| There I was sound asleep in my bed when
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| | on the stage. The Wing Commander was
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| the phone rang. It was probably around
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| | with him."Attention!" The Wing Commander
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| 04:00 when the phone rang in my bedroom.
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| | shouted and the room resounded with boots
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| I was living 'off base' in civilian
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| | hitting the floor and five hundred or
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| housing. Montana mornings are already
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| | more airmen jumping to their feet. "This
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| cold in October and getting out of my
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| | is General Fox. Commander 24th NORAD
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| warm bed surrounded by my dogs was not my
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| | Region." In the Air Force you didn't
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| idea of a good time!"Hello," I mumbled
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| | have to use as many words to make a
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| into the phone.
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| | sentence as you did in civilian life.
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| "Airman Tuohy," the commanding voice
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| | The General took the mike, the colonel
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| queried in a monotone on the other side
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| | saluted performed a perfect about face
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| (a question that sounded much like a
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| | and walked off the stage. SAC loved pomp
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| demand) "report for duty."
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| | and circumstance. I wondered if you
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| "What's going on?" I asked since I was
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| | could even make Colonel if you couldn't
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| in Data Processing (an old name for I.T.)
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| | do a proper about face."During the
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| and had no security responsibilities.
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| | night," The General began, "a large
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| "20 minutes airman! Get on the move!"
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| | force of Soviet troops invaded Canada.
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| I recognized the Chief Master Sergeant's
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| | We are still uncertain about their
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| voice. He had barked orders at me before
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| | strength but it is apparently multiple
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| a time or two.I lived fifteen minutes
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| | battalions."The room was silent. Was
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| from the base. Dressing and getting to
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| | this a drill? Montana shared a long
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| my work location in 20 was a near
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| | unprotected border with Canada and
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| impossibility but in the Strategic Air
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| | Malmstrom Air Force Base had no defense.
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| Command an order was never taken lightly
| |
| | We didn't even have any airplanes! What
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| even if it was to tie your shoe. So
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| | we did have was a couple hundred
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| having the chief call saying I had to be
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| | Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic
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| in the office in 15 minutes was like
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| | Missiles with three Nuclear warheads
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| hearing from God.Moving like a
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| | each. All of us knew what was coming
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| firefighter to a four alarm fire I
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| | next and we were no longer thinking it
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| dragged on my uniform, ran a brush
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| | was a drill ... we were praying it was a
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| through what little hair I had, brushed
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| | drill.Suddenly the lights went out and
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| my teeth and ran out the door to the cold
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| | the air raid siren wailed mournfully in
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| vinyl seats on my Datson 810. In Great
| |
| | the early morning predawn darkness. The
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| Falls there was no rock and roll on the
| |
| | heal beats of boots marching down the
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| FM radio in those days and the one
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| | isles of the theater could be heard and
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| station we had was not on the air at this
| |
| | flashlights were tossing their beams
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| hour of the morning.At about 04:24 I
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| | around into the frightened eyes of
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| walked in the door of the building we
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| | unarmed young men and women in uniform.
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| called the DPI to find three sergeants
| |
| | When the lights came back on the officers
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| and a light colonel putting signs on the
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| | on the stage were being held at gunpoint
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| window that read "This Window Blocked".
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| | by soldiers that looked like Soviets and
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| Common practice for a Broken Arrow
| |
| | spoke Russian!One young man in the front
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| drill."Tuohy!" The chief barked in the
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| | row jumped up and tackled a Soviet
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| delightful way that only he could.
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| | soldier and was severely beaten for his
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| "Report to the base theater for a
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| | actions. The rest of us sat still,
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| briefing ... on the double." I just
| |
| | wondering what was going on everywhere
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| stood there and looked at him. Colonel
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| | else in town. How could this be
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| Gray, a man who looked and acted
| |
| | happening, were our families OK.The
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| remarkably like Colonel Potter on the hit
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| | Soviet officer was spewing the normal
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| TV show MASH, looked over at me noting my
| |
| | rhetoric about the imperialist west and
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| inactivity.
| |
| | communism. We were convinced. Then the
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| "On the double Airman!" He shouted
| |
| | American general stepped back up to the
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| sternly. This got me moving and startled
| |
| | microphone and announced this was a
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| me since I had never heard him bark an
| |
| | drill. These were the airmen of the Red
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| order before.The base theater was half a
| |
| | Star Squadron and this was the beginning
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| block away and an easy sprint for me in
| |
| | of a three day Soviet Awareness
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| those days. Arriving there a couple of
| |
| | Briefing.Tim Tuohy is the senior network
|
| minutes later I found most of the airmen
| |
| | engineer for mainframe systems at one of
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| on the base waiting in line to enter as
| |
| | this country's largest railroads. He is
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| well. The discussions were all the
| |
| | an honorably discharged, decorated
|
| same."Whose bright idea was it to have a
| |
| | veteran of the Air Force. His extensive
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| drill at 04:30?"
| |
| | training and education, as well his
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| "Dang it's cold out here I should have
| |
| | travels throughout the North American
|
| brought a coat?"
| |
| | continent, bring reality and excitement
|
| "Have you ever had a drill like this
| |
| | his novels and stories. His
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| before?"
| |
| | accomplishments include many highly
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| "This is nothing! We had to do this in
| |
| | technical designs and installations. He
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| the war just so ..."In a few minutes we
| |
| | lives outside Atlanta where he is working
|
| were all seated and the General in charge
| |
| | on a new novel.
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| of the 24th NORAD region was standing up
| |
| |
|
