Smokejumper, Issue No. 95, Janurary 2017
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The National Smokejumper Quarterly Magazine Association January 2017 Smokejumper Enough Excitement to Fill Several Lifetimes ....................... 4 Illustrious History of the Doug ............................................ 16 The First Black Smokejumper ............................................. 19 CONTENTS Message from Message from the President ....................................2 Enough Excitement to Fill Several Lifetimes— Seethaler Part I ................................................4 the President Sounding Off from the editor ................................13 Old Jumpers .........................................................14 The Illustrious History of the Doug .......................16 is not being discussed openly. I The Man in the Middle, the First Black Smokejumper ................................................19 would like to bring it into the Snapshots from the Past........................................26 open so that we might begin to Lessons Unlearned - Prescribed Fire and Smoke understand the problem and Management ..................................................27 bring some help to individuals A Smokejumper Story ...........................................30 Off the List ............................................................33 and families.” Letter to the Editor................................................40 I was recently pleased to see NSA Increases Scholarships to $12,000 ...............40 that others are also recognizing The View from Outside the Fence ..........................41 the problem of suicide when I The Potlatch Timber Fire ......................................42 was forwarded a copy of the “6 New NSA Life Members Since January 2016 ........43 Blast from the Past................................................44 Minutes for Safety” that comes Book Review: Former Jumper by Jim Cherry out of Boise. This one sheet Takes to the Water .........................................45 (Missoula ’57) informational is titled “Fire- New Book Chronicles Waldron Creek Deaths ........47 President fighter Mental Illness/Suicide.” A Band of Brothers ...............................................48 An Interesting Life – From a Tail Gunner to As I pen this article, my The opening paragraph Carving and Painting ......................................49 wife and I have just recently states: “Mental health is an Australian and American Firefighting ....................53 returned from another very en- often neglected part of firefighter Odds and Ends .....................................................55 joyable and successful Septem- safety, even as the number of ber trail project that included reported firefighter deaths by sui- a total of 18 former jumpers, cide has been on the rise. Suicid- spouses and associates. The fel- al thoughts and other symptoms lowship was outstanding and of depression, post-traumatic the sense of accomplishment stress, and other mood disorders was heartwarming, knowing are not signs of weakness; rather, that we had done great good they are indicators of a medical on the projects we accom- condition that requires attention SMOKEJUMPER, Issue No. 95, January 2017 ISSN 1532-6160 plished. and treatment. Smokejumper is published quarterly by: Congratulations to long- “Awareness, knowledge, and The National Smokejumper Association time smokejumper and for- action can mitigate emotional c/o 10 Judy Lane Chico, CA 95926 mer Boise Base Manager Jim suffering and reduce the risk of The opinions of the writers are their own and do Raudenbush (FBX-82), who suicide among firefighters. One not necessarily reflect those of the NSA. Permis- retired from a 35-year career life lost is too many.” sion to reproduce Smokejumper in any manner must first be obtained in writing. as a smokejumper. He re- Also included in the in- NSA Website: http://www.smokejumpers.com tired with more than 200 fire formation sheet is a listing of Managing Editor: Chuck Sheley jumps. risk factors, warning signs, a Associate Editor: Ed Booth In the October 2015 issue “What You Can Do” section Editing: K. G. Sheley of Smokejumper magazine I and a 24/7 suicide hotline Photo Editor: Johnny Kirkley had raised the issue of suicide: at (800) 273-8255. Are you Illustrators: Dan Veenendaal, and Eric Rajala “Suicide is something that is oc- struggling with these issues, or Layout/Printing: Larry S. Jackson, Heidelberg curring among our numbers … suspect that someone else is? Graphics, www.HeidelbergGraphics.com particularly among those who Take action now. You may be Front cover: McCall 1949 Rookie Class L-R: Earl Dodds, Bob Garrard, Reid Jackson, Walter have been long-term jumpers saving a life. Brafford, Dave West. (Courtesy Earl Dodds) and who have retired … but it In the July 2016 issue of Check the NSA website 2 www.smokejumpers.com Smokejumper magazine I had shared a request The National Smokejumper Association is now from a former jumper who had developed Parkin- a registered charitable organization with Amazon- son’s disease to see if this was something that was Smile. When customers shop on AmazonSmile – impacting others as well. at smile.amazon.com – the AmazonSmile Founda- There was some concern that inhaling the tion will donate 0.5 percent of the price of eligible toxins in smoke might be a contributing factor in purchases to the charitable organizations selected the disease’s development. by customers. I have received feedback from several former To participate and benefit the NSA, just log jumpers since that publication. I have no idea onto smile.amazon.com and select the NSA as your where this may lead, but I am accumulating the designated charity. information and will see if the number of situa- * * * * * tions reported to me fall outside the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease in the general population. Firestarter If this is something you are experiencing, or if by Tom Decker (Idaho City ’64) you know someone who has passed away with the disease, please let me know. Cabin In The Woods Do you ever do shopping through Amazon? If omewhere in Idaho’s backcountry, close to the so, you can now also turn it into a way of benefit- SIndian Creek landing strip on the Salmon Riv- ing the NSA. er, was a cabin nestled amidst the lodgepole pine. The cabin was neat as a pin, with firewood stacked in straight and uniform racks, a prim chimney on the tin roof, with the appearance of NSA Members—Save a year-round residence rather than an abandoned This Information miner’s shack. Please contact the following persons directly if The setting was idyllic, miles from anywhere you have business or questions: with no roads, and unburdened by the necessities – Smokejumper magazine or niceties – of civilization. I wondered who lived Articles, obits, change of address there. A miner was the most logical, but it could Chuck Sheley have been a summer getaway, or perhaps an honest- 530-893-0436 to-goodness recluse. In any regard they were there [email protected] either to retreat or retrench. 10 Judy Ln. Chico, CA 95926 And as quickly as the cabin appeared in our flight Membership path, it was gone. I have often wondered whether I John McDaniel really saw it or was it just an apparition. 785-404-2847 [email protected] No believer left alone 807 Eileen Ln. Salina, KS 67401-2878 We all have moments when we’d like to get away All else from it all. Our culture values a degree of privacy, NSA President and hence we find safety in avoiding contact with Jim Cherry others. We preserve our space and limit self-exposure 641-927-4428 to maintain some degree of personal security in a [email protected] crowded society. The result is that many shop, work, 2335 300th St. Ventura, IA 50482-8502 and live in a community, but are basically alone, and think it’s okay because experience has shown Smokejumper base abbreviations: them that they can expect little else from life. Anchorage .......... ANC Grangeville ........ GAC Redding .............RDD Is isolation a problem? Maybe. Maybe not. Per- Boise ................. NIFC Idaho City .......... IDC Redmond ............RAC Cave Junction ........ CJ La Grande .......... LGD West Yellowstone WYS haps so, if the isolation reinforces a loneliness that is Fairbanks ............ FBX McCall ...............MYC Whitehorse Yukon YXY born out of fear, hurt, and disappointment. Fort St. John ........ YXJ Missoula ............MSO Winthrop ......... NCSB The Christian faith calls people out of isolation to Check the NSA websitewebsite 3 www.smokejumpers.com live in fellowship with God. The fellowship reinforces side of heaven, at best the core is God’s desire to serve the trinity of meaningful living with a vision of God others. culminating in faith, hope, and love. Admittedly there is an appeal to a cabin in the Followers of Christ have always sought to bring woods in Idaho’s backcountry! the good news of Jesus to outsiders so that they too can Maybe we begin there for a picture of heaven! So participate in this community of faith, hope, and love. be it! Even though the community is never perfect this Hoot! Enough Excitement To Fill Several Lifetimes – Seethaler Part I by Karl Seethaler (Missoula ’55) lmost 50 years to the day after I gradu- ated from Whittier College in June 1956, AI attended the June 2006 graduation of my daughter Tara from Dartmouth College. That was 10 years ago. My daughters Lisa, born in Saigon in 1967, and Sonya, born in Vientiane in 1969, were in attendance as well. Tara was born in 1984, more than a decade after I left Southeast Asia. I bring this up to put