To the Moon! Former Jumper Made History Aboard Apollo 14
by Jill Louise Léger (Associate)
Stuart Roosa (CJ-53) never set foot on the moon, but he was instrumental in 1971’s Apollo 14 mission, piloting the command module as Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell explored the lunar surface.
Much has been written about Roosa’s remarkable life and achievements, but one little-investigated aspect is the impact that smokejumping had on his outlook and career. That single summer, it turns out, went a long way toward shaping the legend he would become.
T-Hangar Years
by Rod Dow (McCall ’68)
Meanwhile, the Alaska smokejumpers were operating out of the T-Hangar on Ft. Wainwright. It was a junky old WWII airplane hangar that didn’t even have indoor plumbing. The paint was peeling off the walls, there was no heat, and the interior was dark and dingy….We called Building 1542 home from 1974-1977. No bathrooms, no running water. One porta-potty for 65 jumpers sat next to the parking area on the other side.
An Old Jumper Reminisces
by Bill Moody (NCSB ’57)
When getting together with old jumper friends the conversation quickly gravitates to “the good ole days—remember when …” A bit of embellishment made the story a tad bit better, and perhaps, a bit more unbelievable. After a recent “old jumper conversation” I sat down and began to reminisce about jumping in the 50s and 80s— and all that changed—crew composition, hiring and firing practices, jump related equipment, parachutes, fire packs, aircraft, fire suppression operations, pay and other aspects of the program.
Interviews of smokejumpers who left for better pay and benefits
by John Culbertson (Fairbanks '69)
Low wages are one of the big problems facing Federal Wildland Firefighters currently. In this reprint from “Smokejumper” April 2022 John Culbertson interviewed several smokejumpers and hotshots that left for better pay and benefits.
Roger Savage earns Master’s with Historical Smokejumper Database
by Joshua Murdock (Missoulian, May 14, 2024; reprinted with permission)
The yellowing pages fill binders packed into cardboard boxes at the Missoula Smokejumper Base; they contain almost a century of profound but niche history: every jump made by every smokejumper there since the program started in 1940.
Remembrances of Rick Russell (FBX ’77)
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
When I think of him now, I see two images. The first is of a guy, silhouetted in blue-gray smoke on a lone portion of tundra fireline, a bundle of burlap bags tied on his PG bag. He has a moss-filled bag in each hand and slamming the line alternately with each, on and on and on without breaks. The other, and my favorite, is of a photo of Rick on the very top of Mount Shasta, his spiritual home. There he was, buck naked, facing away from the camera, wearing only his White boots, the sun over his left shoulder, head tilted back, and his arms thrust upward into the sky. That’s the way I want to remember him, in his element, on top of his world. – Murray Taylor
Sounding Off From The Editor (April, 2024)
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
A few months back, I got an email from Vince Massier (MYC-77) with a heads-up on Ken Axelson (MYC-47) who will turn 100 in April 2024. I went to our database which showed no contact information for Ken. More research found that his correct name is Albert Kenneth Axelson and that he lives in Wanamingo, Minnesota. By doing further research on the internet and using information gained in some emails, I’ve put the following story together about Ken Axelson. Some good reading here about his amazing WWII experiences.
NSA/Smokejumper History Update-Forgotten By His Country
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
As an interesting bit of our history, I’m going to reprint articles from 2003 issues of “Smokejumper” in honor of Ted Burgon and add some updates from additional research.
A Call to Action: Honoring the Mann Gulch Smokejumpers on the 75th Anniversary
by Mike Bina (Missoula '68)
“It is time to rededicate ourselves to the memory of these fine young men and the lesson they best taught us, that wildfires are, and always will be, dangerous and we must respect its potential to put a fire fighter in harm’s way. Life is precious and for some very short.”
Fighting Wildfire During Extreme Burning Conditions
by Jon Klingel (Cave Junction '65)
It has become frustratingly clear that the approach to firefighting has changed dramatically, and not for the better. I recognize we need to get low-intensity fire back into some of our ecosystems, at the right time of year. We don’t need fires during extreme burning conditions, at the wrong time of year.
The Rescue Jump for “Animal” Ed Weissenback
by Bruce Jackson (Redmond '69) and Bill Vaughn (Redmond '69)
Then, with the same confident control he had just demonstrated in his descent, the pilot gently eased that 1100 straight up and out of that tight hole. Once clear of the treetops, he then stood that Hiller on its nose facing downhill and gave it full throttle.
We all stood transfixed by what had just occurred.
Daren Belsby-Good Luck on Your End Of Jumping
by Conor Hogan (North Cascades '21)
The founding of the Forest Service belongs in the pantheon of America’s proudest moments, right alongside MLK’s march on Montgomery and the moon landing as an example of our nation living up to its lofty ideals. The establishment of our national forests was a seminal triumph of conservation over corruption, of working-class values over corporate greed.
Alex Coolidge NCAA D-3 Wrestling Champ
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
However, the Sports Illustrated count for the state of Iowa was one short. Missed was one of the biggest accomplishments in U.S. sports history.
Wildland Firefighters Not Served Well By Albuquerque Service Center
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
“Overall, the responses from the Forest Service are unintelligible and come chillingly close to the bureaucratic ‘Doublespeak’ we were warned about by George Orwell in his classic book 1984. I have rarely seen better crafted non-responses to straightforward questions.”
Standing Tall-Making a Difference Merv George, Supervisor Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
by Murry Taylor (Redding '65)
As Merv made clear, we all know that fire needs to be returned to the forest landscape. The RRSNF is on pace to have a record year with prescribed fire. But it does NOT need to be there in summers of record low fuel moistures and record high fire danger. These fires must be put out early and fast. If they’re not, then you end up facing August with exhausted crews scattered all over the West, people from other areas and maybe even agencies working fire on your turf, and skies filled with smoke so that air resources cannot be used effectively.
Tim Hart’s Death Should Matter
by Michelle Hart
On May 24, 2021, I received the phone call every firefighter’s spouse dreads and hopes will never come.
My Story
by Ben Musquez (Missoula '56)
At the time, no Drill Sergeants were allowed for combat duty as we were needed more at the training centers. One evening I talked to my wife and said that I had to go and do my duty in Vietnam. I felt that if I went and was able to save even one life, it would be worth it. At the time, my wife was expecting our 5th child and had four children at home, but she agreed.
New Day for the Forest Service
by Douglas P. Stinson (Cave Junction '54)
Many people are opposed to any harvesting on national forests. They often point to the overcutting that occurred in the 1970s and 80s. That overcutting led to a shutdown of logging on forest service land, a shutdown that for the most part is still in place today. One main reason for the excessive harvesting was that the allowable cut quotas were set in Washington, DC, or by the regional forest office, not by local foresters.
Good Intentions
by Mark Corbet (La Grande '74)
We immediately started building line down one side of the fire, but due to its steepness, every time we tried to swing the line across slope and below the flames, burning material from above would roll down across our line and ignite the abundant dry fuels below.
Air America, The Ranch and The Veil of Secrecy
by Johnny Kirkley (Cave Junction '64)
Air America, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and a secret air base in Takhli, Thailand, known as “The Ranch,” have a storied history that merged during the Vietnam War. The U.S. military operated overtly and the CIA operated covertly from 1960 to 1975 at “The Ranch.” Over 50 of the 100 former smokejumpers who worked for the CIA saw duty at ‘The Ranch.” Ten lost their lives. This is a disclosure of operations and events that killed some of those ten, plus others.
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