THIS
AREA
OF SILOWORLD
IS
FOR
STORIES
BY
USAF
MISSILEERS
& OTHERS WHO
WISH
TO
CONTRIBUTE
TO
THIS
WEB
SITE
TITAN
I
STORY
ON
TARGET
The Titan 1 Missile site was at the far reaches of
the Columbia Basin project
in central Washington. Located some 45 miles
SW of Larson AFB in a depression
between two ridges, Frenchman's Hill to the
north and the Saddle Mountains to the
south. To the west is the Columbia
River and to the East rolling farm land.
After a long night working
underground I remember going topside to catch
some fresh air. As I stepped
out into the cool morning a movement caught my eye.
Something off on the
far horizon. For a few moments I am unsure. Then there it
was, a B52 bearing
down on the missile site at 1000 to 1500 feet.
Standing there in the
early pre-dawn light I was mesmerized by the
oncoming silhouette. As it
closes in it is getting lower and lower, heading directly at the missile
site.
A quarter of a mile out and at just a squeak higher than the
power lines,
closing faster now, following the terrain and still centered on
my location.
Now an 1/8 of a mile and still on course for the missile
site, there is movement
under the aircraft...The Bomb Bay doors are
opening!!!
I am sure that for one split second I could see a smile
come over the faces of
the pilot and copilot. The thunder and smell of
the jet engines working at full power
to keep the war bird in the air.
As the aircraft passes exactly overhead the entire
bomb bay can be
inspected in detail, Zinc Chromate, Serial numbers, Safety wire and all.
Now the black exhaust settles to earth as the aircraft makes a tight
nose high
climbing left turn to the north. The right wing almost at a 45
degree angle to the
earth and all the engines screaming to answer the
pilots' commands...
Almost 40 years have passed and still the
recollection is there. I can still
almost taste the jet exhaust and feel
the shaking of the earth around me. It may not
have been anything more
than an exercise to the crew of the BUFF, but to that 19
year old Airman
standing there it was a grand show and now an even better memory.
W F (Rob) Roberson
USAF 1962-1968
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