In Country – Part II

Our first winter in Alaska (1977-1978) followed one of the coldest winters in Indiana (1976-1977). The central Indiana temperatures dipped below zero 27 times that winter, my last in the state. But the dark was new. I planned Susitna Sentinel trips from Anchorage to Palmer to Cache Creek for what daylight winter provided.

In February 1978 reporters from several media outlets were invited to cover the Jack Frost military exercise. Early one morning, I checked into Elmendorf, picked up cold weather gear and climbed aboard a C-130. An hour or so after take-off we landed at Eielson AFB, transferred to and olive drab color bus and headed out to operations areas.

First up was an artillery demonstration at Fort Greely. Not much excitement there as the targets were beyond what we could easily make out.

A bombing demonstration was impressive. The targets were old cars sitting just below a ridge but high enough we could see them. The ridge was around a half mile away. I don’t recall the aircraft used perhaps F-14, Tomcat or F-15, Eagle. The pilots slowed the jets down so slow they seemed crawl through the air. The bomb released, dropped, exploded; a car jumped or rolled. At one point a bomb did not go off. The next aircraft dropped its bomb which struck the one that did not explode. This time we got a big, big bang and cloud.

At some point during this round about on military posts one of the hosts mentioned that the weather was not cold enough to do some of their lubricant experiments. He said they needed 57 below. They were doing the experiments in freezers.

The next venue was a large open field along side the Richardson Highway. The plan was for paratroopers to exit C-130 aircraft above the field. After landing and gathering gear up they were to head up the hill into the mountains to a bivouac area.

The bus pulled into the field access and let us out. I stayed back a bit, standing in the access road about 25 feet from the highway. I watched a couple of jet aircraft play tag over the mountains west of the highway. Quickly, one of the aircraft left the mountains and headed for our way. I watched intently. The highway was lined by 15 feet tall thin alders with no leaves. The snow was light and fluffy but a foot to foot and a half deep. The pilot turned the jet in a long left turn and lined up on the tree line along the highway. The plane came down to what looked like tree top level from where I stood, then rose a little. It was coming quickly but below sound barrier speed. Suddenly, I was in a snow tornado. The aircraft whipped up the snow on the ground and spun it in circles all around me.

One of the hosts ran back to where I was brushing snow off my parka. I don’t know his rank, but he yelled into his radio, “You keep your blankety-blank aircraft over those mountains.”

The hosts took us out to a frozen pond perhaps an acre in size. A helicopter approached. Soon a red smoke began rising from the brush on the far side of the ice. We saw him then, a soldier waiting to be rescued. He was.

As we walked back to get on the bus, a host stop us for a moment before loading. Just at that time jet flew over us. It was F-4 reconnaissance aircraft from Idaho we were told. Just over an hour later when we stepped off the C- 130 at Elmendorf we were all handed a 8x10 photo of us the jet took when if flew over us.

Budd Goodyear is a local freelance writer who has had articles and photos included in publications throughout the state. Goodyear moved to Alaska in 1977 with his wife and children, and has worked in the Valley, Anchorage and Palmer. Goodyear contributes historical pieces to the Frontiersman.