The U-2 pilot whose six-minute, 928-photo run over Cuba on 14 October 1962 revealed Soviet missiles and ignited the Cuban Missile Crisis
"I kind of felt like I was going to be looked at as the one who started the whole thing. I wasn't anxious to have that reputation.", Associated Press interview, 2005
A native of Apalachicola, Florida, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces at 17 and flew combat missions in both the Korean War and two deployments to Vietnam. On the morning of 14 October 1962, his six-minute U-2 flight over western Cuba produced 928 photographs; analysts identified Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles by noon, and the images landed on President Kennedy's desk, triggering the thirteen-day nuclear standoff.
Career Timeline
- 1944Enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces
- 1952Began USAF pilot training; combat missions in the Korean War
- 1957Qualified on the U-2, the 50th pilot checked out on the aircraft
- 1957–1962U-2 pilot, 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
- 1962.10.14Flew Mission 3101 over Cuba, photographing Soviet missile sites
- 1960sTwo combat deployments to Vietnam
- 1974Retired as lieutenant colonel after 30 years of service