The Land of the Free to be totally paranoid and terrified.
Let's see, I remember:
When I was 5, I was told to cover the lighted dial on radio so the German bombers couldn't spot us. All the windows in the house were outfitted with black window shades and there were periodic air raids with much siren wailing. The family moved to a rural inland area to be "safer" from air attack.
When I was in school we had frequent drop and cover drills in preparation for a nuclear attack.
As a new family man I had to evacuate my wife and new-born from the Norfolk, VA area prior to my emergency deployment during the Cuban Missile crisis.
As a junior Naval officer I had to brief my crew on the special precautions need while going ashore in Istanbul because Turkish Nationalist Terrorists had issued specific death threats against our crew. (Sort of reminding me of the few years before when I had to advise the members of my crew that their black shipmates were not welcome at the Special Events planned for us in Savannah, GA.)
As a Shore Patrol Officer, being warned by the French Police which Arab areas of Marseilles had to be avoided (even they were afraid to go there).
In 1967 checking the status of our nuclear warheads while we were tearing through the Med toward Egypt after they (we thought) had attacked the Liberty.
1986, sitting on my couch in Long Beach, watching TV coverage of the DC9 aircraft that had just plunged into a neighboring town, killing 82, and wiping out a neighborhood
1987, cowering in a doorway while the Whittier Narrows earthquake almost destroyed the house.
1992, planning a safe route home after watching a poor trucker pulled from his truck and near beat to death not too far away. Finding almost all the stores closed - shopped for sacks at the corner Liquor store which had armed guards posted out side and on the roof; watched the. Rodney King riots on TV, went outside to see the flames rising from the stores in the neighborhood struck by rioters.
2001 watched World Trade Center come down.
Do I live in any more fear, today - no!. (Maybe I'm numb.)
der Brucer