Illustration & Copyright by Mads Bangsø (Denmark) Bruce Wilhelmy's flight over Cuban missile base Oct.

29, 1962Įmail the Webmaster We invite you to click this link - VFP-62 Webmaster to email a question, comment, correction, or contribution to this page. soldiers.VFP-62 OPERATIONS OVER CUBA - The Cuban Missile CrisisĪwarded to VFP-62 by President John F. The Hawk missile sites have Korean guards, as well as. Normally, mountain top temperatures are at least 15 degrees lower than down below, and some sites have recorded temperatures as low as minus-30 degrees. Though the men may appear to be on top of the world while on duty at their mountain sites, they admit the spectacular scenery fades when the temperature falls. Their compounds include a company-sized PX, a recreation room, a club and movies five nights a week. When soldiers of the 38th are not on duty at their missile sites, they live in the administration area usually located at the foot of the mountain. 'The men all know the exact day and hour when the Red Cross girls arrive at their battery.' 'There's a barbecue pit behind the ready room,' Gay adds.ĭean notes that the men of the 38th appreciate the small bits of civilization which do reach them.

'That's a volleyball court,' the visitor was told. Checker boards abound, and card games also help consume lonely nights of duty.Ī visiting general to Battery F east of Inchon inquired about the 'strange lines' on the helicopter pad located on top of the mountain, relates Gay. The main attraction on the mountain tops at night is television, and the men say the reception is top notch at the high altitudes. 'First, it gives the men something to gripe about, and, second, it helps the units become more cohesive and work together as a team.' 'Being in isolated locations does two good things for our units,' Dean believes. During their 24-hour shifts on the site, they maintain the missiles, equipment, and site, a constant task, and man their radar scopes watching for unidentified planes, Gay explains. The soldiers spend 24 hours on site and 24 hours in the administrative area lower on the mountain. 'We're on operational status 24 hours a day. 'The men work hard and do a fine job,' says Dean. Bliss, Tex., while others have received operational training on the sites in Korea. Most of the soldiers had air defense training at Ft. The men of the brigade also say their ground-to-air missiles are quite capable of defending the many airways into South Korea. Although it's not necessary to hit the target directly with the Nike missile, we intend to cut the aircraft in half when we fire.' (HERC), 44th Arty., echoed this confidence: 'We fired our Nike missile at Sea Range with pin-point accuracy and had the highest score in the battalion. Gay, fire control maintenance officer for Battery F, 4th Bn. (HAWK), 2nd Arty., 'we fired two missiles and killed two drones (self-propelled missile targets).'ĬWO Donald R. batteries in Korea have left 38th officers beaming. Like Dean, the officers of the brigade express confidence in the ability of their Hawk and Nike-Hercules missiles to rip enemy planes out of the air, and the annual practice firing by U.S.

Hawk missile commander joe