Smokejumper Magazine, July 2003 National Smokejumper Association
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Eastern Washington University EWU Digital Commons Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines University Archives & Special Collections 7-1-2003 Smokejumper Magazine, July 2003 National Smokejumper Association Troop Emonds Chuck Mansfield Jim Veitch Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_mag Recommended Citation National Smokejumper Association; Emonds, Troop; Mansfield, Chuck; and Veitch, Jim, "Smokejumper Magazine, July 2003" (2003). Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines. 40. https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_mag/40 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the University Archives & Special Collections 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 SmokejumperAssociation July 2003 Inside This Issue: Aggressive Wildland Fire Control ....................................................... 10 Smokejumper Received High CIA Awards.......................................... 24 In Memory of Jim Thrash .................................................................. 40 CONTENTS Message from Message from the President ......................... 2 In the Door .................................................. 2 The Burning Pupa of Death .......................... 3 the President The Gobi Charisma ...................................... 5 Featured Life Member John McIntosh .......... 6 Mick ............................................................ 7 Jon McBride has got a lot of Huckleberry Pie Might Have Saved Life ........ 9 volunteers for the trail jobs coming A Letter to the Gobi Smokejumper Crews ..... 9 up this month. If you haven’t tried Aggressive Wildland Fire Control and the Biscuit Fire .......................................... 10 out this program, plan for it next Sounding Off from the Editor..................... 11 year. It’s great to get out in the Readers Respond … .................................. 11 woods with old comrades and swap a Featured Life Member Clarence ‘Jim’ few stories around the campfire. We Rabideau ............................................. 14 also get a lot of work done. Point … ..................................................... 15 … Counterpoint ........................................ 16 Our effort to register our Editorial Oversight? ................................... 17 trademark logo continues and should Hoarding Jumpers—Are They a National be accomplished by this fall. Your Resource? ............................................ 19 Association is strong, vital and Smokejumper History/Yearbook Makes Good committed. We continue to invite Impression .......................................... 19 Odds and Ends ........................................... 20 your help in its administration. Featured Life Member Ben O. Musquez ..... 21 There is a load of talent among our Checking the Canopy .................................. 22 by Ron Stoleson membership. How about sharing Smokejumper Won Highest Medals (Missoula ’56) your time and skills for the good of of the CIA ............................................. 24 the outfit. Give any of us a call or PRESIDENT Downside ................................................... 25 write a note to volunteer. The View from Outside the Fence ............... 28 AS OF THIS WRITING IN April, we have Items from the Fire Pack ........................... 29 Featured Life Member John C. Twiss .......... 30 grown to 106 life members. This Off the List ................................................. 31 growth is key to our survival as an In the Door Prompt Smokejumper Initial Attack association and I continue to believe by Tom Hunnicutt Equals Dollars Saved ........................... 32 200 life members is an achievable (Redding ’78) Blast from the Past ..................................... 33 goal. It would be great if we achieved Ted Burgon Update .................................... 33 that goal by the time of our national A steady gaze at the horizon, National Fire Plan Suggestions .................. 35 McCall Alums in Hawaii ............................. 37 reunion next June in Missoula, That fuzzy irregular line, Fatigue Reduction Proposal ....................... 37 Montana. So come on and join the That focus point separating Line Creek Fire Analysis ............................ 37 Black Cap gang. Blue sky, green trees Member Profile DeWayne Davis ................. 39 th On April 4 , Vice President And the air. In Memory of Jim Thrash—You Can Help .. 40 Doug Houston presented a plaque memorializing the 30 individuals The air. killed while serving as smokejumpers That air! to the Alaska Smokejumpers. A total Standing in the door of 13 plaques will be presented to The air is like none other. each of the smokejumper bases and In the door before the jump! SMOKEJUMPER, ISSUE NO. 40, JULY 2003 to the Museum of Mountain Flying, Smokejumper is published by: the Evergreen Aviation Museum and THE NATIONAL SMOKEJUMPER ASSOCIATION the National Forest Service Museum. ISSN 1532-6160 Most of the presentations will have The opinions of the writers are their own and been made by the time you read this do not necessarily reflect those of the NSA. in July. NSA Web site: http://www.smokejumpers.com In April, I presented an apprecia- Managing Editor: Chuck Sheley tion plaque/clock to Roger Savage Editing: Jill Leger for all the work he has done for the Illustrators: McElderry Books, Nick Holmes, Association. Roger is responsible for Chris Demarest, Ken Morris, Dan the magnificent smokejumper Veenendaal and Eric Rajala database we have and he also Layout/Printing: Larry S. Jackson, Heidelberg Graphics, Chico, CA developed and maintained our first Web site many years ago. Cover photo: By Jerry Schmidt (Courtesy John Tom Hunnicutt (NSA file) Helmer) Check the NSA Web site 2 www.smokejumpers.com The Burning Pupa of Death by Jason Greenlee (Redding ’99) t was pretty much a routine day for Rachael Link. She had Dubya interrupted him with an announcement: “Hear this, no idea of the evil that waited for her in the familiar halls you rabble. I have a new book here about smokejumpers. Hot of our smokejumper operations center. off the press. The book looks good, but I can’t say much for I the guy that wrote the stuff on the dust jacket. Get a load of We were all gathered around as usual in the morning, wait- ing for roll call. Rookies sat around open-mouthed as Wolfman this: finished up a yarn. “… Yup, this is no do-do. There I was. I ‘… and then the brave smokejumpers were caught on all was in the door and I’d forgotten my ’chute. The spotter sides by the raging fire, which had become a raging, burn- slapped me, so I jumped anyway. I was lucky I had trees be- ing pupa of death.’ low me. I crashed through the first few branches, and that “What kind of word is that? What in heck is a burning pupa slowed me enough so I could grab a branch and hang on. Then of death, anyway?” In anger, Dubya threw the book down on it was just a matter of swinging down and doing a good roll. the counter and began roll call: “Adams, Burke …” Don’t forget to do a good roll, or your butt is in bad shape! Just then, Rachael Link came around the corner. She was …” in her usual shorts and t-shirt, leading the next tour of visi- tors. Things were slow, and the crowds weren’t too bad that 123456789012345678901234567890 123456789012345678901234567890 day. She enjoyed this work, because it gave her a chance to meet 123456789012345678901234567890 people and hob-knob with the jumpers a bit on her free time. 12345678901234567890123456789NSA Members — Save 0 123456789012345678901234567890 The jumpers all liked her exuberance, her friendliness and (this 123456789012345678901234567890 was her undoing) her innocence. 12345678901234567890123456789This Information 0 123456789012345678901234567890 This really wasn’t as much a job for Rachael as a fun way 12345678901234567890123456789Please contact the following persons di- 0 to spend the summer. Little did she know what Billy, the evil 123456789012345678901234567890 12345678901234567890123456789rectly if you have business or questions: 0 rookie, had in store for her that day. That was Billy’s big day 123456789012345678901234567890 12345678901234567890123456789Smokejumper Magazine & Merchandise 0 to mess with Rachael, because that was the day Rachael’s family 12345678901234567890123456789Articles, obits, change of address, orders 0 was visiting the base. 123456789012345678901234567890 12345678901234567890123456789Chuck Sheley 530-893-0436 0 Now let’s start by calling a spade a spade here. Billy was sort 123456789012345678901234567890 of the opposite of sweet, innocent Rachael. Lord knows why [email protected] 0 123456789012345678901234567890 the two hung out together. Billy was the sort of evil, low-down, 1234567890123456789012345678910 Judy Ln 0 conniving guy that you’d expect to find in a smokejumper’s 12345678901234567890123456789Chico CA 95926 0 123456789012345678901234567890 jumpsuit. 12345678901234567890123456789Membership 0 123456789012345678901234567890 But I’ll get to that in a moment. 12345678901234567890123456789Fred Cooper 503-391-9144 0 Let’s just say that Billy was up to something, as was usual 123456789012345678901234567890 [email protected] 0 for Billy. In fact, let’s put our cards on the table here—Billy 123456789012345678901234567890 was a darned rookie! And