Here’s one of the only pictures I have of my father in the Air Force. He was in charge of a Squadron of Bomarc Missiles at McGuire AFB during the Cuban Missile Crises. He told me (now declassified) that they were given authorization to shoot these nuclear air-to-ground missiles at Russian Bombers, if they crossed a certain line in October 1962!
My Dad retired a Major (prior enlisted and never came up for Lt Col, because he was a Reserve Officer and forced to retire at 20 years total service) and died in July of 1996 due to lung cancer. He was a smoker, like many of his generation. He was from Oklahoma and rode bucking broncos in his days before going to Lackland AFB!
