When I was a lad, about 1956, I flew in a Lockheed Super Constellation (bet you you guys didn't!! Nyah nyah!! That machine is much prettier and impressive in reality than it is in photos!) from Portland to Anchorage to Attu to Narita (Tokyo). This was in November, about. Attu was a military base.
Attu was cold, foggy, drippy, extremely humid, chilling, and forbidding. I am making a big understatement. Imagine a slow drizzle starting every morning as the slush in the ground starts to melt, only stopping about midnight as the ground freezes again. Highs about 35 degrees, lows about 30 degrees. Visibility varying with the fog. Suicide without proper gear. In straight cotton warm weather uniforms you might last if you piled up at night, fit blankets into your clothes, had a bunch of dry newspapers, and some kind of plastic sheet. Good hat and mittens.
They must have had exposure injuries right away. On the other hand, I was there in November, not in the summer.
I was just a little kid. For sure didn't want to play outside. Was bored, though (ten year old boy) and asked a very old Airman (maybe 20 years old) for a download on what it was like to be here. He kept talking about guys getting lost in the fog and freezing. Caterpillars disappearing into the mud. Maybe he gave me an exaggerated view, heh, heh.
Hey Sam . . . I'm working on finances again this evening. If you're doing bills and POs maybe we could party together.
OHHHH! MYYYYY! I just crack myself up! 8^D
