'You kids get into the house right now!'

First let me point out that the Russian missiles may well have been on the way when the American missiles were launched. This is referred to in the movie as a "use them or lose them" tactic. We don't know for sure, just like the people in the movie.

Otherwise, there's a few possibilities as to why they were still outside:

1. They may have been trying to pack the car with the intention of high tailing it away from the base. Note: This was also done in Threads but not at the time of attack.

2. They were doing their shopping at the time the missiles were launched and were scrambling to get home to shelter. Note: Again this is also sort of reflected in Threads.

Hope this helps to give some insight into your question.

One point the other responder also missed as well as you is that they are not "next door" to the base.

The nearest Base was Whiteman AFB near Knob Noster, MO. Currently the home of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers.

What they were next door to was a Single Missile Silo.

The Minuteman III Missiles where arranged in "Flights" of missiles. Each flight had 12 silos. There is one LCF (Launch Control Facility) for each flight located at the first silo of the flight.

Where I grew up in Missouri (Bates County and surrounding counties), we had Golf, Hotel, India, Kilo, Juliet, and Lima flights scattered all over the 4-5 counties around us.

John Lithgow: "That's an awful lot of bullseyes scattered halfway down the state of Misouri."

I grew up 1.8 miles from Silo J-11 (11th Silo of Juliet Flight)
We also passed K-5 (Kilo flight) everytime we drove into town (Butler,MO) situated only 200 feet off of H Highway.


I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

Because they were probably NOT aware of the 30 minute window, and probably ignorantly were probably anticipating something on the order of an airstrike (by bombers). Just because the UL students knew about the window doesn't mean that farmers have this knowledge.

Personally, I didn't think the other family knew much about missiles or anything beyond farming.

If international tensions are spinning out of control, the risk of nuclear war is rising, and the TV interrupts with news bulletins or the emergency broadcast signal, I'd be glued to the TV.

Not these two, though. They let the kids watch the news about the end of the world as they snuck upstairs for a quickie. They paid no attention to anything.


Sleep peaceably at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on your behalf.