Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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In 1974, 22-year-old Randall Lanning was a missile launch control officer in rural Missouri. Every week he traveled deep underground where he worked overnight alongside a commander. There, in a small room, he manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He recalls one night that’s still etched in his memory.
Learn more: storycorps.org/stories/man-nearly-launched-missile
Subscribe to StoryCorps on YouTube: https://storycor.ps/subscribe
Donate to support StoryCorps: storycorps.org/donate
More stories from StoryCorps: storycorps.org
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In 1974, 22-year-old Randall Lanning was a missile launch control officer in rural Missouri. Every week he traveled deep underground where he worked overnight alongside a commander. There, in a small room, he manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He recalls one night that’s still etched in his memory.
Learn more: storycorps.org/stories/man-nearly-launched-missile
