I was an Air Force ICBM launch control

officer in South Dakota. Two officers pulled 24-hour alerts in a launch

control center that was surrounded by several Minuteman II silos.

The facility and the silos were separated by several miles. We
were not
allowed to leave the “capsule” until relieved the next day,
and we
were supported by several on-site personnel in the support
building
upstairs. The capsules were Spartan, but each boasted a
small refrigerator
and a small microwave.

On one tour of duty,
the cook called down around lunch time and
informed us that she was
cleaning her oven and that hot food would be
unavailable for a
short time.

Later, around supper time, she called down again and
apologized that
she had dismantled her oven to clean it, was having
trouble reassembling
it, and would again be unable to heat our food
orders. We were somewhat
annoyed, but, being the kinder, gent
ler military officers we were, told
her “No problem. Just send
down the frozen meals and we’ll ‘nuke’
them ourselves.”

Several seconds of dead silence on the phone followed before she

whispered, “You can DO that?” :