With the United States facing the twin foreign crises that President Biden spoke about tonight, it’s perhaps relevant to remember that 61 years ago this week, we were deep into the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has ever come to World War III.
Hi Tom, I have always admired Kennedy’s ability to analyze what his advisors told him in relation to their positions and what would happen if they were completely one hundred eighty degrees out of phase dead-ass wrong. They would have still gotten paid, and America would have suffered the affects of their poor judgment. History would have forgotten the advisors and blamed Kennedy for getting us into WWIII.
I lived in downtown San Diego during that tense time and it seemed even more worrisome to us after the word got out about a conflict over Cuba and we knew there was a chance we would get into it. The most obvious sign was seeing no Sailors on the streets. It was a chilling time for all.
Yeah, on October 22, there were ships all through the harbor, and on October 23, there were two ships under repair down at the 32nd Street Naval Station and all else were gone.
I was 18. I was in the base exchange, getting my white uniforms from the laundry. I was in line to pay when everything stopped. The clerk turned this little TV up louder and there was JFK addressing the nation. We all stood there, knowing what he was saying was possibly going to have a major effect on our lives.
I remember it like it was yesterday even though I was eight years old. My mom and brothers and sister watching our little black and white TV. We were having nuclear bomb drills at school. Like ducking under our desk would make a difference. I remember so well the relief we felt when our mom said it was over. Or so she thought 61 years ago.
I was 12 years old at the time and didn’t really realize what was going on, but I do remember going to church that Friday at school to recite the rosary and to pray for peace. What was going on was a mystery to us out in Hawaii in those pre-satellite TV feeds days but there was a feeling something was up looking at my parents at dinner that night. Only later in college when one of the professors went through the details of that critical week did I realize how close we got to full out nuclear war and my home in Pearl City was only a few miles away from Pearl Harbor and Subase, prime targets for a nuclear strike if the ICBMs started launching…not cool…if a ten megaton thermonuclear nuke hit Oahu, most of it would have pbecome a smoking hole in the ocean.
The Guy was at Schofield Barracks at the time, and that crisis extended his enlistment. His outfit remained on high alert for several months afterward. The episode had our college dorm doing drills involving closing the drapes on our windows (Can't remember if we were to do it before or after seeing the bright flash of light. Ha!). As a late teen during the Cold War I did a year and a half in the Civil Air Patrol watching the skies for Russian Migs which we were sure would hit the Detroit area because a lot of war materiel was made here. Those times gave rise to a lot of fatalism more so than fear because there were so many men around who'd been in WWII and Korea.
I remember (I was 8) drills at school and my parents being worried. We lived in New Mexico at the time; I thought this might be happening in Cuba NM and Belen NM, so I was worried too. It was later that I learned that there was another Cuba.
Thank you for this reminder just to make me feel a little better. People were much more "unified" then, we had Walter Conkrite and "real" news - without the Russian style propaganda machines of social media, Faux News to attack us from within and divide us in such a harmful way... America has been so fortunate (most of history) to have the right heroes at the right times . Thank The Spirit of The Universe it is Joe Biden rather than The Desiccated Orange Peel in the White House. We have not assess yet the danger to our people and our country, the information war. #@$%!^ Alex Jones and his ilks in the Republican Party for exploiting this for money, while it is a deadly game for the survival of our republic. In normal time, Kelly Ann Conway would have been laughed out of her job for uttering the words "alternative facts". The clown train of the Republican Party keeps chugging along with its "alternative clean coal" and polluting civil discourse.
Hi Tom, I have always admired Kennedy’s ability to analyze what his advisors told him in relation to their positions and what would happen if they were completely one hundred eighty degrees out of phase dead-ass wrong. They would have still gotten paid, and America would have suffered the affects of their poor judgment. History would have forgotten the advisors and blamed Kennedy for getting us into WWIII.
I lived in downtown San Diego during that tense time and it seemed even more worrisome to us after the word got out about a conflict over Cuba and we knew there was a chance we would get into it. The most obvious sign was seeing no Sailors on the streets. It was a chilling time for all.
Yeah, on October 22, there were ships all through the harbor, and on October 23, there were two ships under repair down at the 32nd Street Naval Station and all else were gone.
Were you there?
Yes.
Me too!
Except I was 4 years old.
I was 18. I was in the base exchange, getting my white uniforms from the laundry. I was in line to pay when everything stopped. The clerk turned this little TV up louder and there was JFK addressing the nation. We all stood there, knowing what he was saying was possibly going to have a major effect on our lives.
I remember it like it was yesterday even though I was eight years old. My mom and brothers and sister watching our little black and white TV. We were having nuclear bomb drills at school. Like ducking under our desk would make a difference. I remember so well the relief we felt when our mom said it was over. Or so she thought 61 years ago.
I was 12 years old at the time and didn’t really realize what was going on, but I do remember going to church that Friday at school to recite the rosary and to pray for peace. What was going on was a mystery to us out in Hawaii in those pre-satellite TV feeds days but there was a feeling something was up looking at my parents at dinner that night. Only later in college when one of the professors went through the details of that critical week did I realize how close we got to full out nuclear war and my home in Pearl City was only a few miles away from Pearl Harbor and Subase, prime targets for a nuclear strike if the ICBMs started launching…not cool…if a ten megaton thermonuclear nuke hit Oahu, most of it would have pbecome a smoking hole in the ocean.
The Guy was at Schofield Barracks at the time, and that crisis extended his enlistment. His outfit remained on high alert for several months afterward. The episode had our college dorm doing drills involving closing the drapes on our windows (Can't remember if we were to do it before or after seeing the bright flash of light. Ha!). As a late teen during the Cold War I did a year and a half in the Civil Air Patrol watching the skies for Russian Migs which we were sure would hit the Detroit area because a lot of war materiel was made here. Those times gave rise to a lot of fatalism more so than fear because there were so many men around who'd been in WWII and Korea.
I remember (I was 8) drills at school and my parents being worried. We lived in New Mexico at the time; I thought this might be happening in Cuba NM and Belen NM, so I was worried too. It was later that I learned that there was another Cuba.
That was the event that “woke” me and I started paying attention to Walter and the world. Glad there was no social media back then.
Thank you for this reminder just to make me feel a little better. People were much more "unified" then, we had Walter Conkrite and "real" news - without the Russian style propaganda machines of social media, Faux News to attack us from within and divide us in such a harmful way... America has been so fortunate (most of history) to have the right heroes at the right times . Thank The Spirit of The Universe it is Joe Biden rather than The Desiccated Orange Peel in the White House. We have not assess yet the danger to our people and our country, the information war. #@$%!^ Alex Jones and his ilks in the Republican Party for exploiting this for money, while it is a deadly game for the survival of our republic. In normal time, Kelly Ann Conway would have been laughed out of her job for uttering the words "alternative facts". The clown train of the Republican Party keeps chugging along with its "alternative clean coal" and polluting civil discourse.
Today's dumb fucks are voting for Gym Jordan, again.
And he lost by 3 more.
Remember the time well. Very scary.