I was in the fifth grade in GITMO. We were bussed home and then immediately transported with our mother to a US Destroyer that was to evacuate us to Norfolk. Everyone on base was required to maintain an evacuation bag at all times.
Our ship was laden with old munitions that were being taken to be dumped at sea when they got orders to evacuate us. The ship couldn’t keep up with the convoy, so we were on our own.
The crew slept on deck, and civilians took shifts sleeping in the bunks. The mess hall had to run 24 hours to feed everyone.
A Russian submarine tracked us the entire trip. Many on board feared they were going to attack. We found out after the fall of USSR they had orders to torpedo us if hostilities broke out between the US & USSR.
When we finally made it to Norfolk, it was bitter cold. We didn’t own any cold weather attire: only shorts & tee shirts.
We spent the winter in The States, with no communications with Dad. He did manage to talk with Mom once via shortwave radio after the hostilities eased.
We just missed all being incinerated. The Navy was dropping “test depth charges,” not realizing they were over a Russkie sub. It was armed with nukes, and was ordered to respond with nukes if attacked. Fortunately, it required all three of the top officers to agree, and only two did so.
One Russkie sub officer probably saved the world from nuke war.