That's How Close We Came to Armageddon During the Cuban Missile Crisis

From Oct. 16, 2012 Yahoo! News.

Newly released papers of Robert F. Kennedy on the Cuban Missile Crisis had the words to a draft that President Kennedy was ready to read if the Soviets had not backed down.

"My fellow Americans, with a heavy heart, and in necessary fulfillment of my oath of office, I have ordered--and the United States Air Force has now carried out-- military operations with conventional weapons only, to remove a major nuclear weapons build-up from the soil of Cuba."

Had we done so, the Cuban commander probably would have replied with the 100 nuclear tactical weapons at his disposal which would have led to US retaliation and then the Soviet Union.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara wanted 500 bombing sorties followed by an invasion of Cuba by 90,000 soldiers.

Those were some mighty scary times to live through.  I was 11 at the time and was pretty sure I wouldn't live to see my 12th birthday.