The Nun Who Broke Into “Nuclear Fort Knox”
Part of Heroes and Hiccups: True Stories about Nuclear Weapon Risks
Megan Rice
In 2012, Sister Megan Rice, an 82-year-old nun, cut a chain-link fence and walked past broken security cameras, breaching the Y-12 National Security Center in Tennessee that stored a significant amount of bomb-grade uranium. Once inside, she and her fellow activists painted peace slogans on walls and prayed for disarmament.
The incident spurred Congressional hearings and probes. She was sentenced to three years in prison. “Good Lord, what would be better than to die in prison for the anti-nuclear cause?” she said.
More Resources
Sister Megan Rice: A Catholic Activist Who Saw Nuclear Weapons as a Social Injustice – POLITICO
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When Yeltsin Reached for the Nuclear Briefcase
