Minuteman II Missileers Lieutenants Lamb and Goetz These Strategic Air Command missileers work together in a capsule 60 feet underground. Each is provided with a pistol. Missile duty lasts four years, during which silo operators are required to put in two 24-hour shifts per week for 12 to 16 weeks a year. On November 21, 1984, the activating launch code for a simulated key-turn exercise was « Lima, Alpha, Uniform, November, Charlie, Hotel, Echo, November, Alpha, Bravo, Lima, Echo, Papa, Lima, Charlie, Alpha, Zero, One. Acknowledge. Out. » Lieutenant Goetz explains the procedure for launching a group of missiles: « It takes two launch votes. One is transmitted by two men from this capsule, another control center does the same thing. So there are quite a few safeguards that we have to go through before we can launch a sortie. »