10-04-2025
Augusta Air Force veteran reflects on 20 years, including nuclear missile duty
AUGUSTA, Kan. (KSNW) – A U.S. Air Force veteran from Augusta, who served for more than 20 years, spent five of those years dedicated to preventing nuclear annihilation.
'The aspiration was to be a fighter pilot, I originally thought,' William 'Bill' Kincaid laughed. 'That didn't work out, but an Air Force career did.'
An issue with his eye ruined Kincaid's dreams of flying a jet, but it never dampened his enthusiasm for serving his country in the Air Force.
'Service to the country was what we thought we should be doing,' he said.
Kincaid joined the Air Force through the ROTC program at San Jose State in 1969. He worked at the base supply technical school.
'Every piece of equipment and office supply and basic clothing and stuff for the airmen on the base came through one branch or another of the base supply squadron,' he said.
Kincaid worked in base supply overseas and at McConnell Air Force Base, where he met his wife, but everything changed for him in 1972.
'We got married and all of a sudden, the Air Force decided, 'We have another career for you and it's going to be as a Titan 2 missile launch officer,'' he said.
Kincaid still doesn't know why his assignment changed, but he was now in charge of a team that was tending to a nuclear missile while playing an integral part in national security. The weight of that command was not lost on him.
'If you ever have to turn the key to launch the missile, it's pretty much just following procedures and the checklist that you were trained to do, and then you think about the consequences after,' he said.
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Kincaid and his crew monitored the Titan 2 nuclear missile for more than half a decade before he moved back into base supply management.
Kincaid went to the reserves in 1981 and moved to Augusta to work for Boeing. He is enjoying retirement these days, but can't help but reflect on the years spent, making sure one of our nation's deadliest weapons was in safe hands.
'Yeah, I wish they weren't necessary, but they're there. It's a reality. You have to live with the fact, and prevent any issues where they would be used,' he said.
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