The Day After - Surviving after a Nuclear attack

I was reminded about this movie from a post over at War is Boring. According to that post, this is the movie that scared President Reagan into getting a treaty to reduce most of the intermediate range Nuclear weapons.

Wikipedia has a decent page about the movie: The Day After

In my case, watching that movie as a young teenager, it scared the H**L out of me. You have to remember this. I was getting ready for High School. My school district still held "Tornado and Attack Drills" My family's house was about 4 miles from McDonnell-Douglas world headquarters. Scott Air Force Base, home of the Military Airlift Command was less than 40 miles away.There were Anti-Ballistic Missile bases ringing the St. Louis Metro Area.  And just about 3 weeks before this movie was on tv, there had been a story about a problem at one of the missile sites.  The Missiles that were supposed to protect my home didn't pass some inspection.

So combine all that together, and The Day After scared me.

So when I was 17, with my parent permission, I joined the Army Reserves.

Not to be infantry or a tanker or for combat.  I signed up to be a Medic.  To help people.  To try to save lives.

Because the idea of the aftermath of an attack or a war terrified me.

So in 1985, when I was 17, I went to basic training.

Ever since then, I have been interested in Preparedness.  Or as some would say, Survivalism.

And for that, according to the government, I am a threat to the country.  Because I want to prepare to protect/defend and provide for my family's safety and well being.

I would ask them to watch that same movie through the eyes of a 15 year old.  Who all his life up to that point had the idea that there could be a nuclear war, and where he lived was a target.  His school ran Duck and Cover drills, disguised as Tornado Drills, at least once a month.  I remember when President Reagan had been shot.  How my teachers were cracking jokes about how it was too bad he had survived.

And I looked around.  And decided I HAD to do something.

So when I was 17, I got my parents to sign off on my joining the Reserves.

Nowadays, I look around and I see a lot of the same warning signs I saw back in the 80's as that young impressionable young man that I was.  And I am scared.

Scared for my children.

Scared for my family.

Scared for all of my neighbors and my country.

The same country that considers me to be a threat.

You tell me.

Who is the threat?

Me, who wants to prepare to protect his family from privation?

Or the government who thinks that I am a threat?