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Camp Cooke and Vandenberg Air Force Base, 1941-1966: From Armor and Infantry Training to Space and Missile Launches
AUTHOR'S The launch vehicles and facilities history in this book covers the period 1958 to 2014. Buy direct from the author for less campcookeandvandenbergbook@gmail.com.
CAMP COOKE AND VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, 1941-1966 is the fascinating story of a military installation originally built as an armored and infantry training camp on the eve of America's entry into World War II. It takes us through the war years in a series of notable events transpiring at Camp Cooke and on the war front. The book follows a similar path in discussing the Korean War. The story eventually leads us to the transformation of Cooke into America's prominent space and missile base known as Vandenberg AFB, the site of the first ICBM missiles on alert with nuclear warheads.
During World War II and the Korean War, thousands of soldiers not only trained at Cooke, they were entertained by scores of visiting USO troupes. The shows featured many of Hollywood's legendary entertainers as well as numerous other luminaries from radio and stage, and the sports world. The soldiers who trained at Cooke were later engaged in some of the bloodiest battles of both wars. As evidence of this carnage, six Congressional Medal of Honor recipients came from Camp Cooke and each man's heroic actions is discussed. During the Korean War, one of the most chilling stories is about the 1,000 soldiers from Camp Cooke who were exposed to nuclear test detonations in the Nevada desert in 1951.
The Air Force portion of the book examines early missile and space programs and reveals several significant successes and accidents. One of these accidents tragically claimed the life of a young airman. These stories are followed by a concise historical summary of Vandenberg's launch facilities and the missile and space boosters flown from the base between 1958 and 2014. Included in the book are visits to the base by President Kennedy and the humorous story of Russian Premier Khrushchev's train ride across America that almost ended in a diplomatic incident.
The book's military theme encompasses more than sixty years of American history. Through hot wars and a cold war it is a story about how ordinary people performed extraordinary services for their country and their fellow countrymen during those times.
The narrative is enriched by more than 100 rare and previously unpublished images as well as maps, appendices, and extensive source notes.
CAMP COOKE AND VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, 1941-1966 is the fascinating story of a military installation originally built as an armored and infantry training camp on the eve of America's entry into World War II. It takes us through the war years in a series of notable events transpiring at Camp Cooke and on the war front. The book follows a similar path in discussing the Korean War. The story eventually leads us to the transformation of Cooke into America's prominent space and missile base known as Vandenberg AFB, the site of the first ICBM missiles on alert with nuclear warheads.
During World War II and the Korean War, thousands of soldiers not only trained at Cooke, they were entertained by scores of visiting USO troupes. The shows featured many of Hollywood's legendary entertainers as well as numerous other luminaries from radio and stage, and the sports world. The soldiers who trained at Cooke were later engaged in some of the bloodiest battles of both wars. As evidence of this carnage, six Congressional Medal of Honor recipients came from Camp Cooke and each man's heroic actions is discussed. During the Korean War, one of the most chilling stories is about the 1,000 soldiers from Camp Cooke who were exposed to nuclear test detonations in the Nevada desert in 1951.
The Air Force portion of the book examines early missile and space programs and reveals several significant successes and accidents. One of these accidents tragically claimed the life of a young airman. These stories are followed by a concise historical summary of Vandenberg's launch facilities and the missile and space boosters flown from the base between 1958 and 2014. Included in the book are visits to the base by President Kennedy and the humorous story of Russian Premier Khrushchev's train ride across America that almost ended in a diplomatic incident.
The book's military theme encompasses more than sixty years of American history. Through hot wars and a cold war it is a story about how ordinary people performed extraordinary services for their country and their fellow countrymen during those times.
The narrative is enriched by more than 100 rare and previously unpublished images as well as maps, appendices, and extensive source notes.
284 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 23, 2014
[Full disclosure: I am an author of another book on Vandenberg Air Force Base]
Mr. Geiger's book "Camp Cooke and Vandenberg Air Force Base, 1941-1966" is a well-researched history of the base in its former life as a training location for the U.S. Army and later a location for space and missile launches for the United States Air Force through the present day.
Many young officers see Vandenberg as their first duty station, and are introduced to its rich history as Camp Cooke early on. The book details many aspects of garrison life - from the USO shows that were ever-present, the training areas filled with flamethrowers, tanks, small arms and even heavier weaponry, to the contingent of Axis Prisoners of War that called the base home.
After its closure in the post-World War II days, the base was reactivated to train troops for the Korean War. In a process too detailed to mention here, the U.S. government chose Camp Cooke to house the nation's missile and rocket launch site on the West Coast.
The book yields a rich treasure trove of information on the Camp Cooke era, and into the early days of Vandenberg, after the addition of Naval Missile Facility Point Arguello, but before the addition of Sudden Ranch. Footnotes, end notes and sourcing is very thorough, presented by a writer with exclusive access to the base's historical archive.
Two points knock my rating from 5-stars to 4: While the title describes the scope of the book (1941-1966), much of Vandenberg's space and missile history is not covered with depth. At last count, there were less than 70 pages on the Air Force portion vice the couple hundred pages on Camp Cooke (Army years), and the many pages of sources. As a resource on Camp Cooke - excellent. As a reference on Vandenberg - not so great (but the only game in town thus far...)
The second point dovetails off the previous paragraph. One of the Appendices covers the space launch complexes and missile launch facilities of Vandenberg AFB... through the present day (2009, if I remember correctly). What use would an appendix through present day be, if the book's scope is just to 1966?
The last beef I would state is the price... but most authors don't control this (...the publishers do). The book would be more readily accessible if the price was less. As it stands now, only die-hard Vandenberg aficionados or relatives of Camp Cooke veterans will shell out the price for this book.
Mr. Geiger's book "Camp Cooke and Vandenberg Air Force Base, 1941-1966" is a well-researched history of the base in its former life as a training location for the U.S. Army and later a location for space and missile launches for the United States Air Force through the present day.
Many young officers see Vandenberg as their first duty station, and are introduced to its rich history as Camp Cooke early on. The book details many aspects of garrison life - from the USO shows that were ever-present, the training areas filled with flamethrowers, tanks, small arms and even heavier weaponry, to the contingent of Axis Prisoners of War that called the base home.
After its closure in the post-World War II days, the base was reactivated to train troops for the Korean War. In a process too detailed to mention here, the U.S. government chose Camp Cooke to house the nation's missile and rocket launch site on the West Coast.
The book yields a rich treasure trove of information on the Camp Cooke era, and into the early days of Vandenberg, after the addition of Naval Missile Facility Point Arguello, but before the addition of Sudden Ranch. Footnotes, end notes and sourcing is very thorough, presented by a writer with exclusive access to the base's historical archive.
Two points knock my rating from 5-stars to 4: While the title describes the scope of the book (1941-1966), much of Vandenberg's space and missile history is not covered with depth. At last count, there were less than 70 pages on the Air Force portion vice the couple hundred pages on Camp Cooke (Army years), and the many pages of sources. As a resource on Camp Cooke - excellent. As a reference on Vandenberg - not so great (but the only game in town thus far...)
The second point dovetails off the previous paragraph. One of the Appendices covers the space launch complexes and missile launch facilities of Vandenberg AFB... through the present day (2009, if I remember correctly). What use would an appendix through present day be, if the book's scope is just to 1966?
The last beef I would state is the price... but most authors don't control this (...the publishers do). The book would be more readily accessible if the price was less. As it stands now, only die-hard Vandenberg aficionados or relatives of Camp Cooke veterans will shell out the price for this book.
June 30, 2015
This is an excellent work by historian Jeffrey Geiger that is well researched, well-written, and simply enjoyable to read. In a nutshell, it discusses life in an Army camp during World War II and the Korean War, and describes the evolution of Vandenberg into the country's only space and missile base, where the first ICBMs equipped with nuclear warheads were positioned. Along the way, Geiger fills the pages with fascinating anecdotal events that you won't read anywhere else.
Joseph Page's criticisms of Geiger's book are pure fantasy, written to self-promote his own substandard "book."
Joseph Page's criticisms of Geiger's book are pure fantasy, written to self-promote his own substandard "book."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews