Death Wears Bunny Slippers: Life Inside a Nuclear Missile Silo

Various sources around the Internet indicate that this awesome unit patch worn by some USAF ballistic missile crews is completely real. Comfort, as well as anything that relieves boredom, is highly prized. That’s why many airmen wear Snuggies while manning the missile platforms. John Noonan, as former captain in the Air Force, writes:

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. Videogame systems are forbidden, a rule that was mocked until it got out that wireless Nintendo Wii controllers could cause the system to detect a false electromagnetic pulse attack and shut down.

Link via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: US Department of Defense