Search the Community

So this is a bit of an interesting one in my opinion, having done the strategic warning/defense mission. Most folks know 99 Luftballons/99 Red Balloons, a fun dance song about a software bug triggering World War III and everyone dying, and I'm sure some folks know the Christmas song "Do you hear what I hear?" with its dark origins set against the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I personally hadn't run into this song until today: Fylingdale Flyer by Jethro Tull from the album "A," 1980. Now, I'm a fan of hard rock, heavy metal, and whatnot, but I'll also never hide the fact that I'm a fan of prog rock as well (which can easily delve into the hard rock side, King Crimson especially comes to mind in this regard), which Tull fits into. You may or may not like the song, based on that fact, but I think it's worth a listen for folks interested in how the times influence music. For those of you who don't know, RAF Fylingdales was one of the original three Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS, pronounced "Bee-Mewz") sites. Site I was operational by 1960 at Thule AB, Greenland (wewt!), Site II at Clear AFS, AK by 1961, and Site III at RAF Fylingdales, England by 1963, with the purpose of providing advanced warning of Soviet missile launches against the US, UK, Canada, and other allies. RAF Fylingdales currently operates a three-faced Upgraded Early Warning Radar, continuing the site's role in Space Surveillance/Missile Warning/Missile Defense to this day. The song isn't as edgy as 99 Luftballons with the world coming to an end, but it does hit the right notes as it were, about false indications and warnings, and the potential destruction it could cause ("Keep your hands off that red telephone!"), but also makes an allegory to the Spanish Armada ("One last quick game of bowles"), which to me rings of doubt and hesitancy to report what's being seen on the screen. Never happened during my time performing that mission (hesitancy, that is), but then I have heard horror stories of stuff that happened in the '70's and '80's... Anyhow, just thought I'd share.