Minuteman Missile CHALLENGE COIN "America's Ace in the Hole" 60 years Rare

This is a very rare Minuteman Missile CHALLENGE COIN. The coin commemorates Minuteman for 60 years of Alert. The Minuteman is an Intercontinental Ballistic missile (ICBM) strategic weapons system. The missiles are dispersed in hardened silos to protect against attack and connected to an underground launch control center through a system of armored cables. Launch crews, consisting of two officers, performed around the clock alert in the launch control center. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy referred to the Minuteman as his "Ace in the Hole," and these silos were credited with curbing the Soviet Union from launching their own nuclear weapons. Through state of the art improvements, the Minuteman system has evolved to meet new challenges and assume new missions. Today's Minuteman weapon system is the product of 60 years of continuous enhancements and improvements. The coin is approx. 1 3/4 inches wide.