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4-1-2020

Smokejumper Magazine, April 2020

National Smokejumper Association

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Recommended Citation National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Magazine, April 2020" (2020). Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines. 126. https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_mag/126

This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Smokejumper Digital Archive at EWU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines by an authorized administrator of EWU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The National Smokejumper Quarterly Magazine Association April 2020 Smokejumper

The National Smokejumper Quarterly Magazine Save a Billion $$ A Year—The New AssociationWildfire & Global Warming...... January 2020 Triangle...... 75 Smoke from Wildland : Impacts to Pendleton Honors Triple Nickles...... Public Health...... 1825 One Year After The ...... Smokejumper Folklore: ‘You 41Know You’re Smokejumper a Smokejumper If …’...... 40 CONTENTS Message from Message from the President...... 2 Fighting Fire in Tasmania...... 5 and Global Warming: A Continuous the President Cycle of Destruction...... 7 Kooskia Days...... 10 first time the US and NSA Scholarship Program Expanded— have exchanged crews during Take Advantage!...... 10 difficult fire years. I’m sure Moose Creek Memorial...... 11 many of you saw video footage Touching All Bases...... 12 of a crew of California fire- West Yellowstone Airtanker Base Closure...... 14 Off the List...... 16 fighters being cheered as they Pendleton Honors the Triple Nickles...... 18 disembarked at the airport in Eric Schoenfeld Remembered...... 21 Sydney on their way to the Odds and Ends...... 26 firelines. Alaska Cutters...... 28 The magnitude of the Feeding the “Beast” with Fire, Money...... 29 situation is daunting. The North Cascades 2019 Reunion...... 30 by Bob McKean statistics are overwhelming: 26 The Run for the Top...... 32 (Missoula ’67) million acres burned, 5,900 National Smokejumper Reunion 2020 June 26–28, 2020 in Boise, Idaho...... 39 President buildings destroyed, 29 people Sounding Off from the Editor...... 40 and one billion animals killed, One Year After the Camp Fire...... 41 It is early January and snow is and smoke pollution across the Smokejumper Keep the Flame Legacy Jump List....42 on the nearby mountains. Port- most populated regions of the The Pink Fire...... 43 landers go crazy when there’s country. Recollections of Mann Gulch 70 Years Later...... 44 even a rumor of snow, and it An edition of “Science Nicknames...... 44 is predicted in the next day or Friday” on PBS devoted about Time To Get in the Door...... 45 so. It only takes an inch or two 20 minutes to a discussion of to bring the city to a standstill. the fires in Australia (January I find it amusing after having 10, 2020). Toward the end of lived in for 30 years. the program, moderator Ira In fairness, the roads in Port- Flatow asked a fire scientist land often become dangerously from University of Idaho, Dr. icy during these storms. Crystal Kolden, the following January also brought the question: Smokejumper, Issue No. 108, April 2020 ISSN 1532-6160 story of Australia which is ex- “Is Australia the canary in Smokejumper is published quarterly by: periencing its most destructive the coal mine for the rest of The National Smokejumper Association fire season in history.News- the world?” c/o 10 Judy Lane Chico, CA 95926 week ran a great story about Dr. Kolden’s response: The opinions of the writers are their own and do Michelle Moore (MSO-99) “It is! Australia is very much not necessarily reflect those of the NSA. Permis- sion to reproduce Smokejumper in any manner who missed her son’s birthday showing us what will happen must first be obtained in writing. due to the need for her to elsewhere…For those of us in NSA Website: http://www.smokejumpers.com answer the call to engage her the US, we feel like in the last Managing Editor: Chuck Sheley skills as a lead plane pilot in few years we’ve seen some pret- Associate Editor: Ed Booth Australia. ty big fires in California that Editing: K. G. Sheley I have no idea how many have been really destructive. Photo Editor: Johnny Kirkley other individuals and crews But, when we look at Australia Illustrators: Dan Veenendaal, and Eric Rajala have been dispatched to assist now, for those of us in fire sci- Layout/Printing: Larry S. Jackson, Heidelberg Graphics, www.HeidelbergGraphics.com in Australia during this crisis, ence, a lot of us see this is the Front cover: NCSB Practice Jump Composite but I am sure there are many. future for the US, as well. And Photo (Courtesy Denny Breslin) And, of course, this is not the not just in California, but in

Check the NSA website 2 National Smokejumper Reunion a lot of other parts of the US. Even in places that careers were in fire management. What follows is have not necessarily seen a lot of fire because as it my take on the salient points of discussion during gets hotter and drier, we have these types of really those exchanges: unique events—really hot, dry conditions or even 1. Climate change drought—and it will facilitate fire in places we There was a clear consensus among experts have not necessarily seen a lot in the past. with whom I visited that climate change is a …No doubt these fires are connected to cli- significant factor affecting the current and fu- mate change and burning under conditions that ture situation. While I do not specifi- are unprecedented…” cally remember the topic coming up, though it This past fall, I engaged in some informal probably did, most raised the issue immediately. research about wildfires currently being experi- Former forest supervisors, career wildfire fighters, enced, factors affecting them, and what might be fire scientists all talked about climate change as done to improve the situation. I did this, in part, affecting the length of the fire season, the mois- because as your president, I wanted to broaden ture content of , and intensity of fires. I also my own understanding of the topic. My journey did a brief review of literature. It was easy to find included direct discussions with three fire scien- articles from reputable scientists and scientific tists: John Bailey, PhD, State University; organizations that supported this view. All three of Tania Schoennagel, PhD, University of Colorado; the fire scientists with whom I visited expressed, and Carl Seielstad (MYC-93), PhD, University without prompting, that the changing climate was of Montana. I also visited with four former forest the driving factor of the wildfire situation as it is supervisors and several other individuals whose currently evolving. At least two specifically raised the issue of extreme weather events associated with changing climate as contributing factors to extreme fire behavior. NSA Members—Save 2. Managing Hazard Fuels/Managing This Information There was also discussion about manag- Please contact the following persons directly if ing hazard fuels and/or forests with most of the you have business or questions: individuals. And, it is a central topic in the work Smokejumper magazine of Michael Rains (Smokejumper, Jan. 2019, April Articles, obits, change of address 2019, July 2019) and the NAFSR Workforce Chuck Sheley 530-893-0436/ [email protected] Capacity report that I reviewed in conjunction 10 Judy Ln. with my research. Most former forest supervisors Chico, CA 95926 were concerned about how to reduce hazard fuels Membership in forests and, with one exception, believed that John McDaniel active management in some form (a combina- 785-404-2847/ [email protected] tion of , prescribed burns, control burns, 807 Eileen Ln. and/or ) should be increased to reduce Salina, KS 67401-2878 the incidence and/or intensity of wildfires. One All else former forest supervisor did not take this position. NSA President He suggested the situation would best be resolved Bob McKean by natural means. At least that was my take on 503-762-6337/ [email protected] 14013 SE Eastridge St what he said. He further expressed skepticism that Portland OR 97236 when commercial interests were involved with “,” the result would always be a Smokejumper base abbreviations: healthier, more fire-resistant forests. Anchorage...... ANC Grangeville...... GAC Redding...... RDD The fire scientists were concerned about hazard Boise...... NIFC Idaho City...... IDC Redmond...... RAC Cave Junction...... CJ La Grande...... LGD West Yellowstone.WYS fuels management as well, but I’m not certain I Fairbanks...... FBX McCall...... MYC Whitehorse Yukon.YXY sufficiently understood each of their perspectives Fort St. John...... YXJ Missoula...... MSO Winthrop...... NCSB as well as I should have. Certainly, all three were

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 3 www..com concerned about and advocated for hazard fuels ers were fighting fires in the WUI all the time management in addition to other measures in the and were a vital resource for doing so. That said, wildland-urban interface (WUI). One pointed it seemed to me there was no disagreement that specifically to the area believed most at risk and considerably more will have to be done. needing the most resources (in one form or 4. Initial Attack, Wildfires as a Management Tool, another), the forests of California (and, perhaps, etc. southern Oregon?). At least two, if not all three, These are complex, interrelated issues, and my pointed to the fact that many, if not most wild- limited exploration did not probe in these areas fires, were not on timbered (at least harvestable deeply. My hope was to engage in further explora- timbered) lands. Large swaths of the Great Basin, tion later and in a somewhat different manner. the southwest, and Alaska crept into conversa- That said, initial attack and wildfires as man- tions. None were opposed to forest management, agement tools, etc. were topics of concern among per se, but at least two seemed skeptical that wide- some of the fire/forest professionals I visited with. spread “forest management” would be effective or In brief, the concern was that current protocols sufficient in curbing the trend in fires, given the for when, when not, how to engage in initial at- magnitude of the forests, varied landscapes where tack need to be reviewed and (in editorializing), fires occur, and climate change. perhaps, updated and/or streamlined. For ex- 3. Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ample, it is my perception there seems significant There was considerable concern about the concern that the idea of wildfire used as a “man- WUI from most professionals. The devastating agement tool” has too often led to unintended impacts of the Camp Fire frequently crept into consequences: i.e., mega fires that destroy hun- these conversations. There were many references dreds of thousands of acres of natural resources, to the dangers posed to people and property in destroy property, propagate lengthy exposure by the WUI. There was much discussion about what communities to unhealthy smoke, cost millions could and/or should be done to reduce the danger. upon millions of dollars, endanger fire fighters, I also reviewed a video done by Dr. Shoennagel and, all too often, lead to loss of life. that concluded that efforts needed to be made Needless to say, the fires in Australia this year to “Build Better, Thin Better, Burn Better.” That and the informal research I conducted this past said, opinions from others who viewed the video fall caused me to do considerable reflecting. As I varied about how “Build Better, Thin Better, Burn have done so, one question has emerged foremost Better” ought to look with respect to different in my mind: Will we be ready? landscapes and localities. At least two of the three fire scientists referred to how people were already beginning to adapt pointing to insurance compa- nies becoming more reluctant to insure homes in Get Smokejumper the WUI, albeit with a lack of willingness thus far One Month Earlier to be discriminating in their approach. One former forest supervisor provided a plan Many NSA members are switching to for cooperation between public and private enti- the digital version of Smokejumper delivered ties that he hoped to implement in his locality. He by email instead of the printed edition. It is further hoped it might provide a model for others since the WUI everywhere involves multiple pub- sent as a PDF identical to the hard copy issue. lic and private entities that will have to cooperate Advantages include early delivery, ease of for a WUI to be more “fire resilient.” Further, a storage, and NSA postal expense savings. fire expert from Southern California discussed To request email delivery contact Editor with me at length how localities in some of the most at-risk areas he was aware of had already Chuck Sheley (CJ-59) cnkgsheley@earthlink. been working to develop plans to address risks in net. their areas. He also commented that smokejump-

Check the NSA website 4 National Smokejumper Reunion Fighting Fire In Tasmania by Michael Scott Hill (West Yellowstone ’95)

s a , I have found that one of the ecological management across the island’s 46 percent most unusual locations in Australia to fight of crown and timber reserves being held for future Afires is Tasmania, due to its fire history, production. normal annual rainfall, and varied, largely park- Politically, however, the Tasmania Fire Service is protected vegetation mosaics. I understand there is the lead fire agency here, and the Timber and Parks interest in what it’s like to fight fires in Australia, so and Service are mandated to work indepen- here I’ll share some insights. dently, but cooperatively, to keep fire on their lands. In fighting , Tasmania is Due to abnormally active fire years, I have found considered one of our fire frontiers, due to a current myself responding to remote fires here in Tasmania pattern of periods of extreme weather cycles that as part of Australian interstate cooperative deploy- is once again making bushfires a more common ments in 2016 and 2019 on the lands of Parks experience on certain years. and Wildlife Service. My fires were located up in Tasmania is a small island state that is separated the rugged high country of the Wilderness World from the mainland of Australia by Bass Strait and Heritage Area, where some of Tasmania’s huge positioned in the “roaring forties” of winds that still live protected in a normally wet eucalypt forest circle the globe. Its latitudes are similar to the south environment mixed in with fern trees. island of New Zealand, or Patagonia in South I have also been part of large truck-based burn- America. out efforts, and flown in by helicopter, and taken up It’s a landmass of just 26,410 square miles into remote river systems by boat to reach its expan- (68,401 square kilometers) – slightly larger than sive west coast rolling hills of buttongrass moorland, West Virginia – and inhabited by a population of with their large sloping pockets of and tea 520,000, of whom 80 percent are Australian born. thickets. Others primarily originated from England, New These regions are known for their uniqueness in Zealand and China. fighting fires in rainforest environments, and their Approximately 60 percent of this population is natural beauty are spectacular. Firelines carved out found in Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart. Of its with hand tools are rarely used here, due to thick land base, 46 percent of Tasmania is crown land mats of organic decaying matter mixed with roots (government-owned) or reserved for future timber lining the rainforest floor. Instead, heat is extin- production, 12 percent is actively under timber guished directly with water from hoses, pumps and production, and 38 percent is freehold land where helicopter drops, or by pulling back and burning its public lives in towns or out on rural properties. out from along dirt roads or dozer lines. Fire protection in Tasmania is divided between Much of the forest lands across Tasmania, due to two ownerships: past fire protection and normally wet seasons, have 1. The Tasmania Fire Service oversees fire re- exceptional loadings in many areas. The state’s sponse on the private lands using a system of paid fire activity is usually marked by periods of massive and volunteer . Sustainable Timber Tas- fire runs, followed by weeks of slow fire movement. mania oversees 2,006,496 acres of timber produc- Even then in the slow times, the smoldering in deep tion lands, with its aim of using fire as a tool for fuel organic -like is common, and it can retain management and forest regeneration. heat until later times when hot dry weather again 2. Parks and Wildlife Service is the Australian returns, causing the fires to rise up and run again. agency that most closely resembles a U.S. Federal Long hose lays and pumps in this environment Resource fire agency, with its fire militia-based field are common, along with mopping up in the cold staff that oversees fire used for fuel reduction and and wet conditions, and to put a fire to bed here

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 5 www.smokejumpers.com can take weeks of work, or very significant rainfalls when disturbed. Inchman, their relatives, are the of more than two inches. larger, but they’re less aggressive and live under The wilderness of this island is often influenced logs and rocks; but both types of ants investigate by the stormy weather blown across the water from by biting. Antarctica. As a result, its patterns of vegetation Here in Tasmania, jack jumpers cause more are mixed, ranging from wet thick scrub (tea-tree deaths than spiders, snakes, wasps and sharks com- bush), wet eucalypt forest, open buttongrass rolling bined, as their toxin causes a localized swelling and moorland, scrub and heath lands, ancient rainforest, reddening, possibly fever, a heart rate increase, rapid non-eucalypt forest, dry flammable eucalypt forest, decrease in blood pressure, and a blister, and in 3 saltmarsh and wetlands, to treeless dense alpine percent of allergic individuals, anaphylactic shock. highlands, and on to normal agricultural and graz- Tasmania is certainly a curious wildfire frontier ing grasslands. and a unique place in which to fight fire. Its land- In this remote mix of locations up in the high- scape is influenced by a normally wet climate, and lands, there are also pockets of highly sensitive frag- much of its vegetation is covered land base, being ments of ancient vegetation species with links back made up of inaccessible remote Wilderness World to the relic days millions of years ago when Tasmania Heritage Areas. A little more than 200 years ago, Eu- was linked to Antarctica. These relic species pockets ropean expansion led to the loss of past Aboriginal cannot tolerate any exposure to wildfire, and as a custodians and their carefully managed fire regime result the Parks and Wildlife Service has created of tens of thousands of years. That now is evident in special tactics, based on the use of mobile sprinkler brief, hard-to-control outbreaks of fiery blazes dur- kits to protect them. ing its occasional summer extreme-weather events. Of all of these vegetation types, it is the but- Those who get to fight fire here will discover Tas- tongrass moorland – a dominant species that covers mania is also an odd land, full of natural extremes: many miles of the island’s western coastal interior deadly tiger snakes, endangered Tasmanian devils, rolling hills – that is the most volatile with its abil- offshore patrolling sharks, and two small species of ity to dry out quickly and carry across it massive bull ant that have evolved among the shadows of this sheets of flame. This is true even with large areas of island’s varied vegetation to join the list of its most its grassy root bases being completely submerged dangerous creatures. in water. Wet scrubland and dry eucalypt forest can also carry fire rapidly due to their evolved fire-attracting capabilities. In extreme dry conditions, the wet eu- calypt forest will burn, as well as the hearty dense fields of high-altitude scrubby alpine heath. Even Tasmania’s rainforest, without any of Australia’s normal fire-attracting eucalypts, will burn as well under the right conditions. In breaking away as an island millions of years ago, Tasmania has evolved some unique animals along with its vegetation that make it special as well. Examples include the small but tough Tasmanian devil and the possibly extinct Tasmanian tiger. There are also ticks, leeches, bumblebees, European wasps, spiders and snakes, and two large ant species that have toxins – the jack jumper and inchman. Both ants are a local type of bull ant that can grow up to half an inch long, and they are surely aggressive. Jack jumpers are found on the ground and build conical mounds with multiple entrances, and jump Mike Hill on fireline in Tasmania (Courtesy M. Hill)

Check the NSA website 6 National Smokejumper Reunion Wildfires And Global Warming: A Continuous Cycle Of Destruction by Michael T. Rains (Associate)

Or, as Bob Berwyn of Inside The results of this most re- Climate News stated in his cent assessment are both sober- August 2018 news note, we are ing and frightening, including in a “vicious cycle when the “… without substantial and results of warming produce yet sustained reductions in global more warming.” emissions, Accordingly, in this column transformative impacts on contribution to Smokejumper some ecosystems will occur.” magazine, I would like to The word transformative focus on this continuous cycle really hits home. We are seeing of destruction and see what we this now, as wildfires and their might do to help break it. associated impacts are getting First, let me provide some more extreme and vegetative context. I prefer to use the types continue to be converted phrase, “the impacts of a from trees to brush. Will the In some of my past writings, changing climate.” And, the great western forests of Ameri- I have stated that the primary warming of our planet Earth is ca even exist by 2070? culprit for the deterioration of the dominant impact that con- Since the 1880s, global America’s forests—reminding tributes to things like drought, temperatures have increased by us all that forests are more than floods, extreme weather events, about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. trees—and the incredible de- water supply and quality prob- Science-based information struction caused by wildfires is lems, and the deterioration suggests a 3.6-degree change— the lack of forest management. of wildlife , economic compared to temperatures Further, I have concluded prosperity, and our physical before the Industrial Revolu- that the impacts of a chang- health. tion—is quite dangerous. ing climate represents a real Yes, the impacts of a chang- Many suggest that limiting force, no doubt, but not the ing climate represent a very future warming to no more driving force. Lately, however, big deal, and let there be no than 2.7 degrees is much more the lines between the two—ef- doubt, the climate is chang- preferable. fects of wildfires and effects ing—a 2.5-percent tempera- According to the recent of a changing climate on the ture increase in 2019 from just Intergovernmental Panel on warming of our planet—have the year earlier. Climate Change Report, become much too blurred for According to the Fourth we are on track for a 5.4- to me to make a rationale dis- National Climate Assess- 7.2-degree temperature rise, tinction; there is none. This ment completed in 2018, easily exceeding the threshold is what Jad Daley, President temperatures since 2000 have of 1.5 degrees Celsius within and CEO of , been hotter than any period the 2030-52 time period. concluded in his November in the last 1,300 years. This A 0.5-degree centigrade 2018 article, “Climate Change warming is altering landscapes, increase may not seem like = More Fire = More Climate atmosphere, oceans, and ice in much. In reality, it’s huge. Change.” far-reaching ways. For example, the difference

June 26–28, 2020 in Boise 7 www.smokejumpers.com between 1.5 degrees and 2 de- make up about 5-10 percent of meltdown in the decades grees Celsius means 23 percent annual global CO2 emissions ahead. more of the world’s population each year. Thus, it is reason- With a projected rise in is exposed to severe heat wave able to suggest that wildfires sea levels of about 2 meters increases. Another 60 million represent about 5 to 10 percent by 2100—due to ice melt- people will face water scarcity. of the solution associated with ing—the impacts along coastal Many plants and animals will current global warming. As communities throughout the lose one-half of their habitat fires increase in size and inten- world will be devastating. range, and temperature in- sity, this percentage is expected As with the difference creases across the planet are to increase, and the solution between 1.5 degrees and 2 not uniform. for this part of the global degrees Celsius, a 5- to 10-per- For example, for each one- warming problem becomes cent contribution to global half-degree temperature rise, more difficult to achieve. warming by wildfires—about the Arctic will heat up two to Fire is a part of Earth’s 4-6 percent within the United three times faster. A 4-degree natural carbon cycle. But now States—may not mean that Celsius temperature change the lack of forest manage- much to some. But let’s would have catastrophic ment over the last 25 years remember, it is only 11 years impacts on our safety and or more—forests are get- until 2030—the time whereby security. ting clogged up—has caused exceeding the 1.5-degree Cel- The Paris Climate Agree- wildfires to become larger and sius threshold will begin. Time ment of 2015 provided world- more intense, emitting more is indeed running out. Action wide awareness, leadership, CO2 and becoming a larger is required now. and goals to help ensure post- contributor to global warming. Addressing 5 percent of Industrial Revolution global There have always been this global and domestic issue warming would not exceed wildfires, but many of the is keenly important, actually, a 2-degree Celsius threshold larger wildfires that we have fundamental. As conservation (from pre-Industrial Revolu- experienced in the last decade leaders, we cannot stand by tion levels). To many, includ- emit more CO2 in a week than and allow the cycle of “lack ing me, withdrawing from contribute in a year. of forest management leading the Paris Climate Agreement With the number of acres to extreme wildfires leading indicates to the world that the burned in 2018, for example, to global warming leading to

United States no longer cares the amount of CO2 would more extreme wildfires” to about global warming and its equate to the annual emis- continue. We must now do all impacts on the health, econ- sions of several large coal-fired that can be done to break this omy, and security of future plants. vicious cycle of destruction. generations. We are abdicating As wildfires grow in size Let’s look at the numbers our responsibility as visionary and intensity, they destroy just a bit more. Total global leaders, and that’s a shame. everything in their paths. CO2 emissions are now about

Time is running out. CO2-absorbing trees, shrubs 36 billion tons a year. The So why are temperatures and grasses are destroyed, as produces about rising? In basic terms, we are the top layers—soon to 5.1 billion tons or about 14 are adding too much carbon be washed away with the next percent of total. Of the 5.1 dioxide (CO2) and other rainfall. Blackened landscapes billion tons of CO2 emissions heat-trapping gases to the and particulate matter— produced annually by the atmosphere. The leading cause ”soot”—reflect less and cause United States, up to 250 mil- of global warming remains temperatures to rise. A grow- lion tons comes from the type overwhelmingly the burning of ing body of research suggests of wildfires we are now experi- fossil fuels. that wildfire soot will contrib- encing. It is estimated that wildfires ute to accelerating the Arctic In the United States, forests

Check the NSA website 8 National Smokejumper Reunion make up 90 percent of the To this end, I have recently every year. Leading the way and can sequester suggested a “Call to Action.” for this national commitment about 10 percent of the total The degradation of America’s will be a clear and powerful

CO2 emissions—that’s up to forests, due to the lack of “Statement of Intent” to be 500 million tons. Becoming management and the subse- enhanced by local and regional totally carbon-neutral would quent destruction by uncon- coalitions seeking to resolve be a large, expensive undertak- trollable wildfires, has brought common problems. ing, of course, even with some us to a pivotal point. That is, A petition for this “Call to suggesting it is impossible. a lowered capability of our Action” is underway. Please The good news, it does forests to help mitigate the join a growing list that will seem perfectly realistic to ex- adverse impacts of a changing place this cycle of destruction pect that our forests can offset climate and produce the air – wildfires leading to climate at least the CO2 emissions and water we need to survive. change, leading to larger, more from wildfires if these forests This is resulting in planetary intense wildfires – in front of along the rural to urban land conditions that are threat- the current administration and gradient are properly managed, ening the very existence of Congress and other leaders to and that’s a huge contribu- humans and wildlife. Simply demand change. Visit http:// tion. Accordingly, we need put, without the protections chng.it/bGsyZvSb to add your to reverse the current “lack that healthy forests provide, name. of forest manage- Recently, I ment” stance into The good news, it does seem perfectly realistic to expect was substitute one of “aggressive that our forests can offset at least the CO emissions teaching in a forest manage- 2 middle school ment.” Thus, from from wildfires, if these forests along the rural to urban science class. a wildfire manage- land gradient are properly managed, and that’s a huge The students ment and a global contribution. were all about warming viewpoint, 12 years old. aggressive forest management we are jeopardizing the future We were talking about climate makes very sound sense. of planet Earth. change. In 2030, these stu- Let me be clear. “Aggres- A “Call to Action” could dents will be 23 and directly sive forest management” does help break the current cycle of confronted with the more not equate to “indiscriminate “Climate Change = More Fire dominant impacts of global logging,” as some might sug- = More Climate Change.” This warming (assuming nothing gest. It does mean removing can be accomplished through changes). the right amount and types an unprecedented national, The mission of the United of vegetation from our forests federal, state, and local com- States Forest Service—in that have become clogged up, mitment to aggressively man- which many of you have enabling forested landscapes age America’s forests along the served—includes meeting the to become more resilient to complex rural to urban land needs of future generations, disturbances—for example, gradient, so the destructive including those Middle School wildfires. Simply put, ag- nature of large, high-intensity science students. We cannot gressive forest management, wildfires will be reduced. let them down. Thus, it is vital including timber harvesting, This national commitment that we do all that we can now salvage, hazardous fuel reduc- shall address the current lack for our country’s future. Ad- tion, and prescribed fire when of resources that have dictated dressing even 5 percent of the feasible, will help ensure effec- a lack of forest management solution to a changing climate tive fire management—which, for decades, resulting in the is pretty great. in turn, will help reduce landscape-scale destruction global warming. from wildfires we are seeing References available upon request.

June 26–28, 2020 in Boise 9 www.smokejumpers.com Kooskia Days by “Swede” Troedsson (Missoula ’59)

cracked my left fibula July 3, 1958, on my There was a month of frustration behind my second training jump. After getting fitted with punch. He backpedaled and crashed into that Ia lower leg cast and crutches, I was sent to table load of women. Drinks spilled, women the Clearwater National Forest supervisor’s office screamed, and when he clawed his way back up, in Orofino, Idaho. It was there I was assigned the I hit him again. Three loggers came to my aid, mundane task of auditing timber survey sheets. grabbed the guy and threw him out onto the An office clerk suggested in late July that I street. drive down to Kooskia, Idaho, to attend their I shed my cast after six weeks. I was assigned annual celebration, which occurred over the last to a timber survey crew and spent the rest of the weekend in July. Kooskia is on the eastern edge of summer on the Clearwater National Forest. It the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. turned out to be a pretty good summer after all. I drove down to the jump base in Grangeville that Saturday and alerted the jumpers about the celebration in Kooskia. I returned to Kooskia with NSA Scholarship Program Sam Rost (GAC-58), Doug Getz (GAC-58), and Expanded - Take Advantage! one other jumper, whose name I forget, in tow. Upon arriving in Kooskia, we walked into a At the October 2018 Board of Directors meet- bar. The place was packed with people celebrating ing in Seattle, some major changes were made to wildly. We stood in the middle of the floor, each the NSA Scholarship Program. The addition of with a can of beer in hand, watching the celebra- Grandchildren to the eligibility list now opens the tion. Across from us, against a wall, was a table opportunity for at least 95% of our members to where three good-looking women sat. The table participate in this program. Up to this time, due was covered with free drinks. to the aging of our membership, very few of the After a short while, I noticed a very attrac- members who make up this organization and con- tive Indian woman sitting at the bar. Noticing no tribute 100% of the funding were able to partici- wedding band, I clumped over to the bar on my pate in the Scholarship Program as their children crutches with the intent of pitching a little woo. were beyond college age. Things were going great until the woman There is an excellent scoring matrix that awards informed me the only other man who had kissed points for NSA membership (only seven of the 27 her like that was her husband. I hastily clumped past winners have been NSA members), serious back to rejoin my “bros.” scholars, and expanded evaluation of the essay. So there we were, “innocent children” from With the increasing expenses of getting an Montana taking all of this in. Eventually, a fellow education, the NSA has increased the available – who I guessed was in his early 20s – intention- scholarships to eight $2,500 awards. ally, kicked a crutch out from under me as he Application packages are due by June 15, passed by on his way to the end of the room to 2020. join some of his buddies. He stood there, pointing None of the 2019 award winners will be at me as he and his buddies were laughing at me. I eligible for the 2020 scholarships. There will be was doing a slow torch. eight new winners this year. I stopped this fellow on his way out and re- The complete Scholarship document is online minded him that he kicked my crutch out from at the NSA website www.smokejumpers.com under me. He stuck his chin out and said, “Oh, under “Outreach.” yeah. So what are you going to do about it?”

Check the NSA website 10 National Smokejumper Reunion Moose Creek Memorial by Jim Hagemeier (Missoula ’57)

was going though my papers and came upon a document that was printed for a memo- Irial tribute to the smokejumpers who died at From the Event Program Moose Creek in a Ford Tri-Motor crash on August 4,1959. I know most of you have heard about the On August 4, 1959, a Johnson incident, but many are not aware of the tribute Tri-motor crashed into some helicop- thirty years later. It’s an interesting story. ter gasoline barrels while landing at In 1986 I was transferred to the Missoula the Moose Creek Airstrip and caused regional office. The Missoulian had a short news the death of two smokejumpers and brief and mentioned that I had been a smoke- jumper in Missoula. I got a call from Fred Brauer burned the pilot and two other pas- (MSO-41). Fred had been the base foreman when sengers. I trained in 1957 and then had to quit because of an age restriction. Fred was well liked and took Gary G. Williams, 23, West Valley, good care of “his boys.” He went on to become a New York, was killed at the scene. Jon successful businessman but always looked after the A. Rolf, 23, Buchanan, New York, jumpers. died at the General Hospital in Gran- Fred was very irritated that the Forest Service geville. Forest Supervisor Alva Black- never gave any recognition to the two jumpers erby also perished. Roland Stoleson, that died in that crash: Gary G. Williams (MSO- smokejumper foreman, suffered mi- 59) and Jon A. Rolf (MSO-57). They had recog- nor burns. The pilot, Herbert Culver, nized the Forest Supervisor, Alva W. Blackerby, received multiple burns. who also died. I was unaware of the situation and Fred asked The men boarded the plane at if I could help get the long overdue recognition. Grangeville on a smokejumping mis- I shared Fred’s concern as I trained with Jon Rolf sion. They put down at Moose Creek and considered him a friend. to get the location of their fire. A I called Tom Kovalicky (MSO-61), the For- tricky wind prevented the plane from est Supervisor on the Nez Perce N.F., and Tom touching down on the first attempt. took the lead in putting the memorial together. On the next try the plane was shoved He commissioned George Cross (MSO-78), a ahead by the wind and veered into well-known local jumper, to forge a plaque and the gasoline barrels. solicited the Moose Creek District Ranger to put together the tribute. On September 8, 1989, A memorial to the crash victims several of us, including Fred and David Poncin was placed on a rock in front of the (MSO-58), flew into Moose Creek for the tribute. Also along was the only smokejumper who sur- Moose Creek R.S. office and is com- vived the crash, Roland M. Stoleson (MSO-56), memorated today, Sept. 8, 1989—30 and his wife, Maureen. Ron and Maureen had just years after the crash. gotten married less than two months before the accident.

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 11 www.smokejumpers.com Touching All Bases

were with over 2,500 days on boost Missoula at other bases. Only 46 jumpers went out the Dave Sappington (MSO-17) door from MSO this season on In Missoula, it is the time of year a total of six fires. But, as we are where the cracking of canopies is learning as the program evolves, being replaced by the drizzle of rain there is more to life than solely and the flickering of new snow on jumping fires. Jumpers went out on the mountains. 72 single-resource assignments for a We started this year in a fur- total of 962 days on the road. loughed government shutdown. Many of us found temporary Yet, starting from a full stop, things homes in Alaska as the Artic burned managed to find a way to slow at an unprecedented rate. The “my” down and 2019 may very well go of the “Perfect Pay Period” was shat- down as the “Fire Season That tered time and time again as the Never Was” in R-1. of Big Ernie wound endless in As the 28,963 people that toured the base were the land of the midnight sun. quick to remark, “Thank goodness there were no MSO jumpers staffed fires in Alaska, Red- fires.” We all also “thanked goodness” because if mond, Redding, Grangeville, and West Yellow- there is one thing firefighters hate more than any- stone for a total of 189 jumps. It remains a testa- thing, it’s fighting fires with overtime pay. ment to the dynamism of smokejumpers every- Slow seasons, however, are not without their where to find a silver lining and make the most of benefits. People, myself included, had a small things. chance to enjoy pockets of the summer and see The world we call home is changing. The blue sky over Montana in August. Families grew great wilds of the west are shrinking as the ever- as more future jumpers were born, weddings were tightening serpentine road continues to snake had, new houses were bought, and life went on. and expand through the Rocky Mountains. IPads We said our goodbyes to Jump-79, the hearty and GPS mapping, automated pumps and pocket Sherpa A-model that had been our roost for years. infrared scanners seem to be more common in fire We also said our hellos to four new Missoula camps these days. Smokejumper Rookies: B. Ries, S. MacMillen, A. However, this is not to say that this is the death Jenkins, and L. Gutierrez. rattle for the seemingly shrinking population of Out-of-region things were a bit livelier. The folks that still prefer the feeling of a chainsaw and MSO Smokejumpers furthered their interna- in their hand to a keyboard and a mouse. tional presence with Dan Cottrell’s (MSO-01) We will, as we always have, adapt to the times. ICA classes in Morocco and Bosnia. Naomi Mills In the loft, the humming of sewing machines (MSO-15) taught S-classes in Jamaica. Nationally, continued through the spring, punctuated by the jumpers provided RX assistance in R-3, burning/ occasional exasperated expletive as a stray stitch prepping over 17,000 acres. In R-8, 13 jumpers missed its mark. The train seems spent 255 days on assignment. to have no brakes as new harnesses, containers, We reached across the aisle and continued our D-bags, and jumpsuits are made for the incoming project work for the BLM, treating 3,494 acres. rookies. MSO jumpers also managed to go where the fires Computers use GPS to fly paracargo safely

Check the NSA website 12 National Smokejumper Reunion to the ground, even in smokey conditions where rainy in West that when my boost call came, I left the ground is invisible. Testing refinement of the WYS at 28 degrees and landed in FBX at 82 de- Sherpa B-model aircraft continues to provide grees on the same day. Eventually, we all trickled more streamlined delivery of jumpers and sup- back home with our wet feet and war stories. plies. Drones are being slowly introduced into the Just when it seemed that all hope was lost for a wildland fire arena. R-1 fire summer, the Bridger Tetons and Eastern Task Books were signed off and approved as Montana provided. A few lightning busts and we welcomed new spotters and other four-letter loads out the door put WYS, MSO and GAC acronyms. There is one qualification that we jumpers on seven fires with 46 jumpers for a total cherish more than all that invokes the pride of of 302 days on fire. WYS filled three boost re- the program and legacy of those that come before quests from MSO and GAC for 12 people for 96 us. SMKJ—no season will ever tarnish, degrade, days at WYS or on fire. or lighten the weight of history that these letters Cindy Champion (MSO-99) jumped her 100th carry. fire jump on the Stink Water Fire on the Shosho- ne N.F. late in the season. With an exit at 11,700 ft, who could ask for a more beautiful jump over West Yellowstone snowfields and glacial lakes? All told, WYS continues to provide personnel Patrick McGunagle (WYS-19) to fill key roles around the nation and for a variety Our beloved Doorknob (Dornier Do-228) has of fire and leadership provisions. WYS was able to flown off to warmer pastures, the ramp is covered fill 25 single-resource requests for a total of 311 in snow, and even the echoes of the loudest laughs days of leadership, equipment, and resource sup- around the have faded. Now, just what all port. happened in 2019? Projects completed around the base this sum- The season started with overtime opportuni- mer include more pull-up bars scattered between ties to the southwest and back east. West jumpers facilities, welded bear-proof outdoor coolers completed 339 days of assignments on Rx burns around the bonfire, and a lot of the legwork done all over the nation. As the summer approached, 28 for some outdoor concrete ping pong tables and a jumpers refreshed out of WYS. new obstacle course. Nine Task Books were signed off and fifteen Now is the time for battle stories and reflec- were initiated, particularly due to the addition of tions on fires and campfires. Think back on the five new rookies: L. Dillaway, P. McGunagle, B. special knots, the cool tricks learned, and rules of Robert, R. Varland, and B. Vesce. While com- thumb to live by. Talk about good meals cooked pleting Rookie Training is no joke, West’s buddy under the midnight sun, the whoopses and oopses system of Snookies mentoring Rookies to prepare and you-didn’t-see-thats, as well as staying humble through the winter months has shown its merit and leading by example. This job is a dream for with successful rookie candidates. The Rooks, many and we, ourselves, stand on the shoulders of however, were suspicious of the fire summer after giants. several frosty June mornings at the base. Snow flurries at West the night of Summer Solstice confirmed even the veteran’s suspicions: This was Alaska going to be a slow year (indeed, the books show this to be one of the coldest years on record). Patrick McGunagle (WYS-19) Big Ernie provided opportunity for most of the An All-Time Year for Alaska! 2019 will be base to make it up to boost Alaska. WYS filled 17 talked about for a long time. Many future Divi- Boost requests with 40 smokejumpers for a total sions, ICs and Ops Chiefs will be talking about of 823 days of support out of region. Up in AK, 2019 over truck hoods on future fires. How big Varland and Karnik lucked out and earned the was Swan Lake when you were there? Were you maximum tours of 35 days. The weather was so on 349, 367, or 391? Do you know how to say

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 13 www.smokejumpers.com “Chalkyitsik”? Did you really name your dog Lower 48 crews tossed to your division or enter- “Chandalar”? ing a village and finagling a boat or two to aid in 742 fires in Alaska and 2,586,063.6 acres fire operations several river miles upstream. As burned. On the SMKJ side of things, the first fire a Lower 48 jumper, I doubt I’m alone in saying jump was April 27th and the last fire jump was on that 2019 in AK has set the bar for the leadership September 13th. Alaska sent 156 fire-jump mis- caliber I hope to emulate for the rest of my career. sions for 1051 total fire jumps (431 by AK per- Now it’s up to Big Ernie to decide when and how sonnel, 620 by boosters). These numbers are all another season like this can happen. about double the ten-year average. Additionally, AK jumpers sent 200 paracargo missions (exclud- ing Initial Attack cargo delivery) for 792,612 Boise pounds of paracargo delivered in primary support of SMKJ operations. PC never sleeps! Patrick McGunagle (WYS-19) All-time record: 206 smokejumpers on the List Fire Season 2019 in Boise follows the trend at one time, 13 July 2019. 138 Jumpers “in the seen around the rest of the Lower 48, with some ” (Committed on Fires) on 12 July 2019. skew to the Alaska Bonus for personnel and air- AK ran seven outstations for pre-position, craft hours. utilized seven jumpships (4 CASAs and 3 Dorni- Boise staffed 42 fires with 232 personnel dur- ers), hosted 202 boosters, filled 80 single resource ing the 2019 season. This is about 40% of aver- requests with AK personnel, and sent ZERO age, which is similar to the numbers seen across personnel to the Lower 48 all season. There were the board for all fire resources this season. Includ- 1801 total jumps (fire and training) and 680 total ing rookies and transfers, Boise completed 1316 flight missions. Air operations were equally im- training and proficiency jumps in 186 missions. pressive. At the peak, 111 aircraft were in opera- Boise took in eight boosters and sent 63. tion in AK. The spoke-and-wheel model shows its merit All-time record: 800+ fire missions flown in one as Great Basin jumpers set up Grand Junction for day by fire aircraft, 16 July 2019. seven jumps in 71 days, Pocatello for one jump All told, 27 jet loads of personnel from the in 23 days, Ely for 11 jumps in 75 days, and Lower 48 landed at Fort Wainwright, including Winnemucca for nine jumps in 60 days. Boise has 135 crews. The warehouse sent out 465 chainsaw three dedicated aircraft and one aircraft shared kits, 606 miles of hose, and 918 pump kits. This with AK; 291.2 flight hours were logged in 2019 totals 1.9 million pounds of equipment valued at which is down from the ten-year average of 560.9. over $25.8M. Boise continues to provide SMKJ resources for It’s safe to say that “things are just different single resource assignments, filling 35 requests for up there in AK.” Alaska showed me the breadth 485 shifts. All told, it was another successful year of smokejumper adaptability to foreign envi- for Great Basin Smokejumpers and, while it was ronments of varying limitations for effective slow in the Lower 48, experience gained by boost- . Complementing this adaptability is ers in AK and elsewhere continues to develop the personability required to handle a few green strong SMKJ leadership.

West Yellowstone Airtanker Base Closure by Billy Bennett (West Yellowstone ’98)

e trained hard—but it seemed that learn later in life that we tend to meet any new “Wevery time we were beginning to form situation by reorganizing, and what a wonder- up into teams, we were reorganized. I was to ful method it can be for creating the illusion of

Check the NSA website 14 National Smokejumper Reunion progress while actually producing confusion, inef- ize what has happened because they never saw it ficiency, and demoralization.” Charlton Ogburn coming. (1957) Since 1968 the West Yellowstone Airtanker Most of us have seen it. It comes down from Base has been a cornerstone of the West Yellow- above. “We are going to reorganize! It will save the stone Interagency Fire Center. It has been the budget!” Interpretation: “This is really going to most inexpensively operated base in the nation, make me look good (on paper), and I’ll get that primarily because it has been operated by cross- promotion.” trained smokejumpers. In the last 20 years, we Unfortunately, reorganizing often involves have trained and qualified at least 15 jumpers as permanently closing physical locations, such as Airtanker Base Managers, seven as Single Engine districts, work centers, fire stations, heli-bases, Airtanker Managers, and at least 17 have been smokejumper bases, etc. And then the “great carded in various other tanker base positions. It reorganizer” gets that promotion and moves away has been a great on-site opportunity for anyone while the rest of us have to deal with their bad wishing to diversify their qualifications beyond decisions for the rest of our careers. smokejumping. The base can also employ an In 2015 just such a scenario did occur at the injured jumper who may otherwise not be able to West Yellowstone Smokejumper/Airtanker Base. work due to a lost time accident. This cross train- Management decided there was too much mainte- ing was recognized and encouraged to continue by nance to be done on the buildings and the tarmac the 2019 Washington Office Smokejumper Base needed to be re-built to better accommodate Review. airtankers. So, an easy fix—close the base and sell In 2018 the WYS Air Tanker Base delivered the site. Jumpers would just have to move to some 156 loads for 364,000 gallons of retardant to other jump base. nine separate fires in the greater Yellowstone Area, A cloud of uncertainty and insecurity formed primarily for Initial Attack. This operation was over the base. Jumpers did not know what they managed by only three smokejumpers. could do since first-line supervisors were not In 2019 the Gallatin National Forest an- standing up for keeping the base open. nounced that the West Yellowstone Airtanker Base At least one jumper openly opposed the closure was permanently closing, and they shipped the and wrote U.S. Senators asking for help. He 57 tons of 2020 retardant away. We never saw it was so severely retaliated against that the rest of coming! the crew dared not to speak up. Whistle blower There are no legitimate reasons given by man- retaliation and civil rights complaints were filed. agement for the closure. But the message that it Friendships dissolved. Reprimands were written. sent was clear: The communities of Big Sky, West And law firms were hired by the Forest Service to Yellowstone, Island Park, Jackson Hole, Ennis protect Management from complainants. Obvi- MT, and many others are no longer important ously, this is not what smokejumping is and not enough to the Forest Service for initial attack Air what most of us “signed up for.” Tanker protection. Luckily, politicians did get involved and over The other message of concern: The closure a three-year period money became available for of the tanker base was engineered by the same building renovation, water filters, plumbing, and managers who tried to close the whole fire center a new tarmac. The reorganization was quelled, at in 2015. least for a while. So, what will be next? Eliminating the base’s If reorganizers try to make “big” changes, they government housing to discourage employee can trigger “big” resistance and their master plan retention? This has been proposed by manage- will fail. Then they will engage Plan B: Break the ment before. Eliminating a West Yellowstone resistance into small pieces that can be quietly Smokejumper dedicated jump plane? This actually manipulated “quid pro quo.” Small changes happened one year. Or, management just outright equal small resistance. Eventually the reorganizer announcing the closure of the WYS smokejumper succeeds and often the employees do not real- base?

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 15 www.smokejumpers.com Remember and honor fellow jumpers with a gift to the NSA Good Samaritan Fund in their name. Hard times can fall on many of us at any Off time. The NSA is here to support our fellow jumpers and their families through the Good Samaritan Fund. Mail your contribution to: The Chuck Sheley 10 Judy Lane List Chico, CA 95926

Jack D. Heiden (Cave Junction ’54) and was a member of the Army ski team in Jack, 84, died February 28, 2018, in Madison, Austria. He worked for Etna Helicopters, MK Wisconsin, where he had lived for 65 years. He Aviation, Simplot Cattle and Texas International was an orthopedic surgeon in Madison and got his Cattle. medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Bud was instrumental in the Boise Airport in 1958. becoming an international airport, shipping cattle Jack was a Big 10 champion fencer, master’s to Korea. He championed water rights for many national champion in road bike racing, and one years as the Chairman for the Canyon County of the best master’s skiers in the Midwest. His Water Company. He jumped at McCall 1955-58. children inherited Jack’s athletic ability. Son, Eric, won an unprecedented five gold medals in speed Glen T. “Rip” Smith (Idaho City ’54) skating at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, and Glen died January 2, 2020, at his home near daughter, Beth, took the bronze medal in the Kuna, Idaho. His father was career USFS, and 3,000 skating event at the same Olympics. Glen lived in many different locations while grow- Jack participated in the NSA Trails Project at ing up. After he graduated from Boise H.S., Glen the Wilderness Canoe Base. He jumped at Cave attended Boise Jr. College and jumped at Idaho Junction during the 1954 season. City 1954-55. Rip started as an entry-level survey- or with the state department of highways but was Mark A. Hutson (North Cascades ’75) quickly noticed for his abilities by Don McCarter. Mark died October 12, 2019. He had a long He joined forces with Don and Bill Tuller to start career as a smokejumper, jumping from 1975 to the surveying firm of McCarter and Tuller in 1994. After his days as a jumper, Mark worked as Boise. Rip was the lead surveyor for the business Timber Sales Administrator for the Methow Val- for over 40 years retiring in 2002. ley R.D. on the Okanogan-Wenatchee N.F. Paul A. Nicholas (Missoula ’42) Robert E. Mackay (Missoula ’51) Paul, 98, died October 5, 2019. He was the Bob, 92, died June 9, 2019 in McLean, Vir- oldest living smokejumper at that time. Paul ginia. He had a 32-year career with the CIA. Prior started his collegiate studies at Fort Hays in Kan- to his work with the Agency, he spent two years sas and transferred to Montana State University in in the Army Air Corps and jumped at Missoula Missoula where he earned a basketball scholarship in 1951 and 1952. Bob was a graduate of North- and studied . western University and served in many countries He entered the Air Force in 1942 and was com- during his career. He spent two years in Laos missioned as a pilot. Paul was a veteran of WWII working at Long Cheng during the 1970s. and Korea and flew with the Air Rescue Service. He retired as a Major in 1964 after 20 years of ser- Frank W. “Bud” Phillips (McCall ’55) vice during which time he completed a bachelor’s Bud died November 2, 2019. He lived in degree under Project Bootstrap. Meridian, Idaho, and graduated from Boise High Paul continued his work in the aviation field at School, Boise Junior College, and the Northrup several USAF Bases and retired from Civil Service Institute of Technology. Bud served in the Army in 1983. From his son Michael—”He loved being

Check the NSA website 16 National Smokejumper Reunion NSA Good Samaritan Fund Contributions Donor In Memory Of/Honor of Donor In Memory Of/Honor of Frank Just (MYC-54)...... GSF Julie Clatworthy (Assoc)...... Jim Clatworthy (MSO-56) Bill Ruskin (CJ-58)...... Ron Stoleson (MSO-56) Gus Erdmann (MSO-53)...... Fritz Wolfrum, Bill Hale, Larry Newman (MSO-60)...... “Smiley” Williamson Chuck Sundstrom (MSO-46) Dave Nelson (MSO-57)...... Richard Farmer (RDD-64) Judith Stoleson...... Ron Stoleson (MSO-56) Ron Bennett (MSO-65)..... California First Responders Bill Moody (NCSB-57)...... Good Sam Fund Tom (MSO-71) and Dick Rath (MSO-73)...... Mark Lillian Wenger...... Roy Wenger (CPS-103 Admin) Romey (MCO-75) Jim Lancaster (MYC-62)...... Frank “Bud” Phillips Jon Larson (FBX-89)...... Eric “The Blak” Schoenfeld, (MYC-55) Gary McMurtrey Lorinda Comppen...... Ed Comppen (Associate) Terry Hale...... Glenn Hale (MYC-57) Les Tschohl (MSO-66)...... Good Sam Fund Tara Rothwell (RAC-92)...Margarita Phillips (MSO-88) David Auerbach...... Whitney Sexsmith (Alaska Fire Dave Blakely (MSO-57)...... Dave Poncin (MSO-58) Service) Tom Lindskog (MSO-75)...... Steve Clairmont, Walt Pat Durland (MYC-75)...Greg Zschaechner (RDD-76) Currie, Margarita Phillips, Curt McChesney Judy Meyer (Assoc)...... Dick Terry, Ace Nielsen, Dave Stephens (FBX-76)...Eric “The Blak” Schoenfeld, Bud Phillips Gary McMurtrey Dan Coolidge (Assoc)...... Alex Coolidge (honor of) Bob Aliber (MSO-51)...... Scholarship Fund Contributions since the previous publication of donors January 2020 Total funds disbursed to smokejumpers and families since 2004—$207,240 Mail your Good Samaritan Fund contributions to: Chuck Sheley, 10 Judy Ln., Chico CA 95926 a smokejumper. It was a special time in his life, was instrumental in parachute reentry from outer and I believe it formed his future careers in the Air space.” Force.” From research done by Fred Cooper (NCSB- 62): “Information from The Redlands Daily Cliff Marshall (Cave Junction ’46) Facts in Redlands, CA for May 1960. Cliff was Cliff died in 1994, date unknown. In 1946 the Chief Engineer for the 6511 Parachute Test Cliff, who was the first jumper to report for duty Group in El Centro, CA. They set a new record at Cave Junction, was a Master Sergeant in the dropping a 35,000-pound bundle of cargo from a Paratroopers. He was active in combat jumps over C-130 plane. (The old record was 31,000 pounds Normandy and Holland. Cliff was also assigned by the Royal Air Force.) The drop used six 100- to ground action in the Battle of the Bulge. The foot chutes and was made from 5,000 feet. This 1946 crew at Cave Junction were all veterans of must have been associated with his testing for the WWII with the majority of them having been space shuttle reentry program. The first suborbital paratroopers. launch was in May 1961, one year after the test in In 1947 Cliff became the foreman in charge of the news article.” the base. From WWII Marine Dick Courson (CJ- Cliff’s obit is certainly not recent but is written as 46): “Cliff Marshall left CJ in July of 1953. He part of the NSA History Preservation Program. As went to the Parachute Development Center in El research comes in, I’m hoping to write more obits of Centro, CA. I did find out he was working on the jumpers who were the foundation of the program. reentry systems for our space program and that he If you have the desire and the research skills to

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 17 www.smokejumpers.com help with this project, please contact me. (Ed.) Colorado State University. He worked his whole life in support of wildland fire and jumped out of Roger O. Hearst (Missoula ’50) Redding 1976-79. Greg said: “Jumping gave me Roger died October 8, 2019. He was born in the confidence to do many things in life—like no Plains, Montana, and in 1949 was a Plains High other job.” Greg worked engines and initial attack School graduate along with fellow smokejumper on the Angeles and Kaibab National Forests and Hal Samsel. at the Tok station in Alaska. Roger was a rookie smokejumper in 1950 with Greg was a Fire Behavior Analyst for Type I 53 other jumpers, including his brother, Bob. Af- Management Teams. He was assistant state fire ter jumping for the 1950 fire season, Roger served management officer for the BLM Colorado State in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954. Office and also was the coordinator for the East- Upon discharge from the Coast Guard, Roger ern Great Basin Coordination Center. entered Montana State University (now University of Montana) majoring in , graduating John H. Harns (Cave Junction ’50) in 1958. During the 1954 and 1955 fire seasons, John died December 17, 2019. He jumped at he returned to smokejumping. Cave Junction in 1950 before entering the Navy Upon his graduation from MSU, he began a and starting his career as a Naval Aviator. John career in for the USFS. Roger started transitioned from WWII piston-engine fight- on the Plains RD, Lolo NF, and in 1964 worked ers to jets. He flew off 12 different carriers with on the Forest Service Dickinson Job Corps Center over 700 carrier landings and logging 89 combat in South Dakota. In 1969 he became the District missions in Vietnam. John was in seven different Fire Control Officer in Superior, Montana, serv- squadrons and was Exe. Office and Command ing in that position until his retirement from the Officer in his last squadron. Forest Service in 1987. John retired in northern Idaho and built a high-performance plane that he used to fly all over Greg Zschaechner (Redding ’76) the U.S. He flew charters and instructed for many Greg died November 6, 2019, in Grand Junc- years, only stopping in his late 80s. John received tion, Colorado, from a heart attack. He earned the Wilber and Oroville Wright award for over 50 his degree in Forestry and Fire Science from years of continuous flying. Pendleton Honors The Triple Nickles by Robert L. “Bob” Bartlett (Associate)

istorical markers are values statements, to remember! We want you to learn something, to ap- reminding us of people and events once preciate what happened here – we want to pass along Hrendered invisible by their times and cir- our wisdom. cumstance. The story of the Triple Nickles and their wartime Much to my mother’s chagrin, my father loved mission of fighting the fires of blatant racism while roadside markers and historical places regardless of serving their country and jumping fires in the Pacific the sometimes-grim stories they told. His sponta- Northwest is a story worth remembering. Stories neous stops at roadside signs or battlefields would about the Nickles have appeared previously in this often add hours to what had begun as a short Sun- publication beginning with the first written by Carl day drive. Gidlund (MSO-58) in the April 1994 issue (under Markers are erected not for the here and now, but the magazine’s earlier name, The Static Line). for the education of future generations. They are in- tentional attempts to communicate to the wayward Pendleton traveler or casual passerby: This is what we want you On Aug. 30, 2019, the weather in Pendleton,

Check the NSA website 18 National Smokejumper Reunion Ore., broke clear and warm. This was the day a port for a marker. few community leaders, hobby historians, retired Kristen Dollarhide with Travel Pendleton came on smokejumpers, and friends of the Triple Nickles board and helped us put on a History Happy Hour in story had imagined and planned years prior. Pendleton in March 2018. You, Bob, volunteered to On this day, Pendleton was going to honor the join us in Pendleton. You gave a brief history of the Triple Nickles with a marker on the corner of Main Triple Nickles at the Happy Hour event that was open and Emigrant streets. The events leading up to this to the public. marker celebration actually began at the Siskiyou There was a lot of community interest that night in Smokejumper Base outside Cave Junction, Ore., a commemorating the Triple Nickles. Kristen and Brooke few years prior. Armstrong, of the Pendleton Underground Tours, put I asked Annie Von Domitz, Heritage and Com- together a local committee to fundraise and find a loca- munity Assets manager and Oregon Historical tion for the marker. Marker Committee lead, how she remembered the Oregon Historical Marker Committee member series of events leading up to this day in Pendleton. Robert (just to keep the “Bobs” straight!) Keeler wrote the final text for both markers. You, Bob, and other Annie: The Oregon Historical Marker Commit- committee members contributed to it. Once the marker tee had a field trip to Cave Junction and the Siskiyou was approved and in production, Kristen and Brooke Smokejumper Base Museum in May 2015. We were organized the dedication event space, which led to the there to look at some potential marker projects nomi- fun historical event Aug. 30. nated by local community organizer Roger Brandt, who is closely connected to the museum at the base. Roger he Pendleton marker celebration was a wonder- gave us a tour of the museum and showed us the inter- Tful and historically significant gathering of old pretive panel in the base loft about the Triple Nickles. and new friends. It is important to recognize that The committee got excited about the story and the Siskiyou Smokejumper Museum and Pendleton asked Roger to put together a nomination. That’s when are host to the only Triple Nickles historical mark- he must have recruited you, Bob, to join the project. ers west of the Mississippi River! Congratulations, He put in a ton of research and when the committee Oregonians! accepted the nomination, Roger raised all the money On behalf of the Triple Nickles Association, I through grants and local contributions. want to thank all who made this event happen. A The committee finished that project in 2017. Roger warm, heartfelt thanks to the good people of Pend- organized the Cave Junction event. Bob, that’s when leton who embraced and supported this marker and where you and I first met in person. project from the beginning. African American Council member Ed Washington, A special thanks to Mr. Ed Washington. My the past chair of the Travel Information Council – the personal thanks to Chuck Sheley (CJ-59) and wife, governor-appointed Council that oversees our agency K.G., who made the long trip up from Chico, Calif.; and a member of the Oregon Historical Marker Com- friends Karl Hartzell (BOI-70), who came up from mittee – started talking up the Triple Nickle story. Corvallis, and Pferron Doss (MSO-77), who came [Ed, a longtime resident of Portland, was fasci- over from Portland. nated that he had never heard of the Triple Nickles.] One of the main missions of Smokejumper maga- Through his influence, his good friend Sen. Jackie zine, as such, is to collect stories of people, events, Winters sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 and to share smokejumper and fire history and (SCR30), in the 2017 legislative session. SCR30 of- wisdom worth remembering. Historical markers like ficially recognized and honored the 555th for their the ones at the Siskiyou Smokejumper Museum and service. Sen. Bill Hansell, whose district includes Pendleton share a similar mission. Pendleton, co-sponsored SCR 30. Thank you, NSA and Smokejumper magazine, for During the process of getting the bill passed, Sen. your support of the Triple Nickles story and for al- Hansell asked, “Why don’t we have a marker about lowing the space to share this historically significant these guys in Pendleton?” The committee agreed with event that recently happened in Pendleton, Ore., at that sentiment and started building community sup- the corner of Main and Emigrant.

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 19 www.smokejumpers.com Triple Nickles Photos: NSA File Historic marker honoring the Triple Nickles placed in Pendleton, Oregon, August 30, 2019.

Bob Bartlett & Ed Washington Chuck Sheley, Bob Bartlett & Pferron Doss (MSO-77)

Triple Nickles were based in Pendleton & Chico, CA, during the 1945 fire season.

Leon Ransom, Bob Bartlett, Ed Washington & Pferron Doss

Leon Ransom, Local Resident Ed Washington, Oregon Historical Society

Kneeling: Karl Hartzell (BOI-70), Bob Bartlett Layout Design: Johnny Kirkley (CJ-64)

Check the NSA website 20 National Smokejumper Reunion Eric Schoenfeld Remembered by Rod Dow (McCall ’68)

ric Thurston Schoenfeld (CJ-64), of Haines, Whatever happened out there, it made a big EOre., passed away Sept. 14, 2019. impression on both of them. Blak always remem- “Erik the Black,” “E the B,” “The Black,” or usu- bered that day, and 13 years later began helping ally just “Blak,” was raised and went to high school Julian with sizable annual checks to help defray near Portland, Ore., rookied in Cave Junction in college expenses. Julian, of course not knowing it 1964 and jumped there through ’66. He attended would be the last, had just sent Blak a letter before Reed College and graduated from Portland State. his passing. Eric joined the Air Force and rose to the rank of Blak dearly loved his many dogs, most of which captain, spending most of his four years in eastern were Chesapeake Bay retrievers, and over the years working as an air traffic controller, con- probably had nearly a dozen. He loved to hike in the nected to the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line woods and he loved to read. So, nothing was more North American defense system. He returned to enjoyable for Blak than to load up his van with a jumping in 1973, this time at NCSB, and switched few books from the Baker City Library and head up to La Grande in ’74. He was injured that year and into the Elkhorns with his dogs. helped manage the La Grande rappel crew, then He’d make a camp, read by the fire, and take returned to jumping in ’75 before transferring to long afternoon walks with his canine pals. I never Alaska. saw him make much of a demonstration of affection He jumped in Alaska from 1976 through 1993, over them (he barely saw the need to even pet them), where he had a major impact as the lead spotter, but the connection was clear and strong. training a whole generation of Alaska spotters. Blak was truly a good man who lived a strong, Blak will long be remembered for his brilliant full life. He spent many winters working as a ski pa- mind, his pragmatic view of life, the sheer volume troller and maintenance man at Anthony Lakes. He of his voice, and his no nonsense approach to virtu- was true and dedicated to his wife of many years, ally everything. Jennifer, who died last July after a long illness during Throughout his life, he slept very few hours each which Blak was her caregiver. night, and we all remember the many times he held He will be remembered in the dozens of Blak court around jumper campfires until the morning stories, which have been making the rounds over sun finally sent those few remaining to the sack. these past few days. … his ability to remain fair- There was another side of Blak. He was a kind- minded and even-tempered when he was in charge hearted man—if a little ill kempt and gruff—and of a jumper load out in Galena or McGoo. … the generous. precise, succinct classroom approach during spring When my boy, Julian, was 4 years old, Blak was refresher. … his 24-hour-a-day Copenhagen habit, visiting us for a few days, camped several hundred his penchant for whiskey and cheap beer, his mar- yards west of the house. He would join us for break- ginal hygiene, and his megaphone voice. … that fast and dinner, but would just hang at his camp lightning quick, bear-trap-precise, opinionated during the day. (He was always one of my wife’s thought process that pervaded everything he did. favorites among my jumper buddies.) … his unparalleled mathematical sense (“I decided Julian decided he was “going on an expedition,” to major in math at Reed College because that was and after gearing up, he hiked over to spend some the easiest major and I didn’t have to write papers.”). quality time sitting around the campfire with Blak. I … his clear and efficient spotting technique. … his always wondered what that dynamic was like, the in- love of campfire conversation and his long-time love nocent little kid and the rough-edged retired jumper of his many jumper buddies. who had no kids of his own. Blak, old friend, I doubt very much if you even

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 21 www.smokejumpers.com believe in a “great beyond” … not your style. But, I ter for us all. There will be a lot of us raising a cold don’t care. I plan to see you there before too many one to your memory very shortly, and we’ll all be years have passed, and I know you’ll already have a listening for that trademark question from the door pot of camp coffee on the tripod hook. of the Volpar: Can you hear me …? Yup – sure can, It was a great pleasure, Bro. You made life bet- Bro. Always could.

The “Gobi”—Don’t Be Offended by Johnny Kirkley (Cave Junction ’64)

The tradition of the on the Deer Fire volleyball game one “Gobi Salute” started with Jim Kloepfer morning, Tommy at the Siskiyou Aerial (RDD-57). The wind Smith (CJ-61) peered Project when smoke- was blowing hard in across the net at Eric jumpers began resid- steep terrain in a and stated in a loud ing at the current thicket near the top voice, “You know, I’ve base for the 1949 fire of a remote ridge of heard of Erik the Red, season. At first it was the Shasta-Trinity so you must be Erik an understatement of National Forest. Pine the Blak.” The name humor and jealous ad- needles were ankle stuck. miration in retaliation deep. It was a gobbler. Charley Moseley to those lucky enough During the 1965, sea- (CJ-62) and I visited to get a good work son we jumped a two- our ole buddy at his detail. The finger ges- manner, the Eastside home in Haines, ture then progressed Fire, on the Siskiyou Oregon, on Septem- to the ramp where Forest. ber 21, 2008. As we jumpers, not on the I was always departed, I snapped flight, “saluted” as impressed with Eric’s the adjacent photo the plane departed to intellect, unassuming of him flashing a sly, a fire, thus becoming nature and perspec- roguish grin while the “unofficial, offi- tive on life. He usu- giving us the Gobi cial” greeting among ally wore black “Can’t Salute. Because of his jumpers at the Gobi. Bust’em,” denim genuine unpretentious Eric Schoenfeld jeans, a floppy felt demeanor, Erik the and I went through hat, and always had Blak was endeared to rookie training on a dip of Copenhagen all who met him. the Gobi in 1964. in his lower lip that Rest in Peace, my We made our first made his teeth black. brother. fire jump together During a jungle-rules

Check the NSA website 22 National Smokejumper Reunion In Memoriam Eric Thurston Schoenfeld (CJ-64) aka “Erik the Blak” April 12, 1944 - September 14, 2019

Photo & Layout Design: Johnny Kirkley (CJ-64)

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 23 www.smokejumpers.com NCSB 80th Anniversary 2019 Photos Courtesy Denny Breslin (NCSB-69)

Ryan Taie (NCSB-00) Ashley Court (NCSB-63) Daren Belsby (NCSB-86) Jim Grant (NCSB-65) 80th Reunion Dinner Layout: Johnny Kirkley (CJ-64) Johnny Layout:

Dick Wildman NCSB-61 ) & Sylvia Meghan & John Doran (NCSB-72) Steve Wight (NCSB-65) Bill Moody (NCSB-57), Ben Hull (NCSB-64)), Craig Boesel (NCSB-66) Ron Borst (NCSB-64) & Mike Marcuson (NCSB-64)

Steve Reynaud (NCSB-65) & Tom Thomas (NCSB-62) NCSB Sign Jimmy Detro (NCSB-67) Jason Ramos (NCSB-99) Bill Moody (NCSB-57) Denny Breslin (NCSB-69)

Check the NSA website 24 National Smokejumper Reunion NCSB 80th Anniversary 2019 Photos Courtesy Denny Breslin (NCSB-69)

Ryan Taie (NCSB-00) Ashley Court (NCSB-63) Daren Belsby (NCSB-86) Jim Grant (NCSB-65) 80th Reunion Dinner Layout: Johnny Kirkley (CJ-64) Johnny Layout:

Dick Wildman NCSB-61 ) & Sylvia Meghan & John Doran (NCSB-72) Steve Wight (NCSB-65) Bill Moody (NCSB-57), Ben Hull (NCSB-64)), Craig Boesel (NCSB-66) Ron Borst (NCSB-64) & Mike Marcuson (NCSB-64)

Steve Reynaud (NCSB-65) & Tom Thomas (NCSB-62) NCSB Sign Jimmy Detro (NCSB-67) Jason Ramos (NCSB-99) Bill Moody (NCSB-57) Denny Breslin (NCSB-69)

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 25 www.smokejumpers.com ODDS AND ENDS

by Chuck Sheley From Dave: “I was in charge of Congratulations and thanks to Jim the four-man fire on the Umpqua Elliott (MSO-69), Jerry Bush- where Ed hit a fir and his chute col- nell (NCSB-72) and Les Tschohl lapsed. Bruce Jackson (RAC-69) (MSO-66) who just became our was on that jump, but I don’t re- latest Life Members. member the 4th jumper. Alaska Magazine Nov. 2019: “Ed was up against a tree when I got “Bruce ‘Buck’ Nelson (FBX-91) is to him. It was clear he had fallen quite the sort of Alaskan with stories to tell. a distance from the collapse of his chute. Since retiring, he has completed the I talked with him and he slurred that his Triple Crown of thru-hiking, hiked and tongue hurt as well as his back. I examined paddled the Lewis and Clark Trail, com- his mouth and saw he had nearly bitten his pleted two solo treks across Alaska, and sur- tongue in two. He clearly had a severe back vived 70 days ‘living off the land’ in southeast injury as well. Alaska. He lives in a log cabin near Fairbanks.” “Communicating with the jump plane Bill Brandt (MSO-47) in reference to the Oct. 2019 and explaining the situation, I was told some- issue of Smokejumper regarding a newspaper ar- one from Cave Junction would be bringing De- ticle about an injury to Bill: merol. I think it was Dick Wessel (CJ-56) but “The article in the issue of Smokejumper I am not 100% sure. Whoever it was jumped magazine reminded me of my previous encoun- and took over care of Ed. ter (Bill was hit by an air drop of 20-pound “I remember that cutting a helispot was an climbing spurs). arduous task, to say the least. A chopper came “Thank goodness the climbing spurs did not in and we loaded him in the litter on the skid. strike my ankle. They struck my shin causing a “Ed had a baby rattler named Adolf that bit ‘severe contusion.’ The leg healed so well that it him. No big deal to Ed. didn’t interfere with my running. I had made it When I first met him, he drove into the Air onto the Track Team at Montana State the pre- Center in his Karmann Ghia with a deer in the ceding spring term. back window that he had hit on the way over. “While working on a trail crew in 1948, word “I plan on attending the memorial in June.” reached me that there was a dance at the Glacier John Finnerty (Associate): “When fire managers Hotel. After putting in a full 8-hour day, I ran mismanage their responsibilities and blame cli- the 15 miles in three hours (2,300 elevation). mate change, I think NSA is justified in exposing By the time I reached the dance and showered it their nonfeasance. My logic thread is that if fire was 9:00 p.m. You would think the dance would management knows that climate change is affect- last well into the next morning. No luck there. ing fire behavior, why are they not mitigating the The band quit at 10:00.” issue with more aggressive fuel management and With the interment ceremony for Ed Weissenback initial attack?” (RAC-64) coming up June 5, 2020, Dave The Johnson Flying Service Hanger in McCall has (RAC-66) related details about a fire jump in been listed on the National Register of Historic which Ed was seriously injured. I had heard of Places as of Nov. 20, 2018. The following from this event before but never from someone who Bill Fogg (Associate): “ It looks like my past was on that fire. retirement years of interviews and photo contri-

Check the NSA website 26 National Smokejumper Reunion butions may have paid off. The hanger that my Mark Romey (MSO-75) recently passed away. Dad spent 30+ years of his life building and the By some stroke of luck, I published two of his hanger that I spent so much of my beginning stories in recent issues of Smokejumper. I heard working career has been accepted to the National that he appreciated that. Dick Rath (MSO-73, Registry of Historic Places.” a good friend of Mark’s, sent the following email Congratulations, Bill, on your hard work to as he was headed to Libby for a memorial. It is get this done. (Ed.) specific to Mark but also reflects, in my opinion, A big thanks to Ernie Hartley (MSO-62) for do- the thoughts of a lot of us as we lose important nating his collection of “The Static Line” and parts of the wildland fire community to eternity. “Smokejumper” magazine to the NSA Historical “It is pretty early in the morning and I am Preservation Project. These publications are now loading the Forerunner for the trip to Libby. I housed at the University of Idaho in Moscow, have become a bit melancholy as I lament the Idaho. passing of Mark in such a short time. YouTube is Our main collection is at Eastern Washing- playing in the background and Kris Kristoffer- ton University where we are putting the NSA son is singing ‘Like Desperados Waiting For The collection online for anyone in the world to ac- Train.’ cess. You can view at https://dc.ewu.edu/smoke- “It seems a fitting song for the likes of us, jumpers/ old fire-dog nomads, who spent three to four We owe a lot of thanks for the continual work of decades traveling from one large fire event to an- Stan “Clancy” Collins (MYC-67) for his daily other, then coming home to a family that knows work on our Historical Preservation Project. We well enough to give us space as we settle back now have collections at University of Montana into the world of normalcy. (Missoula), Eastern Washington Univ. (Cheney), “I wonder how we got pulled into this life- Smithsonian Museum of Air and Aviation, Boise style that is far from normal. This gathering will State Univ. and the Univ. of Idaho. be good as we celebrate life and then mourn The NSA is unique in being the mover in the passing of our old colleague. We are a small collecting Smokejumper History and Records. group of men and women who, one tough fire The USFS—count them out. Be proud of what assignment after another, have become closer to you are doing as an organization. When you and each other than many of our blood relatives. the NSA are gone, these collections will live on. “For those of you that are close, it will be (Ed.) good to see you. For those who can’t make the Ed Smith (MYC-68) relayed on a July Christmas trip, I understand. I hope this message helps story: “A Boise Smokejumper Loft tradition was you understand what makes us tick and why we to celebrate Christmas on July 25. There are very seem to live this fractured life. It was a choice few smokejumpers employed on Dec. 25, so we each of us made and one, that if given the op- needed an excuse for a party. As the years went portunity, I would make again. It is funny how by, some of the jumpers were starting to have some things never seem to change.” kids. At one of the Christmas parties, Santa came Brian Miller (MD) (RDD-85): “I retired to celebrate. The kids got to sit on Santa’s knee from my three Head and Neck Surgery prac- and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. A tices here in Maine a few months ago. Medicine whispered comment was ‘Who is going to tell has become a refuge for pasty faced, miserable them they had to wait six months.’ One of the pudknockers. Hardly any of the stalwart sur- parents whispered, ‘This is just a preview, you geons I trained with have been able to endure have to be good all year.’ “ the onslaught that has overtaken the profession. Davis Perkins (NCSB-72), well-known landscape “I am now a full-time, part-time gentle- painter, has been elected to the prestigious Sal- man farmer here in Maine, raising dairy goats magundi Club in New York City. Founded in and fowl to feed a burgeoning population 1871, the club serves as a center for fine arts, of predators that I can’t seem to hit with my artists and collectors. scoped rifle. I also read a lot of pulp fiction.

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 27 www.smokejumpers.com “Can’t tell you how saddened I was to hear “In the Foreword, his three reasons why the about ‘Eric the Blak.’ He was one of the icon- science of Forestry or Horticulture is so back- ic Alaskan Smokejumpers when I was just a ward really hits the nail on the head, especially knob out of Redding in the ’80s. I could spend #3: ‘—-the best experiences die with the man paragraphs talking about those role models: who made them, and that many entirely one- Boatner, Dow, Quillen, Beltran, Ken Coe and sided experiences are copied by the merely liter- Snake. But who doesn’t recall what it was like ary so often that they finally stand as ar- to launch in a Volpar load, after eating three ticles of faith, which nobody dares to gainsay, no double cheeseburgers cooked by Buddha in the matter how one-sided or in error they may be.’ FBX mess, for a four-hour recon with ‘Blak’ as “Enjoy Smokejumper magazine and your ar- the spotter giving a non-stop commentary in an ticles. Keep it up and maybe the empiricists will abrasive, observant, obnoxious, deafening, and win out.” interesting monologue? Stand tall, eat rocks Nick Davis (Arcus Fire UK London): “I have just and glass.” read your latest piece (New ) on the Don Heinicke (MSO-51): “The Comments by Ms. daily NOTD (internet). Within the first few Christiansen (Jan. 2020 Smokejumper) are very sentences I knew I had to read the full article disturbing. I began my studies in Forestry before and what an impressive piece that it is that oozes switching to Horticulture. The book Principles ‘common sense’—well done and it’s great to see of by F.S. Baker has been with me someone sticking their head above the parapet since 1950. and telling it how it is.”

JIM (RDD-85) AND RONDA LECLAIR— ALASKA CUTTERS im and Ronda, owners in Redding in 1985. We had jump base and worked out of Alaska Cutters, might just gotten married, and it was of Missoula in 1985, 87 and Jbe the only husband/wife apparent that the distance was 88. I was really surprised that falling team in the U.S. They not a healthy choice for our re- the Missoula jump base called are entering their sixth year lationship. So at the end of the since I pretty much figured in 2020, and it is likely to be rookie training, I resigned and that I had ended my jumping their last year. returned to logging in Idaho. career. I was very thankful for From Jim: “Ronda worked “About a month later, I was the jumping organization giv- as a sawyer on the Bitterroot picked up by the Missoula ing me another chance.” in the late 70s through 1988, and her brother Rodney (Bo) Lane (MSO-79) jumped out of Missoula 1979- 83. We both really enjoyed working in the woods and decided to return to falling hazard trees after retiring as teachers for 26 years in Alaska. “I worked as a faller in western Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in the late 70s and 80s prior to working as a jumper. I initially trained Jim and Ronda LeClair (Courtesy J. LeClair)

Check the NSA website 28 National Smokejumper Reunion Guest Opinion Feeding The “Beast” With Fire, Money by Chuck Hinkle

Editor’s note: This column ap- According to the news, it was money and they will get it. peared in The Missoulian (Mis- too hazardous to fight the Not all Forest Service employ- soula, Mont.) Sept. 13, 2017. Lolo Peak Fire when it was ees are herders, but those who The bolded parts are mine for small. They want us to believe are can retire and immediately emphasis—Mr. Hinkle is spot-on that it is safer for firefighters to contract to the beast. They with his observations. fight a 40,000-acre fire. This is get paid very well and also unbelievable! get paid to attend 80 hours n the late 1990s there was They use safety as an of training every year. What a large buildup of fire per- excuse to do little produc- is the incentive to keep fires Isonnel in the U.S. Forest tive work. That is a good plan small with an aggressive initial Service. This was caused by or for them, as what politician attack? led to what I call the fire- is going to challenge them on Life is short and we have industrial-complex, or what I safety? Why do they get hazard only so many summers. Unless will refer to as “the beast.” The pay? What about the safety of you would like a majority of beast needs fire and money to the forest users? We will now your remaining summers to be survive and needs some por- have thousands of acres of like this, I would urge you to tion of the West to burn every snags. What law gives any fire contact your congressman and year. manager the right to decide to senators and urge them not to Now, a lot of people no- let a fire burn and pollute the feed the beast. I would urge ticed when the first of these air all summer? What is this Congress to increase the fund- fires started, in mid-July, that doing to kids’ lungs, not to ing for “initial attack”; this little if anything was done to mention those with heart and would include more funding suppress them. When these lung disease? for smokejumpers and smoke- fires were listed on InciWeb, I would breathe less smoke, chasers. most of these fires had con- in my smokechasing days, as I Maybe we need an elite tainment dates of Oct. 21. didn’t stand in the smoke and firefighting group like the These fires were only a few we put the fires out. If these Navy SEALs. This would acres in size and these fire people are too afraid to fight be cheaper in the long run, managers were saying that they the fires, then move on and and we would not hear “we could not contain them until we can get others who are not can’t and it’s too dangerous.” October. afraid. How much money is The “let it burn” policy is not I, and others, noticed that wasted on the almost worthless working and is being abused at when the helicopters started indirect and contingency fire- the cost of our health and the working the Meyers and lines as fires jump these lines? welfare of our nation. Whetstone Fires, they were fly- There were many days this ing to Philipsburg to fill their summer when the fires cooled Chuck Hinkle of Phillipsburg, buckets, which was about 23 down that direct lines could Montana, worked for the US miles away. Whetstone Lake have been built. Forest Service for 38 years. He and Moose Lake were about The beast has evolved the was a smokechaser on the Pintler 2 miles from these fires. Who firefighter into the “fireherder.” Ranger District during the ’80s made the decision to not have Now that the fires are huge, and ’90s. a ground crew on the Little the herders will whine to Hogback Fire in mid July? Congress that they need more

June 26–28, 2020 in Boise 29 www.smokejumpers.com North Cascades 2019 Reunion by Denny Breslin (North Cascades ’69)

grew up in the Methow Valley about a mile ly, however, I did not make the final jump list for south of the North Cascades Smokejumper Normandy. It would have been such an honor. IBase in Winthrop, Wash. Our home was right In the spring of 2017, the Forest Service beneath the landing pattern, so jump planes land- conducted a cost-benefit study whether to move ing on Runway 31 flew over our house and were the base to Wenatchee or Yakima. The study was my first inspiration to aviation. highly criticized for the potential devastation As a kid, I strained to see the jumpers inside to the local economy should the base close and the open door of the Twin Beeches and DC-3s as should the valley lose a significant historical pres- they flew low over our house. The unforgettable ence. sounds of those radial engines at takeoff power Complicating the discussion was a Federal reverberated their staccato off Balky Hill across Aviation Administration ruling that three of the the valley and were the “sound of the sirens” that buildings were too close to the runway and must would lure me into an aviation career. be removed. The $7 million cost could be a deal As a child, they also inspired me to jump on breaker. my bike and pedal a mile to where I could wade But the valley celebrated when authorities the and run the length of the decided to keep the base in Winthrop, and plans runway to watch the jumpers training on Cotner’s were made to repave the runway and add im- Hill. I knew I wanted to be a smokejumper! provements. Paving and parking expansion was As proof that dreams can come true, I was in completed in time for the 2019 fire season. The the rookie class of 1969, hired directly by Francis saw shack, admin office, and parachute loft will be B. Lufkin (NCSB-40). Some of the smokejumper moved in 2021, once the project is funded. “legends” in the days of my youth became my The reunion was a mix of really old-timers and training squadleaders, and some of them even just plain old-timers like me. Daren set up demo made it to the 80th anniversary of NCSB, Sept. jumps for Saturday morning and afternoon. The 14, 2019. weather was overcast but the winds were light, so a Their stories are more abbreviated now, and mix of round canopies and ram-air square para- perhaps the embellishments have gotten a bit chutes filled the air as everyone gathered to score more nostalgic, but there will always be stories the landings. as long as there are White smokejumper boots to Looking for evidence of a good PLF and target help tell them! If only these boots could talk … accuracy, critics gave up and threw their score It was not the largest reunion, perhaps because cards away when the ram-air guys made stand up the 75th anniversary was only five years ago. Still, landings on the target. Oops, I know they were Base Manager Daren Belsby (NCSB-86) was supposed to do a PLF, but those who remembered able to pull together a fun and memorable event. to do them were essentially flopping, as an after- Those who came from as far away as Boise, San thought, since the boss was watching. Diego, and Phoenix loved getting together with Daren said they only had 23 jumpers this sum- their gray-haired colleagues and catching up. mer. He’s hoping for 28-30 jumpers next year. I think I was the only one with recent jump- Recently, the National Smokejumper Associa- ing experience, having volunteered to jump from tion became aware of problems with the U.S. the newly restored Miss Montana C-47 for the Forest Service hiring process that limits local 75th anniversary of D-Day. I made two static line base input and adds unnecessary red tape to the jumps with the World War II Aerial Demonstra- process. In some cases, this has resulted in under- tion Team in Frederick, Okla., in April. Ultimate- staffed bases.

Check the NSA website 30 National Smokejumper Reunion At the time of the reunion, NCSB had jumped now, but with Bill, you never know. on 11 local fires and posted 43 fire jumps. Daren Jason Ramos (NCSB-99), author of his said many of the jumpers had been boosted to memoir, Smokejumper, was a bright and shin- Alaska and other bases as their fire seasons were far ing face in the crowd as were Okanogan County more active. Commissioner Jimmy Detro (NCSB-67), John NCSB had nine ram-air jumpers this past Doran (NCSB-72), Craig Boesel (NCSB-66), season. Even so, Daren expects to have four more Steve Reynaud (NCSB-65), Tom Thomas veteran jumpers complete ram-air transition train- (NCSB-62), Ron Borst (NCSB-64), Ben Hull ing and expects six rookies to take ram-air initial (NCSB-64), Steve Wight (NCSB-65), Jim training in Missoula next spring before reporting Grant (NCSB-65), and Dick Wildman (NCSB- to NCSB. 61). Dick and Silvia are a fixture at reunions and The pictures accompanying this article are a it’s always good to see them. They are retired and mix of truly amazing people who share a fabulous now live in Boise. historical experience as some of a little over 6,000 In all, there were about 65 jumpers returning smokejumpers who have ever jumped fire. My to the Methow Valley for the reunion. apologies to those I was unable to include in the Thanks to Base Manager Daren Belsby for the pictures. time and effort he and his staff made for a memo- I was hired by Francis Lufkin in 1969 when rable and intimate reunion. Daren is an excep- I was a Forestry major at Washington State Uni- tional leader with uncommon, common sense and versity. I trained under Bill Moody (NCSB-57), a natural ability to accomplish the mission. NCSB who became base manager in 1970, Elmer Neu- is in good hands with such an experienced and field (CJ-44), Terry McCabe (NCSB-58), and accomplished manager at the helm. See you this brothers Keith (NCSB-63) and Don (NCSB-62) summer. Fitzjarrald. Mike Marcuson (NCSB-64) and Mike Tabler (NCSB-67) were squadleaders in Denny Breslin lives in San Diego, married to Jean Ma- training. It was the second best job I ever had. rie 40 years, with two grown children. After jumping Bill and Sandy Moody live in Twisp. Bill re- at NCSB three years, he spent seven years active duty as cently retired as a consultant with Global Super- a Navy pilot during the Vietnam war, 31 years as an tanker’s Boeing 747. He joined us at the reunion American Airlines captain, and seven years as director exactly one day after returning from fighting fires of aviation at San Diego Christian College. He now in South America. He’s pretty sure he’s retired serves on the NSA Board of Directors.

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 31 www.smokejumpers.com The Run For The Top by Bill Mader (Boise ’75)

hese thoughts started after reading Nor- of a good ending to a horrible event that started in man Maclean’s book , 1949. Twhich dealt with the Before this, per Maclean, Miss Montana of 1949, and doing some thinking and walking (though she didn’t have that name yet) had flown afterward. to Africa and done some cargo hauling there. In Although published in 1992—a mere 27 years 1954 she crashed in the Monongahela River near ago—I’d never read it because I thought I prob- Pittsburgh carrying soldiers on leave; ten died ably knew more about jumping fires than Mr. from drowning and hypothermia. Planes on occa- Maclean and wouldn’t learn much. This may be sion can have more lives than people. true since I’d jumped in the mid-70s, which was What I came to better understand after read- near the time he started researching his book in ing MacLean’s book was the haunting death factor Missoula. But Mr. Maclean knew more about life and that events cascaded long after the tragedy and tragedy, and it took me some time in life to and smoke cleared. Twelve of the 15 jumpers died. get to where he’d been. Fifteen jumped into the fire; one former jumper The Mann Gulch Fire is not just about tragedy had hiked in. The former jumper was James and the burnover of 12 smokejumpers and one Harrison (MSO-47), who was a fireguard. He’d fireguard. It is also about trying to do everything quit smokejumping the prior year because he felt, right and having everything go wrong, and maybe ironically, that it was too dangerous – or at least a few things about that pot-holed trail called life. his mother thought it was too dangerous. It is about how bad luck, chance, and using one’s One of the jumpers on board that day declined best judgment nevertheless rubbed out lives and to jump because he was ill and resigned from made men fading statistics with only white crosses jumping when he returned to Missoula. on a bleached mountainside to remember. Twelve of the jumpers who landed had served The story of Mann Gulch is not so much in World War II. By way of old times, this re- about smokejumping but, as stated aptly by Bob minded me a bit of the mid-70s when we com- Sallee (MSO-49) one of the three survivors, about monly jumped with Vietnam War vets. It was “how fast you could run.” my take that they transitioned to smokejumping The tragedy of this famous fire had dimensions because they liked the freewheeling lifestyle and and aftereffects I never understood, until Maclean adventure, and a life with a touch of risk. They brought them to my attention, and I did some were also not without blunt humor and, I think, research on my own. There was tragedy during needed the sense every day that they didn’t know and some years after the fire. where they were going. The only material witness who is still around Jumping in Alaska seemed to especially suit and who was there is the DC-3 jump plane, now them because regulations were few and far be- named Miss Montana. She has yet to say a word tween, and those that were left were meant to be about the event so long ago over the Missouri “bent” and “re-interpreted.” River country in 1949. I remember Leo Cromwell (IDC-66) relating In 2019, as many of us know, she flew to an incident in Alaska in the late ’60s when a jump England and participated in the “Doug” Squad- load was returning to Fairbanks in a DC-3. ron (24 planes) that flew from Britain to France Jumpers fully loaded with gear were sprawled in a commemoration of the Normandy Invasion over the floor with the cargo. Cromwell observed of 1944. She also dropped jumpers—both former the jumper next to him take off all his jump military and smokejumpers. So, it was something gear, dump it on the floor, and walk forward to

Check the NSA website 32 National Smokejumper Reunion the cockpit, stepping around and over jumpers, did for 12 jumpers and one fireguard. whereupon he replaced the pilot and flew the The Forest Service now has mathematical plane. Leo later identified the jumper as Nels models to help predict the physical laws of how Jensen (MSO-62) who became a career pilot for fires move—where, when, and how they think. the Forest Service. But I’ve spent my life around beasts, and I’ve The Mann Gulch jump spot that was cho- concluded that fire is something of a beast that sen was a second choice because the first was picks the lock of predictability and its cage thought to be too dangerous. Wagner “Wag” to sniff out lethal weaknesses. Dodge (MSO-41), the foreman, even had second Although Rumsey was one of the survivors of thoughts about this spot because a helicopter the running race along with Sallee, Rumsey ended could not land there in the event someone was up getting killed in a commuter plane crash in injured and had to be airlifted out. 1980 near Omaha. Of course, helicopters then were primitive and The pilot of the DC-3, or Miss Montana, was dangerous, basically whirling contraptions waiting Kenneth Huber. He was killed flying a DC-3 in to fly apart. But smokejumping accepted a higher Montana in 1964 when he was 42 years of age. risk factor in 1949. Risk was more of a way of life Huber had dropped paratroopers in World War II and you grew up with it, especially those who had in Europe. grown up in the Great Depression and survived Needless to say, the DC-3 in which he died World War II. didn’t make it to the Normandy Invasion celebra- I think we accepted a higher risk factor jump- tion of 2019. The federal fire scientist who investi- ing in the ’70s than perhaps the Forest Service gated the fire, Mr. Harry Gisborne, died at Mann and Bureau of Land Management accept now, but Gulch of a heart attack when he was there in 1949 maybe that’s just how time works. trying to understand how the fire blew up. Anyway, when the smoke cleared later that The only guy who lived to old age was Sallee, day there were three survivors: Dodge, Sallee, and who passed away in 2014 at the age of 82 years. Walter Rumsey (MSO-49). Dodge died five years He lived a full life after he won his race with fire later of cancer and, no doubt, no little degree and traveled to New Zealand, India, South Africa, of PTSD. Dodge, of course, started a fire with and Algeria setting up paper mills. matches that created a burned area in which he Even Maclean did not live long enough to see could lay down and survive. his book published, and this after about 12-13 Dodge had called his crew over to join him, years of research. Stark numbers tell stark stories. but none did in the confusion of the firestorm. The spotter, however, Earl Cooley (MSO- Instead they all raced for the top of the ridge and 40)—the “first” smokejumper in the jump pro- safety with a roaring fire drowning out communi- gram, along with Rufus Robinson (MSO-40), cation. It was every man for himself for a run of who jumped first into the Nez Perce National about three-quarters of a mile—1,320 yards—up Forest on a fire in 1940—who had slapped the a slope that meant a vertical climb of about 140 legs of the men just before they exited and burned yards. This all boils down to a really steep run, in the gulch, lived a long life and passed away at uphill, on a really hot day (about 97 degrees), the age of 98 in 2009 in Missoula. Earl and Rufus dropping gear as you go, and tossing glances over jumped just 37 years after the Wright Brothers your shoulder to try and see how much the flam- made their first powered flight. ing chaos is gaining on you. As a quick but relevant aside to our story, while Maclean estimated the run took about 16 Earl and Rufus were jumping fires out of Ford minutes during an onslaught of winds that varied Trimotors, German paratroopers were jump- from 20 to 40 mph, in addition to the winds the ing out of Junker 52 Trimotors into combat and fire created. Sixteen minutes might seem like a taking over countries. German Fallschirmojäger long time at first glance, but flames tend to warp paratroopers captured Crete and key airfields in the physical laws of the universe and compress Norway in April 1940. them into seconds; or time stops completely as it Fallschirmojäger roughly translates to “para-

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 33 www.smokejumpers.com chutist hunters.” The allies who fought them men and walking the battlefield where fire had referred to them as the “green devils.” They won. were elite and deadly. Sallee and Rumsey had made it to the top of The great paradox here is that the Fallschir- a low rock ridge or wall. Through the smoke and mojäger forced the U.S. military to study fiery wind, they found an opening they could smokejumper operations in Montana by way squirm through to the other side which, as fate of a critical visit by Army Maj. William Lee in would have it, lead them to more impending fire 1940. because they had become surrounded. They es- He came to study smokejumper parachute caped by moving back and forth across a rockslide. training and techniques. Back then in the When Laird Robinson (MSO-62) and Ma- states, smokejumping was the only profes- clean visited the site with Salle and Rumsey, the sional government body parachuting into latter two had trouble squirming through the anything or attempting to parachute into same hole because of age and a few extra pounds. anything; don’t worry about whether they That’s how tight it was and how close things were hitting jump spots or if all the chutes were—how they almost didn’t make it. deployed perfectly. In my five summers of fighting fire in the west Lee had been a peacetime observer af- and Alaska (three as a smokejumper, two on he- ter World War I in Germany and had seen litack), I was on only one genuine life-and-death the German military buildup. Lee went to blowup. It was, thankfully, not as bad as Mann Montana—after briefing President Franklin Gulch, but the same fire demons lived in the Roosevelt on the need for airborne troops— shadows—a steep slope, chance, grass and , because the Germans, as well as the Russians, squirrely winds, tall sheets of flame that stretched were already well ahead of us in the military the skin over your cheek bones, dropped tools, parachuting game. and a long run to the top pushed by hope which The American need to catch up subsequently in turn was pushed by a bit of doubt. I don’t led to an evaluation of smokejumping techniques remember how many minutes we ran up the steep and the birth of the U.S. Army Airborne units— slope, but I remember it didn’t seem fast enough. starting with the 101st—and later various Special This fire, a hot Class C fire (10-100 acres), Forces parachuting units, some later trained at occurred in central Idaho on the Boise Forest July Missoula. In other words, an event on the other 25, 1975, and was called the “Rattlesnake Fire.” side of the world by German paratroopers caused Two groups of Boise jumpers were dropped in two a visit to Montana by an American officer who locations on different ridges in an attempt to flank had briefed the president, which in turn gave it in rough, mountainous terrain. Our spotter that birth to all future military parachuting in the U.S. day was Bobby Montoya (IDC-62). armed forces. In my drop, four of us jumped in two-man Incidentally, a couple years later, Lee—by this sticks: Jerry Ogawa (MYC-67), Clarence “Ty” point, a general—“developed the plans for the air Teichert (IDC-55), Rob Talbot (MSO-69) and invasion of Normandy on D-Day and had trained me. Only Ogawa and I are still alive as I write to jump with his men but was sent back to the this. states a few months before the battle due to a I frankly don’t remember a lot about this fire. heart attack.” I do remember that Teichert and Ogawa jumped Just nine years after Lee’s visit, which helped first and hit hard on a steep slope of trees and change the course of World War II tactics in Eu- grass in gusty wind. After recovering from their rope and the Pacific, we arrive at Mann Gulch. It landing, they radioed Montoya in the jump plane is something of a miracle that Sallee and Rumsey not to drop any more guys because of unaccept- survived their run to the top, even considering able wind. their excellent running prowess. This somewhat useful information—through Maclean talks about going back to the site of no fault of Teichert and Ogawa—got to Montoya the disaster 29 years later, in 1978, with these two right after Talbot and I got a slap on the leg and

Check the NSA website 34 National Smokejumper Reunion exited the plane. I sometimes reflect now that this I also remember reading that one of the first episode seemed to telegraph how other things indications that they had not arrived at their would come to me later in my life. destination at Moose Creek was a fisherman who In our twisting and turning descent, I remem- saw the tail of the plane floating down the river; ber Talbot disappearing over a sharp ridge of never a good sign. So 148Z, which had lived in pines. I missed the jump spot—wherever it was— the mountains dropping jumpers and cargo and and was grateful to have had Montoya spot us or I flying through clouds of adventure, never had the might have hit Montana and drowned in a beaver chance to join Miss Montana at the Normandy pond, or maybe knocked out a bull moose. Invasion celebration in 2019. We dodged big, rolling logs at night that were It seems that Moose Creek attracted mayhem on fire. We made miscalculations on the ground back in 1959 as well. A Ford Trimotor jump plane because you can’t calculate everything that might with four jumpers crashed into trees at the end happen on a hot fire, especially one in the moun- of the runway as a result of a gust of wind, and tains with canyons and their own wind patterns. immediately caught fire. And as if that wasn’t bad Miscalculations and bad luck create the worst of enough, a burning tree fell on top of them. outcomes, and I remember one such outcome Two jumpers died of burns; the foreman made regarding our plane. it. One of the burned jumpers sang a song at the The plane was the DC-3 (tail number 148Z) crash site with his last breath and died. we jumped that day, which commonly flew jump- Regarding our four-man jump in Idaho, Rob ers out of the Boise jump base. It crashed in Idaho Talbot died at age 52 in his house in Seattle in in June 1979—two years after I quit jumping— 2001, after a career in law. Teichert, a junior high when it was on a non-jump flight carrying cargo, school science teacher, committed suicide in 1988 ten people and two dogs to Moose Creek, Idaho. at age 53, using a rifle. He did so because he could No jumpers were on board. The right engine no longer live with multiple sclerosis. caught on fire andfell off the wing immediately Sadly, and strangely, I did not find out that Tei- after the left engine quit. chert had MS until 2019 when I had lunch with A hopeless situation in a short flight where Montoya and Cromwell in Albuquerque. You can “hopeless” was not on the manifest. No doubt all sometimes outrun a fire, but you can’t outrun MS. passengers had stepped on board that day think- Montoya and Cromwell told me Teichert’s in- ing they’d done everything right and that nothing ability to run that day on the fire turned out to be could go wrong—indeed, that a bright day would the first indication that he had a medical problem, bring nice things. which was later diagnosed as MS after a visit to the And I have no doubt the pilots, Whitey UCLA Medical Center. The net of all this now— Hachmeister (whom I remember flying some of coming to life 44 years later—explained why, in my fire jumps in 1975 and was a former major in all the smoke and fire that day, I had lost track of the U.S. Air force) and John Slingerland (who had Teichert in our run to the top and feared he was an artificial leg from an injury in World War II, dead, perhaps along with the others as well. Montoya recalled) walked around the old DC-3 As it happened, Ogawa and Talbot found that morning inspecting everything, making sure Teichert collapsed on their run to the top. He had all the dents and oil drips were in the right places. fallen and was lying by a tree, flame and smoke What is particularly amazing is that a gentle- racing up from below and along the sides. man on horseback witnessed the engine fall off the The thing about trying to outrun a fire is plane and took a picture of it whirling downward, that you have everything to lose and the fire has Montoya recalled. The pilots tried to crash-land in nothin’—it seems only a deadly game to the fire the Selway River in Idaho. They died, as did eight beast—and then you start losing momentum the others. further up you go. Meanwhile, the fire is only They almost made it. There were two survi- gaining momentum—roaring flames tapping you vors—Charles Dietz and Bryant Stringham, along on the shoulder. with a beagle. My biggest trepidation were pines crowning

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 35 www.smokejumpers.com and exploding below me and at my same level on grass and pines, no hope. Their world collapsed in the slope, as the beast started racing upward ahead seconds. of me. As Maclean put it: “… there is no class on They, like Wag Dodge at Mann Gulch, tried a how to run from a fire as fast as possible.” burnout when they realized they were trapped and Teichert told Ogawa and Talbot to leave him, before they deployed their fire shelters. They also but they refused, lifting him to his knees and cut away some of the 10-foot-high fuel with chain dragging him to a rock outcropping and safety. A saws. They knew the beast was coming like he’d helicopter shortly made an emergency landing and never come before; they could hear his roar and carried Teichert to Boise where he was treated for feel him. exhaustion and smoke inhalation. Dodge and the jumpers back then, of course, An odd thing happens when you think of had no fire shelters and I doubt very much that it someone who is gone. You don’t necessarily re- would have saved them anyway. (Fire shelters, as I member what is important; you may just remem- understand, were first required in 1977.) ber a key event or two. In Teichert’s case, I always The Hotshots tried to do everything right— think of a lightning strike we jumped into on top had trained for it—but everything went wrong. It of a tall, glaciated cliff. was a last stand of fire shelters in a small clearing Lightning likes such places. I did not. It was of tall brush and Manzanita that had no name. the cliff mostly and my concern of tumbling A trilogy of desperate actions, called almosts, is down it. I missed the cliff, hit the jump spot on when your last thoughts deny that the unthink- top, and almost hit a tree. able is happening to you. The fire shelters and Incidentally, I’ve seen a lot of rattlesnakes in the souls in them lost. Pictures of the gruesome North and South America, even a couple Fer-de- burnover show tattered, torn shelters. lances and a handful of Anacondas. In fact, I saw There’s still some truth and miscalculations a horse in a bathroom once in Venezuela and I’ve buried in the ashes, some controversy and open seen piranha swimming past my boots, but I never spaces in a great many hearts. Both the Mann once saw a rattlesnake on the Rattlesnake Fire. Gulch Fire and the Granite Mountain tragedies Tragedies and near tragedies enjoy each other’s had movies made about them, and both sites now company whether rattlesnakes are there or not. have plaques with names lamenting never-ending Maclean put it eloquently when he said young grief. men “hadn’t learned to count the odds and to So, when I look at Mann Gulch and the other sense they might owe the universe a tragedy.” tragedies, I look through a special lens, something This brings us to the Granite Mountain of a human lens, that leaves a landscape of person- Hotshots—although there is a trail of other fire alities and how chance dealt them different cards, calamities before and after including airplane and including the ace of spades called unfairness. helicopter crashes, chutes that didn’t open, tree- On the Mann Gulch side, I was particularly tops that fell on people, and other “runs for the intrigued by David Navon (MSO-49). He capti- top” like the South Canyon Fire (also called the vated me because of what he’d been through years Storm King Fire) which killed 14 firefighters. The before his last jump at Mann Gulch. He’d been list goes on. a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in Good records apparently started in 1910 in World War II and jumped into Holland in 1944 Idaho with the Devil’s Broom Fire, which killed to fight the Germans. 78 firefighters. This fatality list seems to have no Who would have guessed that, just four years end when you include the towns and civilians that after Lee’s visit to Montana, American units would have been overrun in recent years. But of course, jump from the sky to kill Germans which had, what makes the Granite event stand out is that 19 ironically, caused the evaluation of smokejumping young men perished in a hot flash of seconds after and the birth of U.S airborne units? having left a safe area “in the black.” Navon survived the Bastogne siege in the Battle There were no survivors from the burnover; of the Bulge and sustained wounds. After the war no runs for the top through smoke and fire and he earned a degree in Forestry from the University

Check the NSA website 36 National Smokejumper Reunion of California in Berkeley. He was on the road to a dark statistics and gotten a white marker some- bright, well-earned future. where on a charred hillside, maybe not even near So, after all the combat, bullets and bodies, and the top. German Panzer tanks, death tracked him down A last footnote is in order regarding Mann in Mann Gulch, Mont., on a hot August day and Gulch. Maclean pointed out that there was an at- showed him no quarter. Death had ceased caring tempt to hide key information by the U.S. Forest and dealt him the worst ace of spades. Service to alter testimony—such as the watches of Navon was also Jewish; a Christian Cross had those killed and the times they died and impor- been mistakenly placed at his death site in the tant paperwork. This seemed to me an attempt gulch. It was later replaced with a marble monu- to “simplify” the federal report and hide maybe ment inscribed with the Star of David. a little ugliness in a bureaucracy. The problem is, Navon died in the top end of the gulch and ugliness is sometimes part of chaos, and chaos is was one of the “Four Horsemen” who almost the companion of fire. made it over the top of the ridge. But almosts don’t A couple years back when I taught environ- count in the fire business. Navon obviously knew mental science at Navajo Technical University on a lot about almosts and how to stay on the win- the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, I would ning side of life. sometimes ask my students (mostly Navajo but Maclean cited the fact that, minutes prior, other tribes as well, plus a Filipino—all from Navon had stopped to take a picture of the fire. rough backgrounds) a hypothetical question: This might seem odd to an outsider, but most of What deceased people would you choose to have us have probably photographed fires when other lunch with, and what intriguing conversations priorities were knocking at the door. I wondered would you seek out? if Navon had gotten so accustomed to close calls My students and I would discuss their answers that this seemed like just another close call, minus after I turned on my imaginary time machine and the bullets, and that everything would work out dialed my imaginary knobs into past times and like it had before during World War II—if you dates (no little task). just kept going. It was a contemplating question that de- Maclean cites testimony that a number of those manded thought, but there was also humor and who perished in Mann Gulch, after being struck occasional Navajo hysterical laughter, which can down by the fire, raised themselves and took a few be contagious. more steps before they fell into the ashes one last I miss these kinds of conversations with my time. Native American and Filipino friends who have The long and short of our Rattlesnake Fire since gone off to new horizons. I wonder what is that we made miscalculations that did not tip the Mann Gulch bunch would have said over beer us quite far enough to earn white crosses on a and a few slaps on the back, and what questions fire-swept mountainside.The ugly sides of the they might have asked and stories they might have universe did not crystalize and record tragedy. We shared in our time capsule. never crossed into the zone of almost made it. Many students would reply that they would When I get to the end of the trail and try to have liked to visit with a notable Native American make sense of fire calamities—including, now, leader or a famous scientist or philosopher who entire cities burning—I’m sometimes left with the had passed away or visit perhaps with someone impression that fire just brings a reckoning with who knew “the old America” before the whites got it and doesn’t much care what you’ve done before- here. hand. It was all about gaining wisdom and maybe So, there you have it—the debris path of space understanding the universe a little better. Then and time leaving questions, maybes, what-ifs, and they’d ask me whom I’d like to have lunch with in sometimes a few too bads in the almost made it the long-ago past. Of course, they’d never heard of zone. When I study the information on Mann Mann Gulch or, for that matter, the Rattlesnake Gulch, I’m convinced I would have joined the Fire. Some had heard of the Granite Mountain

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 37 www.smokejumpers.com (Courtesy r4jumpers.com)

Hotshots. Time gets away from us. Alaska. This plane crashed into the Selway River Something of a hidden message at the end of in 1979 killing most of the people on board dur- Young Men and Fire is Maclean himself. The edi- ing a non-jump mission. Bobby Montoya, the tors put a picture of him on the back inside back spotter on the Rattlesnake Fire, is just to the left cover. This, of course, a couple years after he died. of the airplane door. Two spots below Montoya This is customary for the author of a book, but is John Snedden, in a light shirt with his arms usually it’s a close-up showing a toothy smile or a crossed. Two spots in front of Snedden to the left, steely look into the camera. also in a light shirt with his arms crossed, is Leo The picture of Maclean shows an old, gray- Cromwell. Cromwell and Snedden conducted an haired man with a carved face sitting in a wooden in-depth study of historical Boise fire jumps now canoe on a lake facing away from the camera, available on a website. Base leadership in addi- mountains in the background, bending over and tion to Montoya included Herb Corn (IDC-67), thoughtfully looking down into the water, con- first row, fourth from the left; and John Cramer templating. His right hand is touching an oar. I (MYC-63), standing at Corn’s right. Ogawa is think he had figured out aspects of life beyond the fifth from the left on the slanted top row, holding book he wrote. a picture of a jumper who was not present; Bill I would like to have had lunch with him. Mader is fourth from the left on Ogawa’s right. Pictured above are Boise Smokejumpers in Covered up by the first two rows of jumpers is a 1976 in front of their DC-3, tail number 148Z. wooden ramp with a steel handrail leading up- Some of these jumpers later went to Alaska along ward to the jump door. On the side of this ramp with Redding and McCall jumpers as part of the were the words “Fly Fat Cat Airlines.” It was a hell “Down South Crew” to assist BLM jumpers in of an airline.

Check the NSA website 38 National Smokejumper Reunion National Smokejumper Reunion 2020 June 26-28, 2020 in Boise, Idaho by Lynn Sprague (McCall ’59)

o you have these dates on your calen- that Kenn Smith, former assistant unit foreman, dars? If you don’t, you should have! restored and turned into a mini museum. This will D Your Reunion Planning Committee be a relaxing, easy trip that promises to provide a is working diligently to pull off a grand event. The grand experience and will include a smokejumper Venue is the Riverside Hotel in downtown Boise practice jump. As an added attraction, the Idaho where all events will be under one roof, except for City Historical Foundation, which is assisting with the Saturday daytime events. museum and historic building tours, will be offering We will have an agenda similar to prior reunions. a full hot meal, complete with homemade huckle- • Friday afternoon: Arrival and barbeque/beer. berry cheesecake dessert prepared by a well-known • Saturday: Free day with special planned events local chef. and suggested unplanned activities depending The second planned event is a tour of NIFC. on your whims, an evening happy hour and Located at the Boise Airport and a short drive from dinner (no long speeches). the reunion hotel, the Center offers an opportunity • Sunday: Breakfast and memorial event and to learn about current coordinated wildland fire depart for home. practices. The planning committee’s focus is on provid- There will also be a list of suggested unplanned ing ample time for mingling, visiting, catching up, activities, such as golf, river floating, summer activi- and retelling old jump stories and enhancing old ties at the Bogus Basin Ski Area, Boise City tours, escapades. Thus, the “under one roof” venue to cut Birds of Prey National Scenic Area tour and others down on driving around town for various reunion that the committee will be able to connect folks up events and eliminating the banquet headline speaker with. to shorten the formal dinner time. Looking forward to seeing everyone in June, so The hotel is located right on the Boise River get it on your calendar. Greenbelt where walking, biking (bikes are avail- able to rent), and jogging are easily accessible. More information on the hotel, guest rooms, and other amenities will be included with the registration in- Turn Your Pins and Patches Into formation packet in late Feb/early March. Helping Other Smokejumpers There will only be two special planned events for Saturday: A trip to Historic Idaho City and a trip and Their Families to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Send us your Smokejumper or other pins, The Idaho City trip is the signature event for this reunion! Idaho City was the site of one of the Trail Crew pins, and/or patches that are earliest Forest Service Smokejumper units, estab- hiding in your sock drawer. We’ll sell them lished in 1948 and continued until 1969 when it to collectors on eBay with all money go- was moved to Boise. This little community is rich ing into the NSA Good Samaritan Fund in early gold mining history and made richer by the and acknowledge you in a later issue. presence of smokejumpers for some 20 years. The tour will provide opportunities to view this history Send to: Chuck Sheley—10 July Ln—Chico (gold mining and smokejumpers) through stops at CA 95926 the Museum, historical buildings, and the home

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 39 www.smokejumpers.com SOUNDING OFF from the Editor

not want to let their I have seen the devastation forests burn. There done to their forests. You was a need for have to have your head in timber to build a dark space to not know this nation. that you are benefiting Maybe they were from the forests cut down tired of killing in those countries. This re- people. The 1894 ally makes a certain portion Hinckley Fire of our population feel good. burned 350,000 They can have their homes acres and killed 418 and furniture and still let people and was fol- our forests burn as they by Chuck Sheley lowed by the 1918 did in the 1400s. Hy- (Cave Junction ’59) Cloquet-Moose pocrisy—”The practice Managing Editor Lake Fire that burned of claiming to have moral 250,000 acres and killed 452 standards or beliefs to which I have always been an advo- people. one’s own behavior does not cate of aggressive initial attack I always like to go back to conform.” on wildfire. We are constantly common sense. In a nation I am continually reading bombarded with articles telling that is growing in population articles about how the Na- us how we created the current and needs timber to build, was tive Americans managed the fuels in the forest by our work it a good idea for the citizens forests. When I ask for any done in the past. The big “fin- of the U.S. to advocate for the documentation of their burn ger pointing” tries to justify the prevention of wildfire? Seems plans and efforts, I come up current lack of forest manage- like a good thought to me. with a blank response. ment. As we expanded our growth Let’s go back to the com- Since we started acting on and our population, should mon sense point of view. wildfire in about 1910, there we have left our wildlands to Certainly, these people, after certainly has been a buildup of burn? There are many who say thousands of years of living in fuels in the forests. If we hadn’t so. I listen to these people all an area, had a lot of practice jumped those fires and done a the time. My thoughts: I want on how to handle the forests in good job, thousands of acres to go to each of these individ- their areas. I am not question- would have gone up in smoke ual’s homes and start throwing ing their culture. and millions of acres would be out all the wood products they But, do you think they had standing black snags. have in their homes—fram- a plan to manage the forest If we had not put out those ing, two by fours, tables, etc. outside their living area? If so, fires, what would be the ben- Where do they think this show me the plan. Common efit to us in 2020? Certainly, wood comes from? When are sense would tell you they had there would have been less these people going to stand up an annual burning plan that forest to burn. But, is that a and realize that they don’t live managed the areas around good thing? Somewhere along in a Styrofoam house? their living space. The main the line, we had to realize that After two trips to Vietnam consideration would be to the citizens of the U.S. did and one to Laos, I can say that improve the hunting areas and

Check the NSA website 40 National Smokejumper Reunion to open up areas for defense. cans went out and managed by smoke inhalation by our Do you, in any wild stretch these wildfires? Of course not. citizens? of your imagination, think They let them burn. The for- After living right next door they had a plan to manage the ests of the past were the result to the Camp Fire (2018), I am forest beyond their living area? of wildfire. A perfect plan with a changed individual. I can not Please, anyone out there that a limited population. get this fire out of my mind as has a copy or any documents Current day thinking: We I live with it on a daily basis. of the Native American Burn- should let wildfire burn as this Our community, Chico, has ing Plan, please forward. is nature’s plan. Great—how changed. It will take years to Common knowledge: A about the 330 million people get back to “normal.” I still lightning storm comes through living in this country? Can we can’t fathom a community of a forest and there are 7,000 to burn our way out of the 21st 27,000 wiped completely off 12,000 down strikes, and they Century and, if we could, is the map in a matter of hours. start 40 or 50 fires. This is that a good idea? Where in the I find it hard to express my happening on multiple forests USFS plan thoughts on this fire. It is just in the Western U.S. Do you do you see the considerations another news item until you think that the Native Ameri- for the health damage done live it.

One Year After The Camp Fire by John Culbertson (Fairbanks ’69)

One year to the day (Nov. 8, 2019) of the Camp Fire, like Carpinteria get hurt by fire, and Carpinteria is our local newspaper put out an edition in remembrance wealthy compared to Paradise. of the event. There were photos of faces of many of the Not to mention the other fire-affected com- 88 victims on the front page. I bought 15 copies and munities we are surrounded with—from Santa mailed them to some of our members. John Culbert- Barbara to Westlake. Communities of affluence son, who experienced the in 2017, had a with strong economies, celebrity fundraisers, moving response that I want to share with you. You can established nonprofits, wealthy locals, and world- see the emotion as John recalls the similarities between class media types both living there and flying in to his community hit by the Thomas Fire and Paradise, cover the story. California. (Ed.) I kept thinking about how they say New Orleans and Houston never really recovered in ust finished reading theChico Enterprise-Record the poorer parts of town. Tonight I sat down and special edition on the Camp Fire. went through the whole thing. Read all the sto- J It was sobering to go through the paper. I ries, looked at all the faces in the pictures. folded it up next to the Wall Street Journal and Los What struck me most—people moving away, Angeles Times sitting on the edge of the desk. It an entire community displaced. Even people with would catch my eye as I worked, causing no end good jobs like Sheriffs pulling out. No housing. of reflection on fire and flood. No sense of future. People living in the Walmart I had a hard time reading it. I read a few parking lot. I think that’s what got me. pieces, then would fold it and put it back in the I shy away from big box stores. But after the lineup, not wanting to think about it. Not ready Camp Fire, I started shopping at Walmart, buying for what was so apparent from the moment I gift cards there. When I saw that picture in the picked it up. Special Edition of people sitting in the Walmart People get hurt by fire, even middle-class towns parking lot, it brought it all back—the displaced

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 41 www.smokejumpers.com people in our town and thinking of those now I had sadness in me for our town, also. So I also gone. folded the Special Edition and put it back in the It is not easy to forget streets lined with people lineup once again. who have fled fire—horse trailers, farm tractors, You say a prayer and make a commitment to campers. People dropping off what they can and keep trying. Fix things you can fix. Stand up, dust heading back for more—cars piled high with off, and keep moving. You have done it before and stuff, sleeping figures in the front seat. At 2 a.m. a you know you will do it again. horse bumps against its trailer stall. The power is Thanks, Chuck, for sharing the story. My heart out. Ash is falling—exits impassible and National goes out to your community and the town of Guard on the street. Paradise. Know I will not forget them.

Smokejumper Keep The Flame Legacy Jump List by Mike Bina (Missoula ’68)

New NSA Board member Mike Our gratitude jumper Keep the Flame Legacy Bina voiced a concern that a lot At any smokejumper gath- Jump List member by making a of us have had: How do we keep ering, we hear expressions of planned gift donation. the NSA going in the future? gratitude for having been af- Planned gift options include With the change to move to more forded the privilege of having a “living monetary donation,” full-time jumpers vs the seasonal had this unique job. Stories are a bequest in your will, nam- jumpers of our day, the poten- told how smokejumping made ing the NSA as a life insurance tial for future memberships has a lasting, positive difference in or retirement plan beneficiary dropped over the last 20 years. their lives. or a gift of real estate, other Expenses will increase in the With the passage of time, property, stocks, or bonds. If future. What is going to keep the we increasingly feel the need you’re interested, please contact NSA going? We have talked about to “give back” to others who Chuck Sheley (CJ-59) at cnk- legacy giving in the past. Years influenced us. We realize we [email protected] or (530) ago one jumper gifted the NSA a owe them a debt of gratitude 893-0436. sizeable amount from his estate. for bringing out our very best. You can make your gift in Would any of you consider doing But how can you best show your memory or honor of a fam- the same at any amount? appreciation for the smokejump- ily member, mentor, or other The following article by Mike ing experience that benefited you? special individual. Requests introduces the new take on an old To provide a way to “give to remain anonymous will be idea. (Ed.) back,” the NSA Smokejumper honored. Keep the Flame Legacy Jump You, as one of 6,025 jump- ou are one of 6,025 List was established to preserve ers, have already played an smokejumpers who, smokejumping traditions, val- important role in shaping the Ysince 1939, have “given ues, and culture ensuring its well-respected profession of it your all.” Now, as a retired future legacy – including your smokejumping. Please consider jumper, you realize that smoke- own. this opportunity to include jumping – in return – later your name on the Smokejump- benefited you in your career and The invitation er Keep the Flame Legacy Jump family life. You can become a Smoke- List.

Check the NSA website 42 National Smokejumper Reunion The Pink Fire by Mike McCracken/Ron Thoreson (Cave Jct. ’60)

ur rookie year at CJ, 1960, was a good year (CJ-59) and Dennis Wheeler (CJ-60). Mike Simon for the jumper business. Earlier that sum- jumped solo first. As we came back around and Omer, we had been called up to Missoula to looked toward the jump spot, it appeared that he back them up during a big bust. On August 21, 16 was trying to get his streamer out to signal us. Al of us were sent down to Redding to back them up. waived off our concern and sent two more of us out. They were nearly out of jumpers when we arrived Upon landing, the problem became very evident. and were soon completely out. Our escape route was totally impassable Manzanita On the morning of August 24, we got a call to brush, so dense that it had no openings and ap- go down to the Tahoe N.F. They had two campaign peared to be something less menacing from the air. fires going, the American Fire, which started near There effectively was no escape route. Donner Summit and was threatening the town of The plan had been for us to proceed up the ridge, Truckee, California, and the Volcano Fire, which build the helispot, and call for evacuation by chop- had started in the Middle Fork of the American per. We were expected to be done clearing the spot River and was threatening the town of Forest Hill, by late afternoon. As a result, we had no overnight California. A September 2013 article in the For- gear. We did have plenty of water dropped to us, est Hill Messenger says the Volcano Fire (that we which we retrieved and took up to the knoll. jumped) ultimately burned over 40,000 acres and The realization that we had no escape route was a destroyed several homes before the town was saved great motivator, and we tore into our task with zeal. by “the valiant efforts of firefighters.” Obviously, any Ron cut his leg open with the axe blade of a Pulaski, number of jumpers was not going to do any good quickly wrapped it, and continued clearing brush in fighting that fire. and a few small trees. Instead of late afternoon, The Forest Service had brought in Zuni firefight- we had the spot cleared by about one o’clock and ers from New Mexico to build line and fight the fire, promptly started calling for our ride out. We could but they were stuck in Forest Hill without a means hear the fire north of our location. At about that to get to the fireline. We were called in to build a time the wind shifted, sending smoke over us and helispot so they could be ferried in. Because the fire making it impossible to pick us up. We were stuck had been going for several days and was a major until the wind would die down or shift direction. news story, we saw some TV helicopters before we We had good radio contact. We were soon ad- got to the jump site and were doubtlessly making vised that although we couldn’t be extracted, they the local news. were going to make sure we wouldn’t burn. They It was about 10 a.m. when we got over the jump knew approximately where we were despite the spot and found the knoll where we were to construct smoke. They decided to drop borate on the knoll. the helispot. Our spotter, Al Boucher (CJ-49), saw a Time has dimmed some of the details, but we’d es- likely jump site just down the ridge from that knoll. timate that they dropped at least five planeloads of As we circled the site and threw out streamers, he borate, some of which were direct hits, and we were told us our escape route was straight down the ridge. soon swimming in ice cold, pink borate. From about a thousand feet in the air, it looked to It was clear that we weren’t going to burn. You be covered with grass or low brush. Our Redding couldn’t light that knoll with a flamethrower. How- hosts, being more familiar with that country and ever, we were having difficulty with the smoke, it’s abundance of Manzanita brush, would not have which dropped lower with the coolness of evening. made the mistake that we soon made. The wind didn’t shift before nightfall, and we were Al decided to jump five. Besides the two of us, stuck there for the night without even our trusty the others were Mike Simon (CJ-60), Fred Cramer paper sleeping bags. It wasn’t cold, except for the

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 43 www.smokejumpers.com borate. Some of us dug a little trench and laid in day, and we were evacuated to the main it with a wetted handkerchief over our nose and in Forest Hill. None of us sustained any injury, be- mouth to get clearer air. While lots of details have yond Ron’s cut leg which was quickly stitched up. been forgotten, one remarkable factor we both re- We rejoined the rest of the CJ crew in Redding later member was that there was no panic or drama. No that day and must have been a comical sight in our goodbye speeches or notes to mama—just a long, pink clothes. Ever after, it’s been known to us as the cold, pink night. Pink Fire, so named by Mike McCracken, coauthor The smoke lifted about mid morning the next of this narrative.

Recollections of Mann Gulch 70 Years Later by William (Bill) Brandt (Missoula ’47)

wo of the jumpers on the Mann Gulch that with the help of archival material, it’s reason- Fire were friends of mine. One survived, ably accurate. Tthe other did not. The friend who sur- vived was Walt Rumsey (MSO-49). The friend Bill jumped at Missoula during the 1947 season. He who died was Eldon Diettert (MSO-49). later got his PhD in Botany and taught at Oregon State I have always felt a pang of guilt about Eldon University 1957-90. Diettert. He was the son of one of my Botany Profs at the University of Montana. Dr. Diettert had asked me, on one occasion, whether I would NICKNAMES recommend smokejumping. I replied with an by Bob Smee (Missoula ’68) unqualified “YES.” Eldon had completed his initial training Part of the culture and lore of smokejumping is which included seven practice jumps. He was in the use of nicknames. These clever, colorful, and the midst of his 20th birthday dinner party with sometimes humorous descriptive pseudonyms for family in Missoula when the call came for him to fellow jumpers have always been interesting and report to Johnson Airfield and ready himself to entertaining to me. Some have become so affixed make his first fire jump. He did so. and long lasting that many of us do not know the When I returned to campus that fall and person’s real name. encountered Walt Rumsey, I, of course, wanted Wikipedia defines a nickname as a substitute for to discuss the Mann Gulch Fire with him. To my the proper name of a familiar person ….. commonly surprise, Walt said that Eldon and he were with a used to express affection, it is a form of endearment group of jumpers moving fast uphill to escape the and amusement. Many smokejumpers have derived flames. The group came to some rim rock. There these names from their characteristics, actions, or was an opening through which Walt and Rob- a memorable event. If you, the readers of Smoke- ert Sallee proceeded. Walt said that Eldon chose jumper, feel as I do that it would be of some value to not go up through the opening but instead, to capture as many of these as possible—please email regrettably, continued along the rim rock. After me as many as you can remember. With the concur- going up through the opening, Sallee and Rumsey rence of the magazine staff, we will print what we laid down in a rock slide and thus survived. collect in a future edition. Send the nicknames you Note: The above recollection comes from a 92 have heard and, if you can remember it, the person’s year-old mind, 70 years after the event. I hope actual name to [email protected].

Check the NSA website 44 National Smokejumper Reunion Time To Get In The Door by Nate Ochs (Missoula ’11) and Tyson Atkinson (Missoula ’11)

This is a story about Ed Lynn (MSO-95). We earlier, and he’d been foraging on little more than lost Ed this December after a fight with glioblas- huckleberries as he tried to locate his wife. On the toma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. seventh day, weak and fearing the worst, he finally In a letter to his friends, drafted in the last weeks set fire to the dry ferns and the standing cedars in before he died, Ed wrote: “This has been really the drainage bottom as an SOS, a last-ditch effort hard and yet the best, most sad, happy, single most to find rescue. amazing thing ever to happen to me. I won’t let you Once the jumpers had discovered and safely ex- down. It gets rough, but I promise every one of you tracted the lost man, they called additional resources I will fight till there is absolutely no fight left, and to assist in a search and rescue operation to find the I really don’t know what that means, just not in my man’s wife, and Ed Lynn was dispatched with four vocabulary. The only real way to thank you will be others to parachute in as a rescue EMT. to be first in line to help our next friend in need. I No stranger to Northern Idaho, Ed was born will do my best to do that.” in Coeur d’Alene, some 60 miles north of the As we interviewed people for this article, the incident, which they were now calling the Buck word that kept returning to them when they talked Fire. He’d graduated from high school in nearby about Ed was “mentor.” It’s easy to see why. In the Hayden, working his summers on the family farm face of enormous adversity, Ed handled himself in Washington. Ed had been a boxer in those days, with the kind of poise and toughness that would and it was in this region that he’d earned Golden look good on anyone, just as he had in the field and Gloves status. throughout his life. Now, as the eight-foot-diameter burning cedars There are a lot of stories about Ed, and this is began falling and spreading fire up the drainage, Ed just one of them, but I think it catches some of that was in his element. This was the St. Joe, after all. It spark that made Ed who he was to us: Ed the men- was no picnic, maybe, but it was home. tor, Ed the comrade and friend. By the time Ed was on the ground, the couple’s In mid-August 2017, smoke had been trapped had been located. The de facto search zone for weeks over most of northern Idaho. The area became the area between the vehicle and where the continued to receive lightning, but reduced vis- lost man had been found. ibility made any new wildfires in the Panhandle Ed and his counterparts began their methodical difficult to detect. When the smoke finally lifted, a search. This was in Ed’s 23rd year of smokejumper new fire was revealed in the St. Joe National Forest, operations. In his career, he jumped 109 times onto and smokejumpers were dispatched from Missoula active wildfires. But however long that was, Ed had to suppress it. been a hunter for far longer, and those were the skills What was strange about it, the jumpers noted as that he drew on now. they circled in the aircraft, was that the fire was in Hunting with Ed is perhaps the thing his closest the bottom of a steep and remote drainage, when friends remember most fondly about him. A mas- experience and common sense told them that light- terful waterfowl hunter, Ed was dubbed the “duck ning strikes the ridge. It wasn’t until they were on whisperer,” and he was never in the wrong mood the ground and scouting the perimeter that they to talk about the way ducks and geese had worked discovered why. over the decoys in the early morning, forming the At the base of the fire they found a man in his legendary “ducknado,” with his dog waiting in the 70s, his clothes in tatters, waving his arms at the wings for its chance. helicopter that was busy dropping buckets on the Taking the opportunity to introduce someone to flanks. He had gotten lost in the woods nine days that experience for the first time was one of his pas-

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 45 www.smokejumpers.com The fire was growing, and when it came to resources, they were it, at least for the time being. So they talked and they moved forward. In the morning, Ed assumed the role of operations section chief of the Buck Fire and took a trainee with him. If you were to walk around the Mis- soula smokejumper base, you’d find a large percentage of the firefighters there have been trained by Ed. He was instrumental in the grooming of young firefighters not only with his saw skills, but also with his connec- tions to crew-boss training in Porter- ville, Calif. His approach to training was to be fully open with his knowledge, and yet to give his trainees a long leash. He had a way of giving people confidence by telling them they already knew what to do, which they often did, even if they weren’t aware of it yet. By this time, the fire had gotten well established in the great cedars in Ed Lynn (Courtesy Keith Wolferman) the drainage bottom. They were falling consistently, unpredictably, and there sions; he and his hunting partners loved the social was no safe way to construct direct fireline to halt aspect more than the kill. With a hunter’s sense of the rate of spread down there. If the lower left flank how to read a piece of ground, Ed and the other couldn’t be held, it would be miles before the crew EMTs identified what was the likeliest path a per- would find terrain conducive to indirect line for a son would follow in that remote wilderness. When burnout operation. they found disturbances suggesting the woman had As Ed scouted the flank, he discussed the pos- passed nearby, it was Ed’s idea to order a tracker dog sibility of holding it with unmanned portable through the local dispatch center. sprinklers fed from the creek below, but the plan Toward evening, the missing woman was found hinged on several hazard trees that would have to be deceased. It was a blow. Ed helped arrange for her removed. Otherwise, when the trees fell they would extrication, and when he returned to the main body affect the fuel beds beyond the sprinklers and render of firefighters, morale was low. Everyone had been them ineffective. working hard and with hope, and the outcome had The complexity of these trees, however, put them taken some of the wind out of everyone’s sails. beyond the scope of what even the most experienced Ed talked and listened. He had a master’s degree sawyers of the group felt comfortable . in counseling and human services from the Univer- Ed, an accomplished logger for six years before sity of Idaho, in addition to his bachelor’s degree in he went to college and the primary sawyer for his Education with a Science major. That wasn’t some- father’s Idaho logging operation, was on another thing he spoke about much, but it gave him insight level when it came to felling trees. on how to listen and talk in a way that moved the While it is certainly unconventional for an op- conversation toward accepting circumstances, as erations chief to take a turn in the felling rotation, they were preparing to engage the task at hand. a standard Ed was fully aware of, he couldn’t help

Check the NSA website 46 National Smokejumper Reunion himself. You could see the twinkle in his eye when As one firefighter put it, “When a salty guy like he got word from his sawyers that they were turning Ed is proud of what we did, that makes you feel the trees down. right.” “Let me borrow your chaps,” he said. During Ed’s illness, he had to face changes. There are stories about how Ed could do things While even in his final days, he never gave up the with the saw that defied gravity, how he could make fight and at some point, he understood that his a tree leaning downhill fall upslope – that sort of plans for the future were no longer possible. thing – but as he explained what he was about to What had meaning for him then was the com- do, there was no magic; just precise thinking. munity of people who loved him and who reached “It’s all about the size-up,” he explained. “It’s out and showed support. This included especially what could happen next, and next and next. If it his wife, Elizabeth, and his children Amanda, Da- doesn’t happen, great. If it does, you have a plan for kota, Sybil, Olivia and Zoe. It also included what that. It’s not unforeseen.” he called the brotherhood, which is made of the He talked about each tree, what he’d do if the smokejumpers and firefighters who shared the rigors roots gave, if a branch caught and rotated the bole, and challenges of a unique work environment and if the top broke and fell back. Then he went and were there for him when it counted. brought each one swiftly, safely to ground. One Ed was proud to be a smokejumper and did not of them, when it tipped, brought its shallow root take this brotherhood lightly. As he wrote in his let- system with it – an 18-foot disc that could’ve cata- ter: “Who are you people? WELL, YOU ARE THE pulted anyone to a bad end. Ed had foreseen it, and BEST DAMNED FRIENDS/FAMILY ANYONE he was well clear. COULD EVER IMAGINE !” With that done, the sprinkler plan became vi- We are proud to be thought of in this way, and able, and the crew could move forward with the if it was meaningful to Ed, it is meaningful to us mission. It was still touch and go; the next shifts also. When things get tough, we’ll be thinking of the were spent chasing spot fires that threatened to run way Ed showed us how to act, and that if we put our and cancel all progress, but in the end the flank minds to it, nothing is impossible. held. The Buck Fire was kept from becoming a major Type 1 or Type 2 fire incident, and the risk and NEW NSA LIFE exposure to firefighters that always accompanies a fire of that magni- MEMBERS SINCE APRIL tude was prevented. The Buck Fire was just another 2019 fire, but one of the things he loved Thanks for your support! about it, he said, was the sense that “we were winning, even though we 372 LAFFERTY JIM IDAHO CITY 1963 weren’t supposed to be.” 373 EBEL FRED MISSOULA 1957 On a reconnaissance flight of the 374 LANCASTER DAVE GRANGEVILLE 1963 fire, even the district fire manage- 375 BECK DOUG CAVE JUNCTION 1970 ment officer believed the plan had a 376 KRISTOFORS KRIS REDDING 1964 low probability of success and called 377 ROSE JACK MISSOULA 1949 the plan “crazy.” 378 BILLER ALLEN FAIRBANKS 1982 But despite the adverse condi- 379 BINA MIKE MISSOULA 1968 tions, Ed believed that when you 380 PROVENCIO DAVE MISSOULA 1977 gather your forces, design a plan to- 381 MCMAHON JOHN MISSOULA 1958 gether and execute it, you could pull 382 ELLIOTT JIM MISSOULA 1969 something off, even against long 383 TSCHOHL LES MISSOULA 1966 odds, and he was proud when his 384 BUSHNELL JERRY NO CASCADES 1972 people came together and did that.

June 26-28, 2020 in Boise 47 www.smokejumpers.com Smokejumpers carry the flame for eight decades 80th anniversary caps the latest to join our all-star hat selection After 80 years, the “Greatest Job in the World” is still go- ing strong ... and this anniversary cap proves it with its sharp “80” logo with superimposed tree and wings. Flanking the attractive design are “1940” and “2020” with arched “SMOKE- JUMPERS” at the top. Cap is made of durable khaki twill with dark green embroi- dery and “sandwich”-style bill. Adjustable band with brass buckle allows it to fit just about any adult head. Looks fantastic in the yard or around town. Ready to wear a true conversation piece? This cap is another classic in our long list of winners! 80th anniversary cap $20 • Shipping $5

Challenge coin destined to become another favorite collectible We were astounded by the response when we began offering challenge coins several years ago. Members and collec- tors alike – from the United States and several other nations – grabbed them as quickly as they could. This impressive challenge coin fea- tures the 80th anniversary logo in shiny chrome, set against a rich blue back- ground symbolizing the wide-open sky smokejumpers see when exiting their airplanes. On the back is the raised “SMOKEJUMPERS” logo with parachute, tree and wings on shiny chrome, with “The Greatest Job in the World” inscribed below. Coin measures 1.75 inches in diameter. Why not buy some as gifts for friends? 80th anniversary coin $5 • Shipping $4

TO ORDER: Please write your request on a separate sheet of paper and include it with your check made out to “NSA.” The order form does not have any spaces for the 80th anniversary coin nor the 80th anniversary cap. Please calculate the item price(s) and shipping when writing the order. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Check the NSA website 48 National Smokejumper Reunion