Brewer’s New Book Completes Cold War Trilogy

1-438

July 18, 2022

Press Release

Southwestern Oklahoma State University History professor Landry Brewer’s new book, Cold War Texas, will hit the shelves August 1.

In the book, Brewer argues that the Lone Star State played a significant role within American Cold War national security policy, when civilization’s survival hung in the balance.

Abilene’s Dyess Air Force Base operated 12 Atlas F intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch sites in the early 1960s that were identical to those operated near Oklahoma’s Altus Air Force Base at the same time. In fact, one of those Altus-area missile sites was located just south of the Red River near Fargo, Tex.

Had these 13 ICBMs been fired, they would have reached their Soviet targets in less than 45 minutes, each delivering a nuclear bomb more than 250 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II,” Brewer said.

Those missile launch sites cost millions of dollars to build, and five lives were lost in the process.

Nuclear-capable Nike Hercules surface-to-air antiaircraft missiles protected Austin and the Metroplex from a Soviet bomber attack.

An American pilot stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio was the only fatality of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Amarillo’s Pantex plant, where three employees died in a 1977 explosion, maintains the security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

Abilene Christian University History professor Amanda Biles offered this praise in the book’s foreword:

Professor Brewer’s research takes his readers through the entire Texas Cold War experience, from origins to early nuclear build-up, then through civil defense and even espionage. He tells of

universities, schools, and civic organizations banding together to provide shelter from possible

fallout….He provides needed insight on the relationship between cities and their nuclear neighbors.

These efforts left a lasting impact on Texas communities. Her citizens knew they would likely be caught in the crosshairs of any Soviet attack, and they responded to this danger with Texas-sized resolve. Their stories are all chronicled here, in another excellent installment of our nation’s Cold War history.”

Brewer is also the author of Cold War Oklahoma and Cold War Kansas. “This book completes the trilogy,” Brewer said.

Cold War Texas is available from Arcadia Publishing/The History Press and may be preordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and several other booksellers.

Brewer is Bernhardt Assistant Professor of History for SWOSU and teaches at the Sayre campus.

He also co-hosts “The Early Morning Show” on KECO Radio with his twin brother Nathan.

Copyright 2022 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

2501021352_1293157

Elk City Man Charged with First Degree Rape

Elk City, OK – While investigating inappropriate messages sent to a 16-year-old, Elk City Police uncovered an alleged inappropriate relationship between a 23-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl. According to court records Gavin Chase Vermillion was arrested

2501020849_2286528

Couple Arrested for Alleged Child Neglect

Elk City, OK – A Carter couple, 39-year-old Tara Dyer and 43-year-old Matthew Dyer, are out on bond after being arrested on December 27, 2024, on allegations of enabling child neglect involving their 16-year-old son. Authorities report

2412181416_2722205

Shamrock Native Promoted to Texas Ranger

Matthew Ferguson of Shamrock, Texas has been promoted to the Texas Rangers Division. Previously serving as a Highway Patrol Sergeant in Pampa, Ferguson now becomes part of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s primary investigative branch. The

2412171425_1884957

Lucas Passed Over for Top House Financial Services Role

Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas of Cheyenne will not be the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees Wall Street, the Federal Reserve, and cryptocurrency. The committee’s decisions regarding banks and financial institutions have significant

2412101523_436725

Woodward Fatal Shooting Update

More details have been released surrounding the shooting deaths of a father and daughter in Woodward. Police say the suspect, 30-year-old Shane Cole Allison, knew the victims and admitted to planning the attack. The victims have been