Andy's Lost ... Or, Sharing and Survival

By Don Kissil Published in NEW JERSEY FOLKLIFE 15 (1990)

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, an oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska produced an environmental disaster larger than the state of Rhode Island. Since then angry, blame- seeking accusation, denial and litigation continue as do thankless, unrewarding years of clean-up work. The lonely weeping of everyone and everything that was affected stills for a while only to grow louder again as the media manipulates us. The sanctimonious environmentalists' cry of, "We told you so, even before you built the pipeline ... " often all but drowns out the whimper of the locals who continue to face spiritual as well as financial bankruptcy. There is much unharnessed energy up there in Alaska, and often more heat than light is generated, but I wish to tell you another type of Alaska story. Some might call it a religious story, while others would deny that, but no matter what you call it, you can be certain .. .it's all true.

Andy is the son of a New Jersey Quaker family who, at least to us, were good Friends as well as good friends. As a recent college graduate, Andy went off to teach High School to the Siberian Yupik speaking Eskimo people in Alaska. He chose to live in a village called Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island which is about 100 miles long by 30 miles wide and lies in the Bering Straits of the Bering Sea. Gambell (pop. about 400) is geographically about 200 miles west of Nome, Alaska and about the same distance south of the Arctic Circle. On a clear day Gambell residents can see the Siberian coast which is only 38 miles away. After living in Gambell for five years, Andy married Holly, an island native, and at the time of this story, they had one daughter, Denise.

While Andy taught, he also learned from the Yupik people.

He learned that they take their incredible survival skills seriously. For one day, when Andy awoke he realized that he and six Yupik friends were probably lost at sea. As he brushed the sea from his eyes and his mind cleared a bit, he remembered that for almost twenty days now they had been adrift in two small, open, aluminum skiffs, and pulling the hood of his parka down over his face he cried a little, quietly, to himself.

Andy said that most of the time in his heart he felt that all would survive and return home-"because Eskimos know how"-but there were other times .. .

They could read the weather... After so many generations of surviving they have a very strong belief in it. .. They've done it for thousands of years and they can do it some more ...

They shot birds, they knew which parts you could eat raw and which parts had the most water content. We were able to cook walrus and seal meat. It keeps for a really long time. We burned plywood that we ripped off one of the boats ...

One night we saw a ship. We signaled it with seven flares. The ship seemed to stop so we paddled like crazy. When we were about one mile away the boat left. That broke my spirit.

Or, after their tenth day lost, when Andy, with a nail, scratched this into his plastic camera case ...

“6/12/88 Dear Holly, Denise, I love you both with all my heart and soul! I pray that I will get to see and hold you in my arms. Love, Andy/Daddy”

Usually, however, Andy's feelings were more positive ...

None of us brought sleeping bags and we slept curled up in the bottom of the boats, trying to keep warm and dry. We dreamed a lot to pass the time. I dreamed about fruit juice and Holly and Denise. There were times when it felt like it must be the last day and it dawned on you that if you lasted that day, you could do another. We were very frightened at night. Everyone was so tired, we took turns staying awake and manning the rudder. We were sailing any way the wind would blow us, and someone was assigned to bail as we tried to keep the swells behind us so they would not swamp the boat.

Published National Guard reports provided dry, bare-bones facts, but newspaper interviews fleshed out the story:

We survived storms, fog, and ice by eating walrus, seal and ducks and by drinking water from pools on top of icebergs where we would haul up for rest. Once, I stepped on the wrong piece of ice and fell into the icy water. When we left our last iceberg we had to drop the boat off the ice ledge, 15 feet into the water and then jump into it. One minute you are standing at sea level, the next you'd be looking 15 feet down into the water.

Once we got off the ice floes there was nothing but water and ice in all directions. We didn't see land for days. After a while it kind of felt like we were really alone out there, but ittums out we really weren't. We never gave up and our friends didn't either.

II

On this Spring hunting trip, Andy accompanied his friends the walrus hunters, to photograph and document their annual event. Some hunters were Andy's relatives like Mike, his brother-in-law. These Spring hunts provided meat to be shared by many families. Eight boats were provisioned for only a one day trip and by the third day, all but two of the skiffs had returned. Andy and six hunters (including two teenaged boys), in two boats, had separated in the fog and thus began a 21-day sea saga and odyssey upon which many long Alaska winter nights' tales will be based.

The Summit, New Jersey, Quaker Meeting became actively involved when Andy's parents (Deb and Pete) telephoned from Maine to ask the Meeting to hold their Andy "in the light," because he was lost somewhere in the Bering Sea. Holly had phoned them from Gambell, saying that two of her blood relatives, along with Andy, were on the lost boats. Holly said being lost at sea for a few days was not uncommon among her people. "They usually show up, sometime." But she thought that her in-laws ought to know ... just in case. After days of anxious waiting, Deb and Pete flew up to Gambell to try to help with the search. Pete said that we in New Jersey could most efficiently help if we would continuously telephone the Alaska Coast Guard Search and Rescue Station to "encourage" them to continue their search.

As we began our international and geopolitical network, things developed rapidly over the next few days. We spoke via phone or directly corresponded with family, friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, politicians and legislators on both sides of the aisle and at the federal, state and local levels. The U.S. State Department bureaucrats, officers, and their counterparts in the Soviet Union (and remember, in 1988 there was a Soviet Union), came to know many of us Quakers quite well. Somehow, someone in our network was even able to contact the Soviet Maritime Service, MOREFLOT, at Vladivostok, USSR. U.S. Coast Guard personnel, the office of the Governor of Alaska and several of his staff often began their phone conversations with "Oh, it's you again ... " The Quaker Mission to the United Nations, the American Friends Service Committee offices in several cities, the local, national and international print and TV news media, were "in the manner of Friends," clearly and persistently made aware of our concern. In fact so many were made aware, by Quakers as well as non Quakers, that we soon lost count, due to the quick action taken by so many who simply wished to share in this rescue.

(Left to Right) Mike Slwooko and Joe Slwooko, Jr. "Mike's boat with our poncho sail." (Photo by Andrew P. Haviland)

The long Alaska days (more than 20 hours of daylight at that time of year) helped the U.S. Coast Guard to search the 83,000 square mile area. Local Eskimos were used as spotters because they know how the ice and currents move. The Alaska National Guard tried to fly over Siberian coastal waters but Russian interceptor planes quickly intervened to stop them. When the Quaker network was told this, we contacted our State Department to encourage them to convince the Russians to permit Siberian over-flights to aid in this search. After some initial bureaucratic intransigence on both sides, the Governor of Alaska encountered a surprisingly warm reception from the Russians and obtained that permission.

"Why shouldn't we be allowed to search that area," the Siberian Yupik Mayor of Gambell asked: ''There is no border [between Russia and the U.S.] out there in the ocean, just ice and water."

This was the first time since before World War II that the Soviet government allowed over- flights of foreign aircraft into that highly-restricted Siberian airspace. Now, years later, we know why they were so restrictive. But U.S. Coast Guard reports of July 1988, clearly indicate that Russian ships and planes had also aided in the search.

After the search was over Pete (Andy's father) wrote a beautiful letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, thanking him for his help. Reading a copy of Pete's letter made me re- examine my own priorities. Perhaps what should concern me, is really different from what does consume so much of my daily energy, in our potentially hair trigger world politic. I also thought about why our "shared Quaker network" could facilitate the Alaska Governor's obtaining search permission over Siberian territory, while our supposedly all powerful U.S. military could not. I suspect that the answer lies more in Dr. Einstein's idea that you cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war and less in world militarism or politics.

(Left to Right) Harold, Quinn, Joe, Mike, Andy, Joe Jr. "Iceberg camp. Trying to dry out our feet and clothes. Day 3." (Photo by Junior Slwooko)

III

All this activity took place during only two weeks, and many funny, curious, and strange events occurred during all this activity, which ought to be shared.

Asa spoke first, that First-Day (Sunday) after Andy was found. As he often does Asa dealt with the subject in a rather oblique or tangential way, not really head on. He spoke about sharing, and survival, saying that one recent morning, he had a strange and powerful feeling that Andy would be found. He said that he wrote down the feeling on a scrap of paper, but also needed to "share it." He needed to tell someone. He said he wanted to make certain that someone knew what he'd felt; that people would not snicker, after Andy was found, and say "Sure, Asa ... ," in that patronizing manner some affect when confronted with someone who thinks he sees things. So, not long after his feeling, Asa told Louella, and Claire and several others, and this morning he told us all. His message (what Quakers call "vocal ministry") was followed by several others who, in that gathered sense that sometimes happens in a Quaker Meeting, also spoke of "sharing" experiences.

A Pennsylvania Quaker, during our networking, described our concern to a woman friend who believes she professes some degree of clairvoyance. She told this Friend that" ... everyone in the boats were safe ... ," but when asked why the radio contact had been so infrequent (each boat was equipped with a CB radio), she said she "saw" a "broken wire" in one radio. In fact, a broken wire was later found in one of the radios.

Another Quaker telephoned a then New Jersey Congressman (who after an unsuccessful run for Governor has now retired from politics), requesting help in contacting our State Department. This phone call produced the following response from a staff member:

Are you certain this Andy is an American Citizen, and if so, what is his social security number and exactly where and when was he born? Exactly what was he teaching those people up there and who was paying him to do it?

It took that Quaker a while to calm down, but to hear him tell it: "I immediately understood why only about 40% of Americans vote."

An interesting irony is that despite all the mountains of transnational power we moved with our shared concern, the seven survivors were not found in Siberian territory, but virtually in their own back yard.

A sailing ship out of San Diego, the Hawaiian Tropic Cyrano, happened to be in the area. Since the early 1980s, her crew had been engaged in helping reunite separated Siberian Yupik families on both sides of the Bering Strait. The politics of US /Russian separation had divided several of these families for years. Also several anthropological researchers on board had been studying Eskimo survival techniques and as they were in the area they took time out to participate in the search for the lost walrus hunters. Cyrano's crew actually picked up the first, faint signal from their radio (some say it was the one with the "broken wire"). The seven men had beached their boats in a deserted area about 15 miles east of Cape Siknik, on the southeastern shore of St. Lawrence Island, and only about 75 miles from Gambell. Hawaiian Tropic Cyrano relayed their location to the Alaska National Guard pick-up helicopter and thus directly facilitated the men's retrieval.

IV

Gambell weather, on the day they were found, was too poor to bring them there, so the helicopter first landed in Savoonga, another small village on St Lawrence Island. Observers and village neighbors from all over the island swarmed around the hunters offering them a heroes' welcome as they disembarked.

Becky, mother of Holly and Mike (Andy's brother-in-law,) said: “I cried and cried until the tears dried out. People kept on telling me they'll be OK but I was very worried and getting weak. I could hardly eat or sleep. Now everybody's happy. I have a house full of people drinking coffee and tea. “

An elder said, in that way the old ones have of downplaying something as simple to an Eskimo as survival, "They looked healthy and happy except a little tired."

But there was another reaction too. It came from one of the survivors. His name was Junior, despite the fact that he was 39 years old. Junior, a professional hunter from Gambell, was, by all accounts, the acknowledged leader during the 21-day ordeal. Junior had much to say ...

They [the others] always doubted, I said, 'I always make it.' It gets to the point where you simply believe you're going to make it no matter what.

But you gotta believe. You don't want to think negative no matter how long it takes. My oldest son had a calendar watch. They were always asking him what day it was. I told him don't tell the days anymore. Don't tell them that. Let the days go by.

My boys learned a lot from this. Probably the most important things: cooperation and helping each other at the most difficult times, and keeping their heads cool, and never giving up. Just never giving up. There is always hope.

Even Andy commented at the endurance of Junior's sons, who were 13 and 18 respectively. The two [boys] were very courageous, no complaints, or whining. They were so accepting of what they had to do. It is the most admirable quality I've ever seen in younger people.

(Left to Right) Joe, Andy, Mike. "Drying out our feet and some clothes."

But despite all the sharing and kindness it was not all sweetness and light adrift and lost at sea for 21 days. Press accounts and other reports told of what and how they ate and drank and their attempt to stay dry both in and out of their boats. But how did they deal with the psychological pressures for 21 days, of not knowing if there would be "a five minutes from now?" How, under long periods of stress, did four men and two boys with the shared Siberian Yupik heritage, interact with Andy (an Anglo) who lacked that heritage? Was blood thicker than water?

Andy said, "Junior was the leader of both boats."

Junior was in charge. He accepted that responsibility. He made all the lifesaving decisions. Sometimes he kidded, sometimes he threatened, as tensions among all the men erupted into argument. Junior often told the men to "knock off' their morbid discussions of how long they had left to live. Speaking in Yupik and in English and through sheer force of will, he constantly made it clear he would not accept anyone's dying. Arguments over water rations, what should and should not be kept on board, sometimes erupted into screaming and yelling. One day, in anger, Junior cut the two boats apart. Andy was in that other boat. Casting that boat adrift cooled the heated tempers of those less experienced men who, having to deal with the frighteningly vast and angry sea, soon came to understand Junior's words:

“... I got two sons with me. I'm trying to live. I'm not going to roll over and die, you can adapt to anything ... “

Most in-depth media coverage acknowledged that survival of all the men, not just the Yupik, was sought. So it was, "Sharing and Survival, Eskimo and Anglo”, as Junior said:

"Some of the petty prejudices you take for granted down in the lower 48, don't make much sense up here in the Arctic."

There were lots of other kinds of sharing. Providence Hospital in Anchorage, where Andy was brought to recover from his ordeal, offered a wonderfully thoughtful service to their patients. No doubt because distances are so great in Alaska, some hospitals provide overnight sleeping accommodations for patient's families. When Deb (Andy's mother) visited her son at the hospital, she spoke with a woman who coincidentally was in Deb's Girl Scout troop when they both lived in New Jersey. This woman was going out of state for a few weeks and offered the entire family the use of her home during Andy's recovery.

After returning to Maine, Pete described some the events from his perspective:

The seven men drifted on ice floes and sailed with makeshift sails for three weeks without seeing land. The last five days they had no water. Andy told how, when they were in the boats during intense fog, they collected water that condensed onto their sail made from a plastic poncho. Hour after hour, one man held a taut, short string at the edge of the sail for the water to run down into his canteen. Andy and two others were hospitalized (Andy for five days) for dehydration and exposure. Andy probably suffered the most, due to genetic differences between Eskimos and Anglos. He lost 38 pounds and the sensation in his feet, but this is gradually returning.

Deb added some personal experiences:

“We have a new appreciation for the power of prayer, and for the survival skills of the people with whom Andy has made his home for the past five years. We were impressed with their faith, who never stopped assuring us that the hunters were going to return. It was really the most consuming emotional experience I've ever had ... I will never forget Holly's aunt coming into the room where I was resting, late on the evening we arrived, and praying with me in Yupik, or the crazy wild joy of the village the night the men were known to be alive. Everyone was running around hugging, kissing, laughing, crying, and praising God all at the same time. The faith and support of the Yupik people were amazing. And then hearing Andy's voice for the first time and neither one of us being able to say much for the tears and joy we both shared. “

(Left to Right) Harold, Junior, Joe, Mike, Andy, Joe Jr. "Back on shore after 20 days!" (Photo by Quinn Slwooko)

So perhaps the "blood-thicker-than-water" cliche doesn't stand up very well with the real survivors of this world.

Epilogue

A month after his rescue, Andy wrote a letter to our Quaker Meeting, expressing his thanks for all our efforts. Parts of Andy's letter generated a few ideas that I will think about as I sit in silent worship.

“There were times on the trip that reminded me of [Quaker] Meeting. At certain points, I felt very peaceful and rested. Even though I was in the middle of nowhere, life seemed OK and I was happy. It was a feeling that I used to get when I sat in Meeting for Worship. I liked the feeling and I drew strength from it then and now.

The experiences that I went through have had a building effect on my life. I took a good look a tmy life as the trip wore on. I looked at where my life has come from and what I have done with it. I decided I had no regrets with the past but there were improvements to be made in the future. I am thankful for the experiences I have endured even though they were painful. “

NOTE

1. The direct quotes from Andy and several others in the story were obtained by personal communication and a review of local, national and international press that followed the event.

Peter R. Haviland Maple Juice Cove Cushing, ME 04563 U. S. A.

June 30, 1988

Premier Mikhail Gorbachev The Kremlin , Moscow, U.S.S.R.

Dear Mikhail Gorbachev:

I want to express to you personally, and to the people of both our countries, my gratitude for the Soviet Union's openness and cooperation in a truly humanitarian effort.

On June 2nd seven American walrus hunters from St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea were lost in fog and ice floes. My son, Andrew Haviland, was one of the seven men. The other six were Yupik Eskimos; all relatives of my son’s wife, Holly Slwooko.

Ships and planes from Siberia searched your waters, while the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska National Guard searched on our side of the International Date Line. The search continued for three very long weeks, ending with your government's unprecedented action in allowing U.S. planes with Eskimo spotters to search Siberian shores on June 23rd. That same evening the hunters miraculously reached safety on the south shore of St. Lawrence Island and were picked up.

My family and the Slwooko family thank God and all our friends who prayed with us, as well as those who searched for the missing men, on both sides of the Bering Sea. We all bear witness to the hopes of Soviet and U.S. people for peace and understanding between our nations, working together as friends and neighbors.

It is also significant that on June 14th, while the seven hunters were in their boats without food or water, people from Providenya and Nome, Chaplino and Gambell, and from other villages on Soviet and American shores were sharing together food, gifts, and photographs in a Friendship Flight that renewed bonds between Yupik families and friends who had not seen each other in 30 years. That visit and my family's near tragedy symbolizes for me, even more than your meetings with President Reagan, the new spirit in U.S. - Soviet relations because it unites our people in friendship.

In peace. Peter Haviland

July 22, 1988 Summit Monthly Meeting Newsletter

Dear Summit Meeting,

I am writing this letter in thanks to the many of you who lent your support and good wishes to myself and my family during our time of trouble.

When I was rescued and finally safe, I was amazed at the distances that our story had travelled. I was amazed and very thankful that there are so many caring and wonderful people in the world. I am very thankful that somehow I was connected with these wonderful people.

All the prayers and thoughts that people sent out helped bring us back home. All the phone calls and letters made a difference. I am thankful for all of those and wish I could thank everyone individually.

There were times on the trip that reminded me of meeting. At certain points, I felt very peaceful and rested. Even though I was in the middle of nowhere, life seemed ok and I was happy. It was a feeling that I used to get when I sat in meeting for worship. I like the feeling and I drew strength from it, then and now.

The experiences that I went through have had a building effect on my life. I took a good look at my life as the trip wore on. I looked at where my life has come from and what I have done with it. I decided I had no regrets with the past but there were improvements to be made with the future. I am thankful for the experiences I have endured even though they were painful.

As you know, Holly and I were married on July the 9th. We are very happy with our decision to be formally married and know that it makes many other people very happy as well. I will make a correction to your last newsletter though.

Our decision not to be married in the past was not because of any responsibilities that the marriage would of incurred to myself. We both have realized for a long time that marriage brings responsibilities into one's life along with happiness. Our decision was our own and always has been. We were simply not ready until now.

Please accept my thanks for all your prayers and efforts to make the rescue successful. I am very thankful to be alive and happy with my family.

Thank you and God Bless you all,

Andy Haviland