Drills for Your Own Safety: Step Eight

Almost everyone remembers the fire drills they had when they were in elementary school. Those of us who grew up in the Midwest also recall having to learn what steps to take in case of a tornado threat or warning. Still, those of us who grew up during the Cold War were subjected to being prepared for the possibility of an air raid. So, a third drill, known as an air raid drill was conducted several times a year at Grantosa Drive. People took the threat of a Soviet invasion so seriously that a few families actually constructed sophisticated places in their backyards to escape in the event of a nuclear attack. In our classes we were shown examples of and told about Soviet propaganda. Since none of us was taught Russian, we had to rely on our teachers for the translations. I’m really not sure how many of them had learned Russian, but when their premier, a guy named Khrushchev, pounded his shoe on a table, and supposedly said something about burying the U.S., it became a whole lot easier to take those air raid drills seriously. My imagination has always caused me to wonder what Soviet kids learned about us. Maybe Eisenhower sounded weird to them, and maybe their propaganda showed Ike swinging a golf club and saying something outrageous, so their kids took their drills seriously. Now, the steps in an air raid drill are nearly identical to those taken in a tornado drill. First, a loud siren is heard throughout the building. Second, several hundred kids get to stop doing their English and math assignments and file out of their classrooms. Third, they form neat rows and thunder down one or two flights of stairs. Or, if they’re already on the bottom floor they just have to go through the door leading into the cement cavern near the boiler room, sometimes referred to as the basement. Fourth, you sit with your legs folded and your head tucked down as far as you can with your hands on top and your fingers intertwined. Now, this seems like a very important and patriotic thing to do for two or three minutes. However, someone decided the Russians might not be so quick on the trigger, and so we needed an extended drill. Well, you know some kid had to have had beans or cabbage the night before the drill, and naturally he couldn’t be held responsible for the impact this had on his digestive track. Even before the smell permeated the closed in room, that distinctive sound had numerous individuals who would normally have never dreamed of breaking the silence taking the liberty to respond with, “Oh, no, they got me,” and “Direct hit!” and “Mrs. Leitinger, don’t let me die.” Needless to say, the lesson was learned, and there were few protracted drills after that one. Please share your recollections and comments.