active missile silos in arkansas active missile silos in arkansas

The incident occurred on September 18-19, 1980, at Missile Complex 374-7 in rural Arkansas when a U.S. Air Force LGM-25C Titan II ICBM loaded with a 9-megaton W-53 nuclear warhead experienced a liquid fuel explosion . The remaining half, the author David K. Stumpf writes in Titan II: A History of the Cold War Missile Program, had launched into the air and spun 180 degrees before landing back on the ground. "You didn't know if it was going to Cuba or if it was going to Moscow," Hill said. What you may not know is that at one time, there were 18 ICBM (intercontinental nuclear missile) silos surrounding the Little Rock area. Missile nosecones from Titan IIs in Arkansas are dismantled. The next, they were bracing against an explosion that destroyed the facility beyond repair. God, help me! The United States built many missile silos in the Midwest, away from populated areas. The military continued to use Titan rockets as part of its intercontinental ballistic missile program through the 1980s, and this was not the only dramatic incident involving them. A projector turns the far wall into a giant screen for movies or events, and a raised platform creates a bar area and kitchen space overlooking the floor along the other wall. Be sure to fill out all the fields in order to have yours selected. If you saw footage from the massive explosion in Beirut this past August, King says, you saw what he saw that morning. In his official statement in the investigation, Kennedy said it didnt make sense: Why would you energize an electrical circuit in a fuel leak? Livingston flipped the switch and then came topside. The Titan II's earth-shattering payload was 30 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. The missile was installed later that month at the Albion site, northwest of Searcy, Ark., but not active until May. I just hope it doesnt hurt., After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Kennedy could be heard on the radio saying, Im dying.. The nuclear warhead was also ejected from the missile silo. (February 2011) Air-to-air missiles. Rex Peters was up to get a blood pressure pill. After nearly being run over by the sheriff, King and Phillips jumped in their car and took off. The United States quickly developed a second model of ICBMs called Titan. GT has renovated the second level to be a multipurpose space, complete with projectors, a sound system, party lights, multiple whiteboards, and tables and chairs if needed. "Two officers would each turn a key, and 58 seconds later the Titan II would be out the door," Hill said. Decommissioning the former missile silos included destroying the top 25 feet of each silo and the access portal and elevator to the LCC. Should the missile need to be fired in anger, launch instructions would indicate that either Target 1, Target 2, or Target 3 was in the crosshairs; the men firing the ICBMs never knew what the targets actually were. Sound good? While renovating, GT decided to put in a spiral staircase to save space and it adds to the industrial ambiance. The missile silo near Pervomaysk is the only intact remainder of what was once an array of nuclear bases in Ukraine. He excavated the entrance to the LCC, opening the door to the facility in October 2010. President Ronald Reagan announced the retirement of the Titan II program, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The silos cover, made of hundreds of tons of concrete, was half destroyed. Email him at Arktopia.td@gmail.com. The SALT I Treaty, signed in 1972 by the U.S. and Soviet Union, allowed for the Titans to be traded for more missile submarines, but Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev wouldnt sign the treaty without assurances the trade wouldnt happen. Many were built in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Your email address will not be published. [2] The entire missile launch complex was destroyed. Shannon Seidler, a mechanic near Garrison, North Dakota, has lived on family land housing a nuclear missile silo for his entire life. The four men at the silo were blown off their feet. The first thing that makes this particular route interesting is the still active missile silos that dot the highway from Kimball to the Colorado border. During the next year, the other 18 missile silos in central Arkansas received ICBMs, and Jan. 1, 1964, all silos in Arkansas were active and on alert status. The Titan II entered active service with the U.S. Air Force in 1963. Once clear of the silo, the second stage exploded. It takes a certain mental toughness. The control room space sits on level two of an internal, solid steel birdcage structure. It was used for the Gemini project, which launched men like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Lovell into space in the 1960s. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "You could dump dynamite in the bottom, light it off, and these doors would just keep on going," Hill said. The Pentagon plans to spend $264 billion on its next-generation ICBM program, which . The entire motel was quite ramshackled and we entered number 20 with trepidation. The countdown to launch started and thenright before the signal to ignite the rocket would have been givenit was stopped. A total of 54 Titan II missiles, capable of going from launch to a target 8,000 miles away in about half an hour, were installed in Arizona, Kansas, and Arkansas. The Titan II missiles were located near three air force bases around the country: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas and Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. These were giant rockets, designed to fly long distances while carrying nuclear weapons. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We select one featured photo per week, but we show many more in our gallery. The state is armed with 150 nuclear missile silos that form a . [2], Kennedy, initially praised as a hero, later received an official letter of reprimand for his first entry into the complex, as it later transpired that he had disregarded an order to stay away. It turned out a worker doing routine maintenance on one of the missiles had dropped a nine-pound socket. Hed worked on the Manhattan Project and had retired to Damascus after years in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Early in the morning of Friday, September 19, a two-man PTS investigation team consisting of Senior Airman David Lee Livingston and Sergeant Jeff K. Kennedy entered the silo. It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. The missile was more than 100 feet in length and 10 feet wide. Warren Air Force Base In Wyoming. Walking across the gangplank feels something like a sci-fi movie, and my childrens insistence on bringing Star Wars costumes was rather apropos. For a minute, it was the same deal as an A-bomb. But Peters realized it wasnt a nuclear explosion, because he had time to think. The Cold War was over, and with it the threat of annihilation right? You think things will take a year, but they really take five years.". It was still dark outside early the next morning when we dropped the room key in the office mailbox and boogied down the highway eager to get back to good old Rapid City. He started the radio station after his previous employer, Dogpatch, a Li'l Abner theme park, went belly-up. I retreated upstairs to enjoy the incredible shower in the master suite and stayed up entirely too late reading a book in bed. You don't know who you were killing. The land was sold back to the owners for as little as $600 to as much as $12,000. "People who stay here do so willingly, and they have a blast.". Missile Site 8 in Green Valley, Arizona, is a national historic landmark and the home of the Titan Missile Museum. The first ICBMs, called Atlas, were ready by 1959 and deployed at air force bases around the nation. "There was metal debris, concrete, all sorts of stuff we had to pull out," he said. Airmen Jeffrey Plumb and David Powell were in the silo working on the missile. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. You knew it was 10 million people, but you didn't know where.". U.S. Robert Rhodus, the test conductor for the company that had built the missile, watched in fascination as the elevator, carrying a missile fully loaded with propellants, plummeted to the bottom of the silo, Stumpf writes. Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, National Register of Historic Places listings in Van Buren County, Arkansas, "Titan II Missile Explosion (1980) Encyclopedia of Arkansas", "Missile silo blast kills 1, hurts 21; no radiation leak", "Colonel Replaced in Action Linked to Fatal Titan Explosion", "Command and Control American Experience WGBH PBS", "Air Force truck removes damaged warhead", "Titan warhead flown to nuclear arms plant", "Season 4, Episode 4 Nuke Kids on the Block", "The night we almost lost Arkansas a 1980 nuclear Armageddon that almost was", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_explosion&oldid=1137032445, National Register of Historic Places in Van Buren County, Arkansas, September 1980 events in the United States, Nuclear accidents and incidents in the United States, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 12:19. The Titan II ICBM Missile Silo 374-7 Site, located west of U.S. 65, 1.7 miles north of intersection with Arkansas Highway 124 near Southside in Van Buren County, is nationally significant by virtue of its unique and exceptionally important history within the Titan II program: it was the site of a September 1980 accident that severely damaged . At around 6:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday, September 18, 1980, two airmen from a Propellant Transfer System (PTS) team were checking the pressure on the oxidizer tank of a USAF Titan II missile at Little Rock AFB's Launch Complex 374-7. Theyd heard on the scanner there was something going on at Missile Complex 374-7, the Titan II Missile installation in nearby Damascus. Two airmen were performing maintenance at Missile Complex 374-7, located 3 miles north of Damascus, the evening of September 18th. The first Titan II missile in Arkansas was installed in a silo near Searcy in 1963. But the effects of the explosion and working with the potentially toxic fuel linger for many of the airmen who were on site. The second airmen survived his injuries, while 21 others suffered injuries from the blast and following rescue operation and cleanup. Livingston reentered the silo to carry out the order and shortly thereafter, at about 3:00 a.m., the hypergolic fuel exploded likely due to arcing in the exhaust fan. The Air Force refused to confirm or deny if a nuclear weapon was involved in the explosioneven to Vice President Walter Mondale, who was in Arkansas that day for the state Democratic convention, trying to help the states young governor, Bill Clinton, in a re-election bid. The AirBnB listing even drew the attention of a couple central Arkansas musicians, who filmed three music videos inside the facility. Fuel vapor started to fill the silo. I tucked my children into the beds on the second floor, while my son picked a color for the light to stay while they fell asleep. They were simple-looking white canisters. For a one-night stay, I would recommend bringing all of your own food. They were situated in north-central Arkansas to ensure ready access to Little Rock Air Force Base, where the 308th Strategic Missile Wing coordinated the work in Arkansas. Lucky for us, Nick was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Amazingly, we all slept wonderfully. [6] There was concern for the possible collapse of the now empty first-stage fuel tank, which could cause the rest of the 8-story missile to fall and rupture, allowing the oxidizer to contact the fuel already in the silo. You know you're definitely in someplace different, but we wanted to make it nice enough that you didn't think you were in a silo.". When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into space in 1957, it made the idea of long-range nuclear bombers obsolete. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard with the Class of 1990. Titan Ranch, located just northeast of Conway, Arkansas, is one of these nuclear missile bases. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. AddThis Utility Frame. This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. Each of the mammoth doors can withstand 1,000 psi of pressure, Hill said. By 1986 these sites were all decommissioned and destroyed. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. DoD image must be made in compliance with guidance found at The missile sites in Arkansas fanned out from the base into Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Van Buren and White counties. [11], The launch complex was never repaired. Bottom: Damascus after the explosion. 75) of Scorpion is largely based on this event. "Thank you" will n, We were so proud to be awarded New Boston's Busine, Do you have home improvements planned for this spr, Were counting down the days until the Arkansas, Congratulations to Lairie Kincaid on his well-dese, SAU Trap Team Takes Top Prize at 3rd Annual South Arkansas Outdoor Social, Farmers Bank & Trust Announces NCAA Name, Image, Likeness Student-Athletes, Farmers Bank Foundation Grants $125,000 to the Hope Public Schools, Farmers Bank & Trust to Acquire Community First Trust Company, Farmers Bank & Trust Opens New Full-Service Branch in Bryant, AR, Farmers Bank & Trust Opens New Full-Service Branch in Paris, TX, AR Governor appoints Chris Gosnell to Arkansas Economic Development Council, Prescott Donation to Benefit Families in Need, Shark Teeth in the Sulphur River? At a station that small, King couldnt afford to specialize. The first launch complex completed was situated near Pangburn northwest of Searcy, going operational on July 31, 1962. The elderly man behind the counter was a dead ringer for the man lying on a gurney in the movie Young Frankenstein who Gene Wilder, Dr. Frankenstein, assaults unintentionally while instructing a group of medical students. By the evening of December 3, 1960, eight tests had already failed because of minor equipment malfunctions, Stumpf writes. Will China Give Lethal Support to Russia? Further, any commercial or non-commercial use of this photograph or any other It took a while to locate the nine-megaton nuclear warhead in the dark and gloom; it was still intact and not leaking. One of the strangest things about the master suite is the domed concrete ceiling. Livingston was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant. This left the powerful nuclear warheads exposed to attack. From there, we watched a video all about the missile base, the history, and the long and difficult renovation. trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings The explosion blew the silo blast doors off and sent chunks of debris flying everywhere, including the nine-megaton nuclear warhead that sat atop the missile. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Livingston died of his injuries [later] that day." A missile silo during the Cold War is now a popular, and high-rated, short-term vacation rental near Roswell, New Mexico. I . [7][8], Livingston died at the hospital, and 21 others in the immediate vicinity of the blast sustained various injuries; Kennedy struggled with respiratory issues from inhaling oxidizer but survived. Placed on the western edges of the Soviet Union due to their limited range of 2,000 kilometers, the Sandals could . The blaze occurred while the 750-ton silo lid was closed, which contributed to a reduced oxygen level for the men who survived the initial fire. We didnt want to leave, but I understand why they wanted us to leave.. You have to try it to see what I mean. On the night of September 18, 1980, a Titan II missile carrying a thermonuclear warhead exploded in rural Arkansas. And the origin of those dates back to the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and '60s, specifically the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. Tell Us About the Most Amazing Parts of Tulsa, Oklahoma! Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. "It was designed to remain intact enough to retaliate if necessary.". The site is also booked for a wedding later this year. We always take Highway 71 South taking us through Kimball, Nebraska and Limon, Colorado coming out at Highway 25 at Trinidad, Colorado. These shortcomings led to the rapid development of the Titan II missiles, which would become part of the three-pronged nuclear strategy the U.S. military used for the next 25 years. No purchase necessary. The incident occurred on September 1819, 1980, at Missile Complex 374-7 in rural Arkansas when a U.S. Air Force LGM-25C Titan II ICBM loaded with a 9-megaton W-53 nuclear warhead experienced a liquid fuel explosion inside its silo.[2]. "When it came to mutually assured destruction, the U.S might only have 30 minutes to respond to a Soviet nuclear attack. The demon core that killed two scientists, the underground test that didnt stay that way, One man died and more than 20 others were injured. Visitors to Titan Ranch stay inside the former ICBM facility's launch control center (LCC), located 50 feet underground. Find out more at KSMitchell.com. We stopped at Rockyford, Colorado about 6 p.m. and walked into the lobby of the only motel in town. I enjoyed a cup of coffee in the master suite thanks to the in-room coffee bar and read a few more chapters. As if they didn't have enough to worry about. Required fields are marked *. At about 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18, 1980, an airman working on the missile dropped a wrench socket, which fell 80 feet before hitting and piercing the rocket's first-stage fuel tank, causing a leak, but not an immediate explosion. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. which pertains to intellectual property restrictions (e.g., copyright and Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Titans sat fueled and ready to go at a moments noticebut that meant constant monitoring and maintenance. NORTHERN WELD COUNTY If it weren't for the 184-foot tall antenna tower stretching far above the prairie, many . Its worth it, I promise. Launch Complex 374-7 was located in Bradley Township, Van Buren County farmland just 3.3 miles (5.3km) NNE of Damascus, and approximately 50 miles (80km) north of Little Rock.[3][4]. All rights reserved. The situation was critical. John Hooks Well, first we got to dig into how they got here in the first place. Meanwhile, as a countermeasure, the silo was filling with water to douse potential flames and dilute the vapor. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. A socket from a large socket wrench rolled off a platform and punctured the missile's lower-stage fuel tank, starting a fuel leak that eventually led to the explosion a few hours later. His 4-year-old great-granddaughter held the calf in the passenger seat, trying to hug it back to . The next morning, my kids enjoyed the donuts Id brought for them and another movie on the projector. The aim was to bring the weapon right up to the point where it could be launched, without actually sending it off: They needed to know the missile would be ready to use in attack, if needed. So every minute counted.". During the 25-year period of operations, Arkansas experienced two disasters connected to the missiles. Since that time there have been hundreds of Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper sites constructed all the way from Texas to North Dakota, New Mexico to Montana. If we hadnt been ordered off, we would have stayed, Ayala says. He can be reached at editor@nsweekly.com. 2010 Native Sun News. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. They dont know where the warhead is, King recalls being told. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the START Treaty in 1991. Maps to the LRAFB missile sites Be warned Arkansas Farmers aren't against shooting trespassers! The fuels so volatile, it could explode on its own, Greg Devlin, who was a 21-year old Airman in the U.S. Air Force at Damascus on the night of the explosion, tells Popular Mechanics. After getting the last fly out of the car, we hoped, everything went as planned. The Air Force decided to take measures to improve security within the launch complexes. An official website of the United States government, 19th AW InfoSplash & Digital Bulletin Board, Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Office, https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Miraculously, only one person died: Livingston, in a local hospital the day after the explosion of pulmonary edema, sometimes called dry drowning. The facility's master bedroom, on Level 1, features a king-sizedbed and remote controlled fireplace. The aerozine 50 fuel immediately began leaking into the launch duct. Police discussing evacuation plans after the explosion. Created with Sketch. He was a 19-year-old missile technician, a new trainee, riding with another guy, David Powell, who was showing Plumb the ropes. The warhead was found 100 feet from the launch complex. The missile silo itself is one of the few remaining atlas f silos that is naturally dry, with many interior levels and crib structure. Perhaps most famously, as the investigative journalist Eric Schlosser recounts in his book Command and Control . (Kennedy died in 2011 at the age of 56.) Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) systems were . The man behind the counter actually looked like a street person, a homeless man. From Level 2, visitors may climb a spiral staircase to Level 1which previously served as the crew's sleeping quarters and kitchen or descend to Level 3, which housed the communication equipment that kept the facility connected to the larger world. The PTS crew stayed at the site as an investigative crewDevlin, Rex Hukle, David Livingston, and Jeffrey K. Kennedyarrived. From 1963 to 1987, crews maintained the missiles on 24-hour alert and . As was the case with the Pangburn disaster, the explosion at the Damascus launch site resulted from routine maintenance work. The silos launch door was propelled over 600 feet from the launch complex. The large underground facility at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New But somethinglater determined to be an elevator malfunctionwent wrong. Two airmen were performing maintenance at Missile Complex 374-7, located 3 miles north of Damascus, the evening of September 18th. If the Soviets had missiles, then the Americans needed them, too. but I couldn't see him." Mark Christ set the stage: "Senior Airman David Livingston and Sergeant Jeff K. Kennedy then entered the launch complex early on the morning of Sept. 19 to get readings on airborne fuel concentrations, which they found to be at their maximum. The first was for Jackie to have her annual Multiple Sclerosis checkup at the University of New Mexico's Pete Dominici Medical Building and the second was to have dinner with one set of friends and lunch with another. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. The elevator structure and the launchertons and tons of steel that one witness later likened to red spaghetticame flying from the silo as the test team ran for cover. Aerozine 50 is hypergolic with the Titan II's oxidizer, dinitrogen tetroxide, such that they spontaneously ignite upon contact with each other. There were tons of movie options for children and my kids had a blast watching Paddington on the huge white walls of the silo. Little Rock, Conway, Searcy, Benton, Heber Springs, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, West Memphis, Batesville, Mountain View, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Arkadelphia. It took about 15 minutes to load the fuel and move the Titan I into position before firingnot a great selling point when every second might count. All three floors of the LCC do not actually connect to the walls and are instead suspended from the ceiling, reminiscent of a giant birdcage. That night, the only clue we had that it was way past bedtime was our fatigue. Say what? 6. There are not many food options close by, and besides, who else can say they cooked themselves dinner in a missile silo launch control center? Crews of four men would work 24-hour shifts, followed by 24 hours off. We hurriedly put our food away, closed the hatchback and put some distance between ourselves and the pasture. She has hiked the Inca Trail, walked into Panama on a rickety wooden bridge and once missed the last train of the night in Paris and walked several miles home (with friends). Pen & Quin: International Agents of Intrigue - The Mystery of the Painted Book is her debut novel. It is a long and lonely route. [5] The 8lb (3.6kg) socket fell off the ratchet and dropped approximately 80 feet (24m) before bouncing off a thrust mount and piercing the missile's skin over the first-stage fuel tank, causing it to leak a cloud of its aerozine 50 fuel. (Not coincidentally, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee at the time the missiles were installed was Arkansas Democrat Wilbur Mills.) The incident began with a fuel leak at 6:30 p.m. on September 18, and culminated with the explosion at around 3:00 a.m. on September 19, ejecting the warhead from its silo. The Strategic Air Command facility of Little Rock Air Force Base was one of eighteen silos in the command of the 308th Strategic Missile Wing (308th SMW), specifically one of the nine silos within its 374th Strategic Missile Squadron (374th SMS), at the time of the explosion. A bathroom with a bathtub and a double shower helps break up the circular feel of the LCC's top floor. But not before my kids donned their Star Wars Mandalorian costumes for a little photo shoot. 40 Years Ago, We Almost Blew Up Arkansas. Titan I missiles were stored in silo lifts and had to be raised to the surface to be fueled before launch. Unsettling as that history may be, its worth it just to say you did it. But now, the socket fell all the way down the missile shaft66 feetbounced off the shaft mount ring, and hit the side of the missile, puncturing its eighth-inch hull. https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, His weekly column won the H. L. Mencken Award in 1985. On September 19, 1980, a second tragedy struck the 308th Strategic Missile Wing. Nodak, based in Grand Forks, served 55 missile silos around the region. Misiles 46 views. At the end of the 1950s, the United States military began developing the Titans as part of its growing supply of intercontinental ballistic missiles. "But that was part of the psychological training. Today, theres still a giant hole in the ground, now overgrown and given over to wild animals. More than half of the potential arsenal is in Amarillo, Texas, at the Pantex plant, which will dismantle them. [1] It focused on the explosion, as well as other Broken Arrow incidents during the Cold War. Devlin, now retired in Florida and a childrens book author, says he has osteoporosis and believes the hydrazine he inhaled caused it. The missile could launch in 60 seconds, without the cumbersome raising and fueling procedures the Atlas and Titan I models required. Sequential photographs showing the launching of the Titan II ICBM weapon firing from underground silos, circa 1965. The Damascus Titan missile explosion (also called the Damascus accident) was a 1980 U.S. nuclear weapons incident involving a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Offer subject to change without notice. Suddenly the flies began to land on everything and in the process they flew by the hundreds into the back of our SUV. After a decommissioned Titan II missile silo in Arizona was sold in just two weeks late last year, two more desert silos . Jan 14, 2020. Ultimately, the Titan system was declared to be essentially reliable, though minor changes were recommended. They were Titan II missile silos that housed nuclear weapons on a Gemini rocket, designed to be launched into space in under one minute. While I wouldnt recommend this for small children, its certainly a bucket list-worthy experience for adults and older children. These sites stayed active until President George H.W. This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused! But the investigative crew was in a holding position for a while, and finally, around 1 a.m., Devlin and Hukle went into the silo. Ed's daughter-in-law drove the pickup truck past the missile silo and out toward the cow pasture. Lieutenant General Lloyd R. Leavitt Jr., the Vice Commander of the Strategic Air Command, commanded the effort to save the launch complex. This design allows the structure to absorb the force from a nearby nuclear strike, with eight giant springs serving as shock absorbers.