Wow. That's quite the story.

Wow. Good for him.
The world could use more cool heads like this guy's.

I heard about this some time ago. It is very sad what has happened to the man who quite possibly saved the world.

Now THAT'S a story to tell your grandkids.

I can't count the times this story's been green-lit... who's in charge of the greens?

Of course he didn't push the button. In russia, BUTTON PUSHES YOU!

Was the button perhaps candy-like as well?

This may be old news, but I like to be reminded how close this world has been snuffed out at least once a year.

He shirked his duties, comrades. This man is no hero, merely a Capitalist tool. We gave him orders to fire back when fired upon.

I just want to say THANK YOU to this man.

So, "THANK YOU!!"

/was in a nuclear missle silo once (at a museum at a military base in S.D.) - just being there gave me knots in my stomach and a sense of overwhelming fear...

I had already read about this guy before, and it's worth reading again. He serves as a great example of the value of always thinking any action through rationally prior to any action.

What a farking coward, I hope our men at the switch have more balls than this guy.

This is a great story. I heard it a number of years ago. It is good to know that there are sane rational people in the world.

Oh, how long can trusty Comrade Petrov hold out? How can he possibly resist the diabolical urge to push the button that could erase his very existence? Will his tortured mind give in to its uncontrollable desires? Can he resist the temptation to push the button that, even now, beckons him even closer? Will he succumb to the maddening urge to eradicate history? At the MERE...PUSH...of a SINGLE...BUTTON! The beeyootiful SHINY button! The jolly CANDY-LIKE button! Will he hold out, folks? CAN he hold out?

yes, this is an old story but worth reading and there are probably a lot of people who hadn't read it.

Nuclear War, yeah. It's a motherfarker, don't you know, when they push that button, yo ass has got to go, if they push that button...

/anyone?

They left out the part where he went into his room and drank a bottle of vodka. Seriously.

Those must have been a fairly nervous couple of months. In September 83, Petrov stops the Soviets launching a mistaken retaliatory strike. Two months later, the Russian go apeshiat over Able Archer, and have their strategic forces on maximum alert, with nuclear bombers on the runway, engines running - all over a pen and paper NATO exercise.

Tense times.

Not sure if you can say he saved the world (after all, I'm still seeing American Idol's on TV). But he certainly didn't destroy it. That may sound like six of one, half a dozen of the other, but to me it's more important to me. It takes courage to disobey orders and flout protocol, especially in the Soviet Union.

Guy's got balls. Nas Drowia, Tovarisch (sp?)

Bad_ad85:
Of course he didn't push the button. In russia, BUTTON PUSHES YOU!

Ah, but he fought back and won. That's the whole point.

Let's all send him a dollar.

X-Wing

Man I loved that show - and that episode.

Ren and Stimpy don't get the props they deserve

I think it's shameful that so many Farkers are castigating this guy for not pushing that button. Who the hell do you think you are?! You should be criticizing OUR general for not launching those 5 missiles in the first place. We totally could have snuck them in there w/ this guy at the button!
The Iranians say we're the "Great Satan". All I'm saying is, let's not disappoint!

X-Wing: Oh, how long can trusty Comrade Petrov hold out? How can he possibly resist the diabolical urge to push the button that could erase his very existence? Will his tortured mind give in to its uncontrollable desires? Can he resist the temptation to push the button that, even now, beckons him even closer? Will he succumb to the maddening urge to eradicate history? At the MERE...PUSH...of a SINGLE...BUTTON! The beeyootiful SHINY button! The jolly CANDY-LIKE button! Will he hold out, folks? CAN he hold out?

No! I can't!

Oh aned I forgot to add:

That's not the correct procedure, SIR!

OR

Turn your key, Maura!

--Gizmo, would not have rocked

I thought only the POTUS got a shiny red button. The commie button is a dull gray as is everything in Russia.

I heard the 5 missiles that their system alerted on were the result of Matthew Broderick playing a game of "Global Thermonuclear War" on WOPR. Well, that's what I heard.
"Would you like to play a game?"

good story but I have become really skeptical of feelgood/geewhiz stories coming from former soviet states.

/wasn't his daughter the one who rode a motorbike through hot zone at chernobyl?

Article says he was a lieutenant colonel, subby. Way to brain, moran!

junge altman: good story but I have become really skeptical of feelgood/geewhiz stories coming from former soviet states.

/wasn't his daughter the one who rode a motorbike through hot zone at chernobyl?

Maybe his daughter did, but what I want to know is, who still says "motorbike"?

DulceEtDecorumEst: BS. He did not have full release authority. He could not have merely pushed a button and set off a full retaliatory attack. He was a duty commander of a regional theatre, not the head of the entire Strategic Rocket Forces. This whole incident has been blown way out of proportion for quite sometime.

Yeah, because America just looks at, oh, a couple of hundred nukes flying at them instead of a few thousand as no big deal.

What, you want to reward a guy for FAILING at his job?

Kennedy was the on ready to end the world.

Khrushchev was the one smart enough to back down.

SwiftFox


Ah, but he fought back and won. That's the whole point.

Let's all send him a dollar.

I agree. Maybe the admins could overlook the publishing of his address for this reason. I would send the guy a dollar or more for being brave, disobeying a bad order, and saving the world as we know it. I grew up in a happy world because this guy was brave.

I call shenanigans.

Jesus, the trolls are out thick this morning.

Anyhow, too bad we couldn't give him a pension. I personally think we owe this guy some kind of debt.

We in the U.S. have a story kinda like this. We saw some forms that looked like nuclear and chemical weapons on one of our spy satellites flying over the Middle East. Thankfully, we sent in some special ops soldiers and found out they were corn silos. Those were scary times...

libbynomore2: yes, this is an old story but worth reading and there are probably a lot of people who hadn't read it.

This.
/I am one of those people.

Nightenstaff: We in the U.S. have a story kinda like this. We saw some forms that looked like nuclear and chemical weapons on one of our spy satellites ...

we had chemical and nuclear weapons onboard one of our spy satellites?

Shrugging Atlas: Was the button perhaps candy-like as well?

Early reports indicate the button may also have been 'jolly' in nature.

/Has an animated .gif of this around here somewhere

johnny_vegas: Nightenstaff: We in the U.S. have a story kinda like this. We saw some forms that looked like nuclear and chemical weapons on one of our spy satellites ...

we had chemical and nuclear weapons onboard one of our spy satellites?

Although I'm sure we do, I get your point.

Nightenstaff: johnny_vegas: Nightenstaff: We in the U.S. have a story kinda like this. We saw some forms that looked like nuclear and chemical weapons on one of our spy satellites ...

we had chemical and nuclear weapons onboard one of our spy satellites?

Although I'm sure we do, I get your point.

Kidding!!!

Would you like to play a game??

P-Quin
Maybe his daughter did, but what I want to know is, who still says "motorbike"?

Freddy Mercury?
/crazy little thing call love

DulceEtDecorumEst: BS. He did not have full release authority. He could not have merely pushed a button and set off a full retaliatory attack. He was a duty commander of a regional theatre, not the head of the entire Strategic Rocket Forces. This whole incident has been blown way out of proportion for quite sometime.

hmmm...i don't think you understand missile warning, but maybe you do and have just skipped over a lot of the variables.
You are probably right as to his authority...but someone had a decision to make down the line..and very limited time to make it...got to launch before the missiles hit them and they can't launch, right? fact is, he stopped that possibility of a bad decision from ever being considered.

Overfiend: .../was in a nuclear missle silo once (at a museum at a military base in S.D.) - just being there gave me knots in my stomach and a sense of overwhelming fear...

Luckily for you -and the rest of us- it also gave our enemies knots in their stomachs and a sense of overwhelming fear.

A soldier who thought and critically considered his operation procedures. The world needs more of his kind.

junge altman: P-Quin
Maybe his daughter did, but what I want to know is, who still says "motorbike"?

Freddy Mercury?
/crazy little thing call love

Um, yeah, not anymore he doesn't.

Congrats to him for not being British. What is this, international Limey news day?