Former Cold War Installation Now Serves Another Somber Purpose

On February 1, about 100 people who worked on various intercontinental ballistic missile programs at Cape Canaveral during the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s gathered for a reunion at the massive space complex. One of the tour stops was Complex 31, site of the first Minuteman launch 45 years before.

Retired Lt. Col. P.J. Wilson and his wife, Roma, of Potomac Falls, VA were among the attendees. As a first lieutenant assigned to the 6555th Test Wing here in 1961, his job was to make sure the launch pad was ready to support that first launch. He also analyzed telemetry data from the reentry vehicle.

“There was absolute elation with the successful first launch,” Colonel Wilson said. “The Cold War was on. The pressure was really great to meet the date.”

As the program was classified, Colonel Wilson couldn’t tell his wife he was working on a program seen as vital to maintaining America's stake in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. He went on to spend 17 years working on the Minuteman program, culminating with a stint at the Pentagon as the Minuteman element program monitor in 1972.

“We kept improving it to the point where the Russians couldn’t keep up with defending it,” Wilson said.

Paul Waite of Viera, FL organized the reunion and was also part of the launch team for the first Minuteman mission. Now retired, he worked as a civilian contractor for North American Aviation as the supervisor of ground equipment.

“I was asked to stand on the roof of Hangar 1 and watch the launch by the group leader I worked for. He wanted me to witness the staging events,” Mr. Waite said. “I was so nervous. My hands and the binoculars shook so badly it was hard for me to tell when it staged.”

Fortunately, the missile performed flawlessly. After a flight of 4,600 miles, its reentry vehicle landed within the designated impact zone.

Over the years, three versions of Minuteman missiles were successfully tested at the Cape. Ultimately, the system went into operational status and became a mainstay of America’s nuclear deterrent forces.

Complexes 31 and 32 were built between July 1959 and July 1960 to support the Minuteman program. Each complex had one blockhouse and two launch pads. The two "A" pads were constructed as conventional flat pads, and the two "B" pads were built as ballistic missile silos.

The sites were modified subsequently to support later versions of the Minuteman missile. Pad 31A supported the first Minuteman I launch. Pad 32B supported the first Minuteman II and III launches on September 24, 1964, and August 16, 1968, respectively.

In all, 92 Minuteman I, II and III missiles were launched from Cape Canaveral between 1961 and 1970.

The silo at Complex 31 now serves as the burial vault for the Space Shuttle Challenger.

FMI: Learn More About Minuteman Missiles