A 23 year old Cold War nuclear missile commander (122)

Scott was a Pershing 2 nuclear missile Fire Control Officer which meant he was responsible for the launch of the missile. Aged 23 he was made platoon commander and responsible for 3 of these deadly weapons. 

The Pershing II was a mobile, intermediate-range ballistic missile deployed by the U.S. Army at American bases in West Germany beginning in 1983. It was aimed at targets in the western Soviet Union. Each Pershing II carried a single, variable-yield thermonuclear warhead with an explosive force equivalent to 5-50 kilotons of TNT. Under the terms of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union, all Pershing IIs and their support equipment were removed from the inventory and rendered inoperable

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Back to today’s episode, guest host Peter Ryan chatted with Scott and you will remember from Peter episode 101 where he interviewed me about the podcast.

We welcome Scott & Peter to our Cold War conversation…

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0:00 Introduction and Background of Scott, a Pershing 2 nuclear missile fire control officer

1:52 Call for listener support and donations

2:38 Scott's journey in the US Military and his role as a Pershing 2 nuclear missile fire control officer

7:15 Briefings on the East Bloc, precautions and surveillance by East Bloc agents

10:57 Scott's experiences near the GDR border and overview of the Pershing 2 missile

13:23 Scott's promotion and the significance of the missile system in ending the Cold War

16:08 Comparisons of real-life launch procedures with popular culture and communication in the field

20:37 Maintenance procedures and orders after launching missiles

26:42 Off-duty activities and relaxation in Germany, travel opportunities

30:45 Quick-fire portion: Scott's favourite Cold War memories and memorabilia

44:34 Wrapping up the conversation with Scott and closing remarks by Ian Sanders

45:33 End of the episode

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