@p Ok yeah, so SAC is what was called Strategic Air Command.
That was essentially nuclear war level Air Force defence. So, if the Russians launched a first strike, or made a push into Europe, there would be an emergency launch of hundreds of B-52's from places like Canada, the US, Germany and the UK, to retaliate against USSR. That was in addition to the SLBM's and ICBM's.
The goal being, that they would fly over the north pole and decimate whatever remained of the Russian ground forces.
So, there was what was called the Alert line which were tankers and bombers at a constant state of ready at any time to go up in the air and fuck up Russia.
I lived on airbases, so I went to schools on the base, shopped at the stores and such.
Righ by where I lived was a gate where there was an MP with n M-16 just hanging out checking people that came in. You had a special sticker on your car, and then you had to show id.
When I was little we used to go over and hand hang out with whoever got stuck doing guard duty.