Peacekeeper Intro

Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is retired
file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking%20Proud/Military10...
Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is
retired
Go!
End of an era: Lt. Col. David Bliesner, 400th Missile Squadron
Commander, cases the 400 MS guidon, along with Airman 1st Class Shawn
Ruiz 400 MS, as part of the 400 MS inactivation ceremony at the Pronghorn
Center, F.E. Warren AFB, October 4, 2005. This ended a remarkable 42
years of loyal service by the 400th, from its days in 1942 as the 10th
Reconnaissance Squadron and shortly thereafter, the 400th Bombardment
Squadron, to then become the only squadron in this country to operate the
Peacekeeper ICBM, our most lethal and accurate. in 1942 Photo credit:
Berni Ernst, presented by Warren AFB
A ceremony was held at F.E. Warren AFB on September 19,
2005, officially deactivating the Peacekeeper ICBM force of
50 missiles. Capt. Steve Lewis and 2nd Lt. Dave Perez,
stationed at the Papa 01 alert facility, broadcast, "'There are no
longer any Peacekeeper ICBM missiles on strategic alert in
the 400th Missile Squadron. Papa out.'' Senior Master Sgt.
Steven Levin, a maintenance training flight supervisor,
commented, "It has served its purpose ... The mission is
complete." Exploring the legacies of this missile system and
this air force base takes you through a lot of history.
October 7, 2005, completed on October 16, 2005
The Peacekeeper
Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM) force has
1 of 5
We honor service and
sacrifice. Please click the
"Donate" button and
contribute $20 or more to
help keep this station alive.
Thanks.
Opening photo credit:
Peacekeeper ICBM launch.
Presented by Peacekeeper
(MX) ICBM History
Website Photo Gallery
Table of Contents
Introduction
Peacekeeper ICBM, the
most powerful American
ICBM
6/3/10 2:12 PM
Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is retired
file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking%20Proud/Military10...
been deactivated with the
final phase of a process
begun in October 2002
finishing up on September
19, 2005. Retired USAF
Major General Jerry
Perryman of McKinney,
Texas, the first commander to
oversee the Peacekeepers,
said this:
"I have a lot of
memories of the effort
it took to get this
system in the ground
and on alert. This is a
great day for our
country. We did what
we needed to do. We finished it, and now we can move
on."
The Peacekeeper
Operational Team
F. E. Warren Air Force
Base, its incredible legacy
The 20th Air Force,
bombers over Japan to hot
missiles ready to go and a
merger with domination of
space
WWII days
Post WWII
Peacekeeper was the most powerful, accurate missile ever
deployed. Able to carry up to 10 independently targeted
nuclear warheads, this missile has been credited with playing a
major role in our winning the Cold War.
Development of the missile began in 1970.
2 of 5
6/3/10 2:12 PM
Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is retired
file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking%20Proud/Military10...
This is a photo of the first operational Peacekeeper Reentry
System with most of the crew, October 1986, F.E. Warren Air
Force Base (AFB), Wyoming. Presented by Nuclear Weapons
Technician Association.
In 1988, 50 were deployed to F.E. Warren AFB. Then in
October 2002, the USAF removed the first Peacekeeper from
service. Seventeen more were decommissioned in each of the
first two years, and the remaining 16 in year three, 2005. On
average, it took about 15 days to decommission a missile, and
the Russians verified these events throughout the process. All
Peacekeepers (50) have now been taken out of service. The
US is maintaining and upgrading the Minuteman III, some of
which will carry only one warhead, others as many as three.
3 of 5
6/3/10 2:12 PM
Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is retired
file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking%20Proud/Military10...
Missile Crew of the Year, 2003, 400th SMS (Peacekeeper), F.E. Warren
AFB, Wyoming. Standing, 1st Lt. (now a Capt) Brian Beyer, and sitting, 2nd
Lt (now 1st Lt) Stephanie Hernandez. Courtesy photo, US Air Force.
The 400th Missile Squadron (SMS) at Warren AFB was
assigned the job of operating the missile systems and assuring
they would do their job if ever required. The men and women
of this squadron, and all those who supported them, did their
job superbly, in the finest tradition of the United States
military.
It has always been hard for Americans to think about our
ICBM missile crews, partly because they are largely out of
sight in remote areas of the country, partly because Americans
do not like thinking about the horrifying prospects of a world
following these missiles being launched in anger. Now that we
see the Cold War as "finished," there is a tendency to forget
that we still have nuclear equipped missiles targeted and crews
at the ready. You will hear some missile crew members say
with a smirk they are "forgotten out here." Maybe so at the
4 of 5
6/3/10 2:12 PM
Peacekeeper, a brave and able warrior, is retired
file:///Users/edmarek/Documents/Talking%20Proud/Military10...
corner bar, bu they are not forgotten at the White House, the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) or the US Strategic Command
(USSTRATCOM), and their presence is not forgotten by those
leaders who might run countries at which these missiles are or
could be targeted. These missile crews, and those who support
them, know they are our last line of defense, and they will do
their job if so ordered. You can take that to the bank.
While researching the Peacekeeper, we found ourselves
wanting to know about the missiles and their operational
support teams, and we quickly became immersed in tracing
the historical lineage of the only Air Force Base to which
thePeacekeeper was deployed, Warren AFB, and the lineage
of the operational units that were prepared to fire this
incredibly lethal weapon in anger. The histories here are
fascinating, taking us from the horse cavalry days and the
Great Sioux Wars to General Black Jack Pershing to B-29
long-range strategic bombing of Japan to ICBMs and finally to
outer space.
So, what began as simple effort to honor the Peacekeeper's
retirement has ended up as a multi-section report covering a
number of terrific subjects:
Peacekeeper ICBM, the most powerful American ICBM
The Peacekeeper Operational Team
F. E. Warren Air Force Base, its incredible legacy
The 20th Air Force, bombers over Japan to hot missiles
ready to go and a merger with domination of space
WWII days
Post WWII
5 of 5
6/3/10 2:12 PM