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. The end of the "Cold War" was now within reach of the entire world.
More than once during the "Cold War", it got very HOT! The Korean War and the Vietnam War were just two of those times, of course there were others as well. But there is so much more about these times and those who served then that many people may not know about. I myself have learned a few things that I never knew about. As an example, being tucked away in those missile fields of South Dakota was very different from someone serving in Korea or Germany. I have read all of the books, so far, in the Book Series of "We Were Soldiers Too", which contains real stories from Veterans that served during the "Cold War". The author, Bob Kern, served in the Army and was stationed in Germany about the same time frame when I was in South Dakota. If you haven't already read them, I highly recommend them to anyone who wishes to learn more about this part of our history.
For over 40 years the 44th Strategic Missile Wing was a front-line Strategic Air Command wing, initially as a B-47 Stratojet medium bomber unit in the 1950's. With the phaseout of the B-47, the wing became a Minuteman ICBM unit in the 1960's, being inactivated in 1994 as part of the draw-down of U.S. strategic forces after the end of the Cold War. In September of 1991 SAC re-designated the 28th Bombardment Wing as the 28th Bomb Wing. As the 28th Bomb Wing it also regained host wing responsibilities.
In June of 1992, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing was relieved of it's emergency war order mission and it's primary focus was deactivation of the Minuteman II weapon system. This day also marked the end of the Strategic Air Command and the beginning of Air Combat Command. With it's mission complete, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing was formally inactivated on 4th of July in 1994. Perhaps those who have been "SACumcised" will understand, but Peace was indeed our Profession!
In 1999 the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site was established to illustrate the history and significance of the "Cold War", the arms race, and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development. This National Historic Site preserves the last remaining Minuteman II ICBM system in the United States. It consists of three facilities, a Visitors Center and two significant Cold War-era sites, a Launch Control Center, known as Delta One (D-01), and a Launch Facility, known as Delta Nine (D-09), both of which were formerly operated by the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron of the 44th Strategic Missile Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The Delta Flight area was just one of the many areas I worked when it was an active missile complex. When I was the ART Leader, my ART Member and I once got a Letter of Appreciation from the On-Duty Missile Combat Crew Commander for our outstanding response and performance on an exercise at the Delta 09 LF conducted by a Standardization/Evaluation Team. In addition to Delta, I also worked the Bravo Flight area in the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron. In the 67th Strategic Missile Squadron it was the Golf and India Flight areas while in the 68th Strategic Missile Squadron it was the Lima and Mike Flight areas.
In 2018 the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site released "Beneath The Plains: The Minuteman Missile On Alert". This 30 minute film provides viewers with an introduction to the history of the Minuteman Missile defense system and it's continued role as a nuclear deterrent. The film includes original and archival footage, recordings, interviews, animation, and images.
I think that it's pretty cool that a place where I once worked, ate, slept and spent a good portion of 6 years of my life is now a place where others can take tours of to learn more about some of the "Cold War" Legacy.
[NOTE: This is Part 9 of a 10-Part series of stories about some of my memories of when I was in the US Air Force from 1982 to 1988 and stationed at Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, South Dakota.]
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