53rd anniversary of Atlas launch rekindles nuclear past

Courtesy Photo | President John F. Kennedy watches the launch of an unarmed Atlas 134D intercontinental ballistic missile on Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., March 23, 1962. This was the first time a president witnessed a live missile launch.  

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WY, UNITED STATES

03.25.2015

Story by Lan Kim  

90th Missile Wing

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. - Fifty-three years ago, March 23, 1962, was the first time a president witnessed the nation’s nuclear defense capability. The launch of an unarmed Atlas 134D intercontinental ballistic missile displayed the reliability of the strategic deterrent for many leaders to view.

President John F. Kennedy watched the launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, along with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Gen. Thomas S. Power, Strategic Air Command’s commander in chief, various other generals and 50 members of the White House Press Corps.

Airmen from F.E. Warren’s 389th Strategic Missile Wing were responsible for the launch.

Retired Tech. Sgt. Frank D. Waters, a Cheyenne, Wyoming, resident, was an airman first class part of the Senior Wing Standardization Launch Crew R-07 assisting with the launch and knew very well the importance of that historic event.

“It served a worthwhile purpose. I think if we had not had the Atlas system, and then the Minuteman phasing into that, we would’ve been at nuclear war with [the Soviet Union],” Waters said.

Waters was an automatic radar tracking specialist, who assisted in getting the missile on target as close as possible. He described the execution of the launch as beautiful.

The launch happened in a point in history where geopolitical tensions were high, especially in the realm of nuclear power between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

“I know of no other time in launch history when so many high ranking officers and personnel were in attendance,” said Michael Byrd, 90th Missile Wing historian.

“The story would get out of the president’s attendance and of the complete success of the launch – that took trust because the launch could have failed,” Byrd said. “And a failed launch would have made the front page faster than a successful one. A failed launch would have signaled to the Soviet Union a U.S. weakness.”

After much preparation leading up to the launch, Waters and his crew were relieved that the missile took off successfully and did not explode – something they feared could have occurred that day.

“As the first president to view a live launch, President Kennedy was indicating by his presence just how important the Atlas system was and his trust [in it],” Byrd said.

• Date Taken: 03.25.2015
• Date Posted: 03.25.2015 20:46
• Story ID: 158107
• Location: F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WY, US