written by Todd DePastino Stanislav Petrov, ca., 1983 Just past midnight on September 26, 1983—25 days after the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007—Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov of the Soviet Air Defense Forces may have saved the world through his inaction. Petrov had just come on duty as commander of the
written by Todd DePastino Ten miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis and across a busy highway from the International Airport is Historic Fort Snelling, birthplace of modern Minnesota. The Dakota tribe called the site Bdóte, "the place where two rivers meet," and it was their home from time immemorial until their forced exile after the
written by Todd DePastino Inspiring VBC Magazine’s focus on the 1983 War Scare this issue was our 40th anniversary conversation with former Intelligence Officer and author Brian J. Morra on VBC Happy Hour back on October 30. We talked with Morra about his experiences that year and his book, The Able Archers. The Able
written by Todd DePastinoHistory often happens when we’re not paying attention.That was the case in the early 1980s, when even those serving in the US military were largely unaware of how close we came to nuclear exchange and World War III with the Soviet Union. Even the President of the United States didn’t recognize the
written by Nadia Rupniak, PhD Marcin Rupniak (Nadia Rupniak) The transition from military service to civilian life presents many challenges for Servicemen and Servicewomen. They may have experienced combat trauma, the deaths of close friends, and political changes that seemingly negated their sacrifices. Recently, I discovered the terrible burden that my father,
