Before the End of the Cold War

Dr. Strangelove

was his favorite movie

when he found himself

       (due to a chain of events

        that seemed beyond his control,

        such as sometimes happens

        when one is young)

in the Air Force

sending super-duper-crypto-coded

ultra-top-secret messages      

       (never knowing what they contained)

to the old B-52s

that were always flying

       (he watched them come and go

        as they took off

        with their atomic payloads)

2 hours away

from their respective targets.

Just in case.