[Milsurplus] Re: Conelrad

[Barry Hauser]

Hi Chris

I doubt if proximity to targets was involved.  I started Kindergarten in 
Queens NY, about 15 miles East of NYC mid-town in 1951 or so and was there 
for first grade.  I don't recall much of anything.

Moved another 15 miles east when I was 7, going into 2nd grade.  I seem to 
recall "air raid drills" and duck and cover there.  Certainly in the new 
schood they opened in '55 or so.  We were probably located in the hot zone 
of two targets -- NYC and Grumman.  Mitchel AFB was also still operating 
then.  Brookhaven National Labs another 40 or so miles East.  Strategic 
targets all over the place.

So, I doubt it had to do with the logic that it made no sense if there was 
no chance.  Heck, the program said if you see the flash, etc.  On the other 
hand, if you were really close to ground zero, you probably wouldn't see the 
flash.

Even so, don't know why your school didn't prepare you.  As ol' Sen. Joe 
McCarthy might have said -- "They're probably a bunch of comminists!"

Barry




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christian R. Fandt" <cfandt at netsync.net>
To: "Milsurplus List" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Re: Conelrad


> Upon the date 04:32 PM 12/1/2005, Barry Hauser said something like:
>>Hah ...
>>
>>Thanks Sam -- that site is great.
>>
>>I thought I was exaggerating about being completely safe if you duck and 
>>cover under a table or desk, but I'm playing the Bert The Turtle radio 
>>program right now and the wise announcer assures just that.  "in case the 
>>atom bomb explodes near us" and "you can tell it's an atom bomb if you can 
>>see the bright flash which is brighter than the sun" or words to that 
>>effect.  Right.
>>
>>Plenty of "duck" .. electric organ souns or Rootie Kazootie slide flute 
>>and "cover" and more slide flute.  Oh sheesh .. "it can be fun".  ... like 
>>a flash -- that means ... duck and cover.  ... do what your parents and 
>>teachers tell you to do -- and don't get excited and don't run ..."
>
>
> I started Kindergarten back in 1957 and all through primary school we 
> never practiced anything like that. No duck and cover, nothing, nada.
>
> I don't recall ever hearing of other local school districts around here 
> practicing duck and cover either. Fallout shelters were noticed by me 
> though, but I recall we were never told how and why to use them. My 
> school, Cassadaga Elementary, was/still is about 18 miles north of 
> Jamestown, NY.
>
> I thought that was really curious in my later adult years because of 
> hearing/reading folks like some of you talking of ducking and covering as 
> practice for an attack. Recently, however, I began to feel that the local 
> school districts in this county might have felt it was useless because few 
> of the population would know what hit them anyway.
>
> You see, in Jamestown, where I have lived since shortly after graduating 
> high school in '71, there is located a major military and commercial 
> bearing manufacturer. The roller bearing was invented in Jamestown by the 
> old Gurney Bearing Company back in the Teens or 20s, and Gurney is one of 
> the antecedent companies of the present MRC Bearings Co. I think they are 
> *the* major military bearing contractor, if not the only one, in the 
> United States since at least WWII. They make jet engine and helicopter 
> bearings, amongst other military bearings.
>
> So, I figure the Russians probably had this region targeted with a rather 
> large amount of their nuclear assets. Can you say "Instant Vaporization"?
>
> We have a radio station on 1240 KHz in Jamestown, WJTN.  Puts out around 
> 1kw of power which was the same back in the 40s and 50s, IIRC. That's 
> piqued my interest to look them up sometime and see if anybody is old 
> enough to recall the Conelrad system or even have some of the old hardware 
> and paper around.
>
> Indeed that website is great, Sam and Barry.
>
> Interesting Conelrad discussion. Brings back memories of those times for 
> me too regardless of my lack of experiencing the duck and cover practice.
>
> Regards,   Chris F.
>
> NNNN
>
>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Hole in the Head Press" 
>><sestokes at sonic.net>
>>To: <Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
>>Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 3:52 PM
>>Subject: [Milsurplus] Re: Conelrad
>>
>>
>>>For a trip down memory lane.
>>>
>>>http://conelrad.com/
>>>
>>>--
>>>Sam Stokes, KG6WYZ, Publisher
>>>Second Edition, Rings of Supersonic Steel
>>>Air Defenses of the U.S. Army 1950-1979
>>>An Introductory History & Site Guide
>>>http://www.holeintheheadpress.com
>>>
>
> Christian Fandt,    Electronic/Electrical Historian
> Jamestown, NY  USA      cfandt at netsync.net
>         Member of Antique Wireless Association
>         URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/
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