It was with reluctance that I transferred from the Infantry to Air Defense Artillery. Even to this day, I think of myself as an Infantryman and I wear crossed rifles, parachute wings, the Ranger Tab and the CIB on my Vietnam Veterans cap.
At that time in history, our country was at peace. Most Army units were training with blanks and flash-bang grenade simulators.
It was an edgy Cold War peace, however, and Russian bombers had the capability of striking this country. Nike Ajax missile batteries were being placed in metropolitan areas around the country. Their radars were scanning the skies 24/7 looking for hostile aircraft and Nike missiles were locked and loaded and ready to destroy the Russian Bison and Bear long range bombers.
Most Americans know little or nothing about the "Ring of Supersonic Steel" that protected them from attacks from the mid-fifties to mid-seventies.
Being part of the Nike system and its mission helped ease the transition and in retrospect, I am proud of my days as a Nike Chief Fire Control Mechanic, Nuclear Warhead Team commander and service at the Army Air Defense School at Fort Bliss, Texas.
My next TWS assignment covers the transition period.
