During the Danish Voluntary Home Guard's nearly 75-year history, readiness has never been higher than during the Cold War years. This is recalled by the oldest member of the Air Home Guard, Ejgil Pedersen, 96 years old. "It was a cold time. We were like drawn bows, we didn't know what was happening." He himself joined the Air Home Guard in 1956 – the year of Hungary’s uprising against Soviet occupation forces. Ejgil was part of the air reporting corps, a special unit under the Air Home Guard, responsible for reporting attacking or hostile aircraft in Danish airspace. Practically, the system operated through around 400 air reporting stations located in water towers, silos, factories, or specially made steel towers across the country. From there, the volunteers had to determine the aircraft’s position and altitude and report back to air reporting centers, located in eight cities, including Copenhagen, where the center Ejgil reported to was located in a top-secret room under the old Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen. “We cursed the Russians to the end of the earth. We were all affected,” he recalls. That’s why it makes him very sad that the Russians have once again caused unrest in Europe. "… but I have my uniform ready at home, just in case something happens," he concludes with a laugh. In 2017, Ejgil Pedersen received a letter from the danish queen thanking him for 60 years of faithful service in the guard.