Ellis Relates the Experience of a Lifetime

SWAN VALLEY – In the late 1950s, Swan Valley resident Steve Ellis developed an interest in missiles, especially in the Minuteman Missile program. That interest led him to a 24-year career in the United States Air Force (USAF). Throughout that time, Ellis worked at several bases. He filled a number of different roles but rockets and missiles were always at the center.

Ellis entered the Air Force by way of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He said the USAF was just beginning its own officer training academy at that time and West Point trained personnel for the other military services.

Ellis called life at the academy "quite rigorous" and added that opportunities to get out of uniform or visit with friends were infrequent. Cadets were told that during their four years at the academy they could not have "a horse, a mustache or a wife." Nevertheless, his relationship with high school sweetheart Betsey weathered the wait. Eleven days after Ellis' graduation, he and Betsey were married.

Ellis' first appointment as a newly minted 2nd Lieutenant was at Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) in Great Falls, Mont. as part of the Missile Operations Crew. He said that was two weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis and the crew was responsible for making sure the Minuteman Missiles were maintained, monitored and on alert at all times. If the command to launch had been given, Ellis was one of the two people who would have turned the launch keys.

The next assignment took Ellis to Houston, Texas to work with NASA. He said at that time the USAF was interested in developing its own space program. Though that decision was later reversed, the USAF's initial exploration of the option allowed Ellis to serve in NASA's Landing and Recovery Division for the Gemini space flights. His specific job was to assist in retrieval of space craft and crews on their return from orbit.

Ellis said though there was a designated landing spot for each flight, NASA always had teams of ships and aircraft positioned all along the possible re-entry paths in the event of an unplanned splash-down. Ellis was part of three such emergency preparedness crews and was part of the recovery team for Gemini X, flown by John Young and Mike Collins. He also had the opportunity to escort the Air Force pararescue team members who visited with Neil Armstrong and his crew partner David Scott. Ellis classified his NASA experience as "sort of exciting."

By the time the Gemini Program came to an end in 1966, Ellis had been promoted to Captain. At that point he entered the graduate program at Syracuse University in New York where he earned his Master's Degree in Engineering Administration.

Ellis' next deployment was to Warner Robins AFB in Georgia, which was a major logistic center for air-to-air missiles. As Engineer Manager for the Falcon Air Intercept Missiles, his job was to analyze why the missiles failed and to try to make them more reliable. Ellis' real interest, however, remained with the Minuteman Program and he eventually managed a return to Malmstrom AFB. This time, he was assigned to the Codes Division where his responsibilities included setting up and maintaining the targeting and coding information placed in the missiles. He later was moved into the Plans and Intelligence Division which involved crew training as well as intelligence briefings to wing commanders and staff.

Ellis now carried the rank of Major and a "career promoting opportunity" took him to Germany as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) nuclear mission. He was assigned to a German Air Force unit on a German base and charged with overseeing and maintaining U.S. supplied and controlled munitions. A year and a half later, Ellis was transferred to Ramstein Air Base (also in Germany) which is the headquarters for the USAF in Europe. Ramstein provided monitoring and support for all NATO munitions and Munition Support Squadrons.

Though Ellis and his wife enjoyed their time in Europe, they always envisioned themselves returning to Great Falls to retire. In 1977 Ellis, a Lieutenant Colonel, was again assigned to Malmstrom AFB, serving in the Codes Division and in the Plans and Intelligence Division, but this time as Division Chief. Within a year he was chosen to be Squadron Commander of the 12th Strategic Missile Squadron. A year after that he was promoted to Colonel and became Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations.

Ellis' plans to remain in Great Falls until retirement were interrupted by what he called "a unique opportunity." He was appointed Deputy Commander of Operations for the NATO Comiso Air Base in Sicily. The challenge was that the base did not yet exist.

Although the facility had been an aerodrome in World War II, all that remained were bombed out buildings, unexploded ordinances and trees growing out of the runway. Ellis explained this was during the Cold War Era and the Soviet Union alarmed the world by developing and deploying intercontinental and intermediate range missiles.

NATO selected Comiso as the second Ground Launched Cruise Missile operating base in Europe. According to Ellis, while construction crews began building the base "with great haste," he hastened to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Ariz. to train joint U.S./Italian crews for operations, maintenance and security police responsibilities. Ellis succeeded in training his crews in nine months instead of the usual 18. Comiso Base was partially constructed at that point and he flew his team to Sicily for an intense six-week training in NATO procedures. At the end of that period a NATO evaluation committee pronounced Ellis' team combat ready.

Succeeding deployments took Ellis to Minot, N.D. and to Vandenberg, Calif. before he finally returned to Great Falls, retiring with the rank of Colonel. Wife Betsey had carved out her own career in the Great Falls Public School System and the Ellis' remained in Great Falls until she retired. They then moved to Swan Valley where they have lived for the past 17 years.

Looking back over his military career, Ellis said he did not look on it as work but as experience. He said, "I enjoyed all my duties. Each brought its own unique experience."