Protect and Survive related--why I never made anything above Colonel

[TheKinkster]

(Note to moderators: I couldn't figure out where this belonged--neither Non-Political nor Political Chat seemed quite right, so I decided to put it in here since it came up in the Protect and Survive thread.)

In March of 1984, I was home on Long Island on leave for a couple of weeks. A friend of mine, who was a teacher at the local high school, asked me if I'd come in and speak to his AP American History class, who at that time were doing a unit on the Cold War--speak to them about SAC and it's history, and do a Q and A with them. After clearing it with my superiors, I went there and gave the talk--told them about SAC's history, described as I could what I'd done there...and then we had the Q and A.

One of the kids asked a question about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how close we came to nuclear war. I told them that President Kennedy had made the decision that he thought was the best at the time, even though he was getting different advice from his military commanders. One of them asked why they would have thought differently--I told them that it's their job to assess the information and intelligence they have, and then to present the information to the President, who makes the final decision.
I told them that General LeMay at the time hadn't known about the tactical missiles in Cuba that the Soviet commanders already had authority to fire in case of attack, which almost certainly would have caused an all-out war, and that he recommended what he thought was the best course of action under the circumstances, and the President thought otherwise.

One of them asked me how I would have felt about it if I'd been there at the time, and I told them I probably would have felt the same way General LeMay did in recommending an attack on the Soviet Union, but that I was glad President Kennedy had felt differently.

A few days later, just as I was preparing to return to duty, I got a phone call from one of my superiors at Offutt, asking why I'd told a bunch of high school students I thought we should launch an all-out nuclear war against the Soviet Union. To this day I don't know for sure how my words got twisted, and out and back to higher command. I have my suspicions...but no way to ever verify them. What I do know is that after that my career went no higher. Three times my name was put forward for promotion to Brigadier General. With backing from no less than CINCSAC himself. After the third time I was passed over, the Man asked to speak to me privately, in his office. He told me that he had been told by the White House that they didn't need any, and I quote, "more nuclear maniacs with a star on their shoulders." I resigned shortly after that.

Regrets? Absofreakinglutely none. I did my job, did it well. Anger? For a little while, but then I accepted that I was never going to know who'd twisted my words and passed it on. I could either stay angry for the rest of my life, or I could accept that it was what it was and move on, which I've done.

 

[omega21]

Hi, thanks for sharing your story, Kinkster. Seems like you're glad to get it off your chest.

That's a shame, I guess, how it happened, but more importantly, I'm glad to read that you've moved on.

I'm wondering, who was the CINCSAC you spoke to?

 

[JasonQ]

A few days later, just as I was preparing to return to duty, I got a phone call from one of my superiors at Offutt, asking why I'd told a bunch of high school students I thought we should launch an all-out nuclear war against the Soviet Union. To this day I don't know for sure how my words got twisted, and out and back to higher command. I have my suspicions...but no way to ever verify them.

See, and here I was thinking when you said "political" you meant like "inside-baseball military political."

Sounds to me like someone was laying for you, waiting for a "mistake" they could spin into A Problem. Maybe I'm wrong.

(...)

Regrets? Absofreakinglutely none. I did my job, did it well. Anger? For a little while, but then I accepted that I was never going to know who'd twisted my words and passed it on. I could either stay angry for the rest of my life, or I could accept that it was what it was and move on, which I've done.

That is a steaming crock of shit, the way you were treated. That you were able to move past it is testament to your character. You're a better man than I. Thanks for serving in any case - especially in what to a civvie seems a "weird" job.

Actually that prompts a thought/question - when I say "weird" job, I mean the kind of job where if you ever sit back and think about it, you'd wonder "What in the hell am I being paid to do?" I asked a friend of mine who was a Missileer about it, and he just kinda shrugged it off - "You don't think about it." I suppose you can't think about it TOO much...but it's still damned strange.

 

[Dunois]

Many thanks for sharing this with us TheKinkster. It is indeed amazing on easy it is for words to get twisted and not always because of a malicious intent.

Still it seems like you were an exemplary officer in spite of this which is great.

 

[The Uchronian]

(Note to moderators: I couldn't figure out where this belonged--neither Non-Political nor Political Chat seemed quite right, so I decided to put it in here since it came up in the Protect and Survive thread.)

In March of 1984, I was home on Long Island on leave for a couple of weeks. A friend of mine, who was a teacher at the local high school, asked me if I'd come in and speak to his AP American History class, who at that time were doing a unit on the Cold War--speak to them about SAC and it's history, and do a Q and A with them. After clearing it with my superiors, I went there and gave the talk--told them about SAC's history, described as I could what I'd done there...and then we had the Q and A.

One of the kids asked a question about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how close we came to nuclear war. I told them that President Kennedy had made the decision that he thought was the best at the time, even though he was getting different advice from his military commanders. One of them asked why they would have thought differently--I told them that it's their job to assess the information and intelligence they have, and then to present the information to the President, who makes the final decision.
I told them that General LeMay at the time hadn't known about the tactical missiles in Cuba that the Soviet commanders already had authority to fire in case of attack, which almost certainly would have caused an all-out war, and that he recommended what he thought was the best course of action under the circumstances, and the President thought otherwise.

One of them asked me how I would have felt about it if I'd been there at the time, and I told them I probably would have felt the same way General LeMay did in recommending an attack on the Soviet Union, but that I was glad President Kennedy had felt differently.

A few days later, just as I was preparing to return to duty, I got a phone call from one of my superiors at Offutt, asking why I'd told a bunch of high school students I thought we should launch an all-out nuclear war against the Soviet Union. To this day I don't know for sure how my words got twisted, and out and back to higher command. I have my suspicions...but no way to ever verify them. What I do know is that after that my career went no higher. Three times my name was put forward for promotion to Brigadier General. With backing from no less than CINCSAC himself. After the third time I was passed over, the Man asked to speak to me privately, in his office. He told me that he had been told by the White House that they didn't need any, and I quote, "more nuclear maniacs with a star on their shoulders." I resigned shortly after that.

Regrets? Absofreakinglutely none. I did my job, did it well. Anger? For a little while, but then I accepted that I was never going to know who'd twisted my words and passed it on. I could either stay angry for the rest of my life, or I could accept that it was what it was and move on, which I've done.

I'm sorry to hear that, Kinkster. Personally, I never had too much respect for that nutter LeMay, though, TBH, I couldn't entirely blame him for having an itchy trigger finger; the Soviets weren't exactly known for being cool-headed all the time either, and they had their fair share of crazies as well.

 

[Tovarich]

Blimey!

If anybody 30 years ago had told me I'd one day be telling a USAF Colonel that I know exactly how you feel, mate, I'd never have believed it (what with me being a CND/Lefty/Pinko who works in Social Services).

I would say may it be some comfort to you that somebody from such a different profession & worldview compared to your own can empathise, but your last paragraph is the one that especially makes me say I know just how you feel

Regrets? Absofreakinglutely none. I did my job, did it well. Anger? For a little while, but then I accepted that I was never going to know who'd twisted my words and passed it on. I could either stay angry for the rest of my life, or I could accept that it was what it was and move on, which I've done.

and it also lets me know you just don't need any support here, you've already got it mentally sorted.

*Holds out fist to Kinkster*
Respect!

 

[TheKinkster]

Thanks for the words of support and respect. They DO mean quite a bit to me.

LeMay gave the best opinion he had based on the information he had AT THE TIME. Remember, they did not know about the tactical missiles, OR that the local Soviet commanders had authority to fire if under attack. If I had been in LeMay's shoes, with the information he had, I think I'd have felt the exact same way, and made the exact same recommendation. If the information they had had been full and accurate, it would have been the safest course of action, in a way, for the US--destroy your main enemy while you have the chance, with none or minimal cost to yourself. Kennedy took an awful, awful gamble by ordering the blockade. He turned out to have made the right decision, but that doesn't change the fact it was an awful gamble.

Change the situation a bit--if those tactical missiles they didnt know about hadn't been in Cuba, for example...and attack would have been the right thing to do.

 

[BlondieBC]

Thanks for the words of support and respect. They DO mean quite a bit to me.

LeMay gave the best opinion he had based on the information he had AT THE TIME. Remember, they did not know about the tactical missiles, OR that the local Soviet commanders had authority to fire if under attack. If I had been in LeMay's shoes, with the information he had, I think I'd have felt the exact same way, and made the exact same recommendation. If the information they had had been full and accurate, it would have been the safest course of action, in a way, for the US--destroy your main enemy while you have the chance, with none or minimal cost to yourself. Kennedy took an awful, awful gamble by ordering the blockade. He turned out to have made the right decision, but that doesn't change the fact it was an awful gamble.

Change the situation a bit--if those tactical missiles they didnt know about hadn't been in Cuba, for example...and attack would have been the right thing to do.

This is probably the right forum, since it is not really current affairs, way to old for that.

Lets say it goes bad for Kennedy. What would happen that would not have happened if LeMay is given the authority to attack? I am not so much asking about OTL, but the ATL of LeMay strikes first versus ATL of a lower level commander starts the war versus High level Russian decide to strike first.

Since we did not know about he missile in Cuba, they would likely be used in either case. I can see losing an extra carrier or two to the nuclear torpedoes if the Russians get the initiative. My understanding is most Soviet Bombers did not have the legs for an attack on the USA. So how much worse would it be. I understand Kennedy risked losing the initiative for the first hour or so of the war, but with everyone on alert, after the first shot is fired, things would begin to automatically happen.

One point about your story seems odd. Was there press at the class room? It strikes me as odd that the Air Force would know what you did on your leave, much less what you said exactly. It is even stranger the White House would care about a Colonel, unless the statements got into the international press. Making Colonel is a excellent accomplishment, but there are lots of Colonels in the US military. I doubt any president can name all the Lt. Generals, much less the Major Generals.

 

[Otis R. Needleman]

(Note to moderators: I couldn't figure out where this belonged--neither Non-Political nor Political Chat seemed quite right, so I decided to put it in here since it came up in the Protect and Survive thread.)

In March of 1984, I was home on Long Island on leave for a couple of weeks. A friend of mine, who was a teacher at the local high school, asked me if I'd come in and speak to his AP American History class, who at that time were doing a unit on the Cold War--speak to them about SAC and it's history, and do a Q and A with them. After clearing it with my superiors, I went there and gave the talk--told them about SAC's history, described as I could what I'd done there...and then we had the Q and A.

One of the kids asked a question about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and how close we came to nuclear war. I told them that President Kennedy had made the decision that he thought was the best at the time, even though he was getting different advice from his military commanders. One of them asked why they would have thought differently--I told them that it's their job to assess the information and intelligence they have, and then to present the information to the President, who makes the final decision.
I told them that General LeMay at the time hadn't known about the tactical missiles in Cuba that the Soviet commanders already had authority to fire in case of attack, which almost certainly would have caused an all-out war, and that he recommended what he thought was the best course of action under the circumstances, and the President thought otherwise.

One of them asked me how I would have felt about it if I'd been there at the time, and I told them I probably would have felt the same way General LeMay did in recommending an attack on the Soviet Union, but that I was glad President Kennedy had felt differently.

A few days later, just as I was preparing to return to duty, I got a phone call from one of my superiors at Offutt, asking why I'd told a bunch of high school students I thought we should launch an all-out nuclear war against the Soviet Union. To this day I don't know for sure how my words got twisted, and out and back to higher command. I have my suspicions...but no way to ever verify them. What I do know is that after that my career went no higher. Three times my name was put forward for promotion to Brigadier General. With backing from no less than CINCSAC himself. After the third time I was passed over, the Man asked to speak to me privately, in his office. He told me that he had been told by the White House that they didn't need any, and I quote, "more nuclear maniacs with a star on their shoulders." I resigned shortly after that.

Regrets? Absofreakinglutely none. I did my job, did it well. Anger? For a little while, but then I accepted that I was never going to know who'd twisted my words and passed it on. I could either stay angry for the rest of my life, or I could accept that it was what it was and move on, which I've done.

I'm sorry to hear what happened. Politics is nasty, indeed.

Am curious about one thing, though. If you were a full colonel at the time, why would you need your boss' permission to address a high school class while on leave? My understanding is that USAF full colonels are usually group, wing, and base commanders, chiefs of staff, or directors of staffs - pretty high on the totem pole. Officers at that level tend to operate with a good deal of latitude, and especially in SAC would be very well versed in security. Just seems unusual that you'd need clearance from your superiors to speak to a high school class.