Category: Curiosities

Apparently the guys responsible for launching nuclear missiles dress down a little bit when they’re sitting at the command console. Which, I think we’d all agree, is a good thing. I’d hate for an itchy shirt to cause somebody to bump that red button. From Wired.

Though tedious, missile duty is not without perks. The uniform regulations are relaxed, though not by design. Once the blast door thuds shut and a crew is free from the prying eyes of the public or enlisted personnel topside, out come the pajamas and hooded sweatshirts.

In a favorite missileer uniform patch (right), the Grim Reaper sits at an ICBM console, dressed in bunny slippers. In the real world, death wears a campus T-shirt, JCrew bottoms and the ubiquitous Snuggie. The silly blanket-robe hybrid is suited to the missile force, keeping an officer toasty while allowing him to interact with the weapons console unobstructed.

Missileers learn that on alert, comfort is as important as humor. One enterprising fellow liked to string a hammock between the two command chairs and stretch out for his long shifts at the console.

There’s something a little kafkaesque about the whole picture isn’t there? The guys who can blow up the world are wearing these:

Image Credit: Flickr