The Night a Nuclear Missile Exploded: A Firsthand Account of Survival (411)

Cold War Conversations Podcast

Ian Sanders

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.8 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this gripping episode, we hear the harrowing account of Greg Devlin, a former US Air Force technician who barely survived a catastrophic explosion at a Titan II nuclear missile silo in 1980. He shares his journey from enlisting in the Air Force, the challenges he faced, and the fateful night that changed his life forever. Greg vividly describes how he and his colleagues struggle to contain a potentially cataclysmic situation. With gripping detail, he shares the moment the explosion occurred, the physical and emotional toll it took on him, and the surreal experiences that followed. Greg's story is one of survival against all odds. He reflects on the aftermath of the explosion and his long road to recovery, which included numerous surgeries and the enduring effects of the hazardous materials he was exposed to. Greg’s account highlights the dangers of military service and the importance of remembering those who served during the Cold War. It’s a powerful narrative of survival, sacrifice, and resilience. Episode extras https://coldwarconversations.com/episode411/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love history? Join Intohistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:05.8	I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to Pamela Anderson.
0:09.9	All thanks to the Dove Self-Eesteem Project.
0:12.8	We speak about the impact Y2K has had on women's body confidence and how Pamela has regained control.
0:18.6	The Dove Self-E-esteem project is an amazing initiative
0:21.3	supported by science-backed methodology to help us improve our relationship with our bodies.
0:26.5	To find more body confidence-building exercises, go to Dove.com forward slash Y2K. That's Y2K
0:33.2	spelt W-H-Y-2K.
0:35.9	There are days when you're hungry for McDonald's.
0:39.6	Then there are days when you're Big Arch hungry for McDonald's.
0:44.0	You'll get to know the difference.
0:45.7	New Big Arch for Big McDonald's hunger.
0:51.3	Until 9th of September, from 11 a.m.,
0:53.6	participating restaurants only, subject to availability.
0:56.4	Boom, as soon as it hit me, I only had one thought in my brain.
1:00.6	I know I'm going to die. I just hope it doesn't hurt. That's the only thing I thought. This is over.
1:06.0	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to
1:12.3	first-hand Cold War history accounts. Please follow us in your podcast app so you don't miss a single
1:17.9	episode. In this gripping episode, we hear the harrowing account of Greg Devlin, a former
1:23.6	US Air Force technician who barely survived a catastrophic explosion at a Titan 2 nuclear
1:30.0	missile silo in 1980. He shares his journey from enlisting in the Air Force, the challenges he faced
1:36.9	and the fateful night that changed his life forever. With vivid descriptions and emotional
	...

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