![]() He continues, “Castro, in one of his memoirs, talked about the U.S. “Cuba used to come two-three-four times a day, then skip a day, so we had missiles going up, coming down, up, down, constantly, because you just didn’t know,” says Swanson. Highly effective.”īoth men describe the tense political atmosphere during the time they served. These were designed to go above a squadron, drop down in front to stop that plane, and take out the rest of the squadron with sonic and shrapnel. ![]() “These missiles are not like the movies, where the missile goes straight for the target. “The time from launch to destroy was 90 seconds.” Swanson says. Specialist Ted Swanson points out on an old map where various buildings used to stand on the Nike Missile Base within Crocodile Lake Wildlife Refuge. We’d deal with the fallout later, but that’d be better than risking Miami or D.C.,” he continues. Layman adds, “The thinking was, if we ever got attacked by Cuba, one nuke would take out an entire squadron. “So they got us in here to build these bases and become operational really quick.” “The powers that be realized we had Nike Hercules missiles defending our northern border, but none here in the south,” says Swanson. The proximity of the island nation meant that Soviet missiles could target almost any American city. was stockpiling missiles on Cuba to launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. ![]() The tension of the Cold War led the American government to believe that the U.S.S.R. “Looks like a critter must have gotten in there,” he jokes about the heavy lid, sitting ajar.įour Nike Hercules missile bases, including this one within Crocodile Lake Wildlife Refuge, were constructed in South Florida in response to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He points to a covered, cement cavern near a tree. “And this,” continues Layman, “is where we’d keep the active warheads.” “This is the missile assembly building, where missiles were put together and warheads assembled,” explains Swanson. ![]() The pair guides the group through the old battery, leading them into old missile launch control bunkers and onto the concrete slabs where barns used to house nuclear and conventional missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Swanson and Layman now conduct tours together through South Florida’s old Nike Hercules missile bases, telling the stories of their own lives, the role of these defensive military sites, and the history of international tension that brought them here. He’d track any launched missiles and guide them to their target. Layman was a missile tracking radar operator from 1975-78 at this exact missile base. He was stationed at a sister missile base in the Everglades from 1966-68 to maintain all technical systems. Army, was an integrated fire control area radar maintenance chief. Swanson, a specialist 5th class in the U.S. “There were rail apes,” says Swanson, pointing to himself, “and scope dopes,” pointing to Layman. The tour begins, and Swanson and Layman start with playful jabs at each other. ![]()
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