Wilton typed: "'Spent every third week for years on ground alert and flew several 24 to 26 hour airborne alert missions ready to "go" at a moment's notice - helluva way to live."
And we thank you for it. Bob R On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Wilton Strickland <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote: > Thank GOD we never got the "Go Code." Unlike the movie, once the code was > received and validated, there was NO way to be recalled. I've never been a > ranter/raver about the Commies, etc. 'Always thought that it was a pity > and > great loss for all of us that we had to expend so much effort and money to > maintain, at least, the "nuclear peace." Only way I was able to accept > such > an awesome responsibility was to know/think that as long as we were ready > and "they" thought we would use "it," we would never have to use it. After > all, "Peace WAS Our Profession." > Wilton > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rich Thomas" <richthomas79td...@constructivity.net> > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 9:58 AM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - Strategic Air Command > > > > Imagine if you had gotten the order -- you would have been the guy who > > couldn't nuke the filthy Reds/dirty Commies and make the world safe > > again for truth, justice, and the American way! > > > > About that time I had a friend who lived a coupla blocks over, his dad > > was a ranting and raving John Bircher. The guy was some kind of civil > > engineer and would be gone for months at a time building dams and > > bridges in various places in the world, but when he came home and was > > around the house he would go off on these rants about the commies and > > reds and all. It was too funny. At that age I had little idea what he > > was ranting about, but I guess some of it stuck. > > > > Duck and cover! > > > > --R > > > > Wilton Strickland wrote: > > > Some of you may remember that in an early scene in the movie "Dr. > > > Strangelove," coupla B-52 crewmen are opening a safe on the airplane to > > > access the emergency war order (EWO) materials - targeting materials, > maps, > > > etc. Well, first there was no safe; we carried the materials aboard in > a > > > strong box about the size of a medium-to-large suitcase. When > transporting > > > the box from the operations "vault" to the aircraft, at least three of > us > > > crewmen were armed with a sidearm (not much, though - Smith & Wesson > .38 > > > revolver). We locked the box and secured it to the upper deck of the > > > airplane with a steel cable and three HEFTY combination padlocks, each > lock > > > belonged (individually) to and its combination was known only to an > officer > > > crewman. One of the locks was mine. > > > > > > In 1964, after having flown a 24-hour alert mission (with nuke weapons, > of > > > course, ready to strike targets in USSR) from Robins AFB, GA, across > the > > > Atlantic, across Spain, around the Mediterranean, back across Spain and > the > > > Atlantic and landed back at Robins. When I tried to open my lock after > > > landing, it would NOT open. I tried several times, and my fellow > crewmen > > > began accusing me of forgetting the combination, 'cause these locks > NEVER > > > fail. I gave 'em the combination - my birth date - how could I forget > it? > > > They had no success opening the lock, either; Wing Commander came > aboard; I > > > gave 'im the combination; he couldn't open it, either - that lock was > NOT > > > GOING TO OPEN. 'Finally had it cut off with a torch while two of us > > > aircrewmen watched. That afternoon, my name and lock were "big news" > on > the > > > "big briefing board" at SAC HQ (Omaha). I was suddenly known all over > SAC > > > as the guy who couldn't get his EWO lock open. Not a good way to > become > > > "famous" in SAC. > > > > > > Wilton > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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