Why The Military Is TERRIFIED Of A 'Broken Arrow' 

As they said in the film “”I don’t know which is scarier, the fact that we have a missing nuke or that it happens so often that we have a term for it””

The “We were soldiers” film was the first time I ever looked into this order. Can’t imagine the dread any soldier/officer feels giving that command out.

The battle of Ia Drang is just a tactical engagement. But it convinced the US to believe heli airlift tactic worked. And it convinced the VN to believe they can fight the US by "hugging them closely" to prevent airstrikes and arty.

I remember the term 'broken arrow' from the movie 'We Were Soldiers'. It was an emotional and brutal movie to watch.

Don’t forget “BROKEN ARROW BROKEN ARROW THE DC EVAC SITE IS BEING OVERRUN”

"Call that sunnuva beech off" "PULL UPPPPPPPPPP" We were soldiers and The outpost we're pretty solid movies

That's not the only time "Broken Arrow" was used since Vietnam. There was at least one other, in Iraq in 2007, when PB Dog was destroyed by a VBIED and insurgent forces tried to assault the compound. (Source: I was there.)

Oh, I had to experience many a Broken Arrow over at the Creek.

My grandfather served in Vietnam. While I do know about quite a bit of his time there, such as what he did for a silver star and two bronze stars. I have also been told he fought at la Drang but that was the one part of his service he never talked about. He apparently did see "We Were Soldiers" once and he didn't cry, but his eyes were watery and he was really quiet for the rest of the day.

We were soldiers is so underrated

Broken Arrow? Calls for all available aircraft for immediate CAS. It's an God Damn it moment. "My God, there is no hiding it now..." It means every air asset to assist an unit completely surrounded and in immediate danger of being overrun.

In the uk armed forces were just say: “The situation is less than ideal” 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

“You should be ashamed of your military honor!” Theodore Roosevelt

1:41 I learned in We were Soldiers movie mention about that Broken Arrow requested all available aircrafts supports, when they overran by the enemy only.

We were soldiers showed the horrors of that battle. Couldn't imagine fighting an enemy you couldn't see, to the men who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice , thank you, from one vet to another 💙

I’ve never known the term Broken Arrow to mean anything other than a missing nuke.

I remember this code from the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 from 2010. Having known what that code meant made hearing it during the game all the more haunting with the events going on in the game at the time.

Nothing but respect for all those brave souls who fought valiantly and gave up their lives for something greater than themselves.

On the flip side, if you are the attacker, “Broken Arrow” means the entire US Air Force is rapidly approaching your location and there is no escape

I just love the fact that the default rifle firing sound is the sound of the Sniper's stock primary in TF2.

"Babe wake up, Simple History just uploaded a new video"

Simple History never fails to give us more knowledge

I'm in the air force, and a broken arrow is a mishap with a nuclear weapon that doesn't involve a risk of nuclear war. Hearing broken arrow in this context just seems weird to me.

last time I was this early, we used bows and arrows

The only time I’ve heard the words “Broken Arrow” was from Black Ops 2. I didn’t know that the word was this important.

A teacher of mine has a son who once served as helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. He never got an official "broken arrow" code but was always prepared for it if need be.

Charlie Hastings was not Forward Observer (FO). He was an Air Force Air Liaison Officer (ALO). A First Lieutenant at the time he retired as a full Colonel.

One of my top favorite 90s movies

Fantastic video! I love this channel!

As someone who wants to be in the military, I’m always interested in the terminology and phrases of things.

That B36 that Crashed in BC had one of its Turrets Recovered from the Wreckage & Put in a Museum in my Town

This was a very interesting video as always, well done Simple History. The codeword Broken Arrow has become synonimous of the term FUBAR and those Close Air Support attacks in Vietnam is a noteworthy example along with the recent example of missing atomic warheads. By the way i really liked the NVA charge from the first person mode of the North Vietnamese soldier.

5:13 And nobody know how many nuclear weapons that the Soviets had lost during the Cold War. So sleep well tonight.

In the Navy, "Broken Arrow" is used for something else. I can neither confirm nor deny it's purpose in the Navy.

Helldivers Need it owns Broken Arrow moment

Nice education content :D keep it up!!🎉🎉🎉❤❤

Save your time, broken arrow is when a unit is requesting bombardment of their own area because they’ve been overrun.

There was TWO Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers that fought that battle at OP Keating. Many other awards also.

7:59 nah, "Nucflash" is the most significant one, having the highest precedence

In regard to nuclear weapons/reactors: Dull Sword: An accident that does only minor damage to the weapon. Bent Spear: An incident that results in radioactive contamination. Broken Arrow: The detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon. (This doesn't necessarily mean a nuclear explosion, just the explosives in the warhead detonated, usually spreading radioactive material over a wide area) Faded Giant: An event involving a military nuclear reactor or other radiological accident not involving nuclear weapons Empty Quiver: The seizure, theft, or loss of a functioning nuclear weapon

I remember there was a film “Broken Arrow” released in 1996 with John Travolta and Christian Slater, directed by John Woo. Good memories.

The truck turning over, I was in Minot when this happened. Oh my was that a nightmare

I only remembered the old movie in the early 2000 called "Broken Arrow". The soundtrack from Hans Zimmer from that movie was quite good too!

We Were Soldiers(2002)

I'm only scared of a Broken Arrow situation if John Travolta is involved

7:50 That's odd, when I was a Nuclear Machinist Mate in the Navy, I never heard that code phrase come up. We would always call it a Reactor Incident if there was a situation or casualty that resulted in the release of fission products or core material from the reactor vessel.

6:41 The safeties you referred to are called a "permissive action link."

When Broken Arrow is ordered topographical maps need to be redrawn

Imagine seeing those planes stacked at different altitudes all waiting to drop ordinance the view from the sky must’ve been amazing yet horrifying

I remember hearing the Code word “Broken Arrow” on the movie We Were Soldiers it’s still of of my favorite Movies. Btw Did anyone else see NVA Soldiers with M14s on 0:46?

6 official missing warheads is wild

This is interesting stuff!

People who live in Savannah, Georgia: *Haha. Im in danger*

Broken Arrow is still used. We are trained to use the code in only the most extreme cases. It will delete all grids around you.

Okay I just want to point out the camouflage we're looking at in 2009 at the Battle of camp Keating. The desert camouflage by then was phased out and replaced with the god-awful camouflage ACU heavily criticized.

There was a movie in the 1996 with John Travolta and Christian Slater named Broken Arrow where a mile was stolen. In it a character saints he wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, that a nuke was missing or that it happened so often that there is a code specifically for the situation.

6:49 is that the SL-1 reactor I see kinda looks like it from the pictures of the compound

I just wish this video would express, up front, that "broken arrow" literally means "an accidental event that involves nuclear weapons, warheads or components that does not create a risk of nuclear war". Or, more explicitly, an event that involves the launching, fire, detonation, or theft of a nuclear armament. Even if the above isn't the relevant command, it usually means bring all available air force in the area in for support.

When pelican 1 is far away and theres no reinforcements left

MACV-SOG Recon or Spike teams were always basically under broken arrow conditions

Broken Arrow means the spearhead is cut off from support and is at risk of being overrun

Loved that part in we were soldiers, when Mel Gibson has a look over being overwhelmed and he goes to say the order but hesitates even speaking the words. Then without any further delay says those words. Broken arrow. Radio operator repeated the order and higher command hear those words over a crackling radio, the men faces drop. Someone says what does that mean? It means that Americans are about to be over run and they want every available air support to bomb their area. My body got chills in the cinema.

Lmao at Gilbert Gottfried voicing the soldiers in the beginning.

Man, this sucks when the CSM and base CO arrive to the company party.

The B-58 incident at Grissom AFB.

3:19 I believe a movie named "outpost" on Netflix is based on this battle right here

Please make a video on the Castilian War

As a person who plays cod the old ones broken arrow is just a refrence to me

How many times was the broken arrow used in the context of needing air support?

Don't forget about that movie "Broken Arrow" with Christian Slater and John Travolta. That's that is one when Travolta tries to steal a couple nukes.

Romesha was only 1 of the 2 medals of honor awarded to men at COP Keating. And I don’t think Broken Arrow called at COP Keating either

Enemy force: We got em on the run!! Americans: **open console** Enter cheatcode: BROKEN ARROW

FOB Baylough, COP Margah. Both places i know that had situations close to a broken arrow. More so with FOB Baylough as the LP/OP called an airstrike on their location as they ran out of ammunition holding back 500- 1000 Afghans. COP Margah, well a ton of awards were given out there and the firefight lasted 14 or 15 hours. I can concur on the Bent Spear term as I was personally in the location it happened.

I was so sure this was about JJBA when i read the title lol

"prairie fire prairie fire"

I found out about this term thanks to the Ace Combat Wikipedia. For context, Ace Combat 4 has a mission called “Breaking Arrows”. It’s a mission where you have to shoot down enemy cruise missiles. I was looking that mission up because I wanted to find out what happens if you get too close to the final missile. Turns out the thing explodes, killing you instantly, if you get too close.

I like how the thumbnail is an animated Mel Gibson

Watching this on CC is funny. Every time they talk about the NVA, it misinterprets it as NBA regiment and im thinking of some bball squad fighting us

They are concerned about all John Travolta movies...

in the book Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor Book by Clinton Romesha that talks about the insane thing that happend in Command Post Keating: it's is aid that they didn't know about "Broken arrow" but they talked about the alamo position. the movie does not compere to the book must read or listen to nailbiter

2:19 to 2:20 😮😢 reminds me of how the NLF guerillas in one scene of the film were screaming in agony from the Napalm bombs exploding right before and on them

I guess danger close is now the new broken arrow

Expanding on the first Broken Arrow incident of 1950: The crew of Convair B-36 TN 44-92075 did not all bail out; the Weaponeer, Ted Schrier, was not observed to have left the aircraft, and it was, at the time of the order to bail out, set on autopilot to ditch into the Pacific. The crew observed 44-92075 to turn 180 degrees and head towards land, and it is thought that Schrier had disabled the autopilot, and attempted to save the stricken plane, now that the weight of the bomb and crew had been thrown out. In any event, the radio was tied down and continued to transmit for upwards of three hours before falling silent, and the bomber was found to have passed between two mountains, coming to rest at a bearing of 075. It was not discovered for several years, and the first US attempt to illegally access the wreck was thwarted by the team getting lost in 1953. In 1954 they came back and, with a farmer who knew where it was a guide, were able to access the wreck, removing several items, and detonating explosives to destroy the remainder. What is left is still there to this day. Also, the fucking USAF neglected to tell us they dropped a nuke in the waters they had us looking for their crew in- while the bomb did not go critical, it is still an abhorrent white lie that, in conjunction with the illegal border crossing and deployment of explosives, an act that has forever marred the US' image. (The jettisoning of the bomb is also disputed- locals reported a bright light, but not related sound of an explosion, and due to the illegal access of the wreck by unathorized US troops and continued refusal to divulge if one of the items they removed was the bomb or not, we still do not know for certain to this day.)

Started out with why I clicked. Nice job

A video about the German paratroopers or Fallschirmjäger in WW2 would be good.

🙌 Simple History 🙌 please can you make a video covering about Portugal's participation and envolment into World War 1 please? And maybe possibly make a extra WW1 Armys video mentioning Portuguese expeditionary troops? If possible i thank you alot. 🇵🇹

Disclaimer: do not jokingly say 'Broken Arrow' around your active service friends. They will quickly enter their game face and respond seriously, making your joke fall flat

terrain warfare versus Jungle Warfare

Lol type in john Travolta, and I was brought here... well, I did scroll down a bit, lol.

that’s We Were Soldiers reference

Can your next video be about the dictator or libya. Mummar gafaffi?

Vietnam video with an F16 dropping ordnance in a CAS context. Odd choice that. 2:16

Short version: If you hear "Broken Arrow", GOD. HELP. YOU. It usually means "Oh my god, we are so CATASTROPHICALLY FUCKED."

Wasn't John Travolta in Broken Arrow? 🤔

Funny it has to do with Nukes in the Air Force.

What music is in the background?

The movie is some of Hans ZImmer's best work, highly recommend looking up the soundtrack to that movie.

Every Helldivers 2 helldive mission is a broken arrow. ALL THE TIME!!!

Only broken arrow i know is from the aether storyline

"Roger that, solid copy on Broken Arrow. Major it's been an honor, out." - Wolverine 2-1 Bravo Actuals final transmission to Wolverine 1-2 as they were being overrun by a couple platoons of T-80s. 2009 Modern Warfare 2 is just something else man.