4 ms·

The small town I grew up in also had a specific Soviet doomsday theory. Which in hindsight, doesn’t feel very plausible. In the wake of the George Floyd protes

The small town I grew up in also had a specific Soviet doomsday theory. Which in hindsight, doesn’t feel very plausible. In the wake of the George Floyd protests family talked about their concern that out of state “Antifa looters” were spotted driving down the interstate headed right for them. I don’t mean to call you a liar, Im sure there indeed are some obscure targets, and your home might be one. I do think it’s a fascinating phenomenon- this idea of small town obsession with their own destruction. A quote from Terrence Malick’s BadLands goes something like: > and if the reds ever do drop the bomb, well I hope they drop it right here in Rapid City (South Dakota).

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justin66 5y ago
In fairness to the parent poster, in the event of nuclear war an Air Force base with two runways longer than two miles each isn't an obscure target, it's just a target.
- vanattab 5y ago
  It's not just two runways it's the headquarters of the USAF Matrials Command since 1961 I think. Which is the biggest airforce command (by budget). They are responsible for running most R&D labs of the Airforce and for procuring new weapon systems and airplanes. It certainly would have been a major target. Dayton in many ways is still the birth place of new trends in aviation.
  - justin66 5y ago
    Guess which is a more important target to the enemy in the event of an all-out war: the runways, hangars, and fuel facilities or the research and development offices. (I mean, it's sort of an academic question if a well-placed enemy warhead makes it through...)
    - Edman274 5y ago
      In the imagined scenario of a 1980s MAD first-strike, it's wherever the nuclear missile silos are. There's a lot of farmland around Dayton. I would not rule out the possibility that there is at least one nuclear launch site near Wright Patterson AFB.
      - justin66 5y ago
        The location of nuclear launch silos in the US is not a secret.
Armisael16 5y ago
An Air Force base hosting one of the nine major commands doesn’t seem like an obscure target…

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justin66 5y ago

In fairness to the parent poster, in the event of nuclear war an Air Force base with two runways longer than two miles each isn't an obscure target, it's just a target.

vanattab 5y ago
It's not just two runways it's the headquarters of the USAF Matrials Command since 1961 I think. Which is the biggest airforce command (by budget). They are responsible for running most R&D labs of the Airforce and for procuring new weapon systems and airplanes. It certainly would have been a major target. Dayton in many ways is still the birth place of new trends in aviation.
- justin66 5y ago
  Guess which is a more important target to the enemy in the event of an all-out war: the runways, hangars, and fuel facilities or the research and development offices. (I mean, it's sort of an academic question if a well-placed enemy warhead makes it through...)
  - Edman274 5y ago
    In the imagined scenario of a 1980s MAD first-strike, it's wherever the nuclear missile silos are. There's a lot of farmland around Dayton. I would not rule out the possibility that there is at least one nuclear launch site near Wright Patterson AFB.
    - justin66 5y ago
      The location of nuclear launch silos in the US is not a secret.

Armisael16 5y ago

An Air Force base hosting one of the nine major commands doesn’t seem like an obscure target…