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THE FIRST AND FINAL BATTLES
OF THE COLD WAR WERE FOUGHT FROM WYOMING. (man)
THE 706 STRATEGIC MISSILE WING
HIGH ON THE WYOMING PLATEAU. (narrator)
FROM 1958 TO 2005, WYOMING'S
FIREPOWER GREW EVER MORE FIERCE. IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT WE PROCEED
TO PRODUCE THIS MISSILE. AND THIS WAS
THE MOST POWERFUL BASE EVER IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WON THE COLD WAR. (man)
♪ TAKE YOUR TROUBLES WITH YOU ♪ BUT MAYBE I CAN FEEL
BRAND-NEW AGAIN. ♪ ♪ OH, ACROSS THE LINE. (narrator)
ANOTHER DAY ON ALERT BEGINS AT F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE
IN CHEYENNE. (man)
CREW, TEN-HUT! MORNING,
CREW FORCE. [together]
MORNING. I'M CAPTAIN JEFFERSON, YOU'RE PREDEPLOYMENT BRIEFING
OFFICER THIS MORNING. (narrator)
THE AIR FORCE'S 90TH SPACE WING
AT F.E. WARREN CONTROLS 150
MINUTEMAN III MISSILES. TO FIND THE SILOS
FOR THESE ICBMs, JUST LOOK
FOR THE CHAIN-LINKED SQUARES SCATTERED ACROSS
SOUTHEAST WYOMING, WESTERN NEBRASKA,
AND NORTHERN COLORADO. EVERY DAY WE ARE TRAINED,
AND WE ARE READY TO GO TO WAR. (Smith)
WE DO FACE A GROWING WMD THREAT FROM COUNTRIES
ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN THE EVENT
THAT SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN AND THE UNITED STATES NEEDED A VERY, VERY RAPID
NUCLEAR RESPONSE, WE CAN BE THERE IN TIMES
ON THE ORDER OF 30 MINUTES. (narrator)
MISSILEERS HAVE A SAYING: "30 MINUTES OR LESS,
OR THE NEXT ONE'S FREE." YOU KNOW TO BE A--
TO BE A MISSILEER, YOU HAVE THE WEIGHT
OF THE WORLD'S HISTORY ON YOUR SHOULDERS. (Thomas)
WELCOME TO JULIETT-01. I'M YOU'RE FACILITY MANAGER,
TECHNICAL SERGEANT KEITH THOMAS. ALL I ASK ON THE SITE IS THAT YOU PLEASE OBSERVE
CERTAIN SAFETY PROTOCOLS. PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING WITHOUT DIRECTION
FROM YOUR ESCORT OR MYSELF. THERE IS NO SMOKING. (narrator)
BELOW GROUND AT F.E. WARREN'S
MISSILE ALERT FACILITIES, AN ELEVATOR DELIVERS MISSILEERS
TO THE BLAST DOOR WHICH SEALS THE CONTROL CAPSULE. WHEN A NEW THREE-PERSON CREW
OF MISSILEERS COMES ON DUTY FOR A TYPICAL THREE-DAY SHIFT, THEY ASSUME COMMAND
OVER TEN LAUNCH FACILITIES. WE ACCEPT THE CUSTODY
OF GENERALLY TEN--TEN MISSILES. AND WITH THAT CUSTODY, WE ARE NOW IN CONTROL OF
SPECIFICALLY THOSE TEN MISSILES. AND WE SPEND MANY, MANY, MANY
HOURS PRACTICING IN DETAIL TO THE NTH DEGREE
WITH ACCURACY AND PRECISION, HOW YOU HANDLE
EMERGENCY WAR ORDERS, AND HOW YOU WILL DEAL
WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. WE ARE ALWAYS
WATCHING EACH OTHER. SOMEONE'S ALWAYS WATCHING US. AT ANY TIME,
WE CAN MONITOR ANY OTHER CAPSULE
IN OUR SQUADRON. AND THEY ARE ALSO MONITORING US. IF ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACT OCCURS, WE WOULD BE ABLE
TO DETECT THAT IMMEDIATELY WITH OUR ALARMS, AND WE CAN EITHER STOP
THOSE UNAUTHORIZED ACTIONS, OR IF THEY ARE AUTHORIZED, WE TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS
TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE COMMANDS
THAT WE'RE SENT. WE ARE THE ULTIMATE GATEKEEPERS
ON THE SITES. NO ONE GETS ON OR OFF THE SITE
WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION. (narrator)
FROM THEIR CONTROL PANELS
INSIDE THE CAPSULES, THE MISSILEER TEAMS COMMAND
SECURITY FORCES ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR. THESE FORCES OFFER
AN INSTANT REMINDER THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN COWS
OUT HERE ON THE RANGE. AND I'D BE DRIVING IN TO WORK, AND THEY'D BE LAYING OUT
ON THE GROUND WITH THEIR GUNS. (Carey)
IF SOMEONE SHOULD EVER TRY TO TAKE ONE OF OUR WEAPONS
BY FORCE, THEY'D BETTER BRING
A SMALL ARMY, BECAUSE WE ARE READY AND LETHAL. THIS IS THE MARK 19 FULLY AUTOMATIC
GRENADE LAUNCHER. IT'S JUST THERE TO BE
INTIMIDATING TO THE ENEMY. YOU KNOW, SO USE IT
AGAINST THE ENEMY, AND IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE. (narrator)
SECURITY FORCES AT F.E. WARREN
ARE DISPATCHED BY MISSILEERS WHENEVER ALARMS ARE TRIPPED
AT THE LAUNCH FACILITIES. EACH L.F. IS MONITORED BY A LARGE WHITE
DOPPLER RADAR ANTENNA. THE ANTENNA IS SO SENSITIVE, TUMBLEWEEDS OR JACKRABBITS
CAN TRIGGER AN ALARM AS EASILY AS AN ARMED INTRUDER. WE'RE MORE OF A REACTIVE FORCE. WE REACT
TO ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS, IF ANYTHING
WAS TO HAPPEN ON SITE, MAKE SURE NOTHING FISHY'S
GOING ON OUT HERE. (narrator)
MISSILES AND THEIR COMPONENTS ARE ROUTINELY PULLED
FOR UPGRADES AND MAINTENANCE WHILE ARMED TROOPS STAND GUARD AND MISSILEERS OBSERVE
ALL ACTIVITY FROM THE CAPSULE. [men shouting indistinctly] (narrator)
MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE: THESE ARE A MISSILEER'S
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES DURING FOUR-YEAR TOURS ON ALERT. THEY FUNCTION A LITTLE LIKE
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AT AIRPORTS WHERE NOTHING
IS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE THE GROUND. HEAVEN FORBID IF THE CAPSULE
DID RECEIVE A LAUNCH COMMAND, THESE MISSILEERS KNOW THE DRILL. WE RECEIVE A MESSAGE ON
OUR HIGHER AUTHORITY SIDE HERE, AND WE HAVE WAYS
OF BEING ABLE TO TELL IF THE MESSAGE
IS AN ORIGINAL ONE OR NOT. AND ONCE WE'VE DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT
THIS MESSAGE IS A GOOD ONE, THEN WE CAN REACT
BY OPENING UP OUR CONTAINER THAT HAS VALUES IN IT
THAT LETS US KNOW WHETHER OR NOT
THE MESSAGE IS GOOD. THE PRESIDENT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DIRECT THE USE
OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, AND HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN
DIRECT THE USE OF THESE WEAPONS. IF THE ORDERS CAME IN, THEY WOULD BE DECODED
BY THE CREW. THEN THERE IS A SET
OF SEALED AUTHENTICATORS THAT NO ONE HAS SEEN WHICH VERIFY THAT THOSE ORDERS COME FROM THE NATIONAL
COMMAND AUTHORITY. UPON DETERMINATION
THAT THE ORDERS ARE GOOD, THE CREW WOULD TAKE
A SERIES OF ACTIONS REQUIRED TO ACTUALLY LAUNCH THE MISSILES, WHICH INCLUDES
THE PROVERBIAL KEY TURN. <i> SET TO ENABLE.</i> PUT YOUR HANDS ON KEYS. LAST CHECK, LOOKS GOOD. THREE, TWOONE, TURN. <i> (Frazier)
HOLDING FOR ELC.</i> <i> (Hess)
I SEE IT.
RELEASE.</i> <i> WE HAVE POSITIVE LAUNCH
INDICATIONS.</i> <i> (Frazier)
AND I SEE MISSILE AWAY.</i> (Hess)
WE GOT MISSILE AWAY,
POSITIVE LAUNCH INDICATIONS. A FEW MINUTES LATER, ON THE ORDER
OF FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE MISSILE HAS LEFT
THE ATMOSPHERE. 30 MINUTES AFTER LAUNCH, THE REENTRY VEHICLE REENTERS
THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE TARGET, [speaks indistinctly] THERE IS NO MARGIN OF ERROR IN--
IN DEALING WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. YOU CAN'T LET ONE GO AND SAY,
"OOPS, MY BAD." SO, YES, I GUESS IT
IS AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY, BUT IT'S ONE THAT WE'VE BEEN
TRAINED TO DO SINCE DAY ONE, SO IT'S
KIND OF JUST AUTOMATIC NOW. IT'S NATURAL. DOESN'T NECESSARILY SEEM TO ME
LIKE AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY; JUST SEEMS LIKE MY JOB. (narrator)
BEFORE THE ROLLING RANGE
OUTSIDE CHEYENNE BECAME MISSILE COUNTRY, IT WAS FREE LAND, UP FOR THE TAKING BY IMMIGRANTS
LIKE THE KIRKBRIDES. (Ken Kirkbride)
WELL, THEY CAME
FROM NORTHERN ENGLAND. AND I GUESS POVERTY WAS
THE THING THAT THEY HAD THERE, AND THE HOPE
WAS THE THING THEY HAD HERE. (Lindi Kirkbride)
THE KIRKBRIDE FAMILY
HOMESTEADED IN 1889, AND SO THEY CAME HERE
BECAUSE OF THE LURE OF THE LAND. (narrator)
THE KIRKBRIDE FAMILY THRIVED
ON ITS LUSH, ISOLATED RANCH. THEN AT THE START
OF WORLD WAR II, KEN KIRKBRIDE WAS PULLED AWAY
FROM THE WYOMING PRAIRIE AND INTO THE FIGHT. MY FATHER-IN-LAW IS A HERO. YOU KNOW, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE COST OF ACTUALLY
TAKING JAPAN WAS--COULD BE-- WE COULD HAVE 500,
000 CASUALTIES. (narrator)
SO FOR KEN KIRKBRIDE
AND HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS, THE DAWN OF THE NUCLEAR AGE
CAME AS A WELCOME SURPRISE. (Ken Kirkbride)
EVERYBODY FELT
PRETTY GOOD ABOUT IT. THERE WASN'T ANY TEARS ABOUT FEELING SORRY
FOR THE JAPANESE. (narrator)
THE LEGACY OF THE NUCLEAR STRIKE
ON JAPAN WOULD EVENTUALLY
FOLLOW KIRKBRIDE BACK TO HIS FAMILY'S RANCH. THE COLD WAR WAS ON WITH THE SOVIETS' UNVEILING
OF A 57-MEGATON HYDROGEN BOMB. (man)
BY THIS ACT, THE SOVIET UNION
HAVE ADDED INJURY TO INSULT. THEY HAVE STARTED A NEW RACE
FOR MORE DEADLY WEAPONS. (narrator)
IN 1955,
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER RESPONDED BY PUSHING
FOR THE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND
OF WEAPON: THE INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILE. THREE, TWO,
ONE, ZERO. [rockets hissing] (narrator)
THE AIR FORCE WAS RACING TO PERFECT ITS FIRST GENERATION
OF NUCLEAR MISSILES AND TO FIND A PLACE
TO BASE THESE ICBMs. (Fagan)
TWO THINGS CAME INTO PLAY: "A," TOTALLY CENTRAL
TO THE UNITED STATES FOR PROTECTION; AND THEN NUMBER TWO
IS RANGE TO THE TARGETS. (narrator)
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE
HAD BOTH. IT WAS DIFFICULT
FOR THE ENEMY TO STRIKE, AND WYOMING'S NORTHERN LATITUDE
PUT SOVIET TARGETS AT RISK THANKS TO THE NEWLY
DEVELOPED ATLAS MISSILE, WHICH COULD BE FIRED
OVER THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. IT'S SIGNIFICANCE IS
THAT IT'S THE FIRST REALLY TRUE INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILE. AND IN 1958,
THE FIRST CONSTRUCTION BEGAN TO ACTUALLY BASE
THE ATLAS "D" MODEL MISSILE HERE AT WARREN AIR FORCE BASE. IT WAS A BUCKET OF WORMS. IT WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION. THERE WERE PEOPLE
WHO'D GO ON STRIKE. THEY HAD THREE DIFFERENT
STATES TO WORK IN. SOMETHING YOU--YOU WOULDN'T
WANT TO GET INTO IF YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE
LOOKING AT. (narrator)
WHILE THE CONTRACTORS STRUGGLED
TO CLEAR CONSTRUCTION HURDLES, RANCHERS AROUND CHEYENNE GREW ACCUSTOMED TO HOSTING
MISSILES ON THEIR LAND. (Fagan)
HERE'S A HIGHLY TECHNICAL SYSTEM
GOING OUT TO RANCH LAND, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN
IT'S CORDONED OFF, DRILLING, LOT OF CONCRETE,
LOT OF OPERATIONS, PROBABLY A LOT OF SECRECY
AT THE SAME TIME. (man)
THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK
AT THE INSTALLATION SITE 1, THE 706 STRATEGIC MISSILE WING
HIGH ON THE WYOMING PLATEAU, 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHEYENNE. THIS THERMONUCLEAR-ARMED MISSILE
AND OTHERS HERE AT THE BASE ARE KEPT AT CONSTANT ALERT. THEY'RE HOT AND READY
TO FIRE EVERY MINUTE. THEY HAD TO ACTUALLY
PULL IT UPRIGHT, AND--IN THE GANTRY--AND PULL IT
UPRIGHT, GAS IT UP. IT TOOK THEM ABOUT AN HOUR
TO ACTUALLY DO THAT PROCESS. IT LOOKED STRANGE,
BECAUSE IT WASN'T A RANCH HOUSE. IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT
WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE SEEN ON THE PRAIRIE. CHEYENNE WAS VERY MUCH
MILITARY AT THAT TIME. (man)
AT BASE HEADQUARTERS
AT WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, THE OMINOUS RED TELEPHONE
WAITS IN THE COMMAND POST. IT BECAME MORE AND MORE
EVIDENT THAT, NO, THERE IS A REAL ISSUE HERE. AND WE HEAR OF NEW MISSILES
GOING IN ALL THE TIME, AND IT WAS A VERY
LARGE COMPLEX PLACE. WE'D SEE MORE AND MORE AIR FORCE
TRUCKS RUNNING AROUND MAINTAINING THESE THINGS. YOU REALLY REALIZED THAT IT WAS
NOT THE WILD, WILD WEST OF THE TRADITIONAL
COWBOYS AND INDIANS. WE WERE AT A DIFFERENT AGE
AT THAT TIME. YOU KNOW, SINCE I WAS FROM HERE, GROWING UP IN SCHOOL, THERE WAS AN IMPACT
TO US AT SCHOOL. WE ALWAYS HAD THOSE
DUCK AND COVER PRACTICES WHERE YOU DUCKED
UNDERNEATH YOUR DESK AND COVERED YOUR HEAD
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. (men and women)
♪ AND BERT THE TURTLE
WAS VERY ALERT. ♪ ♪ WHEN DANGER THREATENED HIM,
HE NEVER GOT HURT. ♪ ♪ HE KNEW JUST WHAT TO DO. ♪ HE DUCKED ♪ AND COVERED, ♪ DUCKED ♪ AND COVERED, ♪ DUCKED ♪ AND COVERED, ♪ DUCKED ♪ AND COVERED. IF WE SUPERIMPOSE THE KNOWN
PATTERN OF ATOMIC DESTRUCTION UPON THIS CITY, WE GET A VERY GRAPHIC IDEA
OF THE SCOPE OF THE DAMAGE. IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE,
NOR ONE WE CAN AFFORD TO IGNORE. (narrator)
THAT WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE
DURING THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, WHEN NEW PARTS OF THE WORLD
BECAME FRONTS IN THE COLD WAR: THE TROPICAL JUNGLES OF CUBA AND THE HIGH PLAINS
OUTSIDE CHEYENNE. (male narrator)
IN 1962, THE UNITED STATES
AND THE SOVIET UNION STAND ON THE VERGE
OF DIRECT MILIRY CONFRONTATION DURING<i> ONE WEEK IN OCTOBER.</i> HAD PRESIDENT KENNEDY
GIVEN THE ORDER TO ACTUALLY LAUNCH AN ATTACK, PART OF THAT ATTACK WOULD HAVE
COME FROM RIGHT HERE IN CHEYENNE, WYOMING,
AT F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE. (Mae Kirkbride)
THERE'S ONE
STRAIGHT SOUTH OF ME, AND THERE'S ONE
ON THE WAY TO LARAMIE, AND THERE'S ONE
ON THE WAY TO CHUGWATER. BUT I CAN REMEMBER
GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND LOOKING OVER AT THE MISSILE
SITE AND THEY WERE-- AND THE YELLOW LIGHT WAS ON,
WAITING TO SHOOT SOMETHING OFF. (Abrams)
IT'S ACTUALLY IN SOME RESPECTS
MORE FRIGHTENING NOW TO READ HOW CLOSE
WE MAY HAVE COME TO THE ULTIMATE STANDOFF
WITH THE RUSSIANS. I THINK THAT PERHAPS THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
CAN BE LOOKED AT AS AN INCENTIVE TO GO TO A MORE EFFICIENT
SOLID-FUEL SYSTEM. AND I THINK THAT DROVE
IN GREAT MEASURE THE DECISION TO GET RID
OF THE ATLAS AS AN ACTIVE WEAPON SYSTEM AND TO REPLACE IT
WITH THE MINUTEMAN I. WELL, REALLY, IT WAS BOTH
FIREPOWER AS WELL AS SAFETY. THE ATLAS WAS
A LIQUID LAUNCH SYSTEM. MINUTEMAN WAS A SOLID LAUNCH,
SO VERY, VERY, YOU KNOW, DEGREES SAFER OF OPERATION
AND MORE ACCURATE AND MORE RELIABLE. (Abrams)
THE DECISION TO BASE
THE MINUTEMAN MISSILE HERE AT WARREN AIR FORCE BASE INVOLVED A HUGE AMOUNT
OF WORK AND CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE THEY WERE GOING FROM ESSENTIALLY
24 ATLAS MISSILES UNDER THE CONTROL
OF WARREN AIR FORCE BASE TO 200 MINUTEMAN MISSILES. TO DO THAT REQUIRED
THOUSANDS OF CONTRACTORS WHO CAME TO CHEYENNE SO THAT AS A RESULT
YOU HAVE A HUGE WEB OF INTERCONNECTING
COMMUNICATIONS CABLES AND PNEUMATIC HOSES
AND WHAT NOT ALL TO TIE THIS
MISSILE FIELD TOGETHER. (narrator)
CHEYENNE BENEFITED FROM THE MINUTEMAN
CONSTRUCTION BOOM AND THE GROWING INFLUX OF HIGHLY
TRAINED AIR FORCE PERSONNEL. AND AS THE MINUTEMAN I EVOLVED
INTO THE MINUTEMAN III, THE CITY EVOLVED
RIGHT ALONGSIDE THE BASE. IT'S ONE OF THE BEST, I BELIEVE,
EXAMPLES OF INTEGRATION. THERE IS NOT THIS
TOWN VERSUS MILITARY, WHICH DOES EXIST
IN MANY OTHER PLACES, DOES NOT EXIST HERE. (narrator)
WHILE THE VIETNAM WAR DREW PROTESTERS
ONTO THE STREETS OF CHEYENNE, F.E. WARREN'S NUCLEAR MISSION
ATTRACTED LITTLE ATTENTION. A DECADE LATER,
THAT WOULD CHANGE. IT WAS THE 1980s-- "MORNING IN AMERICA," AS PRESIDENT REAGAN
LIKED TO SAY-- AND MISSILE CULTURE WAS CROSSING
OVER INTO POP CULTURE. (electronic voice)
SHALL WE PLAY A GAME? HOW ABOUT
GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR? [klaxon wailing] B-MUSE HAS CONTINUOUS
RADAR TRACKING ON INBOUND. (narrator)
WHILE THE NATION
FIXED ON<i> WARGAMES,</i> FRONTIER DAYS REMAINED CHEYENNE'S
FOCUS AND CLAIM TO FAME. BUT NEWER, MORE POWERFUL
MISSILE TECHNOLOGY WAS ABOUT
TO SEPARATE F.E. WARREN FROM OTHER AIR FORCE BASES AND MAKE IT
THE DADDY OF THEM ALL. WE MUST REPLACE AND MODERNIZE
OUR FORCES, AND THAT'S WHY I'VE DECIDED
TO PROCEED WITH THE PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT OF THE NEW ICBM
KNOWN AS THE MX. (narrator)
THE MX, OR PEACEKEEPER,
AS IT BECAME KNOWN, CARRIED TEN WARHEADS,
AN ADVANCED GUIDANCE SYSTEM, AND MORE POLITICAL BAGGAGE
THAN ANY OTHER ICBM. (woman)
THE GOVERNMENT IS DEAD WRONG. WE BELIEVE THAT IF YOU TOOK
ALL THE WEAPONS IN WORLD WAR II, INCLUDING HIROSHIMA
AND NAGASAKI, THEY DON'T EQUAL ONE WEAPON
THAT A PEACEKEEPER CARRIES. (narrator)
REAGAN PLANNED TO BUILD
THESE WEAPONS IN BULK, 100 MISSILES CARRYING 1,000
TOTAL WEAPONS OR WARHEADS. WHILE A NATIONAL DEBATE
OVER THE MX ESCALATED, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT CHEYENNE
WAS ON THE SHORT LIST OF POSSIBLE DEPLOYMENT SITES
FOR THE NEW MISSILE SYSTEM. AS DAVID DOW REPORTS
FROM CHEYENNE, SOME IN WYOMING THINK PUTTING
THE MISSILES THERE WILL MAKE DOLLARS AND SENSE. (Dow)
MANY IN WYOMING SPECULATE THAT THE SPRAWLING PLAINS
NORTHWEST OF CHEYENNE WILL BE THE ULTIMATE HOME FOR THE 100 MISSILE
MX DENSE PACK. (narrator)
A DENSE PACK MISSILE FACILITY, WITH ALL THE WEAPONS
HOUSED IN A SINGLE LOCATION, WAS ONE OPTION; ANOTHER INCLUDED
MOUNTING THE MISSILES ON MOBILE RAIL CARS. BOTH APPEALED
TO CHEYENNE LOCALS, WHO FIGURED THAT WHAT WAS GOOD
FOR F.E. WARREN WAS GOOD FOR THE CITY. (man)
WE'RE A COMPANY TOWN. THE MILITARY IS THE COMPANY. (man)
THE CHEYENNE COMMUNITY
HAS BECOME A-- SORT OF A JUNKIE
FOR MILITARY PROJECTS. THE WYOMING SITE OFFERS
ONE OBVIOUS PLUS TO AIR FORCE PLANNERS, WYOMING'S VOTERS ARE REPRESENTED
BY REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON, ALL MX SUPPORTERS. AND BUSINESS AND CONSTRUCTION
INTERESTS HAVE IN THE PAST
SUPPORTED THE MX. OH, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT
FOR OUR STATE. I THINK WE COULD USE THE INCOME
AND THE REVENUE OFF OF IT. PUT A LOT OF PEOPLE TO WORK. (narrator)
ON NOVEMBER 22, 1982,
TELEVISIONS IN CHEYENNE WERE TUNED IN
TO PRESIDENT REAGAN'S MUCH-ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE
OF THE PEACEKEEPER. IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
THAT WE PROCEED TO PRODUCE THIS MISSILE AND THAT WE BASE IT IN A SERIES
OF CLOSELY BASED SILOS AT WARREN AIR FORCE BASE
NEAR CHEYENNE, WYOMING. (narrator)
STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS
HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT REAGAN'S ANNOUNCEMENT. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, I'M WILLING TO SUGGEST
THAT MY JUDGMENT IN MILITARY DEFENSE MATTERS IS SUPERIOR TO
OR SHOULD BE SUBSTITUTED FOR THAT OF THE PRESIDENT
AND CONGRESS. THERE IS A COLLISION COURSE
BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS THAT COULD ULTIMATELY
LEAD TO A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. MAYOR ERICKSON FEELS
THE MX MISSILES MAY BE USED AS BARGAINING POWER
WITH THE SOVIETS IN THEIR ARMS REDUCTION TALKS. THEREFORE,
HE'S HOPEFUL THAT THE WEAPONS WILL NEVER HAVE TO BE BUILT. (woman)
23 RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF DIFFERENT
CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS CONVERGED IN CHEYENNE TODAY. THEY HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE
THIS MORNING AT ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH TO PUBLICLY DENOUNCE
THE MX MISSILE. (narrator)
IN CHEYENNE,
THERE WAS A WIDENING GAP BETWEEN THE CRITICS
AND SUPPORTERS OF F.E. WARREN'S
MISSILE COMMAND. I CAME DOWN TO PROTEST
THE PROTESTERS. AND I BELIEVE THAT WYOMING,
OR CHEYENNE, SHOULD HAVE THE MX BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE
THE MINUTEMAN IIIs. THIS IS THE CHEAPEST WAY
TO BASE THE SYSTEM. (narrator)
AS THE PEAKEEPER EVOLVED,
THE AIR FORCE SCRAPPED PLANS TO CONSTRUCT A SO-CALLED
DENSE PACK FACILITY OR RAIL GARRISON. INSTEAD, THE MISSILES
ULD BE HOUSED IN EXISTING MINUTEMAN III SITES, LIKE THOSE
ON THE KIRKBRIDE RANCH. WHEN WE WERE PUSHING THE CATTLE
PAST A MISSILE SITE, AND I SAID--ASKED MY
FATHER-IN-LAW WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT THESE MISSILE SITES
BEING ON OUR RANCH. AND HE SAID, "WELL,
IT'S LIKE A GAME OF POKER. "YOU GOT TO KEEP YOUR CARDS
PRETTY CLOSE TO YOUR CHEST, "AND YOU GOT TO, YOU KNOW-- YOU GOT TO ALWAYS HAVE
SOMETHING UP YOUR SLEEVE." WELL, I THINK THAT'S--
I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT WAS. YOU'RE IN THE POKER GAME. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS WORLD
IS WHAT PEOPLE THINK IF THEY KNEW WE HAD IT. THAT IT WAS A--WOULD BE
A GREAT DETERRENT. (narrator)
MOST RESIDENTS IN CHEYENNE
SHARED THIS OPINION. BUT CHEYENNE'S ACTIVIST
COMMUNITY CONTINUED TO ORGANIZE. THEY MADE ART,
GATHERED FOR RALLIES, AND WROTE PROTEST SONGS. [gentle acoustic guitar] ♪ I'VE GOT A GOOD FRIEND
WHO SLEEPS IN THE SILOS ♪ ♪ AND DREAMS ABOUT
TURNING THE KEY. ♪ ♪ BUT I SEEN HIM
CHUG TEQUILA ALL NIGHT. ♪ ♪ HE SEEMS ALL RIGHT TO ME. (narrator)
LINDI KIRKBRIDE EMERGED AS
A LEADER AMONG LOCAL ACTIVISTS AND BORE THE BRUNT
OF MEDIA SCRUTINY. AND I FEEL THAT, IN A WAY, IF THE PRESS ISN'T LYING
ABOUT US, THEY'RE IGNORING US. (narrator)
IN 1986,
ANTINUCLEAR DEMONSTRATORS HELD A FUNERAL PROCESSION OUT TO ONE OF F.E. WARREN'S
MISSILE SITES. AFTER THIS
WELL-ATTENDED PROTEST, EXCITEMENT OVER THE MX
STARTED TO DIE DOWN, AND THE AIR FORCE SCALED BACK. INSTEAD OF 100, 50 PEACEKEEPERS
WENT ON ALERT AT F.E. WARREN, AND THE ECONOMIC BOOM
SOME PREDICTED NEVER MATERIALIZED. THEY THOUGHT THIS TOWN
WAS GONNA BECOME-- WE'D HAVE
100,000 PEOPLE OVERNIGHT. EVERYBODY WAS GONNA GET RICH. (narrator)
WYOMING STILL BECAME HOME TO THE MOST POWERFUL
MISSILE BASE IN THE WORLD, AND ONE OF THE BASE'S
FORMER COMMANDERS WAS CHARGED WITH
TEACHING PRESIDENT REAGAN HOW TO FIGHT
A GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR. AND THEN I WAS ASKED TO GO TEACH
PRESIDENT REAGAN THE WAR PLAN BECAUSE I REALLY DEVOTED MYSELF TO KNOW ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING
YOU POSSIBLY COULD KNOW ABOUT EVERY WEAPONS SYSTEM
THE UNITED STATES HAD, THE THEORY OF WAR, WAR WINNING,
AND THE TARGET SYSTEM. (narrator)
THE PART OF THAT SYSTEM
UNDER THE COMMAND OF F.E. WARREN ULTIMATELY HAD THE POWER TO HIT
HUNDREDS OF SOVIET TARGETS. OF COURSE, THE SOVIETS RETURNED
THE FAVOR BY TARGETING CHEYENNE. YOU KNOW, WE KNEW THAT WE
WERE PART OF THE HIT LIST. WE WERE UP IN THE TOP THREE AND ESPECIALLY WHEN
IT WAS ANNOUNCED ON<i> 60 MINUTES</i> AND THE RUSSIAN WERE ASKED
WHERE THE MISSILE WAS POINTING THAT THEY WERE STANDING NEXT TO. (man)
THIS PARTICULAR SS-17 MISSILE IS TARGETED
ON WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, CHEYENNE, WYOMING. (narrator)
THE ICBM STANDOFF
CONTINUED AT F.E. WARREN, EVEN AFTER AIR FORCE MISSILEERS CLAIMED VICTORY IN THE COLD WAR. (Reagan)
MR. GORBACHEV,
TEAR DOWN THIS WALL. [cheers] PEACEKEEPERS WHAT
WON THE COLD WAR. I MEAN, IT WAS THE BIG NAIL
IN THE COFFIN. OKAY, ATLAS TO MINUTEMAN
TO PEACEKEEPER, YOU CAN SEE INCREMENTAL STEPS
WITH MORE ACCURACY, MORE RELIABILITY, MORE SAFETY,
MORE CAPABILITIES. AND I BELIEVE THE RUSSIANS
EVENTUALLY FIGURED THEY CAN'T COMPETE. (Carey)
EVERYBODY WINS WHEN WE STEP AWAY
FROM THE EDGE OF NUCLEAR WAR. SO HERE IN WYOMING, YOU HAVE
THE HOME OF THE PEACEKEEPER, WHICH WAS CRITICAL
IN THE WINNING OF THE COLD WAR. AND YET HOW DO YOU WALK AWAY
FROM THE COLD WAR TO NEW WORLD ORDER? AND ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS
THE UNITED STATES PURSUED WAS DISARMING THAT VERY WEAPON
THAT WON THAT WAR. ALL I HAD SEEN WAS THE BUILDUP, AND THEN NOW I'VE SEEN
THEM TAKE IT OUT. THAT WAS
AN AMAZING PIECE FOR ME. AND TO SEE THAT--
THAT WE REALLY-- WE DID HAVE
A CRITICAL ROLE HERE. AND THE RUSSIANS DID COME IN
TO F.E. WARREN AND INSPECT. AND WE HAVE GONE OVER THERE
AND INSPECTED. AND WE DO LIVE IN A SOCIETY THAT THERE'S
SOME ACCOUNTABILITY HERE. AND THANK GOD FOR THAT. WHAT DO I SEE FOR THE FUTURE
OF F.E. WARREN? THIS IS THE ULTIMATE BACKSTOP THAT GIVES THAT
DIPLOMATIC MISSION THAT WE HAVE WHEREVER IT IS,
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, THAT WE HAVE THE ULTIMATE POWER,
THAT WE CAN DESTROY YOU, OR WE CAN DEFEND OURSELVES. (man)
I LOVE EVERYTHING
ABOUT THE MILITARY. I MEAN,
FROM THE UNIFORM THAT I WEAR TO GOING OUT THERE
AND PROTECTING THE COUNTRY THAT EVERYBODY LIVES IN
FOR FREEDOM. SO MAKE SURE YOU GET
YOUR "A" GAME OUT THERE TODAY. THAT'S ALL I GOT. CARRY ON. WE HAVE SO MANY
FAIL-SAFES IN PLACE THAT I DON'T BELIEVE
ANYTHING WOULD GO WRONG. IN THIS WORLD THAT WE'RE
LIVING IN NOW WITH-- WHERE WE'RE FIGHTING
A GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, AND IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
REALLY HAVE CENTER STAGE IN THE BATTLES
THAT WE'RE FIGHTING OVER THERE. THE MISSILES IN WYOMING
ARE STILL RELEVANT. THAT GIVES THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES THE ABILITY
TO SEND TROOPS ABROAD AND KNOWING THAT THE HOMELAND
IS SECURE AND DEFENDED. OUR ROLE IS
TO KEEP OTHER NATIONS THAT HAVE INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILES FROM LAUNCHING THEM AGAINST US. AND THERE ARE A GROWING NUMBER
OF THOSE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. AND THE PROLIFERATION
OF MISSILE TECHNOLOGY IS ONLY GONNA INCREASE
THAT CAPABILITY. (Lindi Kirkbride)
IT IS A DIFFERENT WORLD NOW, AND I THINK
THAT THE POLITICAL WILL TO CHANGE THE MISSILE SYSTEMS
FROM THAT--FROM WHAT WE'VE HAD, I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO DO IT
THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN DOING IT. (Smith)
THERE IS A CASE TO BE MADE THAT
FEWER WEAPONS WOULD BE GOOD, NO WEAPONS WOULD BE GOOD. THE WEAPONS EXIST. WE HAVE THE WEAPONS, AND OTHER PEOPLE
HAVE THE WEAPONS. THE FACT THAT WE HAVE
THE WEAPONS MAY DETER OTHER PEOPLE
FROM USING THE WEAPONS. THAT'S REALLY THE BOTTOM LINE,
IN MY OPINION. Captioning by<font color="#00FF00"> CaptionMax
www.captionmax.com</font> (man)
♪ BIG SKY SUNSET
LIGHT UP THE MOUNTAINS. ♪ ♪ THROW FIRE
ON THE VALLEY BELOW. ♪ ♪ THERE'S AN EERIE LIGHT
SHINING ON THE SILO ♪ ♪ AT THE END OF ATLAS ROW. ♪ HAVING LONG SINCE
ENDED IT'S VIGIL ♪ ♪ AND MINUTEMEN MILES AWAY, ♪ NOW PEACEKEEPER'S
COMING TO STAND THE WATCH. ♪ ♪ MAKES ME FEEL REAL SAFE. ♪ I'VE GOT A GOOD FRIEND
WHO SLEEPS IN THE SILO. ♪ ♪ AND DREAMS ABOUT
TURNING THE KEY. ♪ (Lindi Kirkbride)
THIS LADY CALLED UP, AND, YOU KNOW,
I ANSWERED THE PHONE, AND SHE SAID,
"ARE YOU THE MISSILE LADY?" AND I SAID,
"WELL, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE ME. I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE
MY OPINIONS ABOUT THE MISSILE." SO ANYWAY, SHE JUST--
SHE WAS PRETTY DRUNK. AND SHE JUST HAD TO LET ME KNOW
THAT, YOU KNOW, I'D BETTER BE CAREFUL
WHAT I WAS SAYING.
