Robert "Bob" Raichle

Robert "Bob" Raichle was born and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. He atttended Purdue University in Indiana, where he earned a degree in business and participated in the Army ROTC program. He graduated in 1965 as a comissioned second lieutenant in the US Army.  In the spring of 1966, he was assigned to the Air Defense School in Fort Lewis, Texas and after three months obtained certification to work at a Nike missile site. From 1966 to 1968, Bob was stationed at Site Love (Echo Battery) Nike Missile Site near Fairbanks, Alaska. He started as a Launch Platoon leader, then became Fire Control Platoon leader, then Battery Control Officer and eventually the Battery Commander. After his two years in the military, Bob earned a MBA and had a successful career as a business consultant. He currently resides in southern California. He continued his interest in the Nike missile sites and has attended reunions and conducted his own historical research. He is the author of the article "Alaska's Cold War Nuclear Shield" which was written at the request of the Alaska Veterans Museum in Anchorage and is featured on several websites that document the role of NIKE HERCULES during the Cold War, including the Friends of NIKE Site Summit website.