Think Nuclear War Can’t Happen? Think Again.
This event is an introduction and wrap up to the screening of the movie "The Man Who Saved the World" in honor of the UN's International Day to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
About the movie:
On the night of September 26, 1983, Russian missile officer Stanislav Petrov disobeyed military protocol and probably prevented a nuclear holocaust. He says that he is not a hero. "I was just in the right place at the right time." You decide!
For a few crucial minutes on September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov held the fate of the world in his hands. It was the height of the Cold War. The Soviets had recently shot down a Korean airliner. The United States was preparing to deploy Pershing II missiles in Europe. The Soviets suspected that the United States was planning a nuclear first strike.
When an alarm suddenly went off at the Soviet nuclear early-warning center Serpukhov-15, Stanislav was responsible for reacting to information from Soviet satellites that five American nuclear missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. Rather than initiate a nuclear retaliation, Stanislav went against protocol and assured his colleagues that it was a false alarm.
"The Man Who Saved the World" recreates those tense moments in 1983 when Stanislav was faced with the decision of his life. And it chronicles his spectacular journey to the United States three decades later, where he was finally acknowledged for his historic deed and found the strength to reconcile with his past. He is honored at the United Nations. And he is thanked for his actions by celebrities including Walter Cronkite, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Ashton Kutcher.
Shot on location in the former Soviet Union and the United States, "The Man Who Saved the World" shines a light on the continued risks of nuclear weapons today, and the challenge to reject nuclear weapons in order to prevent an unimaginable disaster.
A discussion was lead by John Reuwer, MD, of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
For more information contact Sr. Pat: pat.mckittrick@uvmhealth.org
