742nd Missile Squadron hosts family tour at MAF Published June 15, 2010 By 2nd Lt. Amanda Shirley 742nd Missile Combat Crewmember MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The spouses and family members of the 742nd Missile Squadron were treated to a rare tour of the Oscar Missile Alert Facility and Launch Control Center here May 22. This was the first time the spouses club organized a family LCC tour in more than a year. Eleven spouses and dependents boarded a bus and traveled to the Oscar MAF, which is about 15 minutes south of the Canadian border. They were welcomed by the on-duty facility managers Master Sgt. Shaun Hermes and Tech. Sgt. Joshua Champagne, missile combat crewmembers 1st Lt. Clayton Silva and 2nd Lt. Amanda Shirley, as well as the flight security controller. Several MAF chefs were called in to help prepare for the extra patrons, who were eager to taste the food they hear so much about when crewmembers come home from duty. MCCs Capt. Alex Gapas, 1st Lts. T.J. Jones and Adam Moody and Sergeants Hermes and Champagne lead the tour around the MAF to show the family members how the topside operates on a daily basis. The group was then taken more than 60 feet below ground to tour the equipment required to run the LCC before heading into the LCC itself for an up-close look at how MCCs spend their 24-hour workdays. "The LCC is smaller than I thought it would be," said Amanda Jones, wife of 1st Lt. T.J. Jones. A frequent request was to see the mythical "Big Red Button." In reality, the button is actually a carefully guarded key and four rotating switches. Many of the spouses were taken aback by the complicated mass of buttons, knobs and switches. Others peered around at the web of hoses and pipes, each orchestrated in a delicate system keeping the cornerstone of nuclear deterrence running smoothly. Even the youth in attendance got involved in the tour. Daniel Carmichael, son of the 742nd MS commander Lt. Col. Donnie Holloway and wife Carolynn, played "missileer" as he sat in the missile combat crew commander's chair at the LCC console. After the tour underground, the families were then treated to a wide sampling of the cuisine prepared by MAF chefs Staff Sgt. Joseph Kean and crew. Afterward they headed back to base with new memories and a new appreciation of the country's most critical part of national defense.