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US Army veteran gives interview on 1959 Naha accidental nuke missile firing

2017-11-04 09:06:35 | article
US Army veteran gives interview on 1959 Naha accidental nuke missile firing

October 26, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
Washington Special Correspondent Yukiyo Zaha reporting


  Robert Roepke in Wisconsin speaking about the accidental firing of a Nike Hercules missile from U.S. Naha Air Base in June 1959.

On June 19, 1959, a Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile equipped with a nuclear warhead at US-controlled Naha Air Base was accidentally ignited and fired due to a maintenance error, and ended up submerged in the ocean.

A former U.S. Army Nike Hercules missile maintenance man who was at Naha Air Base during the incident, now 81-year-old Robert Roepke of Wisconsin, provided his account in an interview with Ryukyu Shimpo.

Roepke said that just before the missile was fired a blue-alert had come down.

This meant the battery was preparing for potential missile launch due to a perceived threat.

The Nike Hercules battery to which Roepke belonged recognized that even after the incident occurred, another missile, this one equipped with high explosives, was being made ready for launch.

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Former US soldier details account of 1959 Naha accidental nuke firing fatal to fellow soldiers

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