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The Cold War in South Florida Historic Resource Study is now in public domain.
Simply click on the cover photo above and download your free copy.
Appendix One provides a comprehensive role of the men and the Nike Hercules missiles
in south Florida from 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
until 1979 when the sites were all decommissioned.
The Cold War in South Florida Historic Resource Study is now in public domain.
Simply click on the cover photo above and download your free copy.
Appendix One provides a comprehensive role of the men and the Nike Hercules missiles
in south Florida from 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
until 1979 when the sites were all decommissioned.
Nike Hercules
America's Air Defense during the Cold War
The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Cuban Missile Crisis is the
closest we have ever come to
thermonuclear annihilation of mankind.
Our Mission: To provide, preserve and present to historians, preservationists and the public who are increasingly devoting their attention to the Cold War, the unique role played by the Nike Hercules and the Everglades National Park during the Cold War. Further, that it will serve as a catalyst for the preservation of Cold War-related resources throughout the State of Florida.
Historical Background: On October 22, 1962, in order to defend against a potential strike from Russian missiles discovered on the Island of Cuba, President Kennedy declared a state of military alert, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. prepared to go to war over the issue of nuclear missiles in Cuba. According to historians, this became the defining event in the history of the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the "end of the Cold War."
Presidential Unit Citation: After the initial crisis, on November 26, 1962,
President Kennedy travelled to Homestead AFB to personally award the men of the
2nd Missile Battalion, 52nd ADA with a Presidential Unit Citation for their
actions during the crisis.
Click on photo to enlarge the actual photo of President Kennedy during his review of the men of the 2nd 52nd during the actual ceremony that day.
A Hole in the Fence: South Florida, for a variety of reasons, was bereft of the air defense missile systems protecting most major population centers in the U.S. at this time. The Soviets outflanked the extensive radar nets and air defenses that protected the majority of the nation from bomber attack by installing offensive weapons in Cuba. South Florida, in the words of one defense analyst, was the U.S. air defense and warning system’s “Achilles heel.”
A Patch in the Hole: To defend against the possibility of air attack on Miami and the region’s strategic military staging areas, the Army deployed the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Group to south Florida for the Homestead-Miami (HM) Defense Network.
The Permanent Fix: In August 1963, the Army officially announced that the missile sites of south Florida would become a permanent feature of the U.S. air defense network. The soldiers of the south Florida missile batteries moved into their new facilities in 1965.
The Demise of Nike Hercules: The switch from bombers to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) as the preferred method of delivering nuclear destruction in the 1960s and 1970s sounded the death knell for ARADCOM and the CONUS air defense batteries. While the Army shut down all other CONUS missile defenses in 1974, Florida and Alaska Nike sites stayed active for another five years because of the unique situation in south Florida. Not until 1979, when planners decided that Nike Hercules defenses could offer nothing to the national security of the nation, were the Florida and Alaska units finally decommissioned.
A Battery placed on National Register of Historic Places: The efforts of Nike veterans and Everglades National Park staff resulted in HM-69 (A Battery) being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We Need Your Help: You can help preserve the history of all the Nike Hercules sites in south Florida in the following ways:
1. Volunteer to work at a Nike site in south Florida: Become a seasonal National Park Service Nike Volunteer. Seasonal tours are conducted January through March. If you are interested in volunteering as a tour guide for the 2010 season, please notify Jackie_Dostourian@nps.gov at Everglades National Park.
2. Share Your Nike experiences: Provide photographs, documents, and a written history of your experiences. Photographs, documents and written personal experiences should be sent as an email attachment to NikeHistorian@Nike252.Org. If the photograph or document files are too large to email, you can copy them to a CD and mail to:
Charles D. Carter
3535 Peachtree Rd, NE
Suite 520-417
Atlanta, GA 30326
3. Conduct an oral Interview: If you would agree to being interviewed over the telephone for your personal experiences, please notify Bonnie_Ciolino@nps.gov
4. Make Comments and Suggestions: We're listening, just click here - NikeHistorian@Nike252.Org.
5. Purchase the South Florida Cold War Historic Resource Study: Contact the Nike Historian to order your copy. Just $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. All proceeds go to Everglades National Park.
Our Mission: To provide, preserve and present to historians, preservationists and the public who are increasingly devoting their attention to the Cold War, the unique role played by the Nike Hercules and the Everglades National Park during the Cold War. Further, that it will serve as a catalyst for the preservation of Cold War-related resources throughout the State of Florida.
Historical Background: On October 22, 1962, in order to defend against a potential strike from Russian missiles discovered on the Island of Cuba, President Kennedy declared a state of military alert, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S. prepared to go to war over the issue of nuclear missiles in Cuba. According to historians, this became the defining event in the history of the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the "end of the Cold War."
Presidential Unit Citation: After the initial crisis, on November 26, 1962,
President Kennedy travelled to Homestead AFB to personally award the men of the
2nd Missile Battalion, 52nd ADA with a Presidential Unit Citation for their
actions during the crisis. Click on photo to enlarge the actual photo of President Kennedy during his review of the men of the 2nd 52nd during the actual ceremony that day.
A Hole in the Fence: South Florida, for a variety of reasons, was bereft of the air defense missile systems protecting most major population centers in the U.S. at this time. The Soviets outflanked the extensive radar nets and air defenses that protected the majority of the nation from bomber attack by installing offensive weapons in Cuba. South Florida, in the words of one defense analyst, was the U.S. air defense and warning system’s “Achilles heel.”
A Patch in the Hole: To defend against the possibility of air attack on Miami and the region’s strategic military staging areas, the Army deployed the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Group to south Florida for the Homestead-Miami (HM) Defense Network.
The Permanent Fix: In August 1963, the Army officially announced that the missile sites of south Florida would become a permanent feature of the U.S. air defense network. The soldiers of the south Florida missile batteries moved into their new facilities in 1965.
The Demise of Nike Hercules: The switch from bombers to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) as the preferred method of delivering nuclear destruction in the 1960s and 1970s sounded the death knell for ARADCOM and the CONUS air defense batteries. While the Army shut down all other CONUS missile defenses in 1974, Florida and Alaska Nike sites stayed active for another five years because of the unique situation in south Florida. Not until 1979, when planners decided that Nike Hercules defenses could offer nothing to the national security of the nation, were the Florida and Alaska units finally decommissioned.
A Battery placed on National Register of Historic Places: The efforts of Nike veterans and Everglades National Park staff resulted in HM-69 (A Battery) being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We Need Your Help: You can help preserve the history of all the Nike Hercules sites in south Florida in the following ways:
1. Volunteer to work at a Nike site in south Florida: Become a seasonal National Park Service Nike Volunteer. Seasonal tours are conducted January through March. If you are interested in volunteering as a tour guide for the 2010 season, please notify Jackie_Dostourian@nps.gov at Everglades National Park.
2. Share Your Nike experiences: Provide photographs, documents, and a written history of your experiences. Photographs, documents and written personal experiences should be sent as an email attachment to NikeHistorian@Nike252.Org. If the photograph or document files are too large to email, you can copy them to a CD and mail to:
Charles D. Carter
3535 Peachtree Rd, NE
Suite 520-417
Atlanta, GA 30326
3. Conduct an oral Interview: If you would agree to being interviewed over the telephone for your personal experiences, please notify Bonnie_Ciolino@nps.gov
4. Make Comments and Suggestions: We're listening, just click here - NikeHistorian@Nike252.Org.
5. Purchase the South Florida Cold War Historic Resource Study: Contact the Nike Historian to order your copy. Just $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. All proceeds go to Everglades National Park.