[Star Traveler]

You said -- "I grew up in south Florida, and was 12 in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis, but have absolutely NO recollection of any drill in public school where you go underneath your school desk and cover your head, like that's going to save you from a nuclear blast. I've always assumed that when people talk about this exercise, it's one of those things you hear about and think you remember, but I can assure everyone that I never came across it."

I can assure you that it went on in Texas, with me. I was there -- in Dallas and Houston. I remember the weekly sirens in Houston, at around noon, where you were supposed to seek out the nearest shelter (at least be aware of where it was). Everything stopped in downtown Houston for about one minute.

And then in Dallas, I remember our classes having to leave the classrooms, to go out into the hallways, and practice lining up along the hallways in the "protected positions" close to the walls, kneeling/squatting down, with one arm over the back of your head and neck and the other arm in front of your eyes.

So, it definitely went on and was practiced all the time.

Regards,
Star Traveler

[alice_in_bubbaland]

I remember, in the 60's, practicing "Air Raid" drills too. The siren would sound and we would all exit our classrooms, head to the lower level of the school, line up along an interior hallway and assume the "protected position" which was squatting on the floor with our chins to our chest and our arms covering our heads. The air raid shelter area in all schools were marked with a yellow and black symbol.

Wow! that memory was a blast from the past!

[bill1952]

I remember the fire sirens in SE Pa. going off every day at 12 noon for decades.

[GoLightly]

I thought the noon whistle was a fire department test, since it was used to call in our voluntary fire department whenever there was a fire in town. It was also used for tornado warnings.

I remember the fallout shelter signs in the schools, but I don't remember doing any fallout drills.