Who here lived the cold war?

a reply to: Golantrevize

My husband and I were young first marry, he was a Marine and we were starting our family, I had not time to worry about it, because I had babies to take care off.

I met two of the Iran hostage crisis in PR at a wedding, so I had first hand on the cold war heated years, after all the cold war started back in the 40s and lasted to the 90s.

But it was the most heat during the 70s and 80s.

a reply to: marg6043
I beg to differ. The Cold War was certainly NOT at it's peak in the 70s and 80s. You actually believe that? The peak was back in the late 50's and 60s when Khrushchev was calling the shots in the USSR. The Cuban Missile Crisis in '62 was the flash-point for sure.

Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) led the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, serving as premier from 1958 to 1964. Though he largely pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, he instigated the Cuban Missile Crisis by placing nuclear weapons 90 miles from Florida.

I was a kid in the 50 and 60. I lived near Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. They where flying B-52 bombers around the clock. Around the world. We did the typical air raid drills at school. Other than that it was a what I call a normal growing up. Played with the neighbor kids and my sisters. We lived near a wooded area. We had tree houses and forts. Rope swings from the trees. My dad and I raced go-karts all over Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma on the weekends.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
something i haven't seen anyone mention was Glasnost and Perestroika, which on the USSR's side was the turning point in the cold war.

I remember them.

I am thinking if I recall correctly, they were Junior High for me. I know the Wall fell when i was barely in high school.

I was hatched in the early fifties, grew up under the worrisome threat of Soviet Nuclear annihilation. Was always interested in military aviation, I remember B-36s flying over in formation, very loud, B-52s flying low level during Swift Strike training, Saw the Sputnik satellite drift over which seemed to scare people more than the Soviet nukes did. When the USS Scorpion sank, I was told that that was probably the closest America ever came to launching a first strike. They still don't know for sure what sank it.

We used to practice covering our selves under a desk and then going into the hall and facing the wall (which had a lot of glass on the upper part) putting our heads between our knees. When I was in the sixth grade me and my best friend were in the hall getting "in position" when he said "why put your head between your knees?". I remarked so that you would be able to kiss your ass goodbye! A teacher heard me and chastised me, but then we had more "nuclear" drills after that.

Exciting times, indeed!

I remember these two movies that maybe showed what it would be like if we had a nuclear war.

Panic in the Year Zero


On the Beach


And one I had forgot,

a reply to: TinySickTears

It's good to know someone is still keeping it wound.

My era was the 70s... bell bottoms, drugs, booze, long hair, disco, fast cars, and the maturization of rock 'n' roll. All against the backdrop of MAD. It was one heck of a decade... wish I could remember more of it.

As for movies... War Games came out in '83. Our biggest concern, not an aggressive action by a superpower, but an error. One little glitch. One mangled communication. Just one. Bang.

Red Dawn followed it up in '84. Survival of the horror, belief in our ability, with an eye toward the fact that the two sides weren't all that different. Blame the leaders, not the followers.

And then Reagan said those famous words: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" We cheered. We had won.

Then we realized we hadn't won. We just moved to a new theater of war. Ah, well... we tried.

TheRedneck

a reply to: NightFlight

Great post man

a reply to: Golantrevize

Duck and cover drills. Fallout shelter designation tips and fear of Russians.

Check out U2's song "Seconds" as that was always in the back of your mind.

In the end, seems rather simple. The world is more complicated than that. I doubt the nuclear option is viable anymore.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

I do remember the duck and cover when I was in grade school. The 60s for me was about peace and love and cars with colorful flowers all over, after all my father was in his 20s and my mother barely out of her so they were young and love the hippy looks.

jtma508, I was too young in the 60s barely grade school, but the 70s and 80s were all I can remember about crisis, Nixon era, the Iranian crisis, bombings of post offices when I was in high school, plenty of protest while I was in college, meet two of the hostage, was dating at the time my Marine husband, then my life as a young military wife under the Regan era and so on.

My husband is still very much part of the government to this days and working for it. Once a marine always a marine.

a reply to: marg6043

The hippy thing was a reaction to the buzz cut American jingoism going on all around us. Which is ok but was kind of a "head in the sand" reaction.

Strange times to be sure. Dr. Strangelove and Sting's Russians also come to mind.

Punk was also a reaction against the System. The Dead Kennedys are great at pointing it out. The Clash if the DKs are too hardcore...

One day we sat and watched as our Looking Glass aircraft that was sitting on alert had the crew go running out to the aircraft, and start engines. We had watched them do this many times, as part of testing the system. They'd start engines, taxi out to the end of the runway, do a 180 and come back, and everyone would go about the day.

This time, everything on the taxiway stopped dead, they went out the taxiway turned left, and went airborne. The ONLY reason that aircraft would have gone airborne was because missiles were in the air. There was no other possible reasons.

About an hour later they landed and we found out it was a false alarm. You've never seen so many faces that were just absolutely drained. They said making that turn onto the runway was the hardest thing they'd ever done.

Re Perestroika and Glasnost, yes, I remember them. I remember being relieved that it was over. I thought once the wall came down and Gorbachev being cool and everything, that the danger was all past. Also, Apartheid and Mandella seemed good.

Also one of my youngest salient memories was watching the JFK assassination aftermath, I was only 4, but remember it vividly. I didn't know why, and no one explained to me ever, in school or out. I learned about Operation Northwoods as an adult. The images on the screen, however, are deeply embedded in my mind, just like I remember the moon landing (that really happened), and the Challenger disaster, and 9/11. Those things will never fade from my memory.

Having said that, I wonder how many give any thought at all to how traumatized the children who are now Syrian refugees and/or survivors of the wartime 'collateral' damage of their homes and family members are going to turn out as adults.
That ENTIRE GENERATION will be FOREVER hypervigilant, suspicious, harboring simmering hatred, and knowing only violence. Kids who grow up in that sort of environment are scarred for life. They are damaged now.

As they get older, this crap will all rear its hideous head again. And so it goes.

How was it living fearing the nukes?

Same as it is being scared of bankers,ceos,rich people,gun owners,gmo, and the climate.

The American neurosis is limitless.

Because every tomorrow brings a new boogieman.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

JFK assassination was a big thing, but for some reason I don't remember much of it, but I remember very well been glue to the TV watching the first man send to the moon.

Interesting.

i remember the dire government leaflets and 'advice'. I remember testing of sirens and dreams of armageddon sometimes troubling me. recent events do echo some of those feelings but back then it was a constant, thus it became simply the way it was. the threat we/some perceive now is essentially the same sensation though possibly more shocking, impacting as it is on a generation that have largely been blissfully unconcerned with such possibilities. in the end it's a case of plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose.

I think Africa - particularly Angola and South Africa were the last real instance of Marxist/capitalist ideologies at logger-heads in the field.

Oh my God, I remember it very well.

Still trying to forget.

a reply to: Golantrevize

My parents moved us to , 1960's; to the Clear Lake, Texas, area as he worked as a civilian in the NASA programs (today what is known as JSC).

What I recall most about the era: The films we had to watch weekly on "Atomic Attacks", safety drills either ducking under one's desk when the alarm sounded or a different alarm to run into the hallways, kneel, tuck your head and face the walls.

There were also plans to get all of us to fallout shelters, that was more like a fire drill today with buses waiting.

The assumption was that everything from Galveston to Houston would be hit in the first strike.

Secondarily: All of the aircraft from Ellington. Nam was in full mode.

Lines of low flying Helos (all kinds). Often times a 1/2 hour worth of formations flying over.
So loud they would rattle the windows, sometimes would rattle the dishes in the cabinets and ALWAYS screwed-up the television. Jets all day long as well, and cargo aircraft always overhead...

In fact, at times so bothersome, my mother forced us to finally move into Greater Houston. As kids it didn't bother us.

Dad had maps of fall-out shelters in both glove boxes and we had maps of meeting places if separated stuck in our heads.
At home there was always food in case of a disaster (also for hurricanes)

Oddly enough, we attended Ed White elementary for a year, the Cafeteria was built for fallout.

The mood was positive, The Space Program was what everyone was talking about, films at school had also a weekly "Innovation" theme and an "Entrepreneur" aspect.

mg

a reply to: ketsuko

John Titor comes to mind when you mentioned Alas, Babylon. John Titor mentioned a nuclear war with Russia plus mentioned he came Florida just like the protagonist in the novel.

By the way OP, John Titor was an alleged time traveler who said in early 2000s that there will come a time when US freedoms are stripped away causing a 2nd American Civil War followed by a short nuclear exchange with Russia.

a reply to: Cloudbuster

Thanks for paying attention to my rambling! I have not read that but I may check it out after binging on Cold War Nuclear disaster movies all day. I fell asleep watching The Day After last night and had a crazy nightmare. Woke up at 5am so relieved to not be in my dream reality.

a reply to: TheRedneck