The 'John Wayne Saloon': How day drinking went undetected at one of America's top military bases
Tom Vanden Brook
Kim Hjelmgaard
WASHINGTON – The email arrived in the middle of a workday: Are you thirsty?
What followed was an afternoon drink at the “John Wayne Saloon,” an invitation-only tavern operating unknown to senior commanders inside the headquarters of the U.S military command center critical to defending the homeland and keeping Americans safe.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is located at Peterson Space Force Base, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs. It stands watch 24/7 defending the United States and Canada from attack by adversaries such as China, Russia and North Korea.
The day drinking at an installation tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security was worrying. The clandestine ''saloon'' at a base charged with crucial national security responsibility triggered alarms at high levels and led to the changes on site after USA TODAY raised questions.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/29/norad-secret-bar-investigation/71743151007/
