Brian Whatcott wrote:
On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:37:23 -0600, williamboyd
wrote:


During my short stay at Altus, they built the Atlas silos and closed
them down. I was Pad Chief for the Cache site. At that time I lived in
Hobart, drove all the way to the base changed my car for an AF vehicle
and drove all the way to the site. It was still dark when I left home in
the morning at Hobart and dark again in the evening when I returned
home. Seven days a week many times, little time off. Certainly was glad
when they let us convoy that missile to San Bernardino.
We used to go up to Lake Altus and water ski and fish, while they were
building the sites and after they shut them down.


The base commander or maybe missile squadron commander
from that era Dick Maffrey, retired here, and died 2 or 3 years ago.
Entrepreneurial. He set up a motel, a feeder air line, a bus transport
outfit, he built his house down the road from mine with his own hands
along with his wife and kids, and very nice it is. His wife is still
live and kicking.
I took a look at the silo north of the lake. It was half filled with
water - the silo lid was welded shut etc. Kinda spooky. I think
the Cache site that you mentioned, is on the road to Frederick,
south of the Altus-Lawton main drag. Is that the one?
The mueum here has a control console for one of the silos.

Brian W

Colonel T. Robert Hall Jr. was the Commander of the 577th SMS when I was
there, and I was there for the full existence of the unit. Maffrey might
have been Base CO I do not remember, I remember Col Kise was wing co for
a while.
Cache site was close to the Lawton, we had another site at Frederick.
http://www.577sms.com/

But we did have some folks that made good.
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7184
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=4615
There were several more.


--
BILL P.
&
DOG