We have a thing that is literally called the Giant Voice System. Today it comes on and announces to the whole base "LIGHTNING... WITHIN... FIVE... NAUTICAL... MILES..." So I suggest that maaaaaaaybe we should stop raising our 35 foot steel mast into the air in the middle of a flat field. (NOTE: We don't actually need the mast for anything, we were just kind of doing this.) I was told to continue raising. I refused and said that it was unsafe. I was told to continue raising. I refused again and said that I was going to go up the chain of command with my safety objections. At that point, the sergeant in charge conceded the point and we left the mast alone.