My last period (around 1:45 EST) Global Studies class. The teacher says that there is a situation and asks if any of us have heard... We all answer no and he proceeds to tell us. (This isn't word for word, I did not take notes...)
"At eleven A.M. (EST), the USS Eisenhower, stationed in the Persian Gulf, was bombed in an attack similar to that on the USS Cole. A reporter onboard reports that the flight deck is unusable and estimates at least one hundred dead. There are still explosions going on throughout the ship, and while the crew are trying their best to save the ship, it is listing and taking on water and expected to go down within the hour. There are 34 F-14s in the air, and all countries within their range have refused to allow them to land. They will have to be ditched into the water, and the pilots picked up by rescue helicopters from the other ships in the group."
"The president has called a joint session of congress at 2:30, an action that has not been taken since Pearl Harbor."
"30 minutes after the attack, OPEC announced that it was shutting down the flow of oil. The oil is stopped in the pipes. President Clinton has signed an executive order shutting down all gas stations for at least 24 hours while the fuel situation can be assessed."
"5 US carrier groups are steaming towards the area, but the closest will only arrive in one and a half days. Great Britain and Australia are also sending their ships. France has declared its neutrality. Germany has made no statement but has mobilized troops to its borders. There is a leak from the State Department that Russia has warned us not to retaliate, or they may have to take action. China has not yet issued any statement or shown any other reaction. Israel has declared their allegiance to the U.S., but the State Department has told them to be quiet as any connection with Israel could ruin our chances of getting an ally among the Arab states."
"The Dow has dropped 700 points. The World Series is canceled."
"You know how you have fire drills, and the bell rings in a pattern of three rings and a pause? There will be another drill now. The bell will ring constantly, and that is the signal to leave the room, and go into the basement where you will receive instructions from a teacher there."
It pretty much ended here. He told us it was all a story he made up to give us a little of the feeling of growing up during the Cold War when this was a constant worry.
It was very realistic - like something out of a Tom Clancy book. He had all of us fooled.
It made us think - some of my reactions were: "How will I get to school if there is no gas?" "Running into the basement? That's a fucking nuke drill! Shit, do they have nukes?" "What if it lasts till I'm 18 and i get drafted?"
Very interesting class.....