How MAD were we?

In January 1963, the world was on edge. The recent Cuban Missile Crisis had shown how close we were to Mutual Assured Destruction on a scale never before seen. The arms race of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s had pushed the east and west closer to global confrontation since the end of the Second […]

October 16, 1962 – The Day the World Found Itself on the Brink

I was eight years old on October 16, 1962. It was a Tuesday and I was in grade school probably day-dreaming about anything but the world coming to an abrupt end. But on that day, President Kennedy was shown some pictures of Soviet Missiles being assembled in a place called Cuba. It may has well […]

Gallant Leadership and Courageous Conduct Under Fire – The Story of the USS Duncan DD 485 in 1942

In February 1942, the Navy was desperate for fighting ships. From the attack at Pearl Harbor to the battles that stretched across the Pacific, years of neglect in building an adequate amount of combat vessels was being felt in every theater. Shipyards were being pushed to finish the ships that were authorized a year before […]

February 1971 – This is not a Test

“For 40 Minutes in 1971, It Seemed the End Was Near” “Every TV and radio station in America was interrupted with an emergency message indicating nuclear war was imminent.” I was a junior then senior in High School in 1971 and the world was a very chaotic place. Some would even say it was explosive. […]