AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.

Dog sleds and cold beds.(Airman's Notebook)(Alaska)(Column)

Airman

| September 01, 2004 | Wagers, Scott | COPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Air Force, Air Force News Agency. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

When the editor was looking for a volunteer to shoot a feature story in Alaska, my hand shot up quicker than an ejection seat busting an F-16 canopy,

For one, I'd never set foot in the "Last Frontier" and have heard nothing but glowing accolades front fellow Airmen who'd been stationed there. Secondly, one of the stories involved shadowing a group of arctic survival students for a week. Having completed the Air Force's combat survival course at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., in 1998, I felt like it was familiar turf.

Fortunately, our journey started in Montana, which served as a dry run for the colder temperatures we'd experience later in the month-long assignment. It was there that I discovered how poorly my gloves and sucks insulated my hands and feet. After a 20-minute outing with security forces patrolling a fence one icy morning, I limped back inside on numb feet to thaw a pair of hands that felt like they'd barehanded a Wayne Gretzky slap shot. When a young salesman at a local sporting goods store introduced me to polypropylene glove inserts and Smart-Wool socks, my frostbite worries melted.

Upon arriving at the Anchorage airport, I picked up a local newspaper to acquaint myself with Alaskan culture and current events. On the front page, a sled-dog team sprinted at full stride with text that detailed the rigors of navigating the new 1,150-mile trail for the upcoming Iditarod sled-dog race. A smaller feature introduced a blind woman from Oregon who was lobbying for approval to enter the race with her team of dogs. On page 3, a hotel made entirely from ice was the latest rage on the tourist circuit. Further back in the paper, family members were killed when their car collided with a moose--a common type of accident I later learned.

While fascinated with the local lifestyle, all the stories were totally ...

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and more
Keesler to resume A-76.(Keesler Air Force Base)
Magazine article from: Mississippi Business Journal March 12, 2007 700+ words
BILOXI -- After an extensive study by the Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base's A-76 process will resume where it left off...hold status. During the past year, the U.S. Air Force conducted a full damage analysis and review of the...
URS To Provide Construction Management and Engineering Services for C-17 Hangar...
Press release article from: Business Wire June 26, 2006 700+ words
...for C-17 aircraft at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The project was awarded...The project is part of Hickam Air Force Base's new mission of providing global...first C-17 facility at Hickam Air Force Base, the corrosion control hangar...
Kasten Chase -- US Air Force's Scott Air Force Base Adopts RASP Secure Access.
Press release article from: Business Wire September 25, 2000 700+ words
...from the US Air Force's Scott Air Force Base for high assurance secure remote access to Secret data. Scott Air Force Base, located in Illinois, is one...Technology Contracting Office. Scott Air Force Base employs over 35,000 personnel...
New Supply Unit May Bring Workers to Illinois Air Force Base.
Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Hafemeister, Rod November 1, 1999 700+ words
...will activate a new unit at Scott Air Force Base that is expected to save tax dollars...The other exempt base is Andrews Air Force Base, Md., which also is looking...its supply operations. Travis Air Force Base, Calif., will be the first...
Schriever Air Force Base namesake dies at 94.
Newspaper article from: Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) June 21, 2005 700+ words
...War dawned in the early 1950s. In 1998, the Air Force named Schriever Air Force Base in his honor. "He was one of those people who...said in a statement issued Tuesday. Schriever Air Force Base is home to the service's satellite monitoring...
Royal Air Force Base in Northolt Deploys Link Integrated and ObjectVideo for...
Press release article from: PR Newswire October 10, 2006 700+ words
...latest technology in security to protect this Royal Air Force base," said Brian Eckert, Vice President, Sales...technology also enhances the security of the U.S. Air Force at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) in the United States. Andrews AFB is...
Moody Air Force Base and Families to Get New, Private Housing; - CEI Investment...
Press release article from: PR Newswire November 24, 2003 700+ words
...will replace aging, outdated homes at Moody Air Force base and are aimed at improving the quality of life...very pleased to be working with the United States Air Force and Moody Air Force base to improve living conditions for its military...
Shaw Air Force Base Automates Backups Using Quantum Data Protection Solution;...
Press release article from: PR Newswire April 9, 2003 700+ words
...under challenging conditions worldwide for Ninth Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. More than 70 SuperLoaders have become an integral part of the Air Force's data protection infrastructure, meeting the...
STATEMENT BY ATR REGARDING ICING FLIGHT TESTS AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
Press release article from: PR Newswire December 30, 1994 700+ words
...by ATR regarding icing flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base: "The ATR 42 and ATR 72, long established as...conducted last week in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California, subjected the ATR to icing conditions...
Vandenberg AFB transferred to Air Force Space Command. (Air Force Base)
Newspaper article from: Defense Daily December 24, 1990 700+ words
VANDENBERG AFB TRANSFERRED TO AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND. Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., will be transferred from the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to the Air Force Space Command on Jan. 15, the service said...
For more facts and information, see all results

Source: HighBeam Research, Dog sleds and cold beds.(Airman's Notebook)(Alaska)(Column)

©2009 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
About us | FAQs | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions
Other Gale sites: Encyclopedia.com | HighBeam Research | Acquire Content | Books & Authors | Goliath | MovieRetriever | Smart QandA