I Was Trained to Nuke Marxist/Socialists:
What’s the coolest job you ever had?
Speaking of big fireworks…
When you were 26 years old, what were you doing?
Did or does your current job require you to possibly initiate the destruction of much of the human race?
Did or does your job demand you become a subject matter expert in helping to start or continue World War 3?
Did or does your job require years of deep research into the history, philosophy, politics and cultural norms of a highly complicated and formidable foreign enemy?
Does your job require you to memorize Yellow Page phonebook-sized volumes of highly classified information on every relevant enemy weapon system, their lethality, effective ranges and how they are integrated into a global battlefield?
That’s a snapshot of what I was trained to do. It’s a snapshot of what I was officially qualified to do. It’s a snapshot of a job that I highly excelled at. It’s a snapshot of a job that very few living humans can place on their resume.
For those unaware of how real the possibility of a Cold War nuclear “Armageddon” was, let’s discuss it from a different angle.
This discussion will be from a personal angle, not a History Channel overview. This will be a discussion of how a very elite few of America’s sons and daughters were trained by your government to be the human-link in the final decision node, possibly starting or continuing a full-blown nuclear “exchange” with the Soviet Union.
What was my official job title in 1988?
Naval Aircrewman (AW2): Designated US Navy S-3 Viking Anti-Submarine Warfare Acoustic Sensor Operator (SENSO)
That’s a very long title for an enlisted Operator who sits strapped into the back of a high-performance Navy jet launched from an aircraft carrier and hunts submarines, night or day, in any weather.
Duties? Too many to describe in this article. (see previous article “What is a Viking SENSO?”)
Ultimate Duty? To hunt, track and attack from the air Soviet-built nuclear ballistic missile and fast-attack submarines and drop the B-57 nuclear depth bomb on such targets, as ordered by proper authority.
Ok, a quick overview. Those “other duties” spanned a vast list ranging from being a subject matter expert on the Viking’s state-of-the-art weapon system and its tactical employment, to overall aircraft and aeronautical knowledge, to the memorization of volumes of detailed enemy Order of Battle information, as well as many more sectors of responsibility. (Doing all this while trying not to puke from airsickness, an affliction that can get you and your crew killed)
Anyone with half a conscience would step back and ask themselves… “How the hell did the United States of America get to this point, in 1988, of having thousands of nuclear tipped Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) pointed at the Soviet Union, while simultaneously, the Soviets had their vast nuclear arsenal pointed at us?
To answer that question, if you’re really curious, requires in-depth reading into the history of the post-World War 2 era, as well as the history, philosophy and world impact of Marxist/Socialist regimes.
Only raising more questions.
Why was the US so afraid of Marxist/Socialist expansion around the globe?
Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Che Guevarra, and countless other vectors of this cancerous ideology left many reasons to be afraid, like mass graves, enslavement of millions and societal ruin across the globe.
Image from sketches made by Vietnam POW John M. McGrath after 6 years of torture
Why was there so much brutality involved in nearly every aspect of Marxist society?
Fear and coercion are vital tools when trying to change human beings into tools of the government.
Why did I have to be trained in resisting Marxist torture techniques if captured?
Image from Substack article: “The Joy of Brainwashing”
Why did I have to go through anti-Marxist brainwashing training?
Why does Marxist/Socialist regime have more than a century of documented brutality toward their own citizens and anyone who stands in their way?
Questions upon questions kept popping up as I became a fully patched Viking SENSO.
Now, 38 years later, I reflect upon my duty to nuke Marxists back then.
Yes, Marxists. Production of these submarines were ordered into the Soviet Fleet by Marxists, built by Marxist laborers, and once finished, crewed by fanatically devoted Marxists trained to, without question, annihilate the United States of America.
And 38 years later, I’m wondering: How the hell did the US get to the point, after ostensibly winning the Cold War, where many of its own citizens are rabidly racing to the voting booths to elect openly Marxist/Socialist politicians with their promises of Utopia?
These Socialist zealots are not representing a Free and consenting electorate.
They represent a coddled, ignorant and highly volatile faction that will use any means available to tear down this American experiment in a Constitutional Republic.
Their voters are demanding Government-funded Utopia. (from the Greek, “no place”)
Free stuff that invariably turns into a free pile of shit. Not even good shit, but low-quality shit destined for the landfill of failed outcomes. These voters are woefully ignorant of the real price tag for that Utopian dung heap.
Read “The Oncology of Marxist Ontology”
Marxism didn’t change. It’s still a deadly cancerous ideology, metastasizing across the globe, almost like “dominoes” toppling mind after mind, group after group, city after city, nation after nation.
And how should I explain this to my VA counselor? Or are they too ignorant of such topics to feel confident in addressing my mental health issues, while still claiming they are the experts in their field?
Even though the VA labeled me as 100% “Totally Unemployable”, at least I can still have my updated work resume display in bold type “Trained to Nuke Marxists”… with sources, references and character witnesses upon request.
Happy 250th Birthday America!!!
Written by Dana F. Harbaugh (Navy callsign: Hardball)
Sources & References
(Supporting the historical, military, and philosophical context of this article)
I. Primary Military Experience
Harbaugh, Dana F.
Personal service as U.S. Navy AW2 Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator (SENSO), VS-38 “Fighting Red Griffins,” Carrier Air Wing TWO, USS Ranger (CV-61), 1988–1992.
Official qualifications included:
S-3 Viking Acoustic Sensor Operator
Personnel Reliability Program (PRP)
Nuclear Weapons Loading Team qualification (B57 Nuclear Depth Bomb)
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW)
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Defense of the Kurdish People
Intermediate & Advanced Acoustic Analysis Instructor (FASOTRAGRUPAC)
II. Cold War Nuclear Strategy
The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy
Lawrence Freedman
The definitive history of nuclear deterrence, Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), and Cold War strategic doctrine.
On Thermonuclear War
Herman Kahn
Classic work examining escalation, deterrence, and strategic nuclear warfare.
The Cold War
John Lewis Gaddis
Widely regarded as one of the best single-volume histories of the Cold War.
Strategies of Containment
John Lewis Gaddis
Explains American grand strategy toward Soviet expansion.
III. Soviet Naval Power
Red Star over the Pacific
Toshi Yoshihara &
James R. Holmes
Historical development of Soviet and later Chinese naval doctrine.
Soviet Military Power
Annual Department of Defense assessment of Soviet capabilities during the Cold War.
Office of Naval Intelligence
Numerous Cold War publications regarding Soviet submarine capabilities, doctrine, and Order of Battle.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Historical documentation on U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare operations.
IV. The S-3 Viking
Lockheed Corporation
Official historical documentation of the S-3 Viking weapons system.
Naval Air Systems Command
S-3 Viking tactical publications and historical documentation.
V. Marxism
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx &
Friedrich Engels
Foundational political document describing communist theory.
Das Kapital
Karl Marx
Primary work on Marx’s economic philosophy.
State and Revolution
Vladimir Lenin
Explains Lenin’s revolutionary adaptation of Marxist theory.
VI. Communist Governments
The Black Book of Communism
Edited by Stéphane Courtois
Comprehensive documentation of political repression, forced labor, executions, and famine under communist governments.
The Gulag Archipelago
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Firsthand account of the Soviet forced labor camp system.
Mao: The Unknown Story
Jung Chang &
Jon Halliday
Biography documenting Mao’s rise and the consequences of his rule.
Red Famine
Anne Applebaum
History of the Ukrainian famine under Stalin.
Iron Curtain
Anne Applebaum
Explains Soviet domination of Eastern Europe after World War II.
VII. Political Philosophy
The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich Hayek
Classic argument regarding centralized economic planning and political freedom.
The Open Society and Its Enemies
Karl Popper
Critique of historicism and authoritarian political systems.
Basic Economics
Thomas Sowell
Explains economic incentives and unintended consequences of government intervention.
VIII. Nuclear Deterrence
Thinking About the Unthinkable
Herman Kahn
Strategic analysis of deterrence and nuclear conflict.
Essence of Decision
Graham Allison
Decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
IX. Recommended Companion Reading (Hardball’s Substack)
Cold Warrior here, 1965-1991. (Hot war 1970-71 and 1991.)
We won, didn't we? It galls my gizzard to watch the news anymore.
I blame Antonio Gramsci and a feckless citizenry.
By the age of 26 I was in charge of the Navigation Team onboard US Nuke Submarines !!!%
Retired, QMCS (SS)