by W. R. Benton
“Any idea how much longer until the ice is thick enough to travel on?” Banks asked, suddenly interested.
“It’s hard to say, really. It depends a lot on how cold it gets and how long it stays cold. If yer thinkin’ what I think ya are, it’ll be at least another month or so. By then you’ll be long gone.”
“I hope so, but I can’t really say until we’re talking to the aircraft. Sometimes in search and rescue things happen, so it’s best to prepare for all situations.”
“I hear ya, but with all the modern contraptions they got these days, I ‘spect you’ll be gone soon,” Vittles said and then gave a big smile.
“Do you have anything else to do here besides magazines?” David asked.
“Shore, under the other bunk is boxes and boxes of books. I have classics by Edgar Rice Burroughs, O. Henry, James Fenimore Cooper and a bunch more by other writers. I’ll bet there must be fifty books or more under that bed.”
“So, you read a lot?” David looked up at the old trapper with questioning eyes.
“Uh-huh and its good fer a feller to read a lot too, especially then the snow starts to fly.”
“Vittles, do you mind if I asked you a question about your past?” David asked.
“No, son, ask away.”
“What did you do before you became a trapper?”
Vittles laughed, shook his head and said, “Well, in my other life I was a university professor and I taught literature in Florida. I grew tired of the rat race and came here.”
“No!”
“Yep, I surely did. I taught for a little over ten years and then one day I asked myself why. See, I loved teaching, but I was in a rat race along with millions of other folks. Oh, I still love books, its people I don’t care much for. So, when a man murdered my wife during a bank robbery and I just gave up on society. I thought if I came up here for a few months, I’d get over my grief. Well, I did get over my hurt, but I lost any urge to move back. I fell in love with the mountains and tundra of Alaska.”
“Looks like you found a new lover, old timer,” Banks stated and smiled warmly at the trapper.
Vittles laughed, shook his head and said, “Nothing can ever take the place of my Linda, but I understand what ya mean. I’ve given my heart to the frozen north land and have a love for it that equals the love a man feels for any woman. I can’t really explain it, but I guess most Alaskans know what I mean. This is one state ya either love or ya hate.”
Banks chuckled and said, “I like it most of the time, but the last few nights were pretty cold out on the open tundra. And, I’m sure David here had a rougher time of it than I did, because he didn’t have the right clothing.”
“It was cold, but I knew what to do and I did it. I missed hot food the most though and maybe sleeping warm,” David spoke as he stared off into space, remembering the cold nights alone.
“It's time for us to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, because we have a lot of work to do.” Banks said as he stretched out on the bunk. Then thinking, he asked, “Vittles, where will you sleep?”
“Heck, I’ll make me a pallet right by the stove and sleep as warm as toast.”
“Night Vittles, and thanks for the help.” David said from his bunk.
“Good night, David, and ya get some rest.”
CHAPTER 13
CAPTAINS ZLOTKOWSKI AND BALDWIN were in the air moving toward the crash site. While the snow continued to fall, it was very light. The winds had stopped, but the sky had not completely cleared. The sun was peeking through in a few scattered spots. As they neared the site of Doctor Wade’s crashed plane, pararescueman William Price went over his gear. While the young technical sergeant did not expect to be on the ground, if he was needed he’d not be able to check his equipment before he left the aircraft. Satisfied his gear was in place and in good condition; he leaned back in the orange troop seat and listened to the aircraft communications.
“Zee, let’s do a couple of circles over the site to give Banks time to come up voice on the radio.”
“Not a problem, we can do that. Pilot to crew, watch outside the aircraft for any signals Banks may have out. There is always a chance his PRC-90 is broken or has a dead battery.”
A few minutes later, Baldwin spoke once more, “Should be getting his radio on guard by now, but nothing.”
“Price, you get ready to go down if we don’t see any signals or hear his radio. Our estimated time of arrival over the crash site is two mikes.”
Price knew two mikes meant two minutes, so he made sure his gear was secure and replied, “Roger, understand and I’m ready.”
“First, we’ll circle a few times.” Zee said as he placed the chopper in a slow lazy circle over the crash site.
After a few minutes, Zee called, “Rescue Center, Save One, requesting to lower a P.J. to the ground. Currently we have no contact with Angel One or the survivor.”
“Save One, Rescue Center, any signs of signals or weak radio transmissions?”
“Negative, Center, nothing at all.”
Colonel Wilcox thought seriously about the dangers of putting another man on the ground and was concerned about the weather. The last thing he wanted to do was to place a second P.J. in danger if the aircraft had to return to the base quickly. Banks must be dead or hurt, or else why doesn’t he have a signal out? And, according to the life support section, he should still have some radio battery life left in his first battery, the colonel thought as he shook his head.
“Roger, understand no signs of the survivor or Angel One.”
The wind started to pick up and the chopper wobbled as Zee fought the controls to keep the aircraft stable. Snow started falling harder and it was becoming harder to see out of the windscreen.
Wilcox battled the decision, but finally said, “Save One, Rescue Center, negative, I repeat, negative on lowering another P.J.. Rescue 26 will not be lowered under any circumstance, unless you hear a radio or see signals. Please acknowledge, over.”
“Zee, ya have to let me try to find John and that kid!” Price, Rescue 26, suddenly spoke on the aircraft intercom.
“You heard the boss, Price, no way.”
“Come on, Zee, they’ll die if they stay out here much longer.”
“I don’t make the rules, but I have to follow them Price and the answer is still no.”
“Save One, did you copy our last transmission?”
“Roger, Rescue 26 will remain in the aircraft. Center, the weather is turning rough out here with high winds and more snow. What’s the forecast?”
“Wait one.”
Zee knew the colonel would contact the weather section and then pass the word.
“Roger.”
A few minutes later Rescue Center was back, “Save One, Center, return to base. The weather is changing so fast you may have a hard time the last few miles. Another front just moved in and it will get rougher before it gets better.”
“Understand, Rescue Center. We are to abort this mission and return to base.”
“Roger that Save One, you tried, but let’s call it a day.”
“Save One, returning to base.”
As the aircraft broke from its low circle over the crash site, no one noticed the large snow signal near the trees a few miles from the wreckage. All eyes were on the ground below the chopper and no one expected Banks or David to have moved. It was a sad crew onboard the helicopter as it level off in flight and started back to Elmendorf. Rotor blast, from the helicopter, blew the note Banks had left in his shelter high into the air. The note had his compass heading and explained why he was leaving the crash scene.
After debriefing Zlotkowski and the crew, Colonel Wilcox met with General Moores to discuss the aborted mission. After saluting the senior officer and being instructed to have a seat, Wilcox explained what had happened. The general didn’t say a word as the colonel spoke, but he was thinking hard on the choices he had to make.
“Do you have any questions sir?” Wilcox asked as
he met the general’s eyes.
“Frank, I don’t know how much longer I can keep Headquarters Air Force off of our backs. Headquarters Search and Rescue at Scott Air Force Base are behind us, but even they’re getting to the point that something will be said in a day or two. We’ve spent a lot of money on our rescue attempts and I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep it up. But, why do you think Sergeant Banks didn’t signal your chopper?”
“One of three things happened sir and I’m sure of it. Banks might be dead, he could be severely injured, or he might have moved.”
“Of course these are only guesses, right?”
“Yes sir, I have nothing concrete to base my statement on except years of rescue experience.”
General Moores smiled and replied, “Frank, I think your P.J. and the Wade boy have moved. I know Banks has been trained to stay at a crash site, but with the bad weather we’ve had recently he may have been forced to move. Plus, I was talking to a friend of mine over the weekend and he told me the area of the crash has a few old trappers in it. They may have met a trapper or moved to a trapper’s cabin, maybe. Then again, there are natives in the area too.”
“So, what do we do now, sir?”
“I see us as having three choices in the matter. We can send in rescue teams by dog team or snowmobile and can move them near the crash site by C-130 cargo planes. We can wait for the weather to break and then go back out by choppers, only this time we’ll lower rescue teams. Or, we can simply forget about the rescue and get on with our lives.”
Colonel Wilcox quickly said, “Sir, I don’t think leaving one of our own behind would be a good decision. I mean, what would that be telling the other P.J.’s who may have to be left behind in the future? No, sir, leaving Banks would be a grave mistake in my eyes.”
The general gave a flat chuckle and replied, “Relax Frank, I only said those were our options. I have no intentions of leaving the P.J. or the survivor behind, because I’m a firm believer in finishing what I start. You wait for the weather to clear, have five qualified members form a rescue team, and be ready to go. As soon as the weather section can give you three or four days of good weather I want that team at the crash site. If you feel the need, form two teams of men.”
“I understand sir and I’ll have them ready to go.”
“Well,” the general said with a grin, “why are you still in that chair? Get out and get your folks ready to go colonel and if you need anything or anyone gives you a hard time, just let me know.”
As Frank Wilcox stood, saluted and left the room, General Moores thought as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, Frank, I hope this weather clears soon, or I may be force by Headquarters to terminate this mission. I don’t want to do that, I really don’t.
Banks had seen the rescue chopper just as it banked to return to base. He ran to his signal fires, dropped a match in the first pile of brush, picked up a burning brand and set the other two piles of pine branches on fire. A dense orange color reached for the sky as the sergeant ignited a smoke flare and held it so it would rise with the smoke from his fire. Removing his survival radio, he said, “Save One, Angel One, do you copy, over?”
No response, “Save One, this is Angel One, do you copy?”
Still no answer, so Banks moved the transmit button to “beeper” and let the radio send out a steady beeping noise on the emergency guard frequency. The aircraft should have heard Banks transmitting with the radio and been able to fix his position after a few seconds, but the aircraft never changed course.
Banks, feeling disappointed over not being able to contact the aircraft, knew they’d be back. One thing he’d learned in the Air Force, they never left a person behind until they’d done all they could be get them out. Looking up at the rolling gray clouds, he suspected the chopper was returning to base due to weather. He let his fires burn down, covered the glowing embers with snow, and made three new ones for the next time an aircraft neared.
“How come they didn’t hear you on the radio?” David asked from beside Banks.
“Weather can affect the radio transmission, just like a weak battery can. I’m not sure why they couldn’t hear me, but I’ll keep the spare battery on me next time, so I can change the battery if I don’t get a response. Surely one of them will work.”
“I wasn’t sure if they’d see the smoke, since they were probably looking at the crash site, so I hoped the radio was our way home. Dog gone it!”
Banks put his left hand on David’s shoulder and said, “Chill man, they’ll be back. Right now, we have a warm place to sleep, hot food, shelter, and all the comforts of home. Heck, we could live for years out here if we had to do it.”
“Years! Without a television, games, or my computer! I don’t mind reading for a few days, but I miss calling my friends to talk, going to the mall, or just chatting online.”
Banks laughed, shook his head and said, “David, those are fun things to do, except right now we’re concerned about our survival. The search aircraft will be back and when it does we’ll be ready.”
Vittles came walking up with a fresh fox skin in his right hand. Turning to Banks he asked, “Was that a chopper I heard a few minutes ago?”
“Uh-huh, but they didn’t spot my signals or talk with me.”
“How come? Ya got a radio.”
“Not sure why Vittles, but they didn’t hear the radio or see my smoke or flare.”
“Atmospheric conditions most likely.” The old trapper said.
“Yep, that’s what I figured too.” Banks replied as he zipped up the small pocket on his SRU-21/P survival vest that held his radio.
David looked at the trapper with a confused look and asked, “Atmospheric conditions? I don’t understand.”
Vittles chuckled and said, “Our atmosphere has all sorts of electrical currents moving around in it. Now, Alaska has more than most, that’s what gives us the northern lights, and it makes it tough to transmit with a radio or to receive.”
“I understand, but the chopper was close.”
Vittles pushed his hat back on his head and said, “Could be the batteries in the radio are too weak or maybe there was a noise in the cockpit of the chopper that drowned out the radio. I ain’t got any way of knowin’, but they’ll be back.”
“John says that too, but how do you really know?”
“Way back in 1968, I was in the Republic of Vietnam with the Marines for fourteen months and we never left a man behind that was yet alive. And, I can only remember two times we left dead men and that was because the enemy wouldn’t let us get close enough to recover the bodies.”
“I heard once the Marines have never left a man or body behind.” David said as he tried to remember where he’d heard the comment.
Vittles laughed and said, “That’s an unofficial Marine Corp motto, but they’ve had to leave a few behind, but not often. See, in the service we tried to take care of each other and some of us were closer than brothers could ever be. So, when one of us was injured or killed we tried our best to get ‘em out, even at the risk of our own lives.”
“I hate to break this up, but we need to get back to the cabin. I’m freezing to death standing out here while Vittles tells us war stories,” Banks said and then laughed as he moved toward the log structure.
Entering the cabin, they immediately felt the warmth the small sheet metal woodstove was producing. As usual, it was glowing red on one side and it seemed to David the stove burned wood almost as fast as he could stack it in the corner. When he’d been out in the bush surviving, he would have welcomed the heat but now that he was safe he felt Vittles allowed the small cabin to get too hot at times.
Hours later, after a dinner of bear steaks, boiled potatoes, and cornbread, the three of them read books by lantern light. David had never been around lanterns or the old time lamps that burned kerosene, but Vittles had them both. Of the two, the young man favored the kerosene lamps because he thought they were neat and gave off more light. First
Vittles drifted off to sleep and then John followed him, as David continued to read. It was hours later when the young man decided it was time for bed and as he stood to place his book on a table, David felt his book hit something and then heard breaking glass.
Quickly looking down at the noise, he saw the lamp had fallen to the floor of the cabin and flames were now moving up the blanket on his bed. Pulling his pillow, David attempted to fight the fire, but to no avail. Filled with panic, he screamed for help. The wood of the cabin was seasoned and as dry as the desert sands. By the time Banks awoke and moved toward the bed the whole wall was engulfed in flames.
Thick gray-black smoke filled the small structure and Vittles called out, “Get out. Grab blankets, your gear, and all the clothing you can find! Hurry, this place will go up like a match box!”
Grabbing his coat, boots, two blankets and a butcher knife from the table, David ran out into the frigid arctic air. The sky was clear, with stars sparkling overhead, but no one noticed. Banks picked up his clothing, survival gear, and his boots, but he could not stand the smoke long enough to get anything else.
Moving out into the clearing in front of the cabin, they watched as flames consumed all that Vittles owned. Long red-orange fingers of fire reached for the sky and dense black smoke boiled over the burning cabin. The flames had spread so quickly that David was amazed by the speed and intensity of the fire.
“Ya knocked a lamp over, didn’t you son?” The old trapper asked David.
Looking over at the old man, David could see light from the fire on his face as he replied, “Yes, it’s my fault.”
Vittles grinned and said, “Nope, the fault was mine. I should have made you go to bed when I did, but I didn’t do that. Kerosene lamps are dangerous and in the old days, many a home burned down just like this one is. And, you said you’d never been around the lamps before, so I should have known better.”
Banks interrupted, “Look, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, we need to find shelter and do it now. It’s near ten below out here, so every minute counts.”
