North Dakota’s Cold War missile bunker is now a museum you can climb into

Young Missileers’ Underground Vigil in North Dakota

From 1966 to 1997, young officers sat 50 feet below North Dakota, fingers near nuclear keys. Most were just 22 to 30 years old, fresh from training at Chanute and Vandenberg.

They worked 24-hour shifts in cramped capsules, each team watching over 10 Minuteman missiles. Both had to turn keys at once, placed too far apart for one person to reach.

Life mixed boredom with tension as they studied, played cards, and waited. As one missileer put it: “95 percent boredom and 5 percent panic.”

The Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site now shows where these Cold Warriors once stood guard.

150 Nuclear Missiles Sat Below North Dakota Farmland

The Air Force built the 321st Missile Wing across 6,500 square miles of North Dakota farmland starting in 1964.

Workers finished in 1966, creating a network of 150 Minuteman II nuclear missiles throughout the countryside. Each group of 10 missiles linked to an underground Launch Control Center 50 feet below ground.

These concrete bunkers had blast doors, air filters, and shock absorbers to help survive a nuclear attack. The complex included support buildings, underground cables, and security fencing around each missile silo.

College Graduates Became Nuclear Button-Pushers at Age 22

The Air Force needed 900 new missile crew members yearly for its nuclear wings. Most officers got this job at just 22 to 30 years old with almost no flying experience.

The military picked these young officers straight from ROTC programs, the Air Force Academy, and Officer Training School. Their youth and lack of flying background made them good fits for underground missile duty.

Many came from middle-class families with college degrees in science, math, or engineering.

Training Started With Classroom Work in Illinois

New missile officers went to Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois for their first training. They spent months learning about nuclear weapons, missile systems, launch steps, and emergency plans.

Classes covered technical details about the LGM-30 Minuteman II missile system and its computers. The Air Force set very high standards, and many students failed during this phase.

Teachers drilled the young officers on every part of their future job, from basic checks to the steps for getting and checking launch orders.

California Taught Hands-On Missile Operations

After Illinois, the young officers went to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for hands-on training. Vandenberg had real Minuteman facilities used for training and test launches into the Pacific Ocean.

Students practiced in actual Launch Control Centers while experienced teachers watched them. The training included fake launch steps and emergency drills that tested how they made choices under pressure.

To pass, they needed good scores on written tests and hands-on tests before getting their first certification.

Mental Health Screening Weeded Out Unstable Officers

Every missile crew member went through deep mental health checks in the Human Reliability Program. The program looked for mental health issues, drug or alcohol problems, money troubles, and personal instability.

Officers faced ongoing checks throughout their careers with regular testing. Security clearances needed deep background checks into personal history and relationships.

Any warning signs about an officer’s reliability led to quick removal from nuclear duty.

Two People Always Needed to Launch Nuclear Missiles

The Air Force created a system where no single person could launch nuclear missiles alone. Each underground Launch Control Center had two officers working as a team with different jobs.

They kept launch keys in a safe with two different locks, with each officer controlling just one key. The control panel put the key switches too far apart for one person to reach both at once.

The system needed both officers to turn their keys within two seconds of each other to start a launch.

Underground Shifts Lasted a Full Day or Longer

Missile crews worked shifts lasting 24 to 40 hours in their underground bunkers. They drove to remote spots across North Dakota farmland to start their duty.

An elevator took them 50 feet down through a concrete shaft to the bunker below. Crews packed food, books, study materials, and personal items for their long underground stay.

Relief crews came at the end of the shift to take over while the previous team returned to base for rest.

Watching for Messages That Might End the World

Crews did regular status checks on all 10 missiles under their control throughout each shift. Officers decoded six-letter secret messages from Strategic Air Command, always making sure orders were real.

Much of their time passed with little activity between needed checks and calls. Former missileer Mike Brown summed up the job as “95 percent boredom and 5 percent panic.”

Crews stayed ready despite the boring routine underground.

Study Time Filled the Long Hours Underground

Many missileers used their underground time to work on master’s degrees through mail courses. The Launch Control Centers had small TVs that picked up a few broadcast channels.

Officers read books, played cards, and talked to pass the long hours of waiting. Some kept journals or wrote letters to family and friends above ground.

Occasional alarm drills and equipment upkeep broke up the boring routine.

Blast Door Art Showed Gallows Humor About Nuclear War

Crews painted colorful murals on the blast doors leading into their Launch Control Centers as a creative outlet. The most famous painting, created by Tony Gatlin in 1990, parodied the Domino’s Pizza delivery guarantee.

It showed a Minuteman missile with the slogan “World-Wide Delivery in 30 Minutes or Less, Or Your Next One is Free.”

The artwork reflected the dark humor that helped missileers cope with the deadly serious nature of their job.

The National Park Service later preserved these blast door paintings as historical artifacts after the sites closed down.

The art provided a rare glimpse into the mindset of those who lived with their fingers near the nuclear trigger.

The Last Alert Ended in 1997 After 31 Years

The final missile crew pulled alert on July 17, 1997, closing out 31 years of continuous operations. The deactivation came after the Cold War ended and arms reduction treaties with the Soviet Union took effect.

The Air Force removed all 150 Minuteman II missiles from their silos across North Dakota. Some facilities became historical sites, including the Oscar-Zero Launch Control Center that tourists can visit today.

Former missileers gathered for ceremonies marking the end of an era they had hoped would never result in an actual launch.

The young officers who once waited underground had grown older, but the missiles they watched over never flew in anger.

Visiting Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site, North Dakota

The Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site at 555 113-1/2 Ave NE in Cooperstown shows you where missile crews lived underground during the Cold War.

Tours cost $10 for adults and $3 for kids 6-15, with groups limited to 15 people. You’ll ride an elevator down to the Launch Control Center and see the blast doors.

The November-33 Launch Facility two miles east on Highway 200 has the massive missile silo door and costs nothing to visit.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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• When the Cold War came to the heartland: North Dakota’s missile fields
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• Oscar Zero: The final Minuteman missile base that outlasted the Cold War