Headquarters & Headquarters Battery


In October 1962, when deployed to South Florida in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 2nd/52nd Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB) co-located with the 13th Group in the former B&L Farms tomato and avocado packing house at Princeton, 10 miles north of Homestead.

In May 1965, when the firing batteries relocated to permanent facilities, the battalion headquarters and the headquarters battery relocated to Bougainville Drive between Westover Avenue and Coral Sea Boulevard on Homestead AFB.

After the Army left in 1979, the Navy occupied the building. During Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, the building that once housed the headquarters for the Homestead-Miami Air Defense was one of many damaged so badly they were demolished. The Air Force replaced the building at the same location that now facilitates the Air Police which uses it as an ID and vehicle registration office and an office where educational materials are available.

On 15 March 1983, the 2nd/52nd HHB inactivated at Ft. Bliss, ending an era of the Nike air defense missile system in North America. The battalion did its whole duty for a quarter of a century with, as Colonel Yancy remarked, “Little fanfare, and a resounding success. Of no battalion, can more be said, Semper Paratus.” This was the last time an active Nike Hercules unit existed within the Continental United States.

2nd/52nd ADA Command Regions, Brigades, and Groups
(1959 –1983)
6th ADA Group                        15 Sep 1959 – 30 Oct 1962
13th ADA Group                      30 Oct 1962 – 28 Nov 1968
ARADCOM 1st Region            28 Nov 1962 – 1 Mar 1963
ARADCOM 5th Region           1 Mar 1963 – 1 Apr 1963
ARADCOM 2nd Region           1 Apr 1963 – 1 Jul 1963
53rd ADA Brigade                     1 Jul 1963 – 15 Nov 1966
47th ADA Brigade                     15 Nov1968 – 31 Mar 1970
31st ADA Brigade                     31 Mar 1970 – 1 Apr 1975
FORSCOM                             1 Apr 1975 – 1 Jul 1980
6th ADA School Brigade            1 Jul 1980 – 15 May 1983
11th ADA Group                       1 July 1980 – 15 May 1983

 

2nd/52nd ADA Battalion Commanders: 1959 -1983
LTC Loren R. Stewart 15 Apr 59 – 29 Jul 60
LTC Harold A. Neill    29 Jul 60 – 18 Jun 62
LTC John C. Ryon       18 Jun 62 – 10 Aug 63
LTC Theodore Roth    10 Aug 63 – 23 Aug 64
LTC Wallace Fluckey   24 Aug 64 – 20 Feb 65
LTC Eugene Towne     20 Feb 65 – 13 Ju1 65
LTC William Eichorn  13 Jul 65 – 22 Dec 66
MAJ George T. Norris  2 Dec 66 – 29 May 67
LTC Robert R. Hicks   29 May 67 – 1 Jun 68
MAJ James D. Spinks   1 Jun 68 – 6 Sep 68
LTC Franklyn Nelson   6 Sep 68 – 6 Ju1 69
LTC Thomas C. King  6 Jul 69 – 15 Sep 70
LTC Robert P. Woods  15 Sep 70 -12 Nov 71
LTC Laverne F. Fassl   2 Nov 71 – May 73
LTC Gary W. Hipps    May 73 – 22 Oct 74
LTC Francis R. Stevens 22 Oct 74 -22 Apr 76
LTC Richard Baldwin  22 Apr 76 – 21 Oct 77
LTC Charles E. Hutek 21 Oct 77 – 19 Apr 79
LTC David G. Hansen 29 Apr 79 -15 Oct 80
LTC Jimmy B. Yancy   16 Oct 80 – 15 Mar 83