recon228
09-24-2007, 02:41 PM
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5639/01119ya0.jpg
The date is September 1st, 1983, and the Cold War between the Soviet Union and United States is in full-gear when Korean Air Lines Flight 007 departs from JFK International in New York, en route to Seoul, South Korea.
In the middle of the flight, while accidently passing through Soviet air space, Soviet fighter jets appear, moving in close to the aircraft. The Soviets, who didn't know the plane contained civilians, warned the pilot that they would shoot down the aircraft if it didn't identify itself. The pilot, for some unknown reason, doesn't respond.
Reports say the pilot never actually received the information, although theories about this are still unclear. An hour passes as the fighter jets still accompany the aircraft. Just as the plane was about to leave Soviet airspace, orders came in from Soviet military command to shoot down the aircraft.
The Soviet fighter jets shot down the plane, with the aircraft plunging 35,000 feet in less than 90 seconds, killing 269 civilians, including a US congressman.
All hell broke loose as the Soviets tried to defend their 'mistake'. President Ronald Reagan described the Soviet's actions as "barbaric" and "a crime against humanity that must never be forgotten".
The tension between the two super-powers hit an all-time high and, on September 15th, 1983, the US administration banned civilian Soviet aircraft from operating within US airspace. With the political climate in dangerous territory, both US and Soviet governments were on high-alert' believing an attack was imminent.
It was a cold night at the Serpukhov-15 bunker in Moscow on September 26th, 1983 as Strategic Rocket Forces Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov resumed his duty, monitoring the skies of the Soviet Union, after taking a shift for someone else who couldn't go to work.
Just past midnight, Petrov received the computer report he'd dreaded his entire military career; the computer captured a nuclear ICBM being launched from the US... destination: Moscow.
In the event of such an attack, the Soviet Union’s strategy protocol was to launch an immediate all-out nuclear counterattack against the United States, and immediately afterwards inform top political and military figures. From there, the Soviet government would make a decision on whether to further the military offensive against America with follow-up attacks or a ground invasion.
The bunker was in full-alert as the missile was captured by the Soviet satellites via computers. Petrov wasn't convinced though. He believed that if the US attacked, they would have attacked all-out, not just sending one missile and giving a chance for them (the Soviets) to attack back.
Petrov figured something didn't make sense as just one missile from the US would be a strategic disaster. He took some time to think and decided not to give the order for a nuclear attack against America since, in his opinion, one missile didn't make sense and could easily have been a computer error.
But then, seconds later, the situation turned dire; a second missile was spotted by the satellite. The pressure by the Officers in the bunker to commence responsive actions against America started growing. A third missile was spotted, followed by a fourth. A couple of seconds later, a fifth one was spotted... everyone in the bunker was convinced that the Soviet Union was under missile attack...
...everyone but Petrov.
The Lt. Colonel had two options: go with his instinct and dismiss the missiles as computer errors, therefore breaking military protocol in the process, or take responsive action and commence full-scale nuclear retaliatory actions against America, killing millions outright and potentially poisoning the Earth for centuries to come.
He decided it was a computer error, understanding deep down that if he was wrong, missiles would be raining down on Moscow in minutes.
Seconds turned to minutes, and as time passed it became clear that Petrov was right; it was a computer error after all. Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov had prevented a worldwide nuclear war... a doomsday scenario that would have annihilated entire nations. He was a hero. Those around him congratulated him for his superb judgment.
Upon further investigation it was discovered that the error came from a very rare sunlight alignment, which the computer misread as missiles.
Of course, top brass in the Kremlin didn't find it so heroic, as he had broken military protocol in his actions and, if he had been wrong, risked millions of Russian lives. He was forced into early retirement with a measly $200-a-month pension and suffered a nervous breakdown as a result.
Due to military secrecy, nobody knew about Petrov's heroic judgment until 1998, when a book written by a Russian Officer present in the bunker revealed that on that day, World War III was closer than people had ever imagined, and a nuclear holocaust was avoided by a close shave.
Even though the Russians have little sympathy for the man who saved millions of American lives, the United Nations and a number of US agencies honored the man who could have started a nuclear war, but didn't.
In 2008, a documentary film entitled 'The Man who saved the World' is set to be released, perhaps giving Petrov some financial help and thanking him for the incredible part he had in keeping the US and the USSR out of a full-blown nuclear war.
Without knowing it, on that cold Moscow night back in 1983, a badly-paid 44 year old military officer saved the world, and made himself one of the most influential persons of the century in the process... saving more lives than anyone ever did.
Most of the people today don't know it, but this world we currently live in is likely because of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov.
The date is September 1st, 1983, and the Cold War between the Soviet Union and United States is in full-gear when Korean Air Lines Flight 007 departs from JFK International in New York, en route to Seoul, South Korea.
In the middle of the flight, while accidently passing through Soviet air space, Soviet fighter jets appear, moving in close to the aircraft. The Soviets, who didn't know the plane contained civilians, warned the pilot that they would shoot down the aircraft if it didn't identify itself. The pilot, for some unknown reason, doesn't respond.
Reports say the pilot never actually received the information, although theories about this are still unclear. An hour passes as the fighter jets still accompany the aircraft. Just as the plane was about to leave Soviet airspace, orders came in from Soviet military command to shoot down the aircraft.
The Soviet fighter jets shot down the plane, with the aircraft plunging 35,000 feet in less than 90 seconds, killing 269 civilians, including a US congressman.
All hell broke loose as the Soviets tried to defend their 'mistake'. President Ronald Reagan described the Soviet's actions as "barbaric" and "a crime against humanity that must never be forgotten".
The tension between the two super-powers hit an all-time high and, on September 15th, 1983, the US administration banned civilian Soviet aircraft from operating within US airspace. With the political climate in dangerous territory, both US and Soviet governments were on high-alert' believing an attack was imminent.
It was a cold night at the Serpukhov-15 bunker in Moscow on September 26th, 1983 as Strategic Rocket Forces Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov resumed his duty, monitoring the skies of the Soviet Union, after taking a shift for someone else who couldn't go to work.
Just past midnight, Petrov received the computer report he'd dreaded his entire military career; the computer captured a nuclear ICBM being launched from the US... destination: Moscow.
In the event of such an attack, the Soviet Union’s strategy protocol was to launch an immediate all-out nuclear counterattack against the United States, and immediately afterwards inform top political and military figures. From there, the Soviet government would make a decision on whether to further the military offensive against America with follow-up attacks or a ground invasion.
The bunker was in full-alert as the missile was captured by the Soviet satellites via computers. Petrov wasn't convinced though. He believed that if the US attacked, they would have attacked all-out, not just sending one missile and giving a chance for them (the Soviets) to attack back.
Petrov figured something didn't make sense as just one missile from the US would be a strategic disaster. He took some time to think and decided not to give the order for a nuclear attack against America since, in his opinion, one missile didn't make sense and could easily have been a computer error.
But then, seconds later, the situation turned dire; a second missile was spotted by the satellite. The pressure by the Officers in the bunker to commence responsive actions against America started growing. A third missile was spotted, followed by a fourth. A couple of seconds later, a fifth one was spotted... everyone in the bunker was convinced that the Soviet Union was under missile attack...
...everyone but Petrov.
The Lt. Colonel had two options: go with his instinct and dismiss the missiles as computer errors, therefore breaking military protocol in the process, or take responsive action and commence full-scale nuclear retaliatory actions against America, killing millions outright and potentially poisoning the Earth for centuries to come.
He decided it was a computer error, understanding deep down that if he was wrong, missiles would be raining down on Moscow in minutes.
Seconds turned to minutes, and as time passed it became clear that Petrov was right; it was a computer error after all. Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov had prevented a worldwide nuclear war... a doomsday scenario that would have annihilated entire nations. He was a hero. Those around him congratulated him for his superb judgment.
Upon further investigation it was discovered that the error came from a very rare sunlight alignment, which the computer misread as missiles.
Of course, top brass in the Kremlin didn't find it so heroic, as he had broken military protocol in his actions and, if he had been wrong, risked millions of Russian lives. He was forced into early retirement with a measly $200-a-month pension and suffered a nervous breakdown as a result.
Due to military secrecy, nobody knew about Petrov's heroic judgment until 1998, when a book written by a Russian Officer present in the bunker revealed that on that day, World War III was closer than people had ever imagined, and a nuclear holocaust was avoided by a close shave.
Even though the Russians have little sympathy for the man who saved millions of American lives, the United Nations and a number of US agencies honored the man who could have started a nuclear war, but didn't.
In 2008, a documentary film entitled 'The Man who saved the World' is set to be released, perhaps giving Petrov some financial help and thanking him for the incredible part he had in keeping the US and the USSR out of a full-blown nuclear war.
Without knowing it, on that cold Moscow night back in 1983, a badly-paid 44 year old military officer saved the world, and made himself one of the most influential persons of the century in the process... saving more lives than anyone ever did.
Most of the people today don't know it, but this world we currently live in is likely because of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov.