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The destrubtive power of the Nike Ajax was based onthree high-explosive fragmentation warheads mounted inthe nose, cenrer, and aft secions of the missile. The nosewarhead contained 4.5 pounds of explosives, rhe cenrerwarhead contained 92 pounds of explosives, and the aftwarhead contained 59 pounds of explosives; in total, theAjax contained L55.5 pounds of explosive (Department of theArmy t3-14). \Vhen the missile was signaled ro detonate,each of the missileb warheads would explode, shattering itsbody and thereby violently spreading the resultin gfr"g-ments outwards in order to destroy the intended targel.

While not a map, this graphic uses a startodepict the location of Middletown within the state

of New Jersey ("Town Maps USff).

Like other Nike sites, NY-53t

Donald Lee MarshDonald Lee Marsh was born on December 29,1938,

to parents Paul Evert Marsh and Violet Mae Bosley in theunincorporared communiry ofAlton.a Little is knownabout his mother, who was 14 yearc old at the time ofDonald's birth (Hosaflook).

Donald was raised by his paternal grandparenrs, Mr.and Mrs. Oyd Marsh, also ofAlto.r,

"rrd atiended the

two-room Alton Elementary School, located a shortwalk from his grandparentt house. He attended theTennerton division of Buckhannon-Upshur High Schoolfor approximately rwo years before enlsting in lhe Armyon January 10, 1956, for a three year term ("Upshur Soldier Is

Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion'). Marsh is listed as an unpicturedfreshman in the school's 1954 yearbook (yearbook Staff 65).

After entering the At-y, the l7-year old Marshcompleted basic training with the 506th Airbornelnfantry5 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; anti-aircraftartillery and guided missile school ar Forr Bliss, Texas; andsignal school training ar Forr Gordon, Georgia (..Upshur

Soldier Is Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion").

NY.53

acq uired *. *; ;;*:t*:::iffi "f : ?{:1r".:i:"'amount of site preparation and consrruction. Dependingupon the local geographical area, a Nike launch area was-between 15 and 35 acres in size while the IFC averagedapproximately six acres in size ("For All Commanders and Tioops,,

2.. ft. process of land acquisition for NY-53 began inFebruary 1955 with the Army obtaining a total of SO.qgacres: 4.55 acres for the IFC; 18.16 acres for the launcherarea; and 58.28 acres for easements around and betweenthe IFC and launch area. 'With the consrruction of NY-53co_mplete, Battery B, 526thAAA Missile Battalion occupiedNY-53 in May 1957 (sxecttive Officer, "DA Form 1 Morning Report,,).

As with many Nike Ajax batreries, NY-53 consistedof 12 missile launchers, wirh four launchers in each ofthree launching sections: Section A, Section B, and Sec-tion C. A launching section's missiles were stored in anunderground storage area, referred to as a magalzine, andtransported up to the launcher first by an elevitor andthen manually pushed into position on a rail system.The launcher configuration at NY-53 consistej of threelaunching sections each with four launchers for a rotal of12 launchers. In the case of NY-53, its complemen t of 36missiles were allocated three per launcher.

Donald Marsh in Boot Camp. This photograph

was most likely taken during Marsh's basictraining[(also referred to as boot camp], asevidence by the lack of unit and personal insigniaon his duty uniform; the boot camp photograph

is traditionally taken near the beginning of basictraining. Marsh's photo reflects the typicalreaction of many basic trainees; no doubt he

is wondering why he had volunteered for theshocking and new experience of the Army.(Photograph courtesy of Billy Gale Marsh)

Conversely, this photo shows a smiling Marsh inhis dress uniform. The absence of rank insigniaindicates he is a Private, the lowest rank of anenlisted soldier in the Army.7 As evident by thewide smile in contrastto the boot camp photograph,this photo was most likely taken shorfly before hisgraduation from anti-aircraft artillery and guided

missile school at Fort Bliss, Texas; he iS visiblyhappy relative to his boot camp photograph. Thestark differences in facial expressions between thesetwo photographs is not uncommon for those whohave entered the military.(Photograph courtesy of Bttty Gale Marsh)

This photo shows a single Nike Launcher Section of four launchers at theformer Fort Cronkhite; NY-53 consisted of three similar launcher sections. Nowa part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fort Cronkhite was a formerWorld War ll training post that later housed a Nike battery that defendedSanFrancisco. (Photograph courtesy of the National park Service)

A partial review of Army Morning Reportss providesa glimpse into Marsht Army experience.- PW 2 Marshreported for dury on August 25, 1956, ro Battery D,737thAAA Missile Battalione ar Foft Tilden in New York,upon completing signal school ar Forr Gordon (simms,,,DAForm I Morning Report"). On April L5, 1957 , PFC Marshdeparted NY-53 for 15 days of leavelo 1si--r, ..DA Form 1

Morning Repon"); he was scheduled ro return on April 29th.After failing ro rerurn as scheduled, Marsh *as ieported asabsent without leave (A\roL) on April 30th (p,*..uttve officer,"DA Form I Morning Report"); he finally returned to NY-53 onMay 8th (Executive Officer, "DA Form I Morning Report,,). On June

The Upshur County Historical Society . Spring 201246

marsh continuedfiom page 4618, 1957, Marsh was sentenced to one month of hardlabor for his offense11 1si--r, "DA Form I Morning Report"); heserved his punishment at the stockade in Fort Dix, NewJersey (Simms, "DA Form I Morning Report").

In a sign that he eventually re-earned the trust of hischain of command, PW 2 Marsh was granted leave for19 days starting on Decemb er 14, 7957 @rty, "DA Form 1

Morning Report"), allowing him the opportunity to travel forthe holidays. Further, Marsh regained the rank he lost dueto his A\7OL when he was promoted to PFC on February26, 1958 (Daly, "DA Form I Morning Report"). Granted 10 daysof leave starting on April 4, 1958 (Daly, "DA Form I MorningReport"), Marsh visited home and planned to return in lateMay to attend the annual Strawberry Festival ("upshur Soldier

Is Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion') in Buckhannon.

The ExplosionsIt was a sunny Thursday afternoon in Middletown

on May 22, t958 (Cagte1e4) when 14 of NY-53t 36missiles were located aboveground: seven in LaunchingSection A, four in Launching Section B, and three inLaunching Section C. At this time, three separate eventswere underway in the vicinity of Launching Section A.Battery personnel were checking missiles in preparationfor going on a higher state of alert; known as a commandcalibration, this operation was performed rourinely at leastonce a week 1P.r-*ent Subcommittee on Investigations l6), Threesoldiers were performing this task in Launching SectionA 1rgr" 4). Separately, a team of two Ordnance Corpscivilians were repairing Launcher Number 3 in LaunchingSection A; this launcher did not hold a missile (permanent

Subcommittee on Investigations 1@. Finally, another Ordnanceteam of three civilians were conducdng an authorized fieldmodification of the battery's missiles; this modificationhad been previously performed on approximately 1,000missiles throughout the country (Permanent Subcommittee on

Investigations 16).

This field modification consisted of replacing themissilet arming mechanism, a process requiring theremoval of both the nose and the cenrer warheads fromthe missile (Cagle 195). The pace of the Ordnance teamconducting this modificarion was ser ar four missilesper day; the team had completed the modification onthree missiles and was working on its fourth missile ofthe day (Lewis l8). Three soldiers were assisting with thistask in Launching Section A legrn 4). Besides the 11 menpreviously mentioned who were working aboveground inLaunching Section A, seven other men were also presentin the launcher area: three soldiers were above ground atLaunching Section C, two soldiers were below ground atLaunching Section B, and rwo soldiers were below groundat Launching Section A (Egan t-4).

Somewhere during the process of conducting themodification on the fourth missile, the missile explodedwhich in turn resulted in the nearly simultaneousdetonationl2 or launching of the remaining six missiles

The Upshur County Historical Society . Spring 2017

of Launching Section A. Contemporary newspaperreporting, particularly in northern New Jersey, containedphotographs of resulting missile debris in local residentialareas. \Tindows were blown out of houses for milesaround while the sound of the blast was heard at a distanceof fifteen miles (Cagle 194).

Of the 11 men working above ground in LaunchingSection A, ten were killed, including Donald Marsh.Ordnance Corps civilian Joseph A. Follino survived due toa crouching movement he made immediately prior to theexplosions (Egan 4).

\flhile the seven missiles located above ground inLaunching Section A either exploded or launched,the nearest adjoining missile in Launching Section Bfortunately did not explode; however, its booster wasignited by debris, resulting in the fight of the missile andits subsequent impact into the side of a nearby hill; failureof this missile to explode may have saved the other sixmissiles that remained aboveground 1c"gl. D:).

Post-Blast Scene of NY-53 (Stackpole) This photograph shows the launchersite after the explosions; Launching Section A is seen in the center foregroundwhile the front end of a destroyed vehicle is seen in the left foreground.Launching Section B is adjacentto Launching Section A while LaunchingSection C is seen in the background of the photograph.

The AftermathAs the Nike system was in development and later

during its fielding, the Army conducted a significantmarketing plan, carefully explaining the missiles werevirtually accident proof while a missile battery "was nomore dangerous a neighbor than a gas station" ("Armed

Forces: Death in the Neighborhood"). An article in the June 2,1958, edition ofTime Magazine summed up rhe angstsurrounding the Nike program in the aftermath of NY-53's deadly explosions: "Lasr week the gas-station blew up"("Armed Forces: Death in the Neighborhood").

The explosions at NY-53 damaged Launching SectionA, destroyed eight missiles, and damaged rwo moremissiles. More significandy, the explosions killed 10 Armypersonnel: six enlisted soldiers and four Civilian OrdnanceCorps workers. An additional three men suffered seriousbut non-fatal injuries. Another soldier was under thesite of the explosions in the underground missile srorage

47

marsh continued from page 47

location and suffered from shock and hysteria; all fourmen were transported for ffeatment at Pafterson ArmyHospital, located at nearby Fort Monmouth. Newlydedicated on April 24, 1958, the 100-bed Patterson ArmyHospital (office of Medical History) also receiyed the bodies ofthe ten men who died.13

On Thursday evening Paul Marsh received initialnotification of his sont status, learning Donald was ondury at the time of the explosions but was consideredmissing since the Army was unable to identif, hisremains; this telephonic notification was made by the base

commander ("Upshur Soldier Is Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion'), mostlikely a reference to First Lieutenant Robert F. Daly, thecommander of Battery B and Marsh's commanding officer.The Morning Report for that day listed all six soldiersas "missing due to accident this station" (Drly, "DA Form 1

Morning Report").

Initial casualry figures varied, as published in newspaperarticles throughout the country the next day, frombetween seven dead with three missing to nine dead withone missing. These initial varyingreports were most likelydue to the effects of the explosions; newspaper articles ofthe time cited the grim scene,l4 some in graphic detail,encountered by response personnel. Newspaper coverageof the explosions in the United States ranged from Bostonto Los Angeles and numerous points in between. Indeed,the coverage spanned the globe with reporting publishedin Zhe London Times and international editions of Starsand Stripes.l5

The next morning - Friday, the 23rd of May - theelder Marsh received a telegram at his home in Hinklevillethat verified the information provided in the telephoneconversation of the previous night; at this point the familypostponed funeral arrangements pending conclusive newson Donaldt body ("Upshur Soldier Is Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion').'With

Fridays Morning Report, however, Marsht statuswas changed from missing to "death from accidentalinjury'' (Daly, "DA Form I Morning Report").

Paul Marsh received another telegram on Saturdaymorning providing the definitive notice of Donald Marshtdeath and indicated a follow-on letter would providefurther detail l"Uprt ur Soldier Is Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion'). Thisletter is most likely a reference to the commander's letterof sympathy that is customarily written to the family of adeceased soldier.

Absent any evidence of gross carelessness, smoking,inattention to the operations, or any other possiblecause such as sabotage, the Armyt investigation into theexplosions concluded the most probable cause of theexplosion was the crushing or rupturing of a detonatingcap (Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations 16). Unstated inthe Armyt report of earlyJuly 1958 was an explanationof what caused the crushing or rupturing of a detonatingcap, which is the explosive element used to initiate thedetonation of an Ajax warhead.

48

Donald Marsh was laid to rest on Friday, May 30,1958,eight days after his death, at Indian Camp Cemetery uponthe conclusion of funeral services that began at 10 in themorning at the Alton Evangelical United Brethren Church;the Reverend Glen Black officiated and the Alexander Postof the American Legionr6 conducted graveside rites ("Missile

Victim Buried Friday''). Marsht final resting placelT is a 2.7 mileride by car from the house of his grandparents. Tragically,he had planned to return home that last weekend in Mayto attend the annual Strawberry Festival ("Upshur Soldier Is

Killed in Nike-Ajax Explosion").

For reasons presendy unknown, Paul Marsh did notapply for Donaldt government-provided headstone untilSeptember 28,1959,16 months after Donaldt burial.The Georgia Marble Company shipped the stone in lateOctober to Adrian; the Tomblyn Brothers Funeral Homeof French Creek ultimately transported the stone to IndianCamp Cemetery (Marsh).

Headstone of Donald Lee Marsh, 2015 (Photograph

courtesy of the author)

As NY-53 was rapidly repaired andcontinued with its mission, the victimsof the explosions were lnemorializedin a monument installed in closeproximity to the site of the explosions.Privately commissioned and paid for

by the men who worked with the victims (Biddinger 4), themonument was fanked by two missiles crafted in stone.These missiles were crafted by a stonemason who workedat Fort \Tadsworth,New York, with the fourcivilians killed at NY-53(Biddinger 4).

Memorial Dedication at NY-53's

Launcher Area (U.S. Army pho-

tograph courtesy of the National

Park Service)

Rededication Cer-

emony at Highlands

Air Force Station,

circa 1963 (U.S.

Army photograph

courtesy of the

National Park

Service). Upon

the closure of the

NY-53 in 1963, the

monument was

relocated to the

nearby Highlands

Air Force Station

(AFS) in Highlands,

New Jersey. Shown is a civilian who survived the explosions participating in

the rededication ceremony (Hoffman, "Donald Marsh");this is 0rdnance Corps

civilian Joseph A. Follino.

The Upshur County Historical Soclety . Spring 2017

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marsh continuedfrom page 48

Aerial View of NY-53's Launeher and Administrative Areas. This photograph,

taken on June 18, 1959, shows the administrative area and the repaired

launcher;the explosion memorial is indicated by an arrow. The administrativearea, including a tennis court, is seen 0n the right side of the photograph while

the reconstructed launcher area is seen on the left. The left side shows thepreviously described configuration of the launcher area: three firing sectionswith each section consisting of four launchers. (U.S. Armyphotograph courtesy of the U.S. Army Center of Military History)

As the Soviet nuclear threat evolved from bombersto intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBM], the Nikeair defense system became obsolete since it could notcounter the high flying ICBM threat. \fith the closingof the national Nike system as well as the deactivationof Highlands AFS in 1974, the NY-53 monumenr wasmoved to Sandy Hookl8 and incorporated into theAugust 15,1974, inactivation ceremony of the air defenseunits at Fort Hancock, New Jersey. One element of theinactivation ceremony was the dedication of GuardianPark. Guardian Park, the last monument added to FortHancock by the U.S. Army, is hamed for the Nike airdefense missiles as the last guardians of the New YorkMetropolitan Area (Biddinger l).

The Memorial Monument for the NY-53

Victims, seen in 2015 (Photograph courtesyof the authoQ

At the ceremonycommemorating the explosions'50th anniversary held at FortHancockt Guardian Park, awomanre approached a groupof park staffand Nike veteransand introduced herself as thegirlfriend of Donald Marshin 1958. Accompanied by herhusband, she explained that whileshe had moved on with her lifeafter Marsht death and eventuallymarried, she always rememberedDonald Marsh as a "real southerngentleman" who was kind andnice to her; she stated she could

never forget him and was to that day sad for him becauseof his tragic and premature death (Hoffrnan, "NY-53"). Marshmade such an impression on her that 50 years after hisdeath she discovered the memorialt third location andconvinced her husband to accompany her to remember anold boyfriend gact.o").

Notes1 During its operation, NY-53 was also referred to as

Belford, Leonardo, and Chapel Hill. This article willuse the more common reference of Middletown.

2 Named for the winged Greek goddess of victory, therewere three planned missiles within the Nike family:Ajax, Hercules, and Zeus. The conventionally-armed Ajax was followed by the nuclear-armedHercules while the Zeus (designed to defend againstintercontinental ballistic missiles) was neitherproduced nor fielded.

3 The combined area of Baltimore and \Tashington, DCwas referred to as a defense area. Each of the 40defense areas within the Continental United Statesconsisted of a series of Nike sites that encircled thedefended area.

a The Spring2002 edition of 7he Upshur CounltHistorical Socie4t Newsletter contains an article onAlton.

5 Originally designated the 506th Parachute InfantryRegiment in 1942, this is the regiment whoseCompany E was featured in the 2001 HBOminiseries Band of Brothers.

6 A cropped version ofthis photograph appeared in anarticle reporting Marsht death in the May 28,7958,edition of Zhe Republican-Deba.

7 There are nine enlisted pay grades in the U.S. Army,referred to as E-l through E-9. A Private, abbreviatedas PVII is an E-l . AnE-2 is also a Private, bstis abbreviated as PVT 2. A private First Class,abbreviated as PFC, is an E-3; this is the rank Marshheld at his death.

8 Army Morning Reports detailed the daily activity ofan army unit during both war and peace; the reportcommunicates information on unit personnel,activities, and locations. Unlike operational recordsthat focused on larger units, the morning reporrdetailed activiry at an individual company, or in thecase of NY-53, an individual battery. Army MorningReports datedlgl2 through 1959 are accessibleto the public through the National Archives at theNational Personnel Records Center in St Louis.Ar-y Morning Reports dated between 1960 and1974 are not archived and must be accessed througha written request to the National Personnel RecordsCenter.

The Upshur County Historical Society . Spring 2017 49

marsh continuedfrom page 49

e This unit was redesignated as Battery B,526th AAAMissile Battalion on April l, 1957, prior to its May1957 relocation to Middletown, NewJersey.

10 Leave is the military term for vacation in which amilitary membert supervisor approyes the requestfor leave and the individual must return to theappointed place of dury no later than the designateddate and time, usually one minute before midnight.

11 LJnfortunately, the readily available records do notreveal the nature of Marsht offense.

12 This phenomenon, the detonation of an explosive itemthat causes the detonation of a nearby explosive item,is referred to as sympathetic detonation.

13 Marsh's death certificate, issued by the State of NewJersey, indicates his death occurred at i:10 PM andthat he was declared dead upon arrival at PattersonArmy Hospital. An article in 7he Republican-Dehaindicated the explosions occurred at 1:30 PM.

raTwo of the soldiers killed ('Walter E. Berry and Jerome\fl Mould) were buried on May 28, 1958, in acommon grave at Beverly National Cemetery inBeverly, New Jersey.

15 Founded in 1861, the newspaper Stars and Stripesreports on issues affecting U.S. armed forcespersonnel. Editorially, the paper is separate from itsoperation within the Department of Defense.

t6 This American Legion Post is no longer actiye.17 Donald's father died in 196l in Columbus, Ohio,

and was laid to resr nexr to him in Indian CampCemetery.

r8 Sandy Hook is a unit of the Gateway NationalRecreation Area, administered by the National ParkService.

ie At the ceremony, the woman provided her contactinformation to a member of the park staff.LJnfortunately, her contact information was lostamongst the destruction at Sandy Hook caused byHurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Michael Donovan lives in Fairfax CounryVirginia, within two miles of both the launcharea and the control arca for Fairfax siteW-74(part of the tWashington-Baltimore DefenseArea) and is writing a book on the historyof NY-53. The author wishes to thank FortHancock Nike Missile veteran Bill.Jackson,and Park Ranger Historian Tom Hoffman ofthe Gateway National Recreation Area for theircounsel and advice.

Bibliography and'Works Cited'Armed Forces Death in the Neighborhood." Time 2 June 1958. Web.Biddinger, Edn.l"Guardi:n ?ark A History 1970-2003." kteust 2003: n.p.

Pri n t.

Cagle, Mary T. Hisnrical Monograp/t: Deaebpment, Prodaction, andDepbyment of the Nike Ajax Gtided Missile Ssrem 1945-1959. Redstone

Arsenal, AL: ARGMA, U.S. Army Ordnance Missile Command, 1959.Pri*.Daly, Robett F. "DA Form 1 Morning Reporr." December 14, 1957: rl.p. Priat.Daly, Robert F, "DA Form I Morning Repon." February 27, 1958: n.p. Print.Dalit Roben F. "DA Fo*n I Morning Report." Ap:jr|4,1958: n.p. Print.Daly, Robert !. "DA fcrm I Morning Report." May 22, 1958: n.p. ?rint.Daly, Robert F.. "DA Form 1 Morning Report." May 23, 1958: n.p. Print.Department of tbeAirny, Tlchnical Manual 9-1970-2 Ammanition:

Antiairerafi Gtidzd Miyile M 1 (Mhe-Ajax) Identifcation, DestiptioqPacking Cary Handling, Preseruation, and Destruction Change 6.\Tashiagtou DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1962. Print.

Egan, Thorrix.G. "NIKE Etplosion." Jane 4, 1958: n. p. Print.Executiv€ 0fficer. "DA Form I Morning Report." May 75,1957: n.p. Print.Executive Officer. "DA Form I Morning Report." April 30,1957: n.p. Print.Executive Officer. "DA Form I Morning Report." May 8, 1957: n.p. Print."For All Commanders andTroops." ARADCOM Argas I Nov. 1959: 3. Print.Hoffrnan, Thomas. Donald Marih. August 11, 2016.Interview.Hoffman, Thomas. NY-53. August 9, 2016. E-mail.Hosaflook, Jerry. "Donald Lee Marsh." Ancestry. n.p., 2016. Web.

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Pa* Euenrng,lleit May 23, 1958: l, 18. Print.

50

Marsh, Paul E. "DA Form 1815 Application for Headstone or Marker."September28, 1959: n.p. Prinr. ,

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1957: 52-58. Print.Simms, RobertJ. 'DA Form I Morning Report." August 25, 1956: n.p. PrinrSimms, Robert J. "DA Form I Morning Repon." !5 Apr. 1957: n p. Print.Simms, RobertJ. "DAForm I MorningReport.l 18June 1957: n.p. Print.Simms, Rribert J. "DA Form I Morning Report." 12 luly 1957: n.p. Print.Stackpole, Peter. Mke Exphsion. n.p.,:r.d. \l(eb."Town Maps USA." Map of Middletown New Jersey. N.p., 2016. Web.'Upshur Soldier Is Killed in N&e-Ajax Explosion." 7he Republican-Deba

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The Upshur County Historical Society . Spring 2017