• Get away to Gateway, where you can camp and stay healthy with heart-smart activities. Photo by Sebastiano Privitera; used by permission.

    Gateway

    National Recreation Area NY,NJ

Cold War at Fort Hancock

Soldiers outside a quanset hut with radar equipment, 1950s.

Soldiers outside a Quonset hut with radar equipment, 1950s.

NPS PHOTO ARCHIVES

During the Cold War, the U.S. Army defended cities from air attack. At Fort Hancock and across the nation, this was accomplished first with anti-aircraft guns and then with Nike Missiles. These Surface-to-Air (SAM) missiles protected New York City from 1954-1974. Click on a link below for the stories of the soldiers of the Cold War and their families who lived at Fort Hancock.

Mark Allshouse, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, pdf

Gerald Bork, Headquarters Battery, 526th AAA, pdf

Jerry Bouiseau, Nike Missiles, pdf

Richard Busch, Nike IFC 1965-69, pdf

Dennis and Jeanne Drews, Nike soldier and spouse, pdf

Paul Cavise and Bill Fabian, Nike Missiles, pdf

Carl Cochran, Nike Missiles, pdf

Kenneth Colburn, Anti-Aircraft guns, pdf

Penny Corley, Officer's Wife, pdf

Roger Coté, Nike Missiles, pdf

Carl DeFilippis, pdf

Peter Dessaurer and Russell Marsh

Joe and Peg Donegan, Military Police and spouse, pdf

Phil Duffy, N.J. National Guard, pdf

M. Susan Clapsaddle Faley, general's daughter, pdf

Thomas Faley, General Clapsaddle's aide, pdf

Herbert Hayes, Last Post Commander, pdf

Ronald Holmes, Nike missiles soldier, pdf

Daniel Huebner, son of post chanplain, pdf

Ronald Hyers, pdf

Bill Jackson, Nike soldier and civilian employee, pdf

Dorothy Johnson, Officer's wife, pdf

 

Did You Know?

The NC 4 in flight.

The first transatlantic flight departed from the Rockaway Naval Air Station on Jamaica Bay in 1919.  Today, it is the site of Gateway NRA's Jacob Riis Park.