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The Untold Story Of His Fight To Save The World From Nuclear Disaster

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Published in Reagan S Secret War: The Untold Story Of His Fight To Save The World From Nuclear Disaster

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Reagan's Secret War: The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World from Nuclear Disaster

by Martin Anderson

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2480 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	465 pages

On September 26, 1983, the world came within minutes of nuclear war.

A Soviet early warning system detected what appeared to be an incoming nuclear missile attack from the United States. Stanislav Petrov, a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Forces, was the duty officer that night. He had just 23 minutes to decide whether or not to launch a retaliatory strike.

Petrov made the fateful decision not to launch, even though all of the evidence seemed to indicate that a nuclear attack was imminent. He later said that he trusted his instincts, and he believed that the warning system was malfunctioning.

Petrov's decision saved the world from nuclear war. The warning system had indeed malfunctioned, and there was no incoming nuclear attack.

Petrov was never officially recognized for his heroism. He was even punished for his inaction. But he later received a number of awards from international organizations, and he is now considered to be one of the greatest heroes of the Cold War.

The Early Years

Stanislav Petrov was born in the village of Preobrazhenovka, Voronezh Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, on September 7, 1939. His father was a Red Army soldier who was killed in World War II. Stanislav and his mother lived in poverty, and he often had to beg for food. As a teenager, Petrov became interested in astronomy and dreamed of becoming a pilot. However, he was rejected by the Soviet Air Force because of his poor eyesight, and he was instead assigned to the Air Defense Forces.

The Night of the False Alarm

On September 26, 1983, Petrov was the duty officer at the Serpukhov-15 bunker, a top-secret Soviet nuclear command center. At 00:40 Moscow time, the Oko early warning system detected what appeared to be five incoming nuclear missiles from the United States. Petrov had just 23 minutes to decide whether or not to launch a retaliatory strike. He consulted with his superiors, but they were unable to confirm the attack. Petrov knew that if he made a mistake, it could lead to nuclear war. He decided to trust his instincts, and he ordered the system to ignore the warning.

Petrov's decision saved the world from nuclear war. The warning system had indeed malfunctioned, and there was no incoming nuclear attack. However, Petrov was not immediately hailed as a hero. In fact, he was punished for his inaction. He was demoted to a lower position, and he was even forbidden from speaking about the incident.

Recognition and Legacy

In the years after the incident, Petrov's story gradually became known to the public. He was awarded a number of international awards, and he was finally recognized as a hero by the Russian government. In 2013, Petrov was awarded the Order of Friendship, one of Russia's highest honors. Petrov died on May 19, 2017, at the age of 77.

Stanislav Petrov was a humble man who never sought recognition for his heroism. He said that he was just ng his job, and he was glad that he was able to prevent nuclear war. Petrov's story is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there are people who are willing to risk their lives to save the world.

Reagan's Secret War: The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World from Nuclear Disaster

by Martin Anderson

4.5 out of 5