I remember seeing the convoys of military men headed south along Miami’s US 1, their numbers stretched as far as the eye could see. In the fall of 1962, on the cusp of adolescence, I had no idea the Cold War had turned decidedly hot. I was absorbed in my own very private war called puberty; my body was a hot mess!
Who knew fifty-two years later a visit to the Florida Everglades would bring me full circle (yes, my body was once again a hot mess!), front and center with one five-ton, 40-foot Nike Hercules Missile (that’s Nike, as in the mythical Greek goddess of victory; were you wondering what gym shoes had to do with missiles?) and one historic missile site, HM-69, hidden in the Everglades “Hole in the Donut.” Oh goody, sweets during our tour!
Who knew fifty-two years later a visit to the Florida Everglades would bring me full circle (yes, my body was once again a hot mess!), front and center with one five-ton, 40-foot Nike Hercules Missile (that’s Nike, as in the mythical Greek goddess of victory; were you wondering what gym shoes had to do with missiles?) and one historic missile site, HM-69, hidden in the Everglades “Hole in the Donut.” Oh goody, sweets during our tour!
HM-69 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 2004.
We’d spent the morning (me, Jimmy, and my sister Lynda) walking the Everglade’s Anhinga Trail, dodging the alligators and watching the birds. Our afternoon was devoted to espionage.
We were a motley group of spies given the old cloak and dagger standards,
We were a motley group of spies given the old cloak and dagger standards,
Don't you just love field trips!
although our commander, Kirk Singer, looked up to the challenge in his National Park Ranger uniform.
Singer knew just how to get to the point during his introduction.
He’d obviously handled his share of new recruits; he certainly knew his military history, particularly when it came to the Cuban Missile Crisis that had spawned the Everglades HM-69 Nike Hercules Missile Site, or Alpha Battery, and three other missile sites in the Homestead Miami area in 1962. When he got through with us, we knew everything he knew. Well, almost everything.
For those historically challenged, i.e. those without my espionage experience, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day standoff between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. That infamous standoff between President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, with Castro in the middle, was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war.
In 1962, the U.S.S.R. was desperately behind the U.S. in the arms race.
For those historically challenged, i.e. those without my espionage experience, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day standoff between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. That infamous standoff between President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, with Castro in the middle, was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war.
In 1962, the U.S.S.R. was desperately behind the U.S. in the arms race.
These were the big guns!
The U.S. had the capability of striking anywhere in the Soviet Union, while Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to strike Europe. Throw in Fidel Castro’s new revolutionary left-wing government in nearby Cuba, the same government looking to strengthen ties with the Soviet Union following a failed attempt by the U.S. to overthrow said government in 1961 (the Bay of Pigs Invasion), and it doesn’t take a four-star general to see where all this is going; and where all the Soviet missiles were secretly going. I'm going to be so good at espionage.
President Kennedy imposed a naval blockade of Cuba after obtaining this evidence of missile sites.
The super powers of the Cold War era duked it out, or should I say nuked it out, with the fate of the entire world in the balance. Holy mushroom cloud!
The crisis is generally regarded as the first documented instance of mutual assured destruction (the acronym MAD seems quite appropriate, don’t you think?!) being discussed as a determining factor in a major international arms agreement.
Those prepared to pull the trigger at Alpha Battery during the Cuban Missile Crisis lived on site in a constant state of high alert or “Hot Status."
The crisis is generally regarded as the first documented instance of mutual assured destruction (the acronym MAD seems quite appropriate, don’t you think?!) being discussed as a determining factor in a major international arms agreement.
Those prepared to pull the trigger at Alpha Battery during the Cuban Missile Crisis lived on site in a constant state of high alert or “Hot Status."
Don't touch that dial!
The Front Gate to the Launch Area and the Launch Area perimeter were guarded 24 hours a day; deadly force was authorized. Working at Alpha Battery and similar missile sites required a secret clearance; information was given on a “need to know” basis only.
This was literally and figuratively ground zero.
Guard dogs were part of that deadly force, although the chances looked slim to me that somebody who was anybody would ever find this place.
We were definitely in what looked to be the middle of nowhere as we toured Alpha Battery.
This was no-man's land.
The missile site consisted of two main areas of operation: the Battery Control or Integrated Fire Control (IFC) where the radar arrays and operators were stationed along with the mess hall, barracks, chapel, administration and post exchange.
Pretty in pink for those assigned to HM-69.
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Those same buildings today are part of the Dan Beard Research Center.
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The Launch Area, where the missiles were stored (the high water table in Florida required above ground storage of missiles) and prepared for launch, was about a mile away (wouldn’t want the entire battery going up should an accident or attack occur).
After our initial briefing/history lesson, we’d hopped into our cars and formed our own convoy, following Park Ranger Singer to the restricted Launch Area still under lock and key.
After our initial briefing/history lesson, we’d hopped into our cars and formed our own convoy, following Park Ranger Singer to the restricted Launch Area still under lock and key.
This is what the Hole in the Donut looks like.
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HM-69 was turned over to the National Park District in 1979.
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The Launch Site area included three Section Barns once manned by six soldiers per section. Each barn originally contained anywhere from three to six missiles.
The road to perdition.
We walked the inside perimeter of the Launch Area,
At least there was no chance of alligators in the Hole in the Donut.
stopping to see the Missile Assembly and Warhead Building and what was left of the Dog Kennel,
Yesterday.
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Today.
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before moving on to Section Barn C,
I'll say it again; there's nothing like a field trip!
where a single Nike Hercules Missile from the Cold War was on display, along with a Launcher Control Indicator.
Jimmy has all the fire power I need.
Quite a bit cookin' on this stovetop.
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Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, U.S. Army, 1962-1979.
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It was here Park Ranger Singer told us the precision required of Launch Crewmen as he shared historic pictures of HM-69. A one second delay could mean the difference between life and death considering a supersonic aircraft could reach south Florida in just minutes.
The past and the present merge in one of my all-time favorite history lessons.
Running on foot from the Ready Room, near the front gate, Launch Crewmen could get the 5 ton nuclear missiles to fire in a matter of minutes. The record, according to one Launch Crew Chief, was three and a half minutes.
Hydraulics were used to push the missiles upright to 87 degrees and ready for launch. Three missiles could be set up to fire at any one time. Six soldiers per Section Barn would then crowd into the Section Control Room or the Bunker Room. The decision to fire was made by the Battery Commander, inside the Battery Control Trailer, located at the Integrated Fire Control area one mile away.
For a fraction of a second following launch, the entire Launch Area was consumed in a fireball as the missile reached the speed of sound, 760 miles per hour and left the launcher. Top speed was over three and a half times the speed of sound.
Hydraulics were used to push the missiles upright to 87 degrees and ready for launch. Three missiles could be set up to fire at any one time. Six soldiers per Section Barn would then crowd into the Section Control Room or the Bunker Room. The decision to fire was made by the Battery Commander, inside the Battery Control Trailer, located at the Integrated Fire Control area one mile away.
For a fraction of a second following launch, the entire Launch Area was consumed in a fireball as the missile reached the speed of sound, 760 miles per hour and left the launcher. Top speed was over three and a half times the speed of sound.
This was no flash-in-the-pan operation.
We made a speedy retreat ourselves as we closed the doors on our tour of HM-69 Nike Hercules Missile Site and bid our fearless leader, Park Ranger Singer, goodbye. Even in January, Florida’s heat and humidity were skyrocketing, giving new meaning to the “Hot Status” under which these soldiers had served and protected.
Wait! Don't close that hanger with Jimmy inside!
Yep, I was a hot mess again after two hours in the blazing sun behind the espionage scene, but that didn’t seem to matter to ‘the spy who loved me.’
Jimmy has been my James Bond long before we started dabbling in espionage.
THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE HM-69 NIKE HERCULES MISSILE SITE
Verdict: One more time: I love field trips. This was history at its finest and hottest, the last fixed air defense missile system to remain in operation in the continental United States.
How to Get There: Take US-1/S Dixie Highway south from Miami to NE 1st Avenue. Turn right onto E Palm Dr/SR-9336 W/SW 344th Street. Turn left onto SW 192nd Avenue/Tower Road/SR0-336. In two miles, turn right onto SR-9336/SW 376th Street/Ingraham Highway and proceed to the entrance to the Florida Everglades. HM-69 is on Long Pine Key Road inside Everglades National Park.
Insider Information: Wear good shoes, a hat and sunscreen for this tour. Lots of walking in the hot sun. This tour only runs during the winter months, for very obvious reasons. Visitors would otherwise be dropping like flies during the summer months when the heat and humidity really soar. No facilities in the Hole in the Donut either, so plan ahead.
Nearby Food: We stopped at Robert’s Fruit and Farm Stand on the corner of SW 344 Street and SW 192nd Avenue before getting back on the Florida Turnpike. This place is a local legend, where you can find the best milkshakes and smoothies in these parts, not to mention a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.
Forget Waldo; we found Robert.
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