Cold War Heroes Kept Citizens Safe at Nike Missile Sites throughout Western Pa

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Although the Cold War is a chapter in history books today, more than 50 years ago, people in Pittsburgh perceived a Soviet air attack as a real threat.

"(Pittsburgh) was full of industry, so it would be a target," said Thomas White, archivist at Duquesne University and an adjunct history lecturer.

To protect this industrial region, the government placed 12 air- defense sites, armed with Nike missiles and radar, throughout Allegheny, Westmoreland and Washington counties. Operated by the Army's 31st Artillery Brigade, the sites were active until intercontinental ballistic missiles made them obsolete, and by 1974, all of the sites were shut down.

Today, they …