Last updated: January 15, 2026
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Chuck Schneider
Sandy Hook, Gateway NRA, NPS
Oral History Interview with Chuck Schneider 1959-1962 71st Air Defense Artillery, Nike Launch Site
Interviewed by Billy Yirce, Monmouth University student intern
September 14, 2003
Transcribed by Mary Rasa 2010
Billy Yirce: This is oral history of Chuck Schneider taking place at Fort Hancock in Sandy Hook National Park. Where and when were you born and where did you grow up?
Chuck Schneider: Born in 1940. I grew up in Illinois.
Billy Yirce: Okay and how did you end up coming to Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: I was stationed in Spring Valley, New York at a Nike Site and they closed that and sent me over here.
Billy Yirce: Where did you live when you were serving here?
Chuck Schneider: What building?
Billy Yirce: Yes
Chuck Schneider: I don’t know which one. The horseshoe shaped one.
Billy Yirce: Okay. Where the enlisted men…
Chuck Schneider: Yeah. Building 74 I think it is now.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What do you remember about the area during that time? What sticks out in your mind? Anything?
Chuck Schneider: The beach. It was nice. It was pretty good. Winters were cold.
Billy Yirce: Do you remember any storms in particular?
Chuck Schneider: Hurricane Donna. We were there for that. That was bad.
Billy Yirce: Yeah. Lot of flooding?
Chuck Schneider: Lot of flooding and we had a lot of fun too.
Billy Yirce: Did you know anything about Fort Hancock before being sent here?
Chuck Schneider: No.
Billy Yirce: Nothing at all?
Chuck Schneider: Nothing.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What was your rank and title when you left the military?
Chuck Schneider: My papers say E-4 so I must have been E-4.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What was your job when you were here?
Chuck Schneider: I was in the Launch Control Trailer.
Billy Yirce: Okay and what was that like?
Chuck Schneider: It coordinated between the site and the launching site. I was down at the launch site.
Billy Yirce: Did any of these jobs help you in the future when you left the military?
Chuck Schneider: No.
Billy Yirce: Do you remember anything about the food here when you were here?
Chuck Schneider: About what?
Billy Yirce: About the food.
Chuck Schneider: The food?
Billy Yirce: Yes. Good bad.
Chuck Schneider: A lot of garlic. The cooks were all Puerto Ricans so we got a lot of garlic. It was good.
Billy Yirce: Well, what about the social activities? What was there to do for fun?
Chuck Schneider: Well, we had the beach. We had quite a bit to do. We’d go to town and everything, so…
Billy Yirce: What town was the town to go to back then?
Chuck Schneider: Highlands. There was a big hotel right there in the corner. They had a good tavern.
Billy Yirce: What was the beach that you went to when you went to the beach?
Chuck Schneider: Anywhere we wanted to go down here.
Billy Yirce: Anywhere. Now you met your wife here, right?
Chuck Schneider: Yeah.
Billy Yirce: How did that happen? How did that occur?
Chuck Schneider: I don’t even know. I was fishing with her Dad. That’s what it was. I went fishing with her Dad.
Billy Yirce: Now her Dad was the Chaplain, right?
Chuck Schneider: Right.
Billy Yirce: What were the religious services like when you were here? Do you remember anything about them?
Chuck Schneider: Not that much. It was a strictly military service, you know, it was all written down.
Billy Yirce: Did you ever go into New York City when you were stationed here at all?
Chuck Schneider: No. I did when I was in Spring Valley. I didn’t like it so, I had no reason to go. It was hard to get there then.
Billy Yirce: Yeah. That’s why I was asking because…
Chuck Schneider: Yeah. Yeah. It took a long time to get there. No ferries.
Billy Yirce: In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing about working at Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: Well, the beach. The guys we were working with were all good guys. We didn’t have any trouble with them. And it was pretty well, laid back, you know. It wasn’t real strict military.
Billy Yirce: Now do you still keep in contact with any of the men that you served with?
Chuck Schneider: A few of them.
Billy Yirce: Ah, that’s good. When’s the last time that you visited Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: I was here last year.
Billy Yirce: How much has it changed since you left?
Chuck Schneider: Oh, from last year?
Billy Yirce: No. From when you left the service.
Chuck Schneider: Ah, gee, a lot. An awful lot. There were no civilians out here at all. I mean it was all closed up.
Billy Yirce: And what year did you leave the military?
Chuck Schneider: ’62.
Billy Yirce: What did you go into? What did you do?
Chuck Schneider: I went home and I had a business out there that I run.
Billy Yirce: Oh, sounds good. Well, I just wanted to thank you for coming.
END OF INTERVIEW
(Editor’s note: Chuck Schneider was in the U.S. Army from October 1958 to September 1962. He served first at the Nike Site at Spring Valley, New York, NY-99. He came to Fort Hancock on January 2, 1959 and served there until discharged, which took place at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.)
Oral History Interview with Chuck Schneider 1959-1962 71st Air Defense Artillery, Nike Launch Site
Interviewed by Billy Yirce, Monmouth University student intern
September 14, 2003
Transcribed by Mary Rasa 2010
Billy Yirce: This is oral history of Chuck Schneider taking place at Fort Hancock in Sandy Hook National Park. Where and when were you born and where did you grow up?
Chuck Schneider: Born in 1940. I grew up in Illinois.
Billy Yirce: Okay and how did you end up coming to Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: I was stationed in Spring Valley, New York at a Nike Site and they closed that and sent me over here.
Billy Yirce: Where did you live when you were serving here?
Chuck Schneider: What building?
Billy Yirce: Yes
Chuck Schneider: I don’t know which one. The horseshoe shaped one.
Billy Yirce: Okay. Where the enlisted men…
Chuck Schneider: Yeah. Building 74 I think it is now.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What do you remember about the area during that time? What sticks out in your mind? Anything?
Chuck Schneider: The beach. It was nice. It was pretty good. Winters were cold.
Billy Yirce: Do you remember any storms in particular?
Chuck Schneider: Hurricane Donna. We were there for that. That was bad.
Billy Yirce: Yeah. Lot of flooding?
Chuck Schneider: Lot of flooding and we had a lot of fun too.
Billy Yirce: Did you know anything about Fort Hancock before being sent here?
Chuck Schneider: No.
Billy Yirce: Nothing at all?
Chuck Schneider: Nothing.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What was your rank and title when you left the military?
Chuck Schneider: My papers say E-4 so I must have been E-4.
Billy Yirce: Okay. What was your job when you were here?
Chuck Schneider: I was in the Launch Control Trailer.
Billy Yirce: Okay and what was that like?
Chuck Schneider: It coordinated between the site and the launching site. I was down at the launch site.
Billy Yirce: Did any of these jobs help you in the future when you left the military?
Chuck Schneider: No.
Billy Yirce: Do you remember anything about the food here when you were here?
Chuck Schneider: About what?
Billy Yirce: About the food.
Chuck Schneider: The food?
Billy Yirce: Yes. Good bad.
Chuck Schneider: A lot of garlic. The cooks were all Puerto Ricans so we got a lot of garlic. It was good.
Billy Yirce: Well, what about the social activities? What was there to do for fun?
Chuck Schneider: Well, we had the beach. We had quite a bit to do. We’d go to town and everything, so…
Billy Yirce: What town was the town to go to back then?
Chuck Schneider: Highlands. There was a big hotel right there in the corner. They had a good tavern.
Billy Yirce: What was the beach that you went to when you went to the beach?
Chuck Schneider: Anywhere we wanted to go down here.
Billy Yirce: Anywhere. Now you met your wife here, right?
Chuck Schneider: Yeah.
Billy Yirce: How did that happen? How did that occur?
Chuck Schneider: I don’t even know. I was fishing with her Dad. That’s what it was. I went fishing with her Dad.
Billy Yirce: Now her Dad was the Chaplain, right?
Chuck Schneider: Right.
Billy Yirce: What were the religious services like when you were here? Do you remember anything about them?
Chuck Schneider: Not that much. It was a strictly military service, you know, it was all written down.
Billy Yirce: Did you ever go into New York City when you were stationed here at all?
Chuck Schneider: No. I did when I was in Spring Valley. I didn’t like it so, I had no reason to go. It was hard to get there then.
Billy Yirce: Yeah. That’s why I was asking because…
Chuck Schneider: Yeah. Yeah. It took a long time to get there. No ferries.
Billy Yirce: In your opinion, what was the most interesting thing about working at Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: Well, the beach. The guys we were working with were all good guys. We didn’t have any trouble with them. And it was pretty well, laid back, you know. It wasn’t real strict military.
Billy Yirce: Now do you still keep in contact with any of the men that you served with?
Chuck Schneider: A few of them.
Billy Yirce: Ah, that’s good. When’s the last time that you visited Fort Hancock?
Chuck Schneider: I was here last year.
Billy Yirce: How much has it changed since you left?
Chuck Schneider: Oh, from last year?
Billy Yirce: No. From when you left the service.
Chuck Schneider: Ah, gee, a lot. An awful lot. There were no civilians out here at all. I mean it was all closed up.
Billy Yirce: And what year did you leave the military?
Chuck Schneider: ’62.
Billy Yirce: What did you go into? What did you do?
Chuck Schneider: I went home and I had a business out there that I run.
Billy Yirce: Oh, sounds good. Well, I just wanted to thank you for coming.
END OF INTERVIEW
(Editor’s note: Chuck Schneider was in the U.S. Army from October 1958 to September 1962. He served first at the Nike Site at Spring Valley, New York, NY-99. He came to Fort Hancock on January 2, 1959 and served there until discharged, which took place at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.)