GERALD MCILMOYLE
It’s often said that civilization as we know it almost came to an end on Oct. 27, 1962. After almost two weeks of confrontation between the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union, the world seemed to be on the brink of a nuclear war. The impasse would come to be known as the Cuban missile crisis — and UNO graduate Gerald E. McIlmoyle was in the thick of it. McIlmoyle, who would earn a BGS in military science from UNO, was one of only a few U-2 spy plane pilots flying over Cuba during a 13-day period in October 1962. Their mission: to provide photographic confirmation that the Soviets were installing nuclear missiles on the island. Eventually, negotiations led to a peaceful outcome. One month after the crisis, McIlmoyle, a distinguished fighter pilot during the Korean War, found himself giving President John F. Kennedy a private tour of a U-2 at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. JFK told him the photos were crucial to the peaceful outcome.