Tensions in the Baltic

Kaliningrad.

Nike Zeus

Michigan (?), Summer 1961. We saw the missile during one of our trips to an air-and-space show.

The Chicago Plot

Last year I posted my Dad's snapshots from the November 2, 1963 Air Force versus Army game at Soldier Field. I noted that President Kennedy's visit to the game had been cancelled because of an assassination plot.

WLS-TV, the Chicago ABC affiliate, ran a story about the plot. The piece uses, with my permission, those photos my Dad took.

Football at Soldier Field

I spoke too quickly last year when I asserted that I'd never been to a football game before 2011. My Dad took us to a football game at Soldier Field on November 2, 1963. At first, I didn't know what prompted him to get tickets for the game. Dad was not a sports fan, and to him, "football" meant "soccer." The photos initially suggested that one of the teams was the Army one from West Point. Was this an Army versus Navy match? No. Wikipedia reports that an Army-Navy game took place at Soldier Field in 1926, not 1963.

Ah! Then I saw why we went to this game. President Kennedy was scheduled to attend, and it was an Air Force versus Army match. The Secret Service abruptly canceled the trip, however, after it uncovered an assassination plot.

Dad already had taken us to see JFK earlier that year. Dad was not a Democrat, but he recognized the importance—especially for a child—of seeing the President in person.

Soldier Field, Chicago, November 2, 1963. A big crowd attends the game. Perhaps many still were not aware that President Kennedy was not in the audience.

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Soldier Field, Chicago, November 2, 1963. Here's the photo of the Army cadets that prompted me to start digging into the history of this game.

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Soldier Field, Chicago, November 2, 1963. What's going on here?!

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Soldier Field, Chicago, November 2, 1963. It's the best part of any football game: halftime.

O'Hare in the Early Days

My childhood home stood less than a fifteen-minute drive from O'Hare. The home was on a runway path, and I used to sit in the living room bay window and read the airline logos on the plane's tails as they landed.

But O'Hare was a military airport before it became a commercial airport. The early 1960s were a time when everyone was interested in space, airplanes, and the Air Force. As a result, I visited many exhibits dedicated to flight and space travel.

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Suburban Chicago, Summer 1962. O'Hare has opened some of its areas for a civilian viewing.

Another Air Show

O'Hare International Airport, June 1962. We're visiting an air show again, and we tour a plane assigned to the 4133rd Strategic Wing command.

Air Show

Michigan (?), Summer 1961. On our way home from a vacation at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, we stopped at an air show that featured exhibits about the U.S. Air Force, Cold-War defense, and space exploration. 1961 was a big year for "space" things, and I got my fill of rockets, jets, and missiles.