When UN Secretary-General U Thant requested U.S. military equipment for UN operations in the Congo, his request included an item that didn’t make much sense.
Strategic Air Command at DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of the Strategic Air Command forces at Barksdale Air Force Base at DEFCON 2 during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Operation Hard Surface Deploying to Saudi Arabia
Footage of the 352nd Fighter Squadron preparing to deploy to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Hard Surface.
Robert McNamara’s Press Conference on Cuban Missile Crisis
Silent footage of a press briefing by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara regarding the Soviet buildup in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Medivac Operations in South Vietnam
Footage of the medivac operations of the 315th Air Division Task Force Alpha in South Vietnam in April 1968.
U.S. Bombing in Cambodia
Footage of U.S. Air Force planes carrying out bombing strikes in Cambodia in June 1970.
Marines at Khe Sanh Camp, Vietnam
Footage of Marine Corps personnel at Khe Sanh camp in South Vietnam in May 1968. The camera follows Marines as they go about their daily duties and life at the camp.
General Curtis LeMay visits Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of General Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, visiting the Tactical Air Command at Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Homestead Air Force Base Security Demonstration during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of a demonstration exercise of perimeter security measures at Tactical Air Command headquarters at Homestead Air Force Base during or shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Tactical Air Command Operations at Homestead Air Force Base during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Operations of the Tactical Air Command during the Cuban Missile Crisis at Homestead Air Force Base. Includes the preparation of rockets and weapons, planes on alert on the tarmac, and the arrival of General Walter Sweeney Jr (Tactical Air Command Commander) and General Thomas Power (Strategic Air Command Commander).
Where U.S. Military Personnel Are Stationed Around the World in 2014
A map showing where active duty U.S. military forces are stationed in foreign countries as of June 30, 2014.
The U.S. Nuclear Missile Arsenal in the Early 1960s
An overview of U.S. missile forces in the early 1960s.
B-52s at DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of B-52s at DEFCON 2 alert at Barksdale Air Force Base at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Includes a shot of a B-52 taking off armed with a GAM-77 Hound Dog nuclear air-launched cruise missile. According to the camera operator’s slate, the footage was shot on October 27, 1962, widely regarded as the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
B-52 Bombers on DEFCON 2 Alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis
B-52 bombers in the Strategic Air Command on alert at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 27, 1962, widely regarded as the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Strategic Air Command B-47 Bombers Dispersed during the Cuban Missile Crisis
B-47 bombers of the Strategic Air Command are stationed on the tarmac at Memphis Airport during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They were stationed here during the crisis as part of the mobilization procedures to disperse SAC’s forces to make them less vulnerable to surprise attack. SAC was at DEFCON 2 at the time.
General Maxwell Taylor is Sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Maxwell Taylor is sworn in as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor in the National Military Command Center
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor pose for cameras in a conference room in the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon.
JFK at Homestead Air Force Base / Air Force One Arrives & F-100 Flyby
JFK visits Homestead Air Force Base, headquarters of the Tactical Air Command, on November 26, 1962, not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis. This reel is taken with a camera on the runway. It captures JFK arriving by Air Force One and a flyby of F-100 Jets.
JFK is Presented with the U.S. Army Flag in the Oval Office
In a brief Oval Office ceremony, Chief of Staff of the Army General Earle Wheeler and Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance present JFK with the U.S. Army Flag with battle streamers. The flag is then placed behind the President’s desk.
Test Launch of the Titan ICBM
Mult-camera coverage of a test launch of the Titan VS-1 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) rocket. The Titan VS-1 was launched from an in-ground silo.
JFK Visits Fort Stewart after the Cuban Missile Crisis
Footage of JFK’s visit to Fort Stewart, Georgia, where the 1st Armored Division was based. It was one of several bases in the southeastern United States that President Kennedy visited in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Training in South Vietnam 1962
Historical film footage created of US military forces training villagers in South Vietnam, in villages just south of Danang.
U.S. Military Personnel 1954-2014
Here are how the numbers of active duty military personnel have fluctuated over the past 60 years through the Vietnam War, Cold War, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.