May 3, 2019
Earl Edwards
Nike Missile Sites
The following is a preview from Earl of his presentation on May 3rd, so make sure you don’t miss it! He has chosen a very interesting topic from times of great concern. How many of you remember air raid attack drills then and leaving class rooms to line up along the walls in the basement of your school?
“Nike missile launch sites existed in Moon Township and West View, as well as 10 other sites surrounding Pittsburgh and certain other cities in the United States. These were part of the Cold War defense system. Before the missiles, 90 mm artillery surrounded Pittsburgh, the so-called “Guns in the Cornfields”. Artillery and missiles are gone but the story of why they were here and why they are gone will be covered.
The Cold War brings back memories of “duck and cover” where school kids practiced a nuclear attack and their parents built bomb shelters. We will cover what these weapons were and the sizes of the high explosive and nuclear warheads that were in our backyards. Nike veteran and Moon Town resident George Millerschoen served on the local Nike sites when they had nuclear warheads and will assist with the presentation. Earl Edwards has interviewed a number of Nike veterans, including our own Don Bobincheck, who provided his Nike memories from his retirement home in the Carolinas”.
