The GLCM Program in Europe

With Focus on the 485^th Tactical Missile Wing

Florennes Air Base, Belgium

By Paul E. Samulski, Colonel, USAF, Retired

This article is derived from two separate articles written for Tiger Flight, the magazine of the Air Force Security Police Association. The events described are those as seen through the eyes of the author. While the primary focus is on security issues, there were many critical events that took total Wing integration. The 485^th TMW was fortunate in having outstanding senior leadership. Having served two years at Florennes, I was fortunate to have had two brilliant Wing Commanders, Colonels David Reed, and Calvin Chasteen. I never had the problem of trying to convince either officer just why it was more important to cut the grass in the WSA before we cut anywhere else.

After spending four years in Europe, I was assigned as Chief of Security Police for HQ Pacific Air Forces. A few months before my scheduled departure from Hickam AFB, the Colonels Group at AFMPC, Randolph AFB called to tell me that my next assignment was all but finalized. I said something bright like, “Where am I going? I was told I was going to Florennes Air Base, Belgium. In addition, it would be a remote assignment. I immediately shot back that I had just left USAFE less than three years earlier and I knew that there was not one remote assignment for a Security Police colonel anywhere in Europe! Then I said, “Perhaps you mean that I am going to SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe). The voice said, “No, you are going to Florennes”. Then I said, “Florence is in Italy, not Belgium”. The voice then said, “Florence may be in Italy, but Florennes is in Belgium.” I then said, “What kind of base is Florennes? What do they do there?” The voice answered, “G, L, C, M.”. I knew what that meant.

I believe that the GLCM deployment deserves to be recognized as a very significant chapter in Security Police history. Security Police participated in the Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) deployment throughout the life of the program. To have any understanding of the significance of the GLCM weapons system, one has to place him/her self back in the atmosphere of the Cold War. During my assignment at HQ USAFE/SP in the 1979/1980 timeframe, GLCM appeared to be on the back burner of hot problems. The prevailing feeling about GLCM was that deployment probably would not take place! The issue was a political football and most likely just a negotiation ploy. At least it appeared that way. During my last four years in the Air Force I saw how politically intertwined the GLCM deployment was. NATO had agreed to a deployment plan. Besides the United States, the primary NATO Nations involved in the sequential deployment were the United Kingdom (RAF Greenham- Common), Italy (Comiso), Belgium (Florennes), Germany (Wueschheim), The Netherlands (Woensdrecht), then back to the United Kingdom at RAF Molesworth. While the affected NATO governments had agreed to the deployment plan, their actual level of enthusiasm was not very high. They were all looking for reasons (or excuses) not to deploy. And scheduled deployment nations watched each other’s deployment progress. If one scheduled IOC (Initial Operational Capability) date would slip, we had to assume that others would ask for extensions to their deployment date.

In every NATO country, internal politics attempted to block deployment. Enormous internal and external pressures were put on the respective Prime Ministers and other Government officials. The deployment of GLCM was power politics at the highest level. Mikhail Gorbachev was General Secretary of the USSR. Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. Gorbachev advocated “Perestroika” and an end to the Cold War. However, by 1979 the Soviet Union had deployed SS-20 missiles. President Reagan wanted to win the Cold War. In an effort to counter the SS-20 threat, NATO agreed on a “dual track” approach. While political negotiations with the Soviets would continue, the military would deploy GLCM at six different locations in Europe.

The deployment of GLCM would be terribly expensive. This was an economic price Reagan was willing to pay. This was a price that Gorbachev could not afford to pay. Nevertheless, for the Air Force personnel who were assigned to the various Tactical Missile Wings (TMW), our actions were driven by one compelling factor: The scheduled IOC date had to be met! The first GLCM unit to form was the 501^st Tactical Missile Wing, at RAF Greenham Common, UK. The unit was activated in July 1982. Then in June 1983, the 487^th TMW at Comiso (Sicily) was activated.

The BGM 109 Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) was an intermediate range, jet propelled, winged missile with an advanced guidance system. It was the land version of the Navy’s Tomahawk sea launched cruise missile. Due to its relatively small size, it was very difficult to locate in flight, either with radar or with the naked eye. The missiles and supporting vehicles would normally be stored in huge facilities called GAMAs, or GLCM Alert and Maintenance Areas. When directed by Command authority, the GLCM flight would disperse from the GAMA to highly classified dispersal sites. While training exercises permitted dispersal from the GAMA, the flight never dispersed to the actual planned wartime location. The key operational decision focused on when to disperse. Wait too long, and you may not have the capability to disperse. Disperse too early, and you increased the vulnerability of the GLCM Flight the longer it was exposed in its wartime launch location...

The flight was under the command of the GLCM Flight Commander, usually a former ICBM Launch Control Officer with the Strategic Air Command. The flight normally had 44 assigned security police, 19 maintenance specialists, four launch control officers, and a medical technician. Under normal peacetime rules, the Security Police provided internal security of the assets while being stored in the GAMA. During states of increased readiness, SPs assigned to a GLCM Flight would be “chopped” to the GLCM Flight Commander. The Flight Commander reported to the Wing Deputy Commander for Operations. We thus had dual missions. When directed to do so, we became an essential and integral component of dispersed assets with an operational wartime mission.

While my assignment was being “worked” by the various PCS agencies, the assignments office at Randolph offered me a “good deal”. I could either go to Florennes for a one-year remote tour, or go accompanied for two years. I was also told that the base had no commissary, no BX, or married housing. I would be living in a leased home on the economy. My wife and I decided to go for the two-year tour.

The Germans built Florennes Air Base in 1942. In 1956 it was named Base J. Offenberg, in honor of Jean Offenberg, a Belgian fighter pilot who was killed in action during the Battle of Britain. He held the Belgian Croix de Guerre and numerous other decorations. During the period of the GLCM bed down, the base was operated by the Belgian Air Force’s Second Tactical Wing comprised of M-5 Mirage fighters. This was significant in that the 485^th Tactical Missile Wing (485 TMW) was to operate from an active Belgian Air Force base with two NATO wings with two totally different missions! The Belgian 2^nd Tactical Wing was the host, while the 485^th TMW was the tenant

I arrived at Florennes in July 1984. Belgium was enjoying a beautiful summer. There were approximately 30 recently arrived Air Force personnel on station. This was to change dramatically in the days and weeks ahead. I found the office of the Wing Commander and reported in to my new boss, Colonel David C. Reed. He told me several critically important bits of information. Our first goal was to prepare for, and then successfully pass an INSI (Initial Nuclear Surety Inspection) scheduled for late February 1985. Contingent upon passing the INSI was the declaration of IOC (Initial Operational Capability). The date was fixed in stone. To add incentive to our task, Col Reed was invited to Patch Barracks in Stuttgart to meet the United States Deputy Commander for HQ United States European Command (HQ USEUCOM), General Richard L. Lawson. General Lawson further emphasized to Col Reed the absolute necessity of achieving the scheduled IOC date and that he stood ready to help destroy any obstacles that we might face.

Few people would be able to comprehend the challenge of meeting the IOC date. We had very few troops, no dining facility, no dormitories, no administrative offices, and no classrooms. We had no SP facilities, no BOQs, no guns, no ammunition, and no firing range. We also had no GLCM vehicles, and no GAMA. Due to the planned deployment schedule, temporary buildings were to be constructed for our use at interim base locations while permanent facilities were constructed at the same time. An old Weapons Storage Area existed, but it had not been used since 1967. And it looked it. Sensors were to be installed (eventually), but we were to make a WSA security plan that would not include sensors! Conversely, we had several things going for us. We could feel the political support coming out of Washington. We were told to immediately raise the red flag if we needed help with anything. Sometimes We also realized that our very presence at Florennes was being observed by the Soviet Union. On the bright side, we had lots of money. All the other USAFE Wings had their budget’s cut 10%. We had no budget. We were not to hesitate to purchase anything we legitimately needed. But, we had a long way to go. My initial office had no electricity. Our training facility was a condemned structure built by the Germans. Our very resourceful Arms and Equipment NCO, TSgt Norm Kurz was a master at getting equipment for our airmen. A few days after I arrived, I noticed my office floor was covered with a wall to wall (well used) shag carpet. Sergeant Kurz had found it in a dumpster in front of the Bitburg Dental Clinic. I was touched by his effort. I then told him to go purchase the best boots he could find for everyone. I also asked him to obtain the new Kevlar helmets that were just being issued in the Air Force. He did.

Being a new weapons system, GLCM had its growing pains. I was never assigned to one of SAC’s Strategic Missile Wings, but I suspect that when the Air Force manpower experts started building the manpower documents for GLCM Tactical Missile Wings, they looked for similarities between the two. For better or for worse, the GLCM Wings had seven assigned colonels. In late August 1984, the people who lived in our part of Belgium planned a big celebration commemorating the 40^th anniversary of their liberation from Nazi occupation in WWII. Our various GLCM Wings faced various levels of reception depending on the local political climate. Thanks to the U.S. Army, we were very welcome in southern Belgium. The 485^th TMW was asked to provide senior representation to various functions on the special day.

Our Wing Commander, Col Reed, wrote out what I would call a Colonel’s Duty Roster. I was selected to spend most of the day in Philippeville, a nearby town. I was to march in a parade, go to a Catholic Mass, and then attend a concert in the town square featuring The Ambassadors, the Glenn Miller sound band of HQ USAFE. Wearing my service dress blue uniform, my family and I were escorted into the church. We were asked to sit in the first row. The flags of Belgium and the Stars and Stripes were on each side of the altar. The Mass soon started, and then the Priest began his sermon, which was completely in French. I did not understand a word of the sermon until the very last sentence when in perfectly clear English he looked at the people and proclaimed, “And God bless the United States of America”. It was hard keeping back the tears. That afternoon we were at the concert in downtown Philippeville. During a break in the music, I reached down and picked up our two little kids (19 and 4 months old). I turned and faced the audience and tried to visually assure the people that we had not come to Belgium to start a war. We had come to win the peace.

Soon after arriving at Florennes, I took a few minutes to assess where I was. I could not help but think that it had been a long time since my days at K. I. Sawyer. Where was Lt Col Gebara when I needed him? I thought about all the Security Police assignments I had had and how much I had learned over the years. I felt very confident and only hoped that my confidence would rub off on others. Throughout the assignment, I went to guard mounts as often as I could. I was determined that our airmen should know what was going on and how they personally were involved in the power politics of the GLCM deployment. I thought of the monumental hurdles that the GLCM bed down was facing. I made a list of the tasks that had to be completed prior to IOC. Then I made another list of who would accomplish all these tasks. My list included George P. Schultz (Secretary of State), Casper Weinberger (Secretary of Defense), General Bernie Rogers (USCINCEUR and the SACEUR), General Richard Lawson (Deputy USCINCEUR), General Charles Donnelly (USAFE/CC), Major General William Breckner (17AF/CC), my Wing Commander, and of course, the 485^th SPG. After a careful analysis that took less than a minute I determined that most of the tasks that needed to be accomplished were the responsibility of the Security Police assigned to the 485^th SPG! But a powerful team was rapidly being assembled to achieve that task.

The Air Force assignment process again worked very well. While I was still at HQ PACAF, Courtney Mank at Palace Badge called me one day and asked if I would accept (AFSPA member) Major Winston Padgett as my deputy at Florennes. I recalled Brig General Scheidel saying to me one day, “If I had to go to war with just one other person, it would be Win Padgett”. Guess who got the job as the 485^th SPG/CD? I was blessed to have CMSgt (AFSPA member) Russ Rogge as our Group Security Police Manager. He was so helpful in so many ways. He consistently provided leadership and solutions to problems. Our Operations Superintendent was SMSgt Tom Idol. I could always count on him as a source of strength. He always kept his cool. He developed a two-slide overlay, which we used at all our briefings. Slide one showed a picture of an elephant with the caption, “How Do You Eat an Elephant?” Second slide caption, “One Bite at A Time”. We all shared many “bites” at Florennes.

Major (AFSPA member) Ron Rotzko was the Commander of the 485^th Missile Security Squadron. He had spent about half his life flying C-141s, and I could relate to that quite easily. Ron’s Operations Officer was Captain Ken Conover. Ken was not the smoothest guy in town, but he was certainly the “right” man for the job. There was no time to waste, and he didn’t waste any. I believe that he made Lt. Colonel, but he is most likely retired somewhere.

The initial MSS Superintendent was SMSgt Floyd Wieburg. He was instrumental in developing the early security plans and procedures for the WSA (interim GAMA). This task was especially challenging in that the WSA that we were to use was at first completely unusable. I am sure that TSgt (now CMSgt Ret. and AFSPA member) Daryl Janicki remembers the long hours and the pressure he was under to meet daily deadlines while writing the SSIs and other procedures for the interim GAMA.

Captain (now Colonel) Mike Pasquin came to us from the 501^st TMW at RAF Greenham Common, UK. He was one of the very few members of our unit who had hands on GLCM experience. I also remembered him from my time in PACAF when he was a shift commander at Kunsan AB, Korea. SMSgt Richard Wells was our SPA Superintendent. In addition to managing the standard SPA functions very well, he could speak French. He was an important person. Everyone needed him very often.

Among those assigned to Florennes was SSgt John S. Chwatal. I remembered him from Suwon, Korea. I told him that all those things that were done in bringing the Suwon Security Police unit on line had to be done here, too. Plus much more! While at Suwon, John prepared and published a Security Police unit yearbook. It was well done. He asked me if he could publish a similar yearbook for our new unit at Florennes. We spoke about the details, and then I gave him the go ahead. I still look at it sometimes and think about those who helped make Florennes the first GLCM Wing on the European continent.

New personnel began arriving at the Brussels airport in great numbers. As there were no living quarters on base, the 485^th TMW Chief of MWR was pressed to obtain leased quarters for everyone. Our personnel were soon scattered all over southern Belgium. Our 485^th SPS had approximately 40 assigned personnel. It was initially commanded by Captain Chuck Bailey. The Superintendent was (AFSPA member) MSgt Dave Ybarra and the NCOIC for Law Enforcement was (AFSPA member) MSgt Don Funk. I remembered him from a visit I had once made to Clark AB. I was happy Don was at Florennes. We determined that we had sufficient capability to bring our Law Enforcement mission on line by 1 August. We had additional motivation, too. There was no 485^th Wing Command Post as yet. Through a great effort, Dave Ybarra and Don Funk pulled rabbits out of a hat. The first guardmount of the 485^th SPG was held at 0700 on 1 August 1984. For a few weeks, our LE Desk also functioned as the Wing Command Post. On the LE Net were the senior commanders of the 485^th TMW.

1 August had additional significance because on that date HQ USAFE Special Order GB-43 activated the 485^th TMW, the 485^th SPG, the 485^th SPS, and the 485^th MSS. I sent a short message to HQ USAFE/SP and to our sister units at Comiso, Italy and RAF Greenham Common (UK) informing them that we were on line. Part of our motivation for bringing up the 485^th SPS Law Enforcement mission was to attempt to educate the Belgian 2^nd Tactical Wing that we were in fact professional police officers. At first they objected to letting us control base entry at our nearby access gate, nor did they like us doing routine building checks at night. We assured them that we would honor their access procedures, and we did. We began to build an excellent rapport with the Belgian security force, a rapport that was to pay big dividends in the weeks and months to come.

While our LE functions were progressing well, we initially had only limited success in the training of our Missile Security Squadron personnel. The lack of facilities, billeting and dining capabilities was constraining our progress. Then HQ USAFE/SP made an offer we couldn’t refuse. We were given the opportunity to send approximately one-third of our security personnel to Davis-Monthan AFB for dispersal training, leaving the remaining MSS personnel in Belgium. This was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off. In later months, we would be much more able to demonstrate a highly trained dispersal force. For those who did not deploy to Davis-Monthan, their hard work was just beginning.

While a complete GLCM Flight had about 22 vehicles, the special vehicles that made GLCM so unique were the Launch Control Centers (LCCs) and the Transporter Erector Launchers (TELs). I shall never forget the late afternoon they arrived. We could see the giant C5 Galaxy as it held over nearby Philippeville while awaiting landing clearance. Then the huge airlifter was on the ground and then stopped. Maj Rotzko and I were in a staff car watching the unloading of the LCCs and the TELs. As they were rolling in front of us, Ron made the comment, “My God, it looks like Red Square on May Day”. That was a good description. For us, it was awesome. We did not have the missiles or the warheads yet, but we now possessed the operational vehicles of a GLCM Flight.

Work was now progressing in the WSA (Interim GAMA) at a furious pace. There was not an hour to spare. The clock to IOC was ticking. I assigned Captain Jeff Mackley and SSgt Phil Knorr to the WSA. I told them that if necessary, get sleeping bags and camp out. I felt that it was essential to have SP monitoring of the actual construction. This was a lesson I learned at RAF Lakenheath, seven years earlier. It was a miserable assignment for Capt Mackley and SSgt Knorr. They experienced lots of mud, and lots of frustration. And we also knew that we would not have a sensor system in place by the time the IG was scheduled to come in late February 1985. But we were making progress.

In November (as I recall) the first interim dormitory was completed. Due to our priority, the Security Police took possession. Our airmen moved in, five and six men per room. They were fairly large rooms, but there was zero privacy. And the mud seemed to be ever present. The new base dining facility opened, too. That was a big morale booster. We needed to train inside the WSA, but it was being completely reconstructed from one end to the other. We practiced 30 in 30 exercises, too.

From the start, I made it absolutely clear to everyone who wore the shield that no one was exempt from 30 in 30 recall. While this was a legitimate requirement, I also knew the IG would be coming. A little showmanship would not hurt. During this period, our NCOIC of Training and Quality Control, MSgt (now retired CMSgt and AFSPA member) Jackson Riling was a pillar of strength. Operating from his condemned building (with holes in the floor), he and his staff made the structure as clean and functional as possible until a new training facility under construction was ready. But we could not wait for the new facility. For a little while longer, we had to continue to use the condemned structure. We had to make IOC.

We had lots and lots of visitors. Several Army and Air Force General Officers, Navy Admirals, and U.S. Government officials came to see us. Every one of them told our Wing Commander to let them know if they could help. And they meant it. Senior Belgian Officers including 12 members of the Belgian Parliament came to see us. I got pretty good at giving the escort briefing at the WSA entry control point. In January 1985, the WSA was declared “operational”. That sounds good, but we had no operational sensors. And it got very cold. Records showed that Belgium was having its coldest winter in 40 years. Defensive fighting positions would sometimes fill with water, which would then turn into ice. It bothered me so much that we didn’t have a sensor system, thus requiring us to have additional assessment posts. And a relatively new terrorist group, the Communist Combatant Cells (CCC), began to bomb NATO ground targets in Belgium. The 485^th TMW declared itself in THREATCON Bravo for all of 1985.

A critical event occurred in late January 1985. A HQ USAFE GLCM staff assistance team spent a few days with us. The team’s outbrief took place within our new (but temporary) Security Police administrative facility. We discussed the real problems we were facing in a constructive manner. Then the bomb burst. The team leader concluded his comments by saying something like, “Sir, we don’t think you’re going to make it.” My entire staff was present. For a moment you could have heard a pin drop. I responded by stating that we had just very recently moved into the SP Dormitory; that we now had a dining facility; that we had just received approval three weeks earlier to train in the WSA; that we had just taken possession of our Central Security Control facility, and that we were in a max effort to achieve a “Ready” rating from the IG. I admit to being just a little upset at that point, and I said what I said because it was truly the way I felt. Of equal importance, I was not going to end the meeting with my staff hearing the words, “not going to make it”. Perhaps also, it was one of the few times I ever played, “colonel”. I looked across our conference room, pointed at the Captain, and said something like, “When you go home, you tell Colonel Jones (Colonel Bob Jones, HQ USAFE/SP) that we will make it and that you can bet on us that we will come through.” Looking back, that was the final challenge to all of us.

The USAFE Commander, General Charles L. Donnelly visited Florennes on 19 February 1985. Then, the Initial Nuclear Surety Inspection (INSI) of the 485th TMW began three days later. The 485^th Security Police Group was rated “Ready” in all required areas. While we were proud and happy, the inspection certification placed us squarely on the next plateau. On the morning of 15 March, I was called to the Wing Command Post where I was told the missiles and the warheads were in the air enroute to Florennes. The deployment came less than 24 hours after the Belgian government announced its acceptance of the missiles. Ron Rotzko and I went to three guardmounts that day and informed all flights that when they came to work the following day, the war assets would be in the WSA. There was no more practice. We had achieved IOC.

During the next three months, we worked to improve and fine-tune our operation. The Wing conducted a few Salty Nation exercises. By now our relationship with the Belgian base defense force was getting better day-by-day. During Salty Nation exercises we were able to place an NCO in the Belgian CSC, while we hosted a Belgian NCO in ours. During exercises, we were able to release some of our Security Police away from GLCM security to an ABGD role. Our capability to play a supporting role in ABGD was aided by the formal certification of the WSA sensor system during an LNSI from 7 to 8 May. We were able to immediately delete 14 perimeter individual assessment posts. In addition, we could now release those airmen we had trained at Davis-Monthan in late summer of 1984 from security duties within the WSA to dispersal operations.

Then on 16 June 1985, the USAFE IG returned to administer a complete Nuclear Surety Inspection (NSI). We were rated overall “Excellent”. In addition, the 485^th SPG was presented with an IG Award of Excellence for outstanding professionalism and motivation. One of the actions we took really impressed the IG. During convoy operations, not only was an SP posted at each road intersection, but also next to our SP was an airman from the Belgian base defense force. Seven Salty Nation exercises later, from 12 to 14 November, the Security Police participated in the first dispersal exercise in Wing history.

For the next few months, things went quite well. I was very confident. Then the terrible thought hit me. Except for me, every member of the 485^th SPG was on a short one-year tour. July and August 1985 were months of turmoil. It seemed like every time I asked where somebody was, I was told that they had rotated. I looked around one day and hardly recognized anyone. But again, the Air Force personnel system worked. As Win Padgett left, (AFSPA member) Dale Moyer arrived. I said good bye to Ron Rotzko, and welcomed Major George Shy. Captain Conover left the MSS Operations Officer position and was replaced by Captain Cheryl Dozier. Captain Dennis Ryan had replaced Capt. Chuck Bailey a few months earlier and he in-turn was (later) replaced by (AFSPA member) Captain Bernie Beldin. Chief Rogge left for Colorado Springs and was replaced by CMSgt Lonnie Stephenson. He and I needed no introduction. We had worked together before at RAF Lakenheath and at HQ USAFE. Mike Pasquin was sent to HQ USEUCOM and in came Captain (and AFSPA member) Bill Peterson. We also had a new Vice Wing Commander. We were happy to welcome Colonel (AFSPA member) Fredric L. Miller. Not only had he had a previous GLCM assignment at RAF Greenham Common as the Deputy Commander for Operations, he had several years experience as a Security Police officer. And so it went.

As professionals left Florennes for CONUS, quality replacements arrived. It was a very fast moving train. Those in supervisory positions had to jump on fast. And they did. For the next several months, Salty Nation exercises quickly had brought our unit back to full capability. Things were gong well. Then one afternoon, I was called to the Wing Command Post. The Wing Commander, Colonel Calvin L. Chasteen had summoned all the colonels for an unscheduled meeting. (Note: the first Wing Commander, Col David Reed had been reassigned due to his selection for Brig General). The announcement was brief. We were told that the following morning, the United States Commander, Europe (USCINCEUR) dual hatted as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Bernard Rogers was going to visit Florennes. There was no schedule, no itinerary, and no clues as to what he wanted to see. Col Chasteen said we would have a wing briefing. I was to give a base defense and security briefing. I asked my boss if he would like us to set up a joint Belgian/US Honor Guard. My rationale was that Florennes had two NATO Wings and the SACEUR was coming. Col Chasteen agreed. I grabbed the nearest telephone I could find and called the office. Capt. Dozier answered the phone. I said something like, “Cheryl, do whatever you have to do to set this up, but we need a joint Honor Guard at 1000 tomorrow morning.” She did great.

At 1000 the next day, General Rogers’ helicopter arrived and the Joint Honor Guard quickly lined up. It really looked good. Then, there he was, the most powerful, and the most senior General Officer in Europe. The first thing he grunted was something like, “Get rid of that Honor Guard.” I determined that this was going to be an interesting day. At the Command Post, Col Chasteen told General Rogers that he would accelerate parts of the briefing to save time. General Rogers immediately came back with, “Colonel, I am always on schedule, always on time, and never late. My schedule goes wherever I go, and whenever I go.” We were obviously on schedule.

My Wing Commander had pulled out all the stops and on extremely short notice had a very nice plaque made for presentation to the SACEUR. The Base Commander, Col Harry Wilson was sitting next to me and was holding the plaque for presentation. Then, while the General was speaking with someone else, I saw my boss scribble s short note. It got passed to me to give to Col Wilson. The message was short and direct. It simply said, “Harry, no plaque”. Then the General said he wanted to go to the WSA. I got a quick look from my boss that I interpreted as, “Call the WSA.” I called and gave our SPs and the missile maintainers a heads up. I gave my boss a thumbs up, meaning, “message passed”. Then General Rogers said that he really did not have time today to visit the WSA after all. He then told us that his intention was to pay us a visit, but he did not want us to go make extensive preparations for his visit. But he promised to come back again some other time. We could hardly wait.

We had enjoyable visits from senior Security Police leaders, too. Colonel (later Brig General and AFSPA member) Frank Martin visited our unit when we were selected as the Outstanding USAFE Security Police unit in Group level competition for 1985. Brig General Scheidel came to see us, and so did (AFSPA member) Colonel Fritz Heiss, the Special Assistant for Security Matters at HQ USEUCOM, located at Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. I’ll say more of this in my next article.

I also want to present a brief outline of our relations with another group of people who did not welcome us to Florennes. I am referring to our local band of protesters. The protesters at RAF Greenham-Common, UK were well organized, and were highly experienced. They had had years of practice protesting at RAF Upper Heyford, RAF Lakenheath, and other UK bases.. They destroyed Government property, fought with the Police, and disrupted dispersal exercises. And they were not non-violent”. Conversely, the protesters at Florennes were really no more than a nuisance to us. About seven kilometers down the road leading to our base was a coffeehouse, “The Florenade”. It was the headquarters for our local protest group. Between the OSI and the Belgian police, the protesters were under surveillance much of the time. This was a relatively easy task for the Gendarmes in that The Florenade was located directly across the street from the local Police Station, or Gendarmerie. On weekends, the Gendarmerie was not in operation, The protesters noticed this, broke into the facility, and slopped paint all over the place. The local police had no problem identifying the perpetrators. They merely followed the trail of paint drips that went from the door of the Police Station to the front door of The Florenade, across the street. The protestors also mounted a look-alike traffic advisory sign on the exterior of The Florenade. It said, “Cruise Missiles 7 km”. Even though the word “missiles” was incorrectly spelled, the sign was a convenient marker for people who came to visit Florennes in TDY status.

By late August 1986, I had reached the point where I had done everything that I knew how to do at Florennes. It was once again time to move on to what would be my final assignment in the Air Force. I was being reassigned to HQ USEUCOM in Stuttgart, Germany where I was to replace Fritz Heiss. AFSPA member, Colonel Jack S. Howe replaced me at Florennes. He and I had worked together at HQ PACAF just a few years earlier. I was absolutely positive that he was now the right man for the job.

While assigned as the Special Assistant for Security Matters at HQ USEUCOM, I was responsible for Anti-terrorism. Nuclear security was not a normal part of my responsibilities. Nor was security of GLCM assets stored under USEUCOM Directive 60-10 criteria. Having said that, in January 1987, the HQ USAFE/SP, (and AFSPA member) Col (soon to be Brig Gen) Frank Martin came to Patch Barracks to present a GLCM briefing primarily concerning the Wueschheim deployment. General Lawson was to receive the briefing. After some discussion between us, it was decided I would attend the briefing. I had never been to Wueschheim Air Station (it was located near Hahn Air Base, in the Eiffel region of Germany), but I was still reasonably knowledgeable of GLCM security requirements. The 38^th Tactical Missile Wing was initially formed in April 1985. The problem concerned the sensor system inside the GAMA. The subject brought back unpleasant memories for me. The problem with the sensor system virtually assured a late deployment of GLCM into Germany. As explained earlier in this article, the political timetable to maintain the overall deployment schedule was cast in stone. General Lawson expressed vocal concern and asked if any work arounds existed. I was sitting behind him. He probably was unaware that I was even in the room. Col Martin was at the podium in the front of the conference room. I looked at him for a moment, and then said something like, “We got through the INSI (Initial Nuclear Surety Inspection) at Florennes without sensors, but there is very high price to pay. You must compensate for the lack of sensors with a large number of visual assessment posts.” General Lawson said he would discuss the matter with the Secretary of Defense. I don’t remember the name of the Army Colonel who was normally responsible for nuclear requirements, but I recall his office symbol as HQ USEUCOM J-4LW. I tried reaching him, but he was TDY or on leave someplace. I will be the first to admit that I was poking my nose under somebody else’s tent flap. I would have been pretty upset if another office did something like that to me. But I don’t regret my involvement. On 20 January 1987, I visited the Wueschheim GAMA with Col Martin and the Provost Marshal for HQ USAREUR, Brig General Cliff Druitt. The Secretary of Defense had authorized General Lawson to use soldiers to augment Wueschheim’s security force in order to keep the deployment on track. USAFE did not have any spare Security Police to send TDY to Wueschheim. During the visit, I met the Wing Deputy Commander for Security Police, Col (and AFSPA member) Joe Schang. He had his hands full. I tried to tell him that things would get better. I then stepped out of the Wueschheim GLCM deployment, and spent the rest of my tour profusely apologizing to the HQ USEUCOM J4-LW. But I still think getting involved was the right thing to do.

I have one more GLCM anecdote that involved Col Martin and myself. The problem was protestors in the UK. The UK had outstanding anti-GLCM protestors. They were well trained in the skills of organized anarchy, they came in large numbers, and they were usually filthy in appearance, and in deed. On one particular dispersal training exercise out of RAF Greenham Common they successfully disabled some GLCM Flight vehicles. This generated considerable attention at high levels of the chain of command, including HQ USEUCOM. The GLCM deployment plan approved by NATO required the host nation to provide the necessary security and safe passage for the convoy while it was enroute to its respective dispersal training site. At RAF Greenham Common, this was located on the Salisbury Plain. Even though 44 Security Police were assigned to each flight, we did not provide the en-route security (at least under peace time conditions). This was the responsibility of the Thames Valley Police (UK), the Carbineri (Italy), and the National Gendarmerie for the Province of Namur (in Belgium). These police organizations were operating with authority and guidance of their respective governments. Right after the vehicle disabling event, a meeting was scheduled for Monday morning, 10 November 1986 between U.S. representatives and Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials in London. I learned of the meeting on the previous Friday afternoon and I was instructed to be there. I then learned that Col Martin also planned to attend. After a flurry of telephone calls, he and I flew on military air from Ramstein to Rhein-Main. Then from the Frankfurt Flughaven, we flew on to London Heathrow. The next morning, we found the meeting site at the MOD, and were on time. Representatives were present from HQ Third Air Force, the 501^st Tactical Missile Wing, the Thames Valley Police, and of course, British MOD representatives. As I recall, neither Col Martin nor I said very much (if anything). When introduced. It was announced that our attendance at the meeting reflected the concerns of HQ USAFE and HQ USEUCOM. Sometimes, presence alone can carry a strong message. The British could not make the protesters disappear. But we did receive better enroute security after the London meeting.

In February 1987, I visited the site of the GLCM unit that was to form at Woensdrecht Air Base, Netherlands. I met with an old friend from my days in the UK, CMSgt Bob Gallagher. The 486^th TMW would not form until August of that year, but he was getting ready for activation. In retrospect, as arms negotiations progressed, the missiles and warheads destined for Woensdrecht were never deployed. But that fact would not be known until later.

The rest is history. A summit conference held at Reykjavik, Iceland in October 1986 failed to produce an agreement. Then in February 1987, the Soviet Union announced that it was ready for new negotiations. By July 1987, agreement had been achieved and the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was signed. The missiles were withdrawn from Europe.

About two years later, I informally visited Florennes. I was a retiree who was visiting friends nearby. I drove around the deserted area of the old base, the base I knew, and also saw the beautiful facilities that were never occupied. A huge GAMA had been constructed near the WSA where so many Security Police had endured so much misery. But there was no one there. And the Berlin wall had just been torn down. We had won the Cold War.