Camp Cooke and Vandenberg Air Force Base, 1941-1966 : From Armor and Infantry Training to Space and Missile Launches

America''s first West Coast armored and infantry training installation was built in California in 1941 and named Camp Cooke. It is currently known as Vandenberg Space Force Base. During WWII, more than 400 military units trained at Cooke, peaking at more than 36,000 soldiers. The largest units that rotated through Cooke were the 5th, 6th, 11th, 13th, and 20th Armored Divisions and the 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions. Having honed their fighting skills at Cooke, they prevailed in fierce battles across France and Germany. The 6th, 11th, and 20th Armored Divisions also took part in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald, Mauthausen, and Dachau, respectively. Camp Cooke also included a large compound for German prisoners of war.

This book takes the reader through the war years in a series of notable events transpiring at Cooke and on the war front. It follows a similar path in discussing the Korean War. Two National Guard infantry divisions, the 40th from California and the 44th from Illinois were the largest units at Cooke during the war. Dozens of smaller organizations also rotated through Camp Cooke. During both conflicts, visiting USO shows at Cooke featured some of the most popular celebrities and entertainers of the day, including Bob Hope, Bette Davis, the Three Stooges, Susan Hayward, Kay Kaiser, Louie Armstrong, Dorothy Lamour, Orson Welles, Sammy Davis Jr., Joe DiMaggio, world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, and many more.

In 1957, Cooke was transferred to the Air Force and a year later renamed Vandenberg AFB. In 1959, the first Atlas ICBM missiles, equipped with nuclear warheads, were placed on alert at Vandenberg. That same year, America''s first reconnaissance (spy) satellite was launched from the base. Known as Corona, it used the cover name Discoverer to conceal its true mission. In discussing early launch programs, the book reveals several significant accidents and successes. It also discusses President Kennedy''s visit to the base and the humorous story of Russian Premier Khrushchev''s train ride past the base and across America, which almost ended in a diplomatic incident.

The book''s military theme encompasses more than 80 years of American history and spotlights California''s inextricable role in world events. Through hot wars and a cold war, it is a story about ordinary people performing extraordinary services for their country and fellow countrymen during those momentous times.