Chapter 6 AB Read along PPT

After “The Day”…..  “This December Saturday, ever after, was known simply as “The Day” (123)  “nobody in the Western Hemisphere ever saw the face of a human enemy” (123)- meaning they were just nuked; no actual ground war was fought  “So the struggle wasn’t just against a human enemy or for victory;” the struggle, for those who survived The Day, was to survive the next” (123)- theme of SURVIVAL!

The aftermath….  Randy’s conflict- he wants to help others but “his primary duty” was to his own family (124)  Realizes they don’t have enough supplies  President and all members killed, so “Acting Chief Executive of the United States, Mrs. Josephine Vanbruuker-Brown” (who was Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare) has taken place (125)

Message from Mrs. Vanbruuker-Brown  “at dawn this morning this country, and all our allies in the free world, were attacked without warning with thermonuclear and atomic weapons.”  “reprisal was swift” and “the enemy received terrible punishment” (126)  The U.S. “has been badly hurt, but is by no means defeated” (126) and the battle goes on (so U.S. is still retaliating) and “further enemy attacks must be expected.”

Message cont….  State of unlimited national emergency declared  Declared martial law, administered by the army  “Grave dislocations of communications” (127)  Called upon to obey the orders of local Civil Defense directors and “do not panic”

How she became acting president (pg )  One of the first targets was Washington and all members of house, senate and presidential cabinet killed  Small percentage of congress escaped  She has survived only by chance as she was in another city on an inspection tour  Helen’s response: “Still….there is a government….” (128) (some sense of comfort to her) and she wonders about Mark and if he survived

 Helen is going to try to go get supplies (and ammo) and Randy takes a nap and awakens to Dr. Gunn there to see Peyton (it’s about 9:30 PM)  “Some nations and some people melt in the heat of crisis and come apart like fat in the pan. Others meet the challenge and harden. I think you’re going to harden….” (133)  Dr. Gunn tells of three suicides he’d seen that day and 8 babies (3 preemies) and only 3 deaths as direct cause of radiation so far  “Lucky east wind”- they don’t think they got too much of the radiation….(134)

 More concerned about survival in Fort Repose than radiation at this point  “The exhausted swimmer, struggling to reach shore, isn’t worried about starving to death afterwards” (135)  Danger of radiation everywhere (in food, fresh milk, etc…) and if consumed, it’s a slow killer (136)  Helen wants to go see the admiral because she “has to know what’s happening”  Randy teaches Ben to shoot a gun

Admiral Sam Hazzard  Retired and wife died (pgs ); “taut” old man weighing 133 lbs.  “principal hobby was listening to short wave radio” (139)  Radio used for long distances  Randy and Helen go to his den to listen….  Anti-submarine warfare  “nobody’s winning” (141)  Admiral thinks Mrs. Brown was Speaking from Denver and that Omaha has been destroyed

 “Russian leaders all seem to be alive and well” (143) but “weren’t able to take out all our SAC bases” so enemy may be finished….(Admiral thinks)  Power supply that runs from Orlando dies, and “thus the lights went out, and in that moment civilization in Fort Repose retreated a hundred years” (144)