As we put nuclear bombers on 24 hr alert ...

When I was in the war (ie, active duty Air Force), ours was the only 24-hour shop in the Bomb Wing, so the B-52 crews came to us to turn in their flight bags into a secure place after hours. Even then (end of the 1970's) they would comment that their plane was older than they were and should have hit mandatory retirement by then if it were a person. Last we were hearing towards the end of my enlistment (1982), all the B-52's were going to be gathered together so that the many could be cannabalized to keep the few flying. Apparently we haven't come to that.