U. S. Army-Alaska
had no money at all!!
Skip comments, go to Jeral Sexton's Text
Some times a government organization just plain has too much money, and has to spend it some way so that the next year's financing will not be decreased.
OK - I guess that is part of the government game. Hard to supervise effective use of money. If ya didn't spend it all, ya obviously haven't the imagination to spend it all. Less challenge for next year.
Sometimes blowing the surplus money does greater harm that good:
I propose that the U.S. Army, Alaska, is doing silly/bad in its efforts to demolish a historic site that is miles away from nowhere, doing no harm, not in the way of progress.
The people power required to do this silliness could well be spent
But what do we have? The never ending battle to wear down some vocal veterans so the U.S. Army Alaska can blow the krap out of some buildings and towers on an almost forgotten mountain top, and probably finding the contractors throwing the debris over the side -
This is sickening - it isn't that we don't have enough troubles in this world -
Month after Month, Year after year - until the vocal people are worn down,
I propose the total funds for U. S. Army-Alaska be reallocated to some useful project, like Iraq or National Guard or ...
Jeral Sexton's Text
from Jeral Sexton sent July 9th 2007
THE FINAL WEEK IS UPON US.
JULY 13 IS THE LAST DAY WE CAN SENT IN OUR COMMENTS TO THE ARMY WITH CHANGES TO THEIR DRAFT MANAGEMENT REPORT OF THE (EA) ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FINDINGS. THE HISTORY OF SITE SUMMIT WILL BE MOSTLY A WRITTEN DOCUMENT FOUND IN PAMPHLETS, ON OBSCURE INTERPRETIVE PANELS, (OR) VISIBLE AS THE ONLY REMAINING STANDING NIKE SITE WITH ORIGINAL STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THE LAST OF ITS KIND IS ABOUT TO BE DISMANTLED AND WHAT WILL BE LEFT OF IT IF ALTERNATIVES 3 and 4 (INCLUDING # 2) IS INCORPORATED IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AS IT STANDS NOW.
To better understand what is needed to retain the physical integrity as well as the history of Nike Site Summit, I would like to direct you to the Friends of Nike Site Summit (FONSS) website at
http://www.nikesitesummit.org . Once you arrive at their website, click on "urgent" and then click on July 13 (End of Comment Period)_ . You may want to use their talking points pertaining to changes that need to be incorporated to the EA Draft of the Army's alternative #2.
I will be retiring my website "Site Summit, Alaska - Nike Hercules ADA"
http://home.mchsi.com/~jerals on or about July 16th. I will miss the comradeship of all my friends that have been so kind to sign my guestbook as well as all those who have contacted me in other ways and helped me build my website to where it is today. I have thoroughly enjoyed the 4 years that I spent working on my website and helping others enjoy the memories of Site Summit and the awesome significance it contributed to our defense during the Cold War. Because of personal reasons and the fact that I will be losing the website when I go to another server soon, I have decided to turn over what I have built to others so they can carry on the history of Site Summit. Please go to Jim Sapp's "Site Summit" portion of his website at http://home.att.net/~nikealaska/summit/siteSUMMIT.html and view the excellent work he has done reconstructing his own unique historical presentation of my website. I know some of you already know Jim and are on his "Mail List Operator's Manual". If others want to contact Jim and get on his list so you can find other former crewmembers, I would recommend you go to his "main" website at
A Battery, Site Point, Alaska - The Last Nike AADCP . Jim had compiled the most detailed website of ALL the Nike sites in Alaska which is the ONLY one of its kind on the internet. I will be keeping in touch with a lot of my close former crewmembers and others who I have associated with even after my website is gone. As soon as I know my new email address, I will pass it on. I am looking forward to hearing about the fate of Site Summit and am keeping a positive outlook on its physical preservation beyond the recommendations presented in the Army's Draft EA report pertaining to alternative #2.
NOW IS THE TIME TO SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL COMMENTS YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT OF LATER AND WANTED TO ADD. WE CAN EXCEED THE 87 INITIAL EMAILS AND LETTERS THAT WERE SENT TO THE ARMY DURING THE SCOPING PHASE. THE MORE COMMENTS THE ARMY RECEIVES, THE MORE OUR VOICES ARE HEARD AND THE BETTER CHANCE WE HAVE OF PRESERVING SITE SUMMIT AND LETTING THE PRIVATE GROUPS SECURE IT. THE BETTER CHANCE OF OPENING IT FOR ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS TO SEE THE REAL THING AND NOT A ON JUST A PLAQUE OR PAMPHLET. SITE SUMMIT IS THE ONLY NIKE SITE WITH ORIGINAL PHYSICAL INTEGRITY THAT PROTECTED US FROM NUCLEAR DISASTER DURING THE COLD WAR. WE MUST TAKE THIS LAST STAND IN IT'S DEFENSE AND LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD.
DO YOU WANT TO SEE THIS WITH THE ORIGINAL IFC/BARRACKS AND ALL THREE TOWERS REMAINING INTACT OR DO YOU WANT TO SEE ONLY ONE TOWER WITH THE BUILDING (GONE) ? MANY WOODEN AND CONCRETE STRUCTURES WILL BE DESTROYED IN THE LAUNCH AREA AS WELL IF ALTERNATIVE 2 IS INCORPORATED AS ORIGINALLY WORDED. A TOUR OF THE COMPLEX CONDUCTED ON JUNE 22 FOUND THE IFC/BARRACKS BUILDING TO BE STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND WAS POINTED OUT TO THE ARMY THAT IT COULD BE REMOVED OF UNSAFE MATERIAL, SEALED OFF AND PRESERVED RATHER THAN RAZED AT LESS COST THAN DOZING AND REMOVING THE REMAINS OF THE BUILDING AND THE OTHER TWO TOWERS DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. YOUR COMMENTS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
Blazing Skies -
Jeral Sexton
If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mail
to Ed Thelen
FINAL WEEK FOR YOUR COMMENTS TO SAVE SITE SUMMIT
To all of those interested in saving Site Summit, Alaska - Nike Hercules ADA - B Battery, 4th Missile Battalion, 43rd Artillery (B-4-43) later designated as (B-1-43). This is going to a high volume "ping" list of addresses so please excuse any duplication of this email since some of you in my guestbook as well as others have more than one email address.
Former crewmember Nike Site Summit '67-'69