The 13 days in October 1962 were the closest time when all out nuclear war with Russia could have ended most of our lives in America and an equal number in Russia.
The 13 days began on October 14th when a U.S. U-2 spy plane photographed nuclear missiles that could reach most of the U.S. were being set up in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy faced off with Nikita Krushchev over those 13 days.
I remember I was in high school reading articles about the crisis. At that time I had no real concept of what could have happened.
13 months later I was graduating from navy boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois on November 22nd of 1963. Our class was marching into the huge auditorium where the ceremony was to be held. We were turned around and sent back to our barracks to wait for orders. That day was the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Us recruits sat wondering if we were going to be in a war with Russia before the end of the day. It was more than a little bit scary.
The movie 13 days is available on Youtube and you can watch it for free. It is one of my favorite movies.
