Beas’ Part 1
by John B. Driscoll (Missoula '68)
See that last cow? When it goes out of the gate, I’m history. I’m going with the smokejumpers.’
Is The Forest Service Making The Best Decision In Going To The Square Chute?
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
The round parachute has served the Forest Service well.
Smokejumpers are firefighters with an unusual delivery system. Is it a good move to go away from something that has provided safe and efficient delivery of the jumpers for 75 years?
The Selected Few and ‘The List’
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
Smokejumpers have had a special working relationship with the CIA for over 35 years beginning in 1951. Over 100 jumpers have been involved in overseas operations including the Taiwan Project, Bay of Pigs and the Secret War.
Operation Firefly-Triple Nickles/Myth, Fact and Common Sense
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
Operation Firefly was a political smokescreen over which the Triple Nickle had no control. However, when history is changed, someone needs to challenge those changes. Books will continue to be written on this subject based on myth and inaccuracies and the Forest Service will continue with press releases based on sources 70 years removed. Let’s examine the record based on official documents.
Biophile of Melvin L. “Smokey” Greene
by Richard Baughn, Aerophile magazine
In early 1942, Melvin L. “Smokey” Greene (MSO-42) started jumping out of airplanes to fight forest fires. A couple years later his jump training helped save his life when his B-29 was rammed by a Japanese fighter.
Bob Sallee: A Personal Remembrance
by Carl Gidlund (Missoula '58)
To most of the world, Bob Sallee was merely the last living survivor of 1949’s Mann Gulch Fire, a disaster that took the lives of 12 smokejumpers.
Long Cheng Visited 39 Years After CIA/Jumpers Left
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
Long Cheng has been called the “Most Secret Place On Earth.” During it’s peak the CIA base was one of the world’s busiest airports and had a population of approximately 50,000.
Is The Smokejumper Physical Fitness Test Eliminating Good Women Firefighters From Smokejumping?
by Chuck Sheley (Cave Junction '59)
What is the basis for determining that seven pull-ups is a correct measurement for being a smokejumper?
My First ‘Real’ Combat Mission
by Gary Watts (McCall '64)
We wanted to be up North, where the action was, where the MiGs were. We were fighter pilots; we were trained for air combat. That was our job.
Luke Sheehy Remembered
by (Tributes from friends and fellow jumpers)
Luke was born in Susanville, California. He did it all. It’s no surprise that he ended up pursuing the adrenaline-filled career of smokejumping. He was a machine-it didn’t matter if he was on the 25th rep of the 25th set of push-ups-he still had that smile and easy manner. His personality and over-sized grin were infectious.
Smokey’s Rock Pile And Uncle Kenn
by Guy Hurlbutt (Idaho City '62)
There was a time when “smokejumping” was a foreign term to me. My introduction came through Tall Timber Pilots, a book about the Johnson Flying Service whose aviators flew smokejumpers for many years. The book, published in 1953, eventually found its way into the library of the high school I attended in South Carolina.
Brinkley Leads Farewell To DC-3 At Ceremony
by (Editor's note - The following was given by McCall Base Manager Joe Brinkley (MYC-98) at the Oct. 24, 2012, retirement ceremony for the R-4 DC-3.)
First and foremost, I would like to recognize Stan McGrew for his vision of a turbine-powered DC-3. His persistence extended the operational effectiveness of the aircraft for at least 20 more years.
The Weight Of Desire – She Had The Look
by Cameron Chambers (North Cascades '04)
When she came through the door for the first day of smokejumper rookie training, everyone saw she was tiny. When she went to the weigh-in, the foreman rolled the heavy metal fireproof door shut so no one could watch. Outside the door they didn’t need the scale to know she was tiny.
Cliff Creek Fire – A Most Memorable Series of Events
by Rob Shaver (McCall '67)
It was a busy fire season when I rookied at McCall, Idaho, in 1967. I was fortunate to have 14 fire jumps, which included four in Oregon. It was jumper number 13, on a small Oregon blaze, that was most memorable.
Remembering The Norton Creek Disaster And The Deaths Of Two Friends
by Gary M. Watts (McCall '64)
I am sitting here, in my home in Southern California, poring over a map. The map is a product of the United States Department of Interior Geological Survey. It is a 7.5-minute (topological) titled ‘Pungo Mountain, Idaho.’
Operation Bolo: Smokejumper Shoots Down MiG-21
by Fred Donner (Missoula '59)
On Jan. 3, 1967, I was the Air America airline station traffic manager at Danang, South Vietnam, for just over a year. In 1964 I spent the last of my five years as an Air Force lieutenant as commander of Detachment 5 of the 8th Aerial Port Squadron at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, doing essentially the same kind of work.
Going Full Circle: A Jump Home
by Cameron Chambers (North Cascades '04)
I woke in the sterile hotel room at 6 a.m. – day five of a boost and sore after a three-day fire on the Lewis and Clark. By seven I stood in front of the box for roll call.
Glory Days
by Don Havel (Fairbanks '66)
Often on a fire jump I would stand looking over the country and tell myself that I was standing on a spot where no one had ever stood before
Athletic Excellence – Olympic Gold
by Ed Booth (Associate Editor)
While no smokejumper of whom we’re aware has been an Olympic athlete, three of them have had children who have not only competed at the Olympic level but have excelled.
For Jerry Dixon, The Dancing Never Stopped
by Doug Abromeit (McCall '71)
The bags were unwieldy, uncomfortable, bulbous and heavy. Our task was to put these monstrosities on our backs and carry them five tortuous miles back to the jump base in one hour; the trainers, of course, slipped rocks into everyone’s bag.
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