Tim McConnell is on the left, and his friend from Vandenberg is on the right. Both, as you can see, are wearing bell bottoms. It was the 1970's after all.
They might have been roommates in the barracks. Tim's friend, however, was assigned to a different missile base than Minot. I think it was Whiteman in Missouri.
After the Cold War, which, especially during the 1970's, we thought would never end, two of the missile bases have been closed, Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota and Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. Minot AFB, Whiteman AFB, Francis E. Warren AFB, and Malmstrom AFB are still active.
The Titan missile bases were the first to go. The Peacekeeper missiles were retired in the 2000's. Only Minuteman III missiles, which we were trained to monitor and launch, are still at all of the remaining bases.
Minot and Grand Forks were the two least favorite assignments for most of their existence because they were in North Dakota and far from any place entertaining to visit, though after a long drive you could reach Minneapolis from Grand Forks. F.E. Warren in Wyoming, not that far from Colorado, and Whiteman, in Missouri, were much more desired locations to be stationed.
I obviously did not care. Minot was fine with me. Here I would make my career. I was sorry to have to leave Southern California, but the gasoline crisis made living there difficult, that year anyway.
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