GOC
III. Miscellaneous Photos
GOC
Ground Observor Corps in the 1950's the Cold War response for Pulaskians
Ground
Observer Corps -
Combating the 1950's Communist Threat in Mt. Pulaski &
the surrounding area
A lookout
station above the Mt. Pulaski City Hall was constructed for the local Ground
Observer Corps in 1952. Volunteer personnel in the lookout
station were equipped with binoculars and a direct phone line to the
Springfield GOC Filter Center (located downtown on 6th street), which was
staffed by personnel from the Springfield Air National Guard. All aircraft flying in view
of the observers were to be reported. Aircraft type (military or
civilian), single or multi-engine, approximate altitude, approximate
speed, time, and the aircraft's direction were logged in and then phoned in to the
Springfield GOC Filter Center. GOC volunteers were expected to stand
2-hour shifts on a 24-hour around-the-clock basis - 7 days a week.
While most of the volunteers were adults, many teenage children of the
adults also served time as GOC observers.
The
GOC lookout tower was in service for about four years, but was not removed
until many years later. The picture above shows Chevrolets and Fords
of 1956 & '57 vintage. Thomas Gupton, Sr., was the local Logan
County Disaster coordinator at the time and organized the effort to build
the GOC lookout tower. This effort was all part of the DEW line
(Detection Early Warning) system set up by the US Air Force in the early
1950's to defend against possible Russian attacks by jet bombers flying over
the North Pole. This "Cold War" readiness against the
Russians was finally put to rest by an Illinois-bred President, Mr. Ronald
Reagan, in the late 1980's.
Mt. Pulaski's GOC station was the first
one established in Logan County. The elevation of over 700 ft. allowed
observers to see planes land and take off from Springfield and Bloomington
airports on a clear evening. This surprised the personnel in
Springfield, who scrambled over to Mt. Pulaski to check us out. Upon
seeing for themselves the excellent view from our GOC station, they reported
back that the Mt. Pulaski GOC station was to be highly regarded and taken
seriously at all times.
National
First Lady of Radio - Mt. Pulaski Native - Vaughn De Leath
Housing
Contractors in & around Mt. Pulaski during the past century
.