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Nuclear Holocaust

DAS44

By DAS44
in The Gibson Lounge

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NeoConMan

NeoConMan

Posted
Posted

He's telling the truth - 100%.

I never saw it quite that extreme in the films they showed us - that's his dramatic license for the sake of comedy.

But the films were chilling, even for kids.

It was mentioned cautiously that we might not have adults to turn to afterwards.

 

But yes, in western Kansas where I grew up it was understood that we would be surrounded

by nuclear strikes even though we were hundreds of miles from any large city.

 

Cheyenne Mountain with NORAD tucked deeply inside was just west of us in Colorado.

The Strategic Air Command (SAC) bombers were headquartered north of us in Nebraska.

PanTex, where most nuclear weapons were assembled, maintained and stored was south at Amarillo, TX.

And to the east of us were dozens of nuclear-armed missiles in silos across the state.

 

So, which way do you drive?

 

[blink] [blink] [blink]

 

 

 

We did alternating fire drills and nuclear fallout drills all through elementary and Jr. High school.

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milod

milod

Posted
Posted

You don't wanna know how many underground missile sites there were around where I live. Past tense.

 

But in the '50s when I was a kid, there was great concern about nuclear war. My Dad was even the local head of the "Ground Observer Corps" and everybody practiced watching the skies - radar wasn't everywhere - to look for bombers.

 

Most WWII vets I knew as a kid were convinced I'd be fighting in WWIII if I didn't get killed in a H-bomb blast.

 

Every town had fallout shelters stocked with food, water, medicines and usually bedding. "Civil Defense" was the term in those days, not FEMA, although much of the purpose was the same.

 

What's "funny" to me is that we're getting some of that "shelter" stuff again right now. It's not so much consideration of "war," although I'm sure that's not ignored, but for local natural disasters that are almost guaranteed one way or another everywhere in the world.

 

UPDATE - BTW, if Yellowstone goes off again as a super volcano... <grin> Good luck even to our European and Antipodean members on this list. I won't be around to update you.

 

m

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ksdaddy

ksdaddy

Posted
Posted

I live about 10 miles from the (former) Loring Air Force Base. It would have been one of the first targets in the Cold War. Right over the North Pole they would come....

 

The old bunkers are still there (I lost count after 30), along with the command post, which looks a lot like a c.1960 split level house but is suspected to have many underground floors. There is also a brick building smack dab in the middle that looks like a 1930s bank or small school house. Some brass inspected it in the 60s and the next day it was filled (yes, FILLED) with concrete.

 

A two story building with possible floors underneath FILLED with concrete. The next DAY. And the head of security was told to mind his own business.

 

Most of the base has either been torn down or rehabbed into various business ventures or training centers. We do rebuild many Hummers here. The bunkers and related areas are a "wildlife preserve" and are off limits to the public. I went there a couple years ago because a co-worker was involved in a bird count and she got us in. We were told not to venture too close to the old bunkers; keep moving in other words. The bunker doors were all wide open. I tried to peek inside discreetly but all I saw was dark. I heard the reason the doors were left open was because they had lead paint on them. The b.s. meter went nuts.

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NeoConMan

NeoConMan

Posted
Posted
What's "funny" to me is that we're getting some of that "shelter" stuff again right now.

I call mine the NeoCon Compound.

 

 

Oh, KSDaddy, I can assure you there's nothing fancy here, just some folding chairs and a few decks of cards...

 

:)

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Basshole

Basshole

Posted
Posted

Out by San Fransisco they have all the WWII bunkers still intact, you can walk inside of them and look around. Some of them are pretty tiny and others are of course pretty big. They are a part of national park now

 

Some were converted to AA missile defense bunkers and then later taken out.

 

 

All pretty cool sites out there.

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Bowdiddley

Bowdiddley

Posted
Posted
Out by San Fransisco they have all the WWII bunkers still intact' date=' you can walk inside of them and look around. Some of them are pretty tiny and others are of course pretty big. They are a part of national park now

 

Some were converted to AA missile defense bunkers and then later taken out.

 

 

All pretty cool sites out there.[/quote']

 

I recently saw a show on TLC or Discover showing that they are now refitting those bunkers to hold water. When finished they will be earthquake "proof" so the survivors of a natural or man made disaster will have water for drinking and fire fighting. It was really cool how they were changing them.

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NeoConMan

NeoConMan

Posted
Posted

If you're ever in Arizona with even the remotest interest along these lines, you must go to the

Titan II Missile Museum south of Tucson in I-19. It's the only one left intact with most equipment in place.

 

Quite an eye-opener for those too young too know about this stuff first-hand, seeing how the crew lived.

They walk everybody thru a launch sequence, usually letting a couple of kids in the group hit the red switches.

To consider their training, what the end goal was, and what the results of their actions would have been...

 

Then think about what they were supposed to do after they launched - await further orders.

They had supplies to wait for 30 days.

 

After that, if you never heard from anybody, I guess you'd go up the stairs and look outside.....

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cwness

cwness

Posted
Posted

I was just talking to a friend that just got back from ND where he is working

on the new tower for the Air base there. Ya the one they are closing down

next year. Millions going into a tower that will never be used. The government

is not smart enough to shut the project down but they want to run health care.

 

CW

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Basshole

Basshole

Posted
Posted

When I was younger I went to a Bunker capable of with standing a atomic blast. It's now a police communication center. It was in Oakland I believe, it was low to the ground and it had a "window" that had a red glow to it. They said that window was the key to the bunkers strength, something about it keeps the radiation out.

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charlie brown

charlie brown

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I drive within 200 yards or so, of inactive (as far as we know, anyway) missle silo's, everytime

I drive to Wichita. I remember, quite clearly, the years they were active, and how surreal it all seemed,

back then. We did the "duck and cover" drills, in grade school, as well...along the usual fire drills, etc.

 

And, my cousins, whom I visit every summer, in Colorado Springs...live right across, (North side of

Cheyenne Canyon) and around the bend, from NORAD.

 

At least, we'll go, with the first blast! ;>b :>)

 

 

CB

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Murph

Murph

Posted
Posted
Yeah' date=' I drive within 200 yards or so, of inactive (as far as we know, anyway) missle silo's, everytime I drive to Wichita.

I remember, quite clearly, the years they were active, and how surreal it all seemed, back then.

We did the duck and cover drills, in grade school, as well...along the usual fire drills, etc.

 

CB[/quote']

 

And yet, we were safer then, than we are now.........

 

Think about it?

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charlie brown

charlie brown

Posted
Posted
And yet' date=' we were safer then, than we are now.........

 

Think about it?

[/quote']

 

 

Were we?? I wonder...

 

But, I know what you mean...back then, (it seemed like) there was a lot of

shoe pounding, rhetoric, and posturing, but...with mostly 2 "Super Powers" who were

quite aware of the real consequences, for both...so managed (Thank God) to keep their

wits about them...even in the worst situations. I'm not so sure, that would happen

now, with all these "nut cases" (IMHO) who have nuclear capability, or are on the

verge...who might not even care, about the consequences?! Let's hope that too

is just posturing, but...man, I don't know, sometimes...

 

 

CB

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Murph

Murph

Posted
Posted
Were we?? I wonder...

 

CB

 

Yes. We were. Back then our enemies had class. They might nuke you, but they wouldn't hide it in their underwear....

 

At least they would fight like men. Not the COWARDS you see now......

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charlie brown

charlie brown

Posted
Posted
Yes. We were. Back then our enemies had class. They might nuke you' date=' but they wouldn't hide it in their underwear....

 

At least they would fight like men. Not the COWARDS you see now......

 

 

[/quote']

 

 

Well, I don't know, Murph...doesn't take much of a "Man" or "Class" to push a

button, in your underware, or on a console, deep inside a mountain.

 

IF we (All of Humanity, not just America) could only figure out a way, to put as much energy,

enthusiasm, and money, into helping mankind, find cures for diseases, grow more quality

food, exploit fewer "unfortunates" (just to make a buck),...as we do in trying to destroy it, we'd

ALL be better off. But, that (probably) "ain't going to happen," at least for more than short

periods of time. Humans seem to get bored, too easily, and like to start a fight, for whatever

reason...Politics, Religion(s), (AKA Power) are classic reasons, but I think sometimes, it's just "for

the Hell of it!" But...I'm a "Cynic!" So...take all this, with a large "Dose!" ;>b ;>)

 

CB

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