Maybe It's Time to Restart the "Dive Under Your Desk" A-Bomb Drills.
I remember those at my elementary school in Southern California in the 1950s. Despite their being completely useless, they did serve to make us all aware that nuclear war was something that could happen. We were worried. As a school kid, I was very worried. Then, in the early 1960s, as a young teenager, I helped my father build a fallout shelter under our house. Again, completely useless, but that also kept the risks of nuclear war in my mind.
Now, it's 2022, and we have all forgotten about all that. Nobody remembers the maps of the circles of destruction if a thermonuclear device blew up in nearby cities. We don't publish things like that any longer. I remember them, though.
All of that served to keep me aware of what nuclear warfare really threatened. All of that kept me committed to do whatever I could to avoid such a war.
It's not on our minds these days. Somehow, we managed to not blow up civilization after World War II. It's almost 80 years since that war ended. Those who remember are now a dying generation.
So far...we have avoided nuclear war. So far...
Maybe we need a reminder of what a global nuclear conflict would be like. Maybe we have forgotten and those who remember are dying off quickly now. Maybe we need to refresh our memories.
Just saying...
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She's like - my left hip is bad - I would be better to just sit still and get the blast - than break my hip for a false alarm. 
Also - I never want to live through a Nuclear Winter. I'm a Gen X so didn't do the diving under the desk thing . . . but my parents MADE me watch the Day After when I was a little kid.
No thanks - I'm with you.
And what a way to go. Just a quick flash and it's over. 
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Are freaking out. I was the Peace Child musical participant. Don't know if you remember that. Watched The Day After because my parents made me. They wanted their grade schooler to understand the stakes.
I'm giving the Z, Y's and younger millenials some space here. They are not used to the specter of Nuclear Arms.
On that note - I was born in 1973. My mom confirmed in a conversation about this subject this week - that her GREATEST concern in 1981, 82, 83 for her kids - was that we would end up on a milk carton or eating cyanide candy. Adam Walsh, Atlanta Child murders, Halloween Candy Scare. . .
So even for her - born in 1947 - that was already fading away by the time I was in grade school. The imminent threat was someone kidnapping her kid.
Off topic - I suggested she watched Stranger Things a few years ago - she stopped after 4 episodes. 
Thought it was awful. Totally related to the mother.
Not to make light of the topic - I just think from being around younger people these past five days - I see 'it' in their eyes when discussing this. They know terrorism - they don't know nuclear war.
Flip your desk over & hide behind it if there's a shooter. If it's a nuke attack, take shelter underneath your desk.
We were supposed to make the world a better place for our kids. 
Was from an instructor in an NBC Warfare class. He was talking about when you see the flash of the bomb, lay down, helmet towards the blast etc. In the middle of the lesson he just stops and says "Remember we are talking a nuclear bomb just went off near to you. It doesn't really matter what you do, you're fucked." He then continued with the rest of the lesson by the book.
in those days. Living in Jackson, Miss. I recall racial unrest, demonstrations, civil rights workers, etc. We had drills for tornadoes regularly, going out in the hall and bending like pretzels to cover our heads. We had those drills for good reasons, by the way.
Then later (I’m not sure of the year) we had civil defense drills in our town. On a Sunday afternoon we loaded up in the car and my mom drove us out to the edge of town. There was a caravan of cars. I guess we milled around for a bit and then came home. It was just to practice where to go — just in case of a nuclear attack. We kids were quite intrigued and thought it was a lark. I don’t think it sank in at all what the reason was.
During the Bay of Pigs I remember my father being glued to our tv, limited as news coverage was in those days. I’m sure he hung on every word Walter Cronkite said. Worried does not begin to cover his mood. I was about 12 and really didn’t “get it” that we were in a dangerous situation but at the same time, I’d never seen my father so concerned.
I think about now and really have trouble comprehending something so horrifying as nuclear war. My head understands we are in dangerous times but my heart truly wants to believe we’ll all be ok, just like when I was ten.
