Missile Combat Crew Interview

Back in 1988 a local TV station from Grand Forks, ND followed my Deputy and I, the Missile Combat Crew Commander, to the furthest Launch Control Center, A-0, in the 321st Strategic Missile Wing.

The Launch Control Facility was part of the 446th Strategic Missile Squadron and controlled ten Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles while monitoring the entire squadron of fifty missiles.

They filmed us performing a few checklists and interviewed us for around an hour or so before departing the Launch Control Facility. They left a lot of good stuff on the cutting room floor and kept mostly the fluff but it brings back memories of younger days and what some men did to fight the Cold War.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Missile
• Minuteman
• Interview
• ICBM

[crazygood150]

i've always wondered this: if the order comes to launch your partner refuses to launch or stops in the process, do you have to shoot him? sounds kind of silly but i saw this in the film WarGames

[CrewDog1976]

@crazygood150 No, you do not shoot your crew partner if he refuses to turn keys. War Games was really bad and the representation of the crew dogs at the beginning, talking about dope and such, was a Hollywood slam on all the good people protecting our Country out in the ICBM field.

We carried the sidearms to protect the documents in the Launch Control Center.

[geoffck6969]

Disregard the second question. The news anchor just said each launch control facility manages 10 missiles. Wow! What's that, 240 warheads? Must have been a bit heady, knowing you had the ability to launch more firepower with the turn of a key than had been used in the entire history of warfare. Obviously the President had a SIOP option that allowed him to use one or two missiles to carry out a strategic objective. What was the procedure for launching a couple while disabling the rest?

[CrewDog1976]

@geoffck6969 Sorry, but your question involves OPSEC and thus I can't answer.

[john1082]

@Ambystoma52 : I was a 446th SMS guy as well at the same time; I was also assigned to ALPHA from 10/79 to about 4/80

[wtailhunter1]

Wow...what memories. I was assigned to the 321st MSS, 73-77. Worked mostly in the 447th, Hotel and Fox Flight areas. Then wound up in Wing Security Control (WSC) for a couple years. Even though I was there long before this particular video was made, not much had changed regarding outside appearances.

[TiBossII]

News FAIL...Where is ALTHA-01? It's called ALPHA-01...

[dutchgoing]

I said LUNCH not LAUNCH!!! Ooops too late....lol

[Ambystoma52]

Did you know that they turned Oscar Zero into a state park and now open to the public? After my alert duty was over, I was assigned to DO9 as a code controller/instructor.

[majorjtp]

I remember going to A-0. I was a 448th guy, M-0, but on rare occasion had to go. Nice to see a friendly face. I was there 82-87

[Ambystoma52]

It's nice to see that A-0 got some well deserved publicity. I spent most of my alerts at A-0 from 1978 to 1982. I remember that nobody wanted to go there for any reason :)

Nice video!

[Skybird436]

geoffck6969 question: we could tell you the procedure, but then we would have to ...

Yes, it is very sobering sitting in the command chair and looking at a row of lights knowing that there are live missles on the other end. I did 2 years at F.E. Warren in WY, then 2 yrs as an airborn commander in the alternate launch capability system. We had two entire wings to consider (300 - 450 missles). Now that is sobering.