page_title: Ernest Ramme
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: Ernest Ramme / Military Service / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: Launch of the unmanned Mercury-Atlas 2 (MA-2) vehicle for a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule. The upper part of Atlas is strengthened by an eight-inch wide stainless steel band. The capsule was recovered less than one hour after launch. The altitude was 108 miles. Speed was 13,000 mph. Recovered 1,425 miles downrange.
context_page_description: Ernest Lester Ramme was a United States Army and United States Air Force officer with a career spanning thirty years.
context_section_description: At the age of 37, Ramme was sent back to Japan. From 1954 to 1957 he was Director of Supply and Services, Far East Air Forces. From 1958-1960 he served as Director of Supply and Transportation, Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. At the age of 43, he transferred to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and took on a new role. Ramme was given command a Site Activation Task Force for Altus Air Force Base and was responsible getting an Atlas F ICBM Squadron up and running. It was completed in July 1962 and included twelve missile silos. Afterwards, he given command of another Site Activation Task Force, this time at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. From 1962 to 1963, he oversaw the installation and turnover of a Titan II ICBM Wing. It was turned over in October 1963 and also included twelve silos. Ramme was assigned as Director of Materiel Management, and then Deputy Commander, San Antonio Air Materiel Area, Texas. In September 1964 he was assigned as Director of Supply and Services, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. During this time he was a member of the  Army and Air Force (Exchange and Motion Picture Services) Board of Directors (AAFBD) and a member of the President's Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products. He retired in 1968 at the age of 51.
caption: Atlas ICBM Launch, ca. 1962
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