Customer Reviews

Last Missile Site: An Operational and Physical History of Nike Site SF-88, Fort Barry, California (Nuclear Weapons)

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I grew up in the Bay Area and I remember seeing the various Nike installations scattered around the surrounding hills. I am very glad to see that this site was preserved for future generations to see and that this book was written as a testimonial of those crazy cold war years when we thought that we might be able to protect ourselves from annilation.

These missile bases were hidden all around us in the '6os and '70's. This detailed study looks at the last of the network.

First off , I admit I'm biassed. Long ago , I was an Air Force liquid fuel missile weenie who fervently hoped the pointy end of his bird would explode over Ivan's backyard,not his own. But,(even longer ago),I grew up in the shadow of the Russian Mushroom Cloud threat, with the knowledge that the ARMY (and to a lesser extent , the Air Force) had set up short range SAMs in cities all over the US, ready to knock down any russian B-17 that dared intrude over FreedomLand.( In the movies,every Nike hit I ever saw blasted a B-17 Drone out of the sky). With 3 second-burning boosters and a 20 second service life from launch to impact, they remind me of Bottle rockets.But - to a young kid, they were military, no-nonsense machines, and looked very Buck Rogerish. We have an Ajax on display in our local Air Museum to similarly inspire the kiddies of today.

Today,the Nike Sites - save one - are all gone. Some have been bulldozed over, some have been converted to local use, some still being used by the Army for Reserve functions.
But two books are in print to memorialize the efforts of the men and women who manned ("personned"?) the sites. "Rings of Supersonic Steel" , now in its third Edition is a wonderful compilation and review of every Nike and BOMARC site in the United States, presuming that you can read Army-talk . For example - whatinheck does "A/2/55th" or "B/1/192d" mean for site HA-08 in East Windsor , CT mean?

"The Last Missile Site" (despite its misleading title - there are lots of active USAF ICBM sites still around )presents a full history of just one site - SF-88, Fort Barry, CA from its activation in 1958, through its deactivation in 1974, its descent into vandlaized wreckage, and rebirth into a unique National Historic Site. In 150 well-illustrated pages the life and times of the birds (first Nike-Ajax, then Nike-Hercules), the buildings and the folks who manned them)through a very trying time in US History are chronicled. It can be technical in spots (Do I honestly care what Guard Shack S-976 looks like and how much it cost?), but such attention to detail simply shows the love that the authors have lavished on this site's story. The illustrations, drawings and personal reminiscnces will make any Nike Guy start to say - "Yeah - I remember something like that in ...". For the rest of us civilians (and other-missile types),it is a great souvenir to take from visiting the site, and a guidepost as to just what a Site guidebook should be.

You are unlikely to find another such book as this, so if you are at all interested in a close look at a Cold War Anti-Aircraft Missile Defense site, this is the book to have. Recommended to every conehead (past,current,future and Wannabe)I know.

A detailed insight for the Nike affectionado. Site SF-88 is a unique living museum that resulted from the interest of Veterans, proud of their service to the nation. It details the efforts of a life endured by many, understood by few.