arctica. The wing’s citizen-airmen prepare for their demanding mission at “Cool School” in Greenland, where training involves spending two frigid nights in a trench cut in the ice and fighting tailwinds on takeoff and landing in wet snow. “The Guard has a tremendous
amount of continuity,” Stone says. “We’ve got guys that have been flying on the ice for 15 [years to] 20 years now.” In the kind of place where prob- lems quickly can become a matter of life and death, that kind of experience is priceless. Despite the hazardous conditions, the 109th has maintained an impressive safety record. Since it first began providing airlift support for the NSF’s Antarctic research in 1988, it has never lost an aircraft. “It’s a record that we’re very, very
proud of and also one you get a little nervous talking about,” says LaBarge. Landing a plane on solid ice in near- whiteout conditions is one thing; routine maintenance in tempera- tures that dip to minus-40 degrees Fahrenheit is something else. “Those maintenance guys are profound pro- fessionals,” LaBarge says. “They’re doing everything from refueling the airplane to a prop change to struc- tural work, right on the ice, with no hangars, no facilities, out in the open snow. It’s rather remarkable.” With only five seasons on the ice,
LaBarge considers himself a newcom- er to Operation Deep Freeze. “It’s a bit strange when you first show up at the South Pole,” he says. “When you’re flying in on a clear day, you can spot the South Pole Station from 40 or 50 miles out. It’s a tiny, tiny little spot in this incredible expanse of white noth- ingness, and you realize how far out there, how remote the South Pole Sta- tion is, and how tenuous that lifeline is that we create. It gives you a sense of the importance of your mission.” MO
— Christina Wood is a freelance writer based in Florida. Her last feature article for Military Officer was “In the Wake of the Storm,” May 2010.
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Advertising Index
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