Air Force·Weapon system retired·In Memoriam
Minuteman I Crew
Served: 1961–1969
Two-officer crew watching ten missiles each from a hardened underground LCC — the original 24/7 underground nuclear alert posture.
The Story
The first Minuteman I went on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis — installed, tested, and brought to alert status weeks ahead of schedule because the crews working at Malmstrom understood what was happening 1,500 miles south of them.
Epitaph
“Stood watch through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Replaced by their own grandchildren.”
Sources
- Wikipedia — LGM-30 Minutemanen.wikipedia.org