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solsticeman
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Likes it here |
Registered: November 2012
Messages: 109
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For those of us old enough to remember, the night that President Kennedy played poker with Nikita Kruschev, threatening to sink the Russian ships bringing nuclear weapons to Cuba... is unfortunately unforgettable.
Jolyon was at a boarding school that was equi-spaced from three ground zeros, one was a V bomber dispersal field and another was the reconnaissance centre responsible for updating the UK's targeting, the third was a US air base. His chances of survival were zero.
We have discussed this many times. As a student, I was much better off, I caught God's Wonderful Railway back to South Wales, home was in the lee of a mountain and I was pretty sure that the blast would go over the top of us.
Like Martin Luther King, Jolyon has a dream... and he has written it up for us. A dream or a nightmare? A dream of the night when most boys in his dormitory shared a bed with their best friend, they didn't want to die alone.
All that sounds a bit bleak, but this is Jolyon... his dreams belie the moment. Read it and enjoy his sense of the ridiculous, but remember... much of this happened and President Kennedy had no Plan B.
Read it here... http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/jolyon-lewes/shorts/sli ppery-sam.html
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Another really great story. Got lost in the story and didn't pay attention to the technical unless I remembered to, so that usually means the technical wasn't noticed, which is awesome. The pacing moved right along even though it carried all the details and descriptions, making it nicely deep and involving.
I liked being in the character's head, felt comfortable there, and enjoyed my stay!
raysstories.com
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Jolyon Lewes
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Toe is in the water |
Location: SW England
Registered: September 2012
Messages: 62
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Many thanks to you two fine gentlemen for your kind comments. I take it, Smokr, that when you say you 'got lost' in the story you meant that you found yourself fully absorbed, not that you were floundering about, trying to make sense of it.
I usually take months to write a story but my dream was so unexpected, so detailed and so tender that I felt inspired to write it down while it was still fresh and try to fashion it into a story. What surprised me most was that I've clearly harboured a sub-conscious desire for Slippery Sam for well over fifty years!
Many thanks, too, for the generous feedback I've received from other readers.
Jolyon
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13766
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Quote:Jolyon Lewes wrote on Mon, 09 May 2016 08:00Many thanks to you two fine gentlemen for your kind comments. I take it, Smokr, that when you say you 'got lost' in the story you meant that you found yourself fully absorbed, not that you were floundering about, trying to make sense of it.
I usually take months to write a story but my dream was so unexpected, so detailed and so tender that I felt inspired to write it down while it was still fresh and try to fashion it into a story. What surprised me most was that I've clearly harboured a sub-conscious desire for Slippery Sam for well over fifty years!
Many thanks, too, for the generous feedback I've received from other readers.
--
Dreams are rather like that! It was a dream that spurred me into You Missed a Bit!
May you have more great dreams
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Jackboy
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Toe is in the water |
Location: North UK
Registered: August 2016
Messages: 69
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I'd like to add my own congratulations to Jolyon for this heart warming story of boys at Boarding School, and especially set amid the frightening events of October 1962 (especially around that particular weekend. Macmillan always said it was the most frightening time of his career.
But of course Jolyon's story concentrates on those, who could be seen as two of the real heroes of that time.
The two boys, separated from Family at School, with only each other for support, and love.
Faced with the end of their World, they did as boys would the world over, when faced with adversity.
They had each other for comfort and reassurance. That love which is most innocent unchallengeable.
It is also ironic that I should see this particular story of Jolyon's at this time. As we approach the 55th
Anniversary of that awful time, I wrote a poem about that very subject. I was only five at that time, but I
grew up amongst the many breath taking events of the Cold War and Space Race. I will share my poem
'Remember October' shortly.
But once again, WELL DONE JOLYON. I will always enjoy your work.
Sincerely
Jack.
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Jackboy
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Toe is in the water |
Location: North UK
Registered: August 2016
Messages: 69
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Remember October.
The Victors and Vulcans are waiting in line;
direct from Dispersal, they screech and they whine.
They wait for a call. from an elderly Gent;
in 1962, that's how it all went.
Macmillan in London. awaiting to hear;
an update from Kennedy, with no news of cheer.
Does he order a Take Off? and Nuclear War;
or can he recall them, to fly there no more?
Had Fate then dealt, a scarier hand;
the bombers would leave, in a highflying band.
To Soviet cities, like Moscow and Leningrad;
high over the Baltic, the World has gone mad.
To follow one Vulcan, along its dread path;
we see that its flight plan, is worked out with Math.
Dodging the SAMs and the Migs as they hunt;
Alert for the British, on a new Eastern Front.
A-weaving and diving, to evade the next Mig;
their chance of success, not terribly big.
The Migs cannot catch them, they can't make the turn;
The SAM's the best chance of making them burn.
But our Vulcan has made it, to set altitude;
below them the Soviets, a great multitude.
Preparing to drop a one megaton;
it's set for a Ground-burst, the nightmare is ON.
Escape for our Vulcan, must be Aerobatic;
its bomb reached its level, it's all automatic.
A brilliant star lights up Gorky Park;
though for millions of Russians, their lives have gone dark.
But shortly before, the Soviet missiles;
contained in their body, the contents are fissile.
The Soviet Union had sent them all over;
to take out Old England, so late in October.
But counting our blessings for 'Two Wise Men'.
we'll celebrate Christmas, again and again.
The World put aside, the nightmare of Cub-a;
As Kennedy said- "We breath the same air".
BY JACK D. HARRISON.
(We are approaching the 55th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, of 1962. Perhaps the closest the World came to full Nuclear War. The RAF would have led Britain's response with its Classic V-Force of Bombers- the Vulcans and Victors. Our response would hopefully have followed a possible Soviet attack on the UK). NB: NOT MY PHOTO.
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Everything was calm and quiet until suddenly the roar of the siren blasted out, the command post lit up with the word 'LAUNCH,' This hit his nerves like an electro shock shaking his body to the core. God almighty! Petrov was momentarily stunned. Within minutes the siren screamed again, a second U.S. missile launch. Five missiles had been launched and they were heading straight towards Russia.
Petrov stood there as the alarm siren blared, all the others were staring at him in total confusion. The situation was close to absolute panic. He realised in that instant, if panic took over it was the end.
He considered what to do. Soviet ground radar could not confirm the launch, but it would only pick up the signal from incoming missiles well after they were fired. Too late.
But really would the US launch just five missiles? He had to decide, make a judgement. Petrov told himself it was a false alarm, a system bug.
Stanislav Petrov was on night duty at the Soviet military's early-warning facility outside Moscow on Sept. 26, 1983
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ChrisR
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Likes it here |
Location: Western US
Registered: October 2014
Messages: 136
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"William King wrote on Sun, 24 September 2017 08:02"
Stanislav Petrov was on night duty at the Soviet military's early-warning facility outside Moscow on Sept. 26, 1983[/font-size]
--
That is a date and event I'll long remember.
LtCol Petrov never received the Hero of the Soviet Union award he richly deserved, nor accolades from the UN. But neither was he imprisoned and executed as some of his "comrades" would have preferred. Instead he was permitted to retire early and live a quiet, if troubled, retirement.
LtCol Petrov died earlier this year. If there is ever a sequel to Profiles in Courage, he is my nominee.
[Updated on: Tue, 26 September 2017 20:59] |
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