FEDERALSBURG, Md. - Veteran Dean Palmer recalls being aboard one of the ships during the blockade.
The 60th anniversary of one of the most tense situations in American history is this weekend. The Cuban Missile Crisis is remembered by many but only a few were on the front lines.
Oct. 1962, 60 years ago, a ring of navy ships created a blockade to prevent the Soviet Union from getting to Cuba.
Dean Palmer was aboard the USS Kennedy in the middle of the blockade.
"It was scary watching all those ships out there, transports coming in to go into Havana. We didn't know what was on them. Being on the ship was great. Being on during the Cuban Missile Blockade was scary" says Palmer.
Scared about possible nuclear war.
Dean joined the navy at 18 years old and he was 21 during the blockade.
"We had ordered it. If they didn't stop, to fire on it. Well, if we would've fired, Cuba would've fired. We would've fired, Russia would've fired. If we had fired, we wouldn't be sitting here right now," says Palmer.
Palmer says, even while watching Russian ships turn around before Cuba, the fear was still there. And when ordered to turn around, Palmer thought to himself.
"Cuba's got all of these missiles. Are they going to shoot these missiles? They are already pointed, all ready to be fired," says Palmer.
Crisis averted leaving Palmer and the other sailors on these ships to tell their story, now 60 years later.