Military Officer - January 2008 - (Page 92) encore Friendly Farewell These servicemembers are hardly fazed by the subzero temperatures of Antarctica — but the sendoff they receive on their farewell flight leaves them speechless. T he operating season for U.S. bases in Antarctica runs roughly from mid-October to mid-March, or the months of the austral spring and summer. In the off-season, mid-March to mid-October, only the greatly reduced “winter-over” crews remain on station, maintaining their stations and operating systems and, of course, continuing to support the scientists who are conducting their ongoing projects. In the early days of the Navy’s Operation Deep Freeze, Antarctica was an all-male domain. Modern satellite communications and the Internet were nonexistent. The South Pole Station undoubtedly was the most isolated, inhabited place on earth during the austral winter. The wintering crews at their stations were completely cut off from the outside world except for radio communication. For this reason, military and civilian crewmembers were thoroughly screened, both physically and mentally, before spending almost seven months together in well-below-zero temperatures — with much of that time spent in round-the-clock total darkness. During the austral winter, there is no possibility of an aircraft safely landing at the pole. Once the last flight left in March there would be no other human contact until the following October; temperatures had to warm up to at least 50 degrees below zero before the relief aircraft safely could fly in. Accordingly, the last flight into and out of the South Pole was a special occasion. Senior officers and the chaplain usually ac92 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2008 companied this flight when it departed, and the South Pole chef — a very talented individual — put on a sumptuous ceremonial dinner before the aircraft left. Speeches were made, toasts were offered, the chaplain gave his blessing for the winter, and so forth. On one particular last flight, we had made our lingering farewells and our flight crew and passengers had re-boarded our nowempty, ski-equipped C-130 aircraft for the flight back to our home base at McMurdo Station. There were several people in the cockpit of the aircraft, including the chaplain, who wanted a last glimpse of pole station. As we taxied out to the skyway we noticed the entire station crew — military and civilian — had come outside and were lining up along its edge. As I lined up the aircraft for takeoff, they stood at attention in a proper military formation. The chaplain spoke for us all when he said: “Aw, now, that’s pretty wonderful. Those fellas didn’t have to come out in this bitter, windy cold to see us off.” However, as the plane began to slowly accelerate and pass the crew standing along the edge of the skyway, in unison they turned 180 degrees — and mooned us! MO — Eugene W. Van Reeth is a retired Navy captain. He lives in North Carolina. Tell Your Story ■ Share your servicerelated adventures (or mishaps) by e-mail to encore@moaa.org, or mail them to Encore Editor, 201 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. All submissions will be considered for publication. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH
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