The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he's very concerned that the hot rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang and Washington could spin "out of control."
NPR's Scott Simon remembers the era of "duck and cover" and making grisly jokes with other kids about nuclear war. But he also remembers the nightmares, and hopes kids aren't simlarly troubled now.
If the U.S. is preparing for war on the Korean Peninsula, there is little evidence to show for it. The military posture is more about deterrence than anything else.
North Korea has threatened to send missiles toward Guam. In his latest tweet about the isolated regime, President Trump says, "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded."
Despite North Korea's recent threats to create an "enveloping fire," hotels and beaches are full in the tiny U.S. Pacific territory. "If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen," says one resident.
The U.S. island territory is small but strategically significant. It's home to a naval base and an Air Force base. Pyongyang has long viewed it as a provocation — and a target.
Pyongyang said once finished, it will wait for a green light from leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, North Korea's military called President Trump's latest threats "a load of nonsense."
When asked if Americans should be worried about tensions with North Korea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson replied, "I think Americans should sleep well at night."