We're you around during the Cuban Missle Crisis? If so can you share your experience with me?

Question

I have to write a report on what it was like during the Cuban Missile Crisis. If you lived through the 13 terrifying days, can you tell me what it was like.
What was life like during that time?
How did you feel when you heard the news?
What did you think was going to happen?

Please tell me everything you remeber, every word will help A LOT.
Thanks.

Answer 1

I was a child at the time, but old enough to be very aware of the situation. You should know, and might mention that the Cuban missile crisis went far beyond the 13 day time frame you mention, although that was the climax. I was in Middle School during those 'show down' days, but had been practicing 'duck and cover' (diving under our desks) for YEARS prior to the show down. We all were taught who our Civil Defense officers were, and where the closest fall out shelters were to the places we frequented. The few that could afford to, built fall out shelters as secretly as possible, and most folks kept food, water, guns and ammunition at hand.

Believe it or not, the daily routines were not all that different than normal during the 13 day period. We still had school, church and the rest of 'normal' activities. The kids, my age fell into two very distinct camps, those that were certain of immediate annihilation and those that were determined to survive if the bombs did come. Of course we all reflected the thinking of our parents. There were a couple of kids that were held out of school, and we had one young guy go bonkers in the hall. Yeah, we were scared, and all that, but for years we had been 'conditioned' that the nukes could arrive at any time. I cannot tell you if it warped any of us out of shape, we came through it and took life as it came. I would never want to see another generation having to grow up under similar circumstances. Hope you can glean a little from this 'saga'... :)

Answer 2

OK:

I was in high school, my dad was a naval officer assigned to a destroyer at the Naval station, Key West, Florida. I was 90 miles from Cuba, that is a four hour boat ride or a few minutes on any airplane.

Our house, was on the base, and we were on the beach at the south end of the island.

It was rather scary as all of our dad's got called out to their ships in the middle of the night, and the next morning, all the mothers and kids watched from the beach and a jetty, the long line of ships cruising out to sea. One cannot forget such.
It was a very sad and tense few days, then one morning Army "HAWK" missile units set up on the beach. A HAWK
missile looks like two large missile mounted on a portable
trailer. It was getting real serious.

School was closed at the Naval base was "locked down',
so we kids hung out on the beach and took food and cokes to the soldiers. We, of course, watched the TV hourly.

It was often that a news report would show some US Navy ships and we knew what our dad's ship number was. It was very personal, we figured we'd be the first to go. Key West is a flat island at the tip of the Florida keys. No where to hide, run or such, as the days past my dad's destroyer came in for one day, we know know that they picked up more depth charges for anti-submarine operations. Some histories say they actually dropped a few on sub contacts.

Then it was over. Navy "brats" as any military kids get the picture, as we grew up with it. Realize that most of the US aircraft were based in Key West and the next key: Boca Chica at the two Naval Air Stations. There hourly flights '24/7" for the entire time. I suspect that those pilots and navy crews would have fought extra hard has their familes were so close to Cuba.

Then it all ended but one never forgets being that close or that afraid.

Answer 3

The Cuban Missile Crisis is the first news event that I remember in my lifetime. I was in first grade at the time. I remember getting up for school and seeing the TV on and the adults talking about it in a very serious way. The TV being on so much was unusual in those days, unlike today when it just provides background noise. People were busy doing housework and certainly not everyone even had a TV. My grandmother was saying prayers about the situation and it was very scary to me. BTW, President Kennedy was idolized in our house, and I think the average American trusted our leaders a lot more than nowadays.

Answer 4

not much to tell. I was at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina in basic training. Thought I had a nice "cushy" clerks job lined up for my three years of active duty in US Army. We weren't watching much TV but all of a sudden the drill sergeants were yelling at us that we were going to Cuba to fight Castro. Actually if the cold war escalation had continued to the end no one would have went anywhere whether they were in the army or not. Somewhere, cooler heads prevailed. I'm still here and you are too now. We weren't supposed to get that close. It was almost like the movie "Fail Safe" or the book. I believe it's the closes we ever came to nuclear war. Anyway, it ended and I got my clerks job. Sorry I can't help you more. I was kind of isolated at the time and the general public probably can tell you more about this than I can.

Answer 5

I was in my early 20s, studying at law school here in England. I was living at home and at the actual time of the crisis had another student, a friend of mine, staying with me. We used to travel home each night by tube, reading the latest news in the evening paper, becoming more and more concerned. We knew that if one side or the other didn't back down the world was facing a nuclear holocaust. Each day we wondered whether all our studies were worth while.

Answer 6

I was very close to Cuba at that time, I visited friends in Jamaica. I think no one really realized there how close they were to a nuclear war or total destruction. We were allowed to visit some American aircraft carriers that came into the harbor and in general things went on as usual. Only years later when I started reading about this period and studying about it, did I understand how close I was to a major historical event that could have turned into a personal and general disaster.

Answer 7

It didn't affect most people. Life went on as usual. Few people really believed it would start a war. We had been living with the threat of nuclear annihilation for too long to be
panicked by this.