By SARA BERGQUIST

sbe007@latech.edu

 

5…4…3…2…1… Blast off.

The missile that once stood tall in front of Caruthers Residence Hall has “blasted off” into the unknown, and most students are clueless about its disappearance.

The ICBM missile that was taken down Oct. 5 was considered a familiar sight, David Orges, a junior civil engineering major, said.

“The missile was a landmark,” Orges said. “It was part of our history and part of our identity.”

Orges said most everyone knew something about the missile. He also said he knew someone who could pin-point everything around Tech’s campus based on that particular landmark.

“If he ever came back to campus, he’d be lost,” Orges said.

Chaz Estes, a senior professional aviation major, said the missile was what he was told to look for when trying to locate his dorm.

The missile, which is a model of a Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, was erected on Tech’s campus in 1964.

The IBCM missile was accepted from Lt. Gen. David Wade, commander of the Second Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City.

An article about the dedication of the ICBM missile appeared in the Nov. 6, 1964 issue of The Tech Talk.

“The missile is a symbol of the military strength, admiration and appreciation between Louisiana Tech University and the United States Air Force,” Tech’s former President F. Jay Taylor said in the article.

The missile was removed because it was a potential safety issue.

“It had been evaluated, and it had corroded over time,” Col. Ray T. Garza, a professor of aerospace studies and commander of Air Force ROTC detachment 305, said. “The assessment team said the best thing to do would be to take the missile down.”

Garza said the IBCM missile served its purpose for the time it was on campus. It symbolized the Cold War victory and the close relationships between Tech and the U.S. Air Force. 

“It is not going to be redisplayed anywhere. The Air Force will determine what the proper disposition will be, and I think it will just be retired,” Garza said.

The airplane located outside Graham Residence Hall is now the single visual reminder of the Air Force presence at Tech.

Garza said, “We are working on ideas of how to put something in the missile’s place, but we are subject to funding and approval from the university and the U.S. Air Force.”