The Big Picture by Lennie Peterson for April 30, 2024

In October, 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was in 3rd Grade, the nuns would make us go into the hallways during air raids and have us pray the rosary.

I am 67….We did not go “under the desk”, but out into the hallway, sat against the wall and covered our heads with our hands. That was first grade 1963. I think after the Kennedy Assassination, those drills stopped. I have no memory of doing it in second grade or beyond.

We’ve evolved into something less progressive…

The only drills we had were fire drills and remember only one or two of them.

We did that in the 60s too. The elementary school I went to through 5th grade (1965) had a basement where we went for nuclear and tornado drills.

In the late 60s in Southern California those got turned into earthquake drills. Same thing different name.

I was always hoping to be sent the the school cold war bunker during the drills. No such luck. Thought about snacking out the Civil Defense barrels labeled peanut butter and crackers.