by AlanB 14 Replies latest social current
I've just watched a program on TV about the Cuban missile crisis.
I just wondered how the average JW at the time felt while this was happenning? Was this 'it'? or was the 1975 date firmly set by then?
Interesting aside, I must speak to my dad about this, ask him how he felt as he was 'out' at the time and did not come back until a few years later, I wonder how he felt having being brought up in it? Interesting that he keeps on at me about world conditions yet he did not come back then.
I dont know quite how we all got through it!
ISP
Like I always did being in a military family. Dad suddenlly disappears in the middle of the night. Jets are flying overhead at 3 a.m. and we can't leave the base or call out or have anyone visit from offbase.
Military brats grew up knowing that missiles were aimed at them, for sure.
Blondie
I was just 8 years old, but, I remember it very well. The school 'A-bomb attack drills' they changed the Fire Alarm bell to a different sound. We had to run out into the halls and the Teachers would have the girls sit with their backs against the wall in the hall -- us boys, being more tough and able to resist Atomic fireballs better than sissy girls, we sat in front of them with our heads between our legs and our hands over head and ears. The girls would hug us...that part was nice.
We were very scared, we had seen pictures of A-bombs and others in war movies...I did not understand -- even at 8 y/o how it helped to sit in the hall. Wouldn't a bomb blow it up like on TV...? I remember hearing the President and others HAD a place to safely hide. That did not seem fair.
I remember how tense my Mom & Dad were as we sat and watched the endless pictures of the Navy ships doing the blocade. And I remember Walter Cronkite -- I remember feeling sorta 'safe' when he was talking.
Very weird time...
I was young at the time, although I am sure I remember my Mum telling me that Jehovah would not let man destroy the Earth , so dont worry. Although it was a masssive story, I dont think it had the same personal impact over here.
Incidentally the 1975 date only came in with the book" Life Everlasting...etc" in 1966, I forget now but I believe this event was before then.
I remember being in elementary school during the cuban missile crisis. We were taught "Duck and cover" ( like that would really do any good!). All of the elementary schools built during the late 1950s and early 1960s had huge underground "fallout shelters" . In hindsight; I imagine that they were publically funded bomb shelters in the event of a war. The older schools had huge incinerators built into them ( for what? cremations? who knows) Oddly, these schools are still being used; the shelters used for storage and the incinerators closed due to environmental reasons).
I do not think the general population knew of the intensity of the Cuban crisis situation until it had passed. My parents talked about their life during WW 2 when you had to black out tail lites; and all windows required blackout shades to be drawn at nite, and there were air raid drills. We had none of that during the brief Cuban Missile crisis. No one was really aware of just how close the western world came to another war. At least as a child, I do not remember any situation that my parents would have reacted to.
As for the "1975 date", the first I remember hearing that spoken was at the 1969 International Assembly.
1962 Cuban missile Crisis
1966 Life Everlasting with the Sons of God book first mentions 1975 and has a chart showing the end of 6,000 years of human history
w66 10/15 628-9 Rejoicing over "God's Sons of Liberty" Spiritual Feast ***
I was only one when it happened. I wet my pants!
Kennedy was extremely arrogant- the USA had dozens of nukes sitting on the Russian border in Turkey and Western Europe but he didn't want any in Cuba- the USA's back yard? Sort of a two faced hypocritical policy don't you think? Yes, I was alive- the whole period during the late 50's and all thru the 60's were tense and sometimes frightening.I thought Kennedy was an idiot then and still do. He sent people into Cuba to be killed and tortured in the Bay of Pigs invasion, refused to acknowledge that it was his plan and let the survivors languish in prision so that he didn't have to tell the world that he sent people in there to be slaughtered in an ill fated attempt to overthrow Castro. The majority of people WANTED Castro in power in Cuba. Almost all of those who didn't want to live under communism had left or were leaving to come to the USA. The rest supported Castro because they thought that communism would improve their lot.
I was in High School, and honestly don't remember anyone talking about it. I was a Senior, very involved in school, and in love. I vaguely remember my Dad talking about it, but I wasn't terribly interested in current events. Must have been a pretty shallow teenager.
