Thursday, April 9, 2009

Missiles and why Alaska needs them.



Not many people know about the missiles around Anchorage and why we needed them back when. On top of a mountain on Arctic Valley road in Anchorage on Ft. Richardson/Federal Land, there is an old missile silo and buildings that use to hold Nike missiles. This was built way back in 1950's, due to the fact that the Army at that time knew how precarious Alaska was and how they wouldn't be able to help if any type of attack was instigated. The Nike Missile site hasn't been used since 1979 and was abandoned but it a national and historic site. The Nike Missile locations were for Soviet (and any other missile) invasion and missile interception. But after the supposed end of the cold war, it didn't seem like we needed them. Or so the Federal Government thought.

Since Alaska hadn't really had a defense against attack. Other then F-15's from Elmendorf and Eielson AFB, we were more sitting ducks in the water. But around 2001, Bush 43 decided that it would be in the best interest of all to begin another defense shield at Ft Greely, Alaska just in case anything would arise in the process. 9/11 was the deciding factor.


Since then Ft. Greely as well as the Kodiak Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. and Shemya , Alaska due to the Navy's special Radar for monitoring "traffic" in the northern part of the Hemisphere, due to those pesky little Russian Planes and Japanese tankers coming through the Bering Straights, the liberals all over screamed we didn't need these items. Oh Really!


If we did not have the Shemya Radar, the F-15's and F-22's we would have never known how far the Russian bomber planes had actually come into Alaskan Air Space. Ft Greely also went on the defensive. Elmendorf, Eielson, Ft. Richardson and Ft Wainwright readied a first wave of Soldiers .... just in case. This is also not including the Alaska National Guard. It is interesting how so many people can scream about something on land 1/3rd the size of the Continental United States, due to lack of concept as they can not wrap their little minds around it, nor the fact we are an island in many respects.


In 1942, the Japanese invaded Alaska. Not many people know that or care as Alaska was a Territory. But how many people realize that Hawaii was also a Territory and bombed just the same. So how can shutting down the missile defense in Alaska be good? Palin is making an outward appeal, but I hope it doesn't fall on deaf ears as usual. History can be repeated and I am sure that it won't be the Japanese Troops this time around.

2 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if I ever made it out to the Nike site up in Arctic Valley, but I vaguely recall the one in Kincaid Park.

    Lots of interesting stuff around the state to see, if you know where to look. That's for sure.

    Have you seen the pics of the X-band radar they were taking out to Adak? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-based_X-band_Radar

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  2. I think the radar that was going out to Adak is exactly like the one at Shemya.

    I have seen the "bunkers" at Kincaid. They are actually all over Anchorage and some of them are converted. One of them is now used for the Nordic Sky Team.

    Interesting items.... Alaska has more history them many know.

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