Marine Hawk Missiles in Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis

During the Cuban missile crisis, U.S. Marine Corps deployed a Hawk air defense battery from 3d Light Antiaircraft Missile (LAAM) Battalion to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, protect naval base surprise low-level attack by Soviet and aircraft. The battalion was alerted airlifted Twentynine Palms, California, Cherry Point, North Carolina, with its Battery C forward into Cuba. deployment validated readiness of Corps’ LAAM battalions employ system in support expeditionary forces. However, story Bay is not well known or documented because few official records early 1960s exist. This article uses Base Palms’s newspaper provide context along veterans’ first-hand experiences fill details before during crisis.