Headed Towards South America By Vehicle: PATRICK AFB

Patrick Air Force Base is situated about a mile south of Cocoa Beach, Florida. A bit of "no-man's land" separates the two.

Back in the 1950's & 1960's Dad worked at Patrick AFB as an officer in Research and Development, Plans and Programs, and as Station Commander at Grand Turk Air Force Station. Dad flew on many, many missions as a navigator in missile re-entry collecting re-entry data (telemetry), and he flew on early missions collecting infrared data for IRMP (International Radiation Measurements Program). The latter was at L.G. Hanscom Field outside of Boston. While stationed in Los Angeles he became project manager for data collection and assimilation in the "Bambi Program" which was later renamed "Star Wars." Data, of course, was shared with the "Midas" spy system and clandestinely sent to Russia in the midst of the cold war back in the early 1960's via the behind-the-scenes organization's efforts to balance the three world powers (i.e. Russia, China, and the Free World). This way, should one step out of line the other two could be brought against the third.

Surprisingly, Dad learned about this balancing act initially from intelligence reports and then after leaving the service. So, it wasn't a secret from Washington DC.