Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov Saved Your Life

Former Soviet missile defense forces officer Stanislav Petrov at his home in Fryazino, Moscow region, Russia. 

(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Our time seems to be characterized by go-along politicians, misguided voters and demented, narcissistic leaders.

Heroes, those who serve the best interests of humanity, seem to be superhuman, silver screen characters recast from old 1930s comic books and offered up as icons by Marvel.

But there are real heroes.

They are humans who reason right from wrong and don’t shirk responsibility. They are real people with families.

And, believe it or not, they are not all Americans.

Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov was one. He saved your life. He was a hero. He served his nation, and our world, as a Russian officer.

"On September 26, 1983, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov received a message that five nuclear missiles had been launched by the United States and were heading to Moscow. He didn’t launch a retaliatory strike, believing correctly that it was a false alarm. And with that, he saved the world from nuclear war. But now reports have surfaced that Petrov died this past May. He was 77 years old."

Please go here for the story:
Man Who Saved the World From Nuclear Armageddon in 1983 Dies at 77, Matt Novak, gizmodo.com, 18 Sept 2017.

Who Honors The Hero?
"Petrov was never honoured by the Soviet authorities for his role in saving the world from thermonuclear conflict. He was, however, reprimanded by his authorities for failing to describe the incident correctly in the logbook that night."

"His story did not become widely known until 1998, when Gen Yury Votintsev, the retired commander of Soviet missile defence, published his memoirs. In the following years, Petrov achieved worldwide recognition for his actions."


"He was honoured by the Association of World Citizens at the UN headquarters in 2006 as “the man who averted a nuclear war”. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Dresden peace prize."

Please go here for the rest of  the story:
Soviet officer who averted cold war nuclear disaster dies aged 77, Marc Bennetts, The Guardian,
18 Sept 2017.

See BBC interview here.
Stanislav Petrov, who averted possible nuclear war, dies at 77, BBC, 18 Sept 2017.

99 Red Balloons - Nena 1983