On September 1, 1983, the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, killing 269 passengers and crew, including US congressman Lawrence McDonald. The KGB issued alerts to prepare for a possible nuclear first strike by the U.S. On September 26, Russian lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov was the officer on duty at the Serpukhov-15 bunker in Moscow, monitoring the skies for signs of an impending nuclear missile attack against the Soviet Union. At 12:40am, the computer reported that a military missile had been launched by the U.S., heading toward Moscow. Seconds later, a second missile was detected, then a third, then a fourth. Petrov defied military protocol and decided that it was a computer error. It turned out of course that he was right, and no one knows what would have been the outcome if he had decided differently.
His reward? His actions revealed imperfections in the Soviet early warning system and showed his superiors in a bad light. He was blamed for the incident and considered to be unreliable. His career was ended, he was forced into early retirement at US$200 per month, and suffered a nervous breakdown.
Just because you're isolated and shunned, doesn't mean you didn't just save the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment