 Time, 2034 hours, status of base, unknown, ETA fallout, we're working on it. Sheltercom checks out his command post, brings in control centers, orders, break cover and look at base. Deploy damage assessment teams, deploy casualty assessment teams, casualty and damage assessment teams deployed to provide command post with an evaluation of total base conditions, instructions to assess and report, especially report, you call us because if you don't, we'll call you. Tape up tight, assess and report, and no umbrellas. When it starts to rain, we'll let you know, and post. 2036 hours, DO reports aircraft successfully dispersed at 2018 hours, two aircraft detached on bomb damage assessment missions, security reports three fires, vicinity weapon storage, one major, ruptured gas lines and hangar two, fires in BOQ block one, blast damage at base calm and heavy vehicle repair shop, medical control center reports casualties vicinity base headquarters, one first aid man detached, team proceeding north with assessment, civil engineers control reports heavy damage among forward equipment, equipment at west dispersal point needed urgently, transportation dispatches one vehicle with four drivers to west dispersal with instructions to use the runway. There's one more thing we know, ETA fallout 2050 to 2055 hours, anyone leaving shelter is so advised, 20 minutes to go. Since it was weeks, 20 weeks, and just as urgent, expedient shelter needed to be found, made or assembled out of base resources, disaster preparedness planning board survey secured a jet engine test cell with a protection factor of 50 and three unused ammo bunkers with an average protection factor of 500, they were good, but they were only a start. More shelter was needed and more dispersal. Not only dispersal, but better proximity to emergency war operations work area. Four trips of five minutes in radiation is 20 minutes work lost, not delayed, lost. In 20 minutes you can arm an airplane, more shelters were needed, and the only expedient materials at hand were quantities of disused containers and perforated steel plank. They met the basic requirement, they would house men and support a covering of sand. At the shelter sites, ground was leveled and the containers were ranged up into a shelter nucleus. Simple wooden arches were prepared to support the PSP, the enclosures were then sandbagged. This is expedient shelter, a few feet of sand to cut a lot of radiation, to keep a unit on the board when its turn comes to move. Eight shelters of this kind were completed from base resources. By then, we were in DEF CON 4. 2045 hours, status of base, battle hit and burning, fire chief reports BOQ fire spreading out of control into adjacent quarters, new fires reported in tar storage and in grass near medical bunker generator, civil engineer reports control tower unstable and hazardous, live electric power lines grounding near LOX tanks. Command post requests information on progress of runway clearing. Sweeper reports occasional debris beyond its capacity, waiting for tractor currently clearing overturned vehicle from taxiway. Could the debris be cleared by hand? Yes. Work force dispatched to assist. Control specialists are dispatched to assess and recover blast damage at base calm, but two more to be dropped off to neutralize power lines at LOX storage. Civil engineer reports all survived equipment in from dispersal and man, all priority demands being met. Equipment status picture complete, fire picture still developing. All units concentrated in weapons storage area except two units detached to medical bunker on orders from command post. Work force removing tires from storage with orders to abandon the building. Work force standing by with extinguishers that hang at two during emergency stoppage of gas leaks. Detachment at medical bunker reports grass fire extinguished with no damage to generator. Request orders, two pieces of equipment, tar storage or weapons. DEF CON 3. Base personnel had been recalled and the base disaster preparedness plan put into effect. As the disaster response team was being formed, the base was being hardened for battle. 20-47 hours. Medical personnel report to hospital shelter to treat casualties. Medical control advises command post 23 recoverable cases received. More information coming in from field sorting teams. In the field, non-medical personnel organizing dispatch of casualties to hospital report 20 more recoverable wounded on the way. Six non-recoverable casualties for terminal care and second priority transportation. They're dead and about 30 men for first aid and return to duty. Medical control relays the information. Command post acknowledges. Initial recovery almost complete. All casualties accounted for. Priority fires out or in final control. Abandoned fires stable and offering no new threat. Loss of tower anticipated in emergency plans and effects. Blast damage at base comm not immediately recoverable. Emergency comm installed and priorities established. 20-59 hours. Fire chief reports new casualties and collapse of tire storage building. DO reports one aircraft coming back with fire warning lights. Shelter monitor reports radiation. It's here. Upon detection of radiation, fallout procedures described in AFM 355-1 will immediately be observed. No personnel will leave shelter without orders of the controlling agency. So went the briefing as shelter teams were formed and familiarized with checklists. At the same time, supplies and equipment were being installed and checked into shelters. Medical supplies. Water. Sanitation equipment. Forms and displays were set out. As communications were installed and tested. Exposure control stations were equipped. Dosage forms, accumulated dosage charts and radiac sets also tested. Generators and blowers had been checked out regularly on a weekly basis. This was their final test. The fuel was topped off. We were through DEF CON 2. Time, 21-10 hours. Radiation, 40 rentals per hour. Fire chief reports priority missions accomplished. Fire storage casualties dispatched to hospital. Fire crash crews on standby for returning aircraft on emergency landing. Medical control center confirms fire casualties received at hospital. Command post requests dosage report on personnel involved. Time, 21-27 hours. Radiation, 370 rentals per hour. Inside a closed vehicle cut by half. Hospital, less than one rentgen per hour. Residence control, less than one rentgen per hour. At security and calm, less than one rentgen per hour. In the command post, the recovered pilot is DEF CON and given a dosage status. Returning fire crash crew with an average accumulated dose of 90 rad are rotated to bottom priority for future duty. Duty comes at 2,200 hours when base commander orders ramp wash down. Radiation peak at 21-50 hours. Current level in rentgen per hour is 630. In center of washed area, 160. 22-20 hours. Base reported operational and able to recover aircraft. Division says get with it. Recover and report estimated time to launch. Assess and report your capability to refit aircraft from air battle damage. Also, advise estimated duration of air battle capability. This morning, base capability under fallout was only an estimate. But it was based on study and effort. And the test was faced with confidence. It was DEF CON 1. Aircraft were ready to accordingly. To noon, shelters were manned and functioning as a coordinated group. TAC warning came at 20-15 hours. No more planning, no more preparation. This was it. Birds drop in through 400 rentgen per hour. Mission maintenance personnel given 30 minutes state time for an average predicted dose of 58 rad for the mission. 23.05 hours. Maintenance control reports second rotation personnel dispatched. First rotation personnel coming in. Average predicted dose to complete turnaround, 62 rad. Predicted dosages for first rotation personnel are converted to actual. Reported to command post. DM requests six specialists for an estimated hour's work on engines of recovered defective airplane. Maintenance control reports four specialists with minimal doses. But they accomplish the work with non-specialist assistance. They could. Four vehicle maintenance personnel dispatched to hangar two to assist aircraft engine specialists. Reports turnaround proceeding on schedule. Command post prepares to advise division. Communications control reports loss of emergency calm. Two specialists now investigating. Trouble is reported recoverable. Assistance of two more specialists requested. Could one do the job? Yes, but one specialist dispatched. Estimated time to complete work 15 minutes. Maximum state time 30. Division advised by calm relay of group readiness. Reply, standby to launch. Firefighters control reports shelter intensity high. Five men showing signs of radiation sickness. Three of them segregated with nausea. All dosage levels rising faster than anticipated. Request permission to go outside and wash down the roof. Permission denied. Firefighters ordered evacuated to maintenance bunker. Manpower pool personnel given 20 minutes state time to assist. 2340 hours. Fourth hour of operation from shelter. Command post reports launch accomplished. No replacements for radiation casualties anticipated immediately. The base is ready for further orders.