Civil Defense for an “Age of Peril”

 “If an enemy attacked today, would you know what to do?” asked a special Civil Defense section printed in 1961 in local newspapers, including the “Observer” (for Barksdale families) and the “Bossier Tribune.” If your answer at the time was no, there were many resources, provided by agencies of the United States’ Civil Defense program, right in the newspapers, available in free classes, or ready to pick up from local offices. The enemy attack most feared, of course, was the detonation of a hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb. And the articles in the newspapers made it plain that if you and your family planned to stay alive, it was incumbent on “you” (the inferred audience was generally the housewife) to gather and gain this knowledge.  

 The Federal Civil Defense Administration began in 1950 when the Soviet Union detonated their first atomic weapon and America decided to create emergency plans in the event of nuclear war. (This perpetual state of fear and readiness on both sides was called “the Cold War”). The goal of the civil defense program was to prepare all Americans for possible disaster. Educational brochures gave advice on what to do in case of a nuclear attack. Fallout shelters were designated in towns & cities, including Shreveport/Bossier, to protect against the effects of radiation. 

 A Civil Defense Office for Northwest Louisiana located in National Guard facilities at Fort Humbug in Shreveport was announced in November, 1953. The office was sponsored by the cities of Shreveport and Bossier City and the parishes of Bossier and Caddo. Garland Hall of Vivian, the Northwest Louisiana field representative for the state’s civil defense unit, was headquartered at this office. The announcement of the new HQ also provided a reminder to citizens of the functions of the new service: provide information to the public on how to protect themselves during a national disaster or enemy attack, and organize the facilities and materials deemed necessary for an effective response.  

 On Saturday September 8, 1956, with a ceremonial “first message” transmitted by short wave radio, the town of Plain Dealing in north Bossier Parish was linked to the Caddo-Bossier Civil Defense communications system. The article stated that this connection was vital because Plain Dealing was just outside the 24-mile radius area that would be “flattened” if a hydrogen bomb was dropped on Shreveport.  

 In fact, in its July 2, 1959 issue, The Bossier Banner-Progress proclaimed Plain Dealing, “A Modern City of Refuge.” The editors believed that Plain Dealing was the perfect location to escape exploding bombs and that evacuees could live in dwellings carved out at the base of its many hills, just as was done in France in homes known as “abris,” (pronounced uh-breez). 

 Because government still has to function in the face of a disaster, Louisiana state law proclaimed that all branches of state, parish, and municipal governments were automatically a part of Civil Defense and all state agencies were given Civil Defense-related functions. For example, in July, 1959, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries personnel were briefed in Civil Defense (often shortened to “CD”) at the Bossier Parish Camp at Lake Bistineau.  

 Mr. Lewis Parrish, the state’s CD education and training director out of New Orleans, told the Fish and Wildlife personnel that “advance preparation and knowledge are the keys to survival in the hydrogen age” and they must know ahead of time their department’s “opportunities and obligations” for civil defense. However, Lewis Parrish’s Assistant director, David Lanser, reminded attendees, that although government is the “basis on which Civil Defense is built, families and individuals have self-protection responsibilities” and should utilize Civil Defense materials to learn how to protect themselves. 

 The September 15, 1961, issue of the “Observer,” an unofficial (not a USAF publication) newspaper published in the interest of Barksdale personnel and their dependents, provided some of the resources for this self-protection in a special Civil Defense section printed especially for Barksdale families who resided in the local community. The insert implored the Barksdale families, “Read it carefully! Know it thoroughly!” (Some of the very same or nearly-identical articles were found in the local papers for civilians, as well.) 

 The first article was “Before Constructing Shelter, Contact Civil Defense Office.” CD officials pointed out that the government-designed family fallout shelter is a fallout shelter only and is not recommended for a “target area” such as Shreveport-Bossier, home to a major military base. Here, the article stated, one needs plans for shelters that give protection from the actual blast as well as the fallout. It suggested that readers go to the CD Center in Shreveport to get the building plans. For non-DIYers, there were plenty of advertisements for ready-made shelters or builders who could construct shelters for local families. All shelters had to be registered with local CD agency to help ensure that when rescue units returned to the area, they would check the shelter for survivors and help them emerge from it.  

 The plainly titled, “Facts About the H-Bomb,” had more arresting language within it, with a quote from t [former U.S. President] Dwight D. Eisenhower stating that it was “an age of peril.” The insert also included an article on the special emergency broadcasting system CONELRAD, designed to get vital emergency information to the public without broadcasting signals that would give navigational aid to the enemy, lists of foods and equipment to have in a shelter, calls for Civil Defense citizen volunteers, and an announcement for an eight-hour survival training course for local women that was designed and presented by Mrs. Ken Weaver, coordinator of women’s activities for Caddo-Bossier Civil Defense. 

  Once the Cold War ended, Civil Defense agencies transitioned to a general emergency management role. They advised the public on preparing for natural disasters like tornadoes or hurricanes. Today, Emergency Management and Homeland Security agencies take on the role once played by Civil Defense. In 2014, the Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness separated into their own parish agencies.  

 If you have any information, stories, or photos about civil defense or natural disasters in the history of Bossier, we would love to add material to the History Center’s research collection. Please come to the History Center to see our display about the 1978 tornado in Bossier City, or read about other events in local history in our collection, at 2206 Beckett St, Bossier City, LA. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org 

 Images: 

1. The Observer newspaper, special section on Civil Defense. September 15, 1961.
2. Mobile communication center vehicle for the Caddo-Bossier Civil Defense, 1950’s. From the Caddo-Bossier Homeland Security Collection of the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center.
3. Two women standing and marking on wall map, and 7 men seated at three large tables, 1950s. Caddo-Bossier Homeland Security Collection of the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center.

Article by Pam Carlisle 

For other fun facts, photos, and videos, be sure to follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on FB, @bplhistorycenter on TikTok,

Operation Skywatch

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army Air Forces organized the Ground Observer Corps (GOC), a civil defense program to protect the U.S. territory against air attacks. There were dangerous unavoidable limitations in the radar system during that time as it was largely ineffective for the area below 5,000 feet, known as the “dangerous mile.” During the Second World War, the GOC filter centers and observation posts were only in northern and coastal states.

Volunteer observers received intensive training on identifying enemy planes and properly reporting their observations to their assigned filter center, where plotters would mark the aircraft on a filter board – a large-scale map of the area. Overlooking the filter boards were tellers with direct communication with an Air Force Ground Control Interceptor base to report the observation. If an unauthorized aircraft was spotted, the Ground Control Interceptor base would put pursuit planes into the air to meet any enemy attacks.

The GOC was dissolved at the end of WWII but was reorganized during the Cold War in early 1950, about six months after the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear bomb in 1949. First, they revived old GOC filter centers and observation posts in the northern and coastal sta
tes. By 1952, the GOC response was so strong that Operation Skywatch was initiated to integrate the program into the Air Defense system 24 hours a day.

The Air Force warned that Russia might launch an attack via the Gulf of Mexico and called the south “the soft underbelly of the United States.” Plans to expand Operation Skywatch to all 48 states began, and by the fall of 1954, plans to open GOC filter centers in New Orleans and Shreveport was underway. The Air Defense Command leased the building at 531 East Kings Highway to house the Shreveport Air Filter Center. The center’s open house and dedication took place on Dec. 7, 1955, the same day that Mayor Gardner, Shreveport, and Mayor Burgess E. McCranie, Bossier City, proclaimed as Ground Observer Corps day.

The Shreveport Filter Center was considered the second largest of the 73 filter centers throughout the United States. It maintained an area of responsibility of 160,000 square miles in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. There were 585 observation posts with approximately 7,000 civilian volunteers that reported to the Shreveport Filter Center. During its operation, the Shreveport Filter Center was highly praised and ranked as one of the most efficient in the Air Defense Command.

Volunteer opportunities were open to anyone sixteen or older, though historical records reveal that children as young as seven participated. Approximately 75 percent of the volunteers in the GOC were housewives. Many Bossier Parish residents in each community volunteered. In Benton, Mrs. Ford E. Stinson served as post supervisor, Mrs. D.E. Cummings was the chief observer, and Mrs. A.N. Knotts assisted in recruiting volunteers. Mrs. Vara Farrington was the chief observer for the Carterville area. In Plain Dealing, Leon Sanders was the post supervisor assisted by Mrs. Aus Barr and Mrs. Ardis Manry.

At the end of 1958, the announcement came that the Ground Observer Corps would disband on Jan. 31, 1959. Col. John T. Fitzwater, commander of the 33rd Air Division, told GOC members at a local awards banquet, “Deactivation of the Ground Observer Corps is not the end, but marks the beginning of a new national defense network. With emphasis on speed, machines can now process data faster and more efficiently that [sic] it can be done manually.”

The GOC disbanded because of a new network of air defense radar stations known as the Distant Early Warning Line or Dew line controlled by the new Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) computer system. The new radar system could detect an enemy air strike force before it ever reached the nation’s continental limits. Every volunteer who earned their GOC wings was presented with a wallet ID card and a certificate from the USAF recognizing them as an honorary life member of the Air Defense Team for voluntary and faithful service in the Ground Observer Corps.

Certificate issued to Mrs. Alford Farrington.
Bossier Parish Library Collection: 2019.021.026

By: Amy Robertson