Cold War Kid to Space Age Engineer via President Kennedy's last flight alive & RAF Upper Heyford (435)

Cold War Kid to Space Age Engineer via President Kennedy's last flight alive & RAF Upper Heyford (435)

Keith Longstreth takes us through an extraordinary life shaped by the rhythms and risks of the Cold War. Born into an Air Force family, Keith grew up on bases across the world—from Scotland to Italy to Texas, where he describes a poignant last farewell to President Kennedy before his assassination. His career in the USAF placed him behind the scenes of America’s most critical aircraft, including time at RAF Upper Heyford during the tense early 1980s. There, he lived through chemical-attack drills, nuclear-strike simulations, and the ever-present pressure of NATO–Soviet confrontation. Rising to become an astronautical engineer, Keith later worked on GPS satellites and experiments flown on the Space Shuttle. Episode Extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode435/ ⁠⁠Help me preserve Cold War history. ⁠⁠⁠ You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠ CONTINUE THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter/X ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(442)

Serving in a Cold War Danish Reconnaissance Squadron (315)

Serving in a Cold War Danish Reconnaissance Squadron (315)

Denmark joined NATO as a founding member in 1949. However, it originally laid down limitations to NATO membership, effectively excluding the country from full military integration. The conditions were...

27 Okt 20231h 14min

The Cold War Atomic Spies (314)

The Cold War Atomic Spies (314)

On 29 August 1949 at 7:00 a.m. the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb.  The test stunned the Western powers. American intelligence had estimated that the Soviets would not produce an atomic w...

20 Okt 20231h 33min

Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 2 (313)

Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 2 (313)

This is the second part of my chat with Thomas who worked in a secret East German radio monitoring base. He describes how a BRIXMIS or another Allied Military Liason Mission vehicle had once got into ...

13 Okt 20231h 33min

Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 1 (312)

Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 1 (312)

Born in 1968 in East Germany Thomas had a "normal socialist" but happy childhood in a small town near Dresden. His family was viewed as exotic at that time as his mother had Hungarian citizenship whic...

6 Okt 20231h 19min

Cold War US Army tank gunner serves with a Bundeswehr Panzer unit (311)

Cold War US Army tank gunner serves with a Bundeswehr Panzer unit (311)

Mark joined the US Army on January 6th, 1981, and went to Ft Knox KY for Basic and Armor training. He graduated in April 1981 and was selected as Instructor Tank commander and trained the next cycle o...

29 Sep 20231h

Uncovering Cold War Soviet secrets with the USAF and NSA (310)

Uncovering Cold War Soviet secrets with the USAF and NSA (310)

Tim served in the USAF and the NSA from 1975 to 1988 during some of the most tense periods of the Cold War. This included stints at the US Air Force Electronic Warfare Center at Kelly AFB, Texas, and ...

22 Sep 20231h 41min

REME Keeping the British Army on the road during the Cold War (309)

REME Keeping the British Army on the road during the Cold War (309)

Aged 16 Chris joined the British Army apprentice school in Arborfield, at Princess Marina College. He was trained as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers otherwise known as ...

15 Sep 202331min

Gunfire in the Woods: A foiled escape and imprisonment in Cold War East Germany  (308)

Gunfire in the Woods: A foiled escape and imprisonment in Cold War East Germany (308)

This is part two of Henrik’s story. You can hear the first part in episode 307. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode307 It’s the late 1980s and Henrik and his friends plan to escape from East Germ...

8 Sep 20231h 29min

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