remembering the past
Every once in a while something from my past resurfaces.
This is one of those times.
I was in the Air Force for more than 6 years. My first assignment was to the 533 Strategic Missile Squadron in Wichita, Kansas. I was a BMAT (Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician) on a Launch Crew.
Every third day I would go on duty for a 30 hour shift. We would be in the silo for at least a day; sometimes longer.
I have often said that that those years were the happiest years of my adult life. It was because of the comrades and the sense of pride in what I was doing.
It was a shame that the Titan II was decommissioned and the 533rd was disbanded in the middle 80s. I cross trained to a B52G aircrew, but this beauty will always hold a place in my heart.
I often refer to the Titan II and the B52 as my first and second mistresses....the only two my wife will allow.
Seeing this video was eerie. I still remember how the very first time I walked down the long cableway, it felt like I had stepped onto the set of a James Bond film.
Sometimes when today's kids behavior makes me feel a little concerned for the future, I just think back at how a bunch of teenagers and young men in their 20s held the fate of the world in their hands for more than 20 years and did so well.
There may never be another command like SAC, but at least it was there when we needed it.
This is one of those times.
I was in the Air Force for more than 6 years. My first assignment was to the 533 Strategic Missile Squadron in Wichita, Kansas. I was a BMAT (Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician) on a Launch Crew.
Every third day I would go on duty for a 30 hour shift. We would be in the silo for at least a day; sometimes longer.
I have often said that that those years were the happiest years of my adult life. It was because of the comrades and the sense of pride in what I was doing.
It was a shame that the Titan II was decommissioned and the 533rd was disbanded in the middle 80s. I cross trained to a B52G aircrew, but this beauty will always hold a place in my heart.
I often refer to the Titan II and the B52 as my first and second mistresses....the only two my wife will allow.
Seeing this video was eerie. I still remember how the very first time I walked down the long cableway, it felt like I had stepped onto the set of a James Bond film.
Sometimes when today's kids behavior makes me feel a little concerned for the future, I just think back at how a bunch of teenagers and young men in their 20s held the fate of the world in their hands for more than 20 years and did so well.
There may never be another command like SAC, but at least it was there when we needed it.
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