Dangers Working on

a Nike Site

 

Not only were the duties on a Nike Site filled with constant alerts, training, inspections, Radar Bomb Scoring, and other routine soldier duties like guard duty, K.P., painting and polishing, but there were inherent dangers, and I'll start the list. Any vets out there that want to add to the list just send your material to the webmaster@nikemissile.org.

 

Being crushed to death.

Electrocution

Attacked by a loose sentry dog

Falling into an open pit

New 2nd Lieutenants trying to get BCO qualified

Ignition of a booster by static electricity

Exposure to toxic fumes and chemicals

Red Fuming Nitric Acid

Asbestos

Caked ice on radar tower ladders and platforms

Cold metal sticking to your hands

Liver and onions

Electric shocks

Radiation exposure

High pressure hydraulic lines bursting

In the danger zone of a radiating antenna

Body parts sucked into cooling fans

German citizens taking pot shots at the IFC due to getting tired of the constant blip-blip-blip from the HIPAR

Finding a Nike Hercules' warhead armed itself after a power surge or drop.

Having to disarm the warhead

Those black, yellow and red Korean hornets

Avoiding the alligators on Key West when going out to the RF Test Set.

An armed Nike Hercules falling into an open pit. (It happened. Lucky it was an H.E.)

Falling down the ladder leading to the Panel Room, before they installed stairs.

Unzipping the door on the TTR radome only to find the rookie down in the van has the antenna pointed at you and it's on.

In the HIPAR building when and during a Klystron tube going "real" bad!

Any bored idiots with single digit IQs driving jeeps. How about 3 brand new 5/4s in one weekend! (wrecked to say the least)

Mosquitoes at HM-69 in the middle of Everglades National Park.

Ted Swanson wrote, "Sticking a test probe into a missile tracking magnetron, (just turned on - not up). Thrown back against the dome door zippers - unconscious. Luckily spread eagle."

William Vento wrote - "While in Omaha at B-6-43, our missiles were topside. That's right, topside, not underground! Anyway, they were covered by a vinyl air inflated tent. The missiles as well as the launchers were covered by these tents. We had to climb on top of the missiles after an ORE or TPI and get the covers back over the missiles. Imagine doing this with snow on the soles of your boots! Very slippery.

Glen Talon wrote:

How about being thrown from a moving truck breaking bone's(compound fracture)this happened to a 16B whom was escourting with me at B3/71(Turks welding covers)
 
Or a head wound from the fins (Crew Chief)
 
Being a nube and forgetting to stomp up the steps of the tower (everyone)
 
Working down range at nite and tower guards have not been told someone(people) is down range
 
Rebuilding berms and equipment turning over, with injurys to MPs an 16Bs (most sites)
 
Down range water so poluted sends MPs an 16Bs to 5th Gen hospital(those deemed sickest and could be spared)
 
Finding war head seal broken moving it up range for maintance and doing it up wind(Black sargent turns white)
 
Ending up with an eye injury losing 10% of sight from metal fragments moving same war head (Me)
 
Having a security alert at night with gas masks and running thru down range (two MPs injured)
 
Last being the MP whom was moving the ammo trailer that lost three fingers(fuel shortage had to take a cab)
 
Best thing working a Nike site some of the best DAMN people whom made it work :)
 
PastNikeVet Glen Talon N.H.Chair CWVA
Cold War Veterans Asso.
UNDIQUE VENIMUS

Finding a rattle snake in your tent while on field exercises in the
desert north of Fort Bliss.  C-2-52 1961-62

Carl Durling

Battery B, 5th Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery.  On a hill with our radars, we were on hot status, suddenly we heard a number of shots.  We called  for immediate backup!  One of our MP’s had fallen a sleep in the guard shack with a full load of ammo in his M16.   Life was never dull on the hill.  Down range we had a MP who lost it and decided to shoot at our Nukes.  He was escorted to the near by hospital.

CW2 Gale Dorman Retired