Regarding #7 above. There are some important details missing. First of all, there were 3 computer failures that June of 1980, not just two. Everyone cites the first two but somehow, the last one is forgotten. I was a B-52 copilot on nuclear alert for the first and 3rd false "actuals". I remember staying up late and was caught in the shower for that first klaxon.
Everyone is staring at each other in disbelief. No one got the normal forewaring. (You see, the bird had stars in his eyes, so he always leaked the details of the the "exercise" klaxon so that the force timing looked terrific! That way, he improved his chances of being general.) I managed to wipe myself somewhat dry and mustered into my flight suit. I remembered running to my aircraft, the first in the christmass tree parking arrangement. There was so much confusion.
The pilot and I arrived at the aircraft at about the same time and were busy firing up the engines. After getting the electrical system hot, I got the radios online and heard the command post blaring out the encoded text for the crews to copy to the message book.
The Nav arrived choking from the smoke and fumes of the eight start cartridges. His job was to decode the message. The crew chief plugged in and was listening to the interphone traffic.
The Nave told the Pilot, "You're not going to believe this Shit!" It's an actual message! We have to taxi to the hold line and await survival launch authentication.
The Pilot responded, "Recopy the damn message Nav! What have you been smoking anyway?"
A few short moments later, the Nav replied, "Pilot, I am telling you, this is an actual message. Let's get the safe open and get the tickets ready!"
In a harsh voice and thinking he could decode the message correctly, the Pilot shouts, "Nav, bring that damn decode book up here and I'll decypher it!"
Well as fate would have it, the first two characters correctly translated to the ill fated word "ACTUAL". I could make this a really long story and I should probablly write it all down someday. The real problem was what happened next.
Since this was a supposed nuclear survival launch, the message decoded to something like "taxi to the hold short line and await launch authentication." Since this was an "actual" survival launch...the only message we could receive was to launch. There were no other possibilities or options for a different message than to launch. Nothing like, oops boys, we made a mistake so would you please taxi down the runway and back to your parking spots!
The confusion was crazy and scary. As a copilot, I knew the secret winchester HF channel and was listening to all the other SAC bases. We were all asking the same question! "Did you get 'The MESSAGE', you know, the message?" Loring, Minot, KI Sawyer,Grand Forks, and all the rest, we were all asking the "BIG" question.
The launch message never came. There were severl attempts made to recall the aircraft back to parking. Over the years in SAC we crew dogs were always told that one day we would be tested for our loyalty and ability to follow orders. These attempts to recall us to the christmas tree were useless. The bird couldn't trick us into disobeying orders. We were going to wait for the launch order and that was that.
Mean while, the Nav had been monitoring his watch...tic toc, tic toc. Missle flight time from Russia to our southern base was about 27 minutes. Missle flight time to Loring was about 17 minutes. I remember winchester going silent and then someone began counting down, five, four, three, two, one.....then dead silence for what seemed liked an eternity. Then there was this sobbing voice announcing to winchester listeners that Loring was still there. Everyone on our plane cheered! One by one the scenario continued as base after base counted down and then reported that there was no nuclear blast.
I remember crying while listening to those count downs. The tensenses in each voice...the relief that they were still there...and the disbelief that no one launched for survival as was required by the EWO, Emergency War Order.
Time dragged on, and we still would not move; we would not honor the repeated request from the command post to return to parking even after correctly authenting those messages. We could only launch. That was the only option allowed by the first message.
Eventually, the bird connected to our bomber, swore on a stack of bibles that he wasn't under duress, that this wasn't a loyalty test, and that we were to return to parking and the bird would assume all responsiblity for any punitive actions associated with his NOT ACCORDING TO HOYLE request. With six witnesses on board, we voted and agreed to return to parking. It took nearly four hours from the klaxon to find ourselves snuggled safely back in our chocks.
I think it is egg in the eyes of the planners who failed to conceive of the possiblity that there could be a "FALSE ACTUAL". It is more egg in their faces to know that there were those service members out there who elected to ignore the "actual" message, believing it to be a false message. Regardless, computers can and do fail, and planners cannot percieve all outcomes. I am just thankful that I didn't have to drop my bombs those frightful nights in July, 1980!
Everyone is staring at each other in disbelief. No one got the normal forewaring. (You see, the bird had stars in his eyes, so he always leaked the details of the the "exercise" klaxon so that the force timing looked terrific! That way, he improved his chances of being general.) I managed to wipe myself somewhat dry and mustered into my flight suit. I remembered running to my aircraft, the first in the christmass tree parking arrangement. There was so much confusion.
The pilot and I arrived at the aircraft at about the same time and were busy firing up the engines. After getting the electrical system hot, I got the radios online and heard the command post blaring out the encoded text for the crews to copy to the message book.
The Nav arrived choking from the smoke and fumes of the eight start cartridges. His job was to decode the message. The crew chief plugged in and was listening to the interphone traffic.
The Nave told the Pilot, "You're not going to believe this Shit!" It's an actual message! We have to taxi to the hold line and await survival launch authentication.
The Pilot responded, "Recopy the damn message Nav! What have you been smoking anyway?"
A few short moments later, the Nav replied, "Pilot, I am telling you, this is an actual message. Let's get the safe open and get the tickets ready!"
In a harsh voice and thinking he could decode the message correctly, the Pilot shouts, "Nav, bring that damn decode book up here and I'll decypher it!"
Well as fate would have it, the first two characters correctly translated to the ill fated word "ACTUAL". I could make this a really long story and I should probablly write it all down someday. The real problem was what happened next.
Since this was a supposed nuclear survival launch, the message decoded to something like "taxi to the hold short line and await launch authentication." Since this was an "actual" survival launch...the only message we could receive was to launch. There were no other possibilities or options for a different message than to launch. Nothing like, oops boys, we made a mistake so would you please taxi down the runway and back to your parking spots!
The confusion was crazy and scary. As a copilot, I knew the secret winchester HF channel and was listening to all the other SAC bases. We were all asking the same question! "Did you get 'The MESSAGE', you know, the message?" Loring, Minot, KI Sawyer,Grand Forks, and all the rest, we were all asking the "BIG" question.
The launch message never came. There were severl attempts made to recall the aircraft back to parking. Over the years in SAC we crew dogs were always told that one day we would be tested for our loyalty and ability to follow orders. These attempts to recall us to the christmas tree were useless. The bird couldn't trick us into disobeying orders. We were going to wait for the launch order and that was that.
Mean while, the Nav had been monitoring his watch...tic toc, tic toc. Missle flight time from Russia to our southern base was about 27 minutes. Missle flight time to Loring was about 17 minutes. I remember winchester going silent and then someone began counting down, five, four, three, two, one.....then dead silence for what seemed liked an eternity. Then there was this sobbing voice announcing to winchester listeners that Loring was still there. Everyone on our plane cheered! One by one the scenario continued as base after base counted down and then reported that there was no nuclear blast.
I remember crying while listening to those count downs. The tensenses in each voice...the relief that they were still there...and the disbelief that no one launched for survival as was required by the EWO, Emergency War Order.
Time dragged on, and we still would not move; we would not honor the repeated request from the command post to return to parking even after correctly authenting those messages. We could only launch. That was the only option allowed by the first message.
Eventually, the bird connected to our bomber, swore on a stack of bibles that he wasn't under duress, that this wasn't a loyalty test, and that we were to return to parking and the bird would assume all responsiblity for any punitive actions associated with his NOT ACCORDING TO HOYLE request. With six witnesses on board, we voted and agreed to return to parking. It took nearly four hours from the klaxon to find ourselves snuggled safely back in our chocks.
I think it is egg in the eyes of the planners who failed to conceive of the possiblity that there could be a "FALSE ACTUAL". It is more egg in their faces to know that there were those service members out there who elected to ignore the "actual" message, believing it to be a false message. Regardless, computers can and do fail, and planners cannot percieve all outcomes. I am just thankful that I didn't have to drop my bombs those frightful nights in July, 1980!