Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an evening of stories, burgers, and craft beer at a former Cold War missile command bunker—now Grist House Command Brewery. Hear firsthand accounts from Nike missile veterans who once stood guard over Pittsburgh during the tensest years of the Cold War.
DATE: Tuesday, March 10 at 5pm
LOCATION: 301 Sgt Messerschmidt Rd, Oakdale, PA 15071
COST: $20 per person ($25 at the door) and includes one beer and one burger/hot dog with fries.
REGISTER: Please register for this event here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/b4uq4s9/lp/bd55f95b-7496-4faf-bc28-4b5fe9103a0b
We’re having a special event at one of Pittsburgh’s most unusual venues: Grist House Command, a former U.S. Army Nike missile command site turned a veteran-managed craft brewery.
During the Cold War, Pittsburgh was ringed by Nike missile batteries designed to defend the city’s steel mills, bridges, and population from a Soviet bomber attack. The command facility that now houses Grist House Command once coordinated radar, tracking, and missile launches for this regional air defense network—part of a nationwide system that stood guard from the early 1950s through the 1970s.
Today, the blast doors and concrete bunkers remain, repurposed as a taproom with much of the history on display in signs, artifacts, and photos. You can learn more about the site’s transformation here:
We’ll have former Army “missileers” join us to share their stories, including George Millerschoen, a veteran Nike missile crewman who served at Cold War missile sites in the Pittsburgh region. George will share what it was like to stand nuclear and conventional missile watch in total secrecy during one of the most anxious periods in American history. (Read more about his story here: https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/tour-a-former-cold-war-missile-site-in-moon/)
Other veterans who served at Nike sites and in Cold War air defense will be invited to share their memories of service.
The Veterans Breakfast Club has been bringing veterans and civilians together for face-to-face storytelling since 2008. Our events are informal, welcoming, and open to all. People come to listen and learn, connect across generations, and say thank you to those who served.
