Military Officer - November 2007 - (Page 92)

encore Say Cheese! A photo opportunity like this doesn’t come around too often — which is why no one can resist having their photo taken with a real, live Eskimo. I n the 1950s at Thule AFB, Greenland, there was a well-intentioned rule prohibiting contact between the large number of U.S. military and the local Eskimo tribe to protect their culture and health as well as their hunting traditions. Thule was constructed in 1951 on the site of the Eskimos’ principal village and a World War II-era weather station BW-6; the Eskimos who had homes there were relocated and no longer allowed in Thule’s large defense zone. I was commanding ofﬁcer of a U.S. Coast Guard LORAN station about 30 miles south of Thule on the coast — well outside of the defense zone. Our only means of transportation to Thule in six or more months of the year was by dogsled via sea ice. On R & R trips, we would pass Thule’s port area. Eskimos travelling with us would continue onward, and I would turn into the base. One day, I saw MPs on base observing us. I already was dressed like the Eskimos in a caribou-fur parka, with my hood up, wearing sunglasses and a full beard. I decided to have some fun with the MPs and proceeded to ignore their “go away” gestures and drive my sled onto the base on the snow. I began yelling commands to my dogs in Inuktitut — the language spoken by the Eskimos. It wasn’t long before the MPs gave chase, complete with sirens and red ﬂashing lights. They were restricted to the snow-plowed road, so they soon resorted to chasing me on foot. Other vehicles also arrived, and eventually those MPs, too, resorted to chasing me on foot through the snow. 92 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2007 Of course I eventually decided to let them catch me. I stopped my sled and jokingly said hello to the frustrated MPs. I then pushed my hood back to expose my face and raised my parka to get my I.D. card. Though frustrated, the MPs decided they wanted to join in on the fun, so we set up an opportunity for the GIs to see “a real, live Eskimo.” Word soon spread. I drove my sled up and down past the HQ building on the main street, which was lined with GIs, many of whom had cameras. I waved and shouted out more Inktitut and then disappeared. No doubt a lot of photographs were sent home that week. MO — Donald M. Taub is a retired Coast Guard captain. He lives in Huntington Beach, Calif. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - November 2007

Military Officer - November 2007 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Cover Story: Commanding the Corps With Love, From Home Financial Guidebook Financial Tuneups Banking on Your Time Pages of History MOAA Scholarship Recipients Faces of MOAA MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - November 2007

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