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Ron Waggoner | all galleries >> Cold Bay Air Force Station, Alaska >> Inside the Radar Station (Click on Image for More Photos) > Commander's Desk and Time Zone Story
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1970-71 Ron Waggoner

Commander's Desk and Time Zone Story

Cold Bay Air Force Station, AK

In the Fall of 1970, a group of three generals and their staffs visited for a hunting trip. The Cold Bay area (including the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge) was (is) renowned for its duck and goose hunting. While the generals were there, our squadron played host to a significant number of their support personnel, as well as the three generals, themselves. One day during their visit, I was on the phone talking with a colonel at our Elmendorf Air Force Base headquarters. Since I happened to be the acting Commander at the time, I was temporarily using the Commander's desk. Suddenly, one of the generals' aides came bursting into the office. He proceeded to start chewing me out (he was a major, and I, a captain). He was upset because our facility was operating by the same time zone as our headquarters at Elmendorf (in Anchorage), rather than the zone in which we were physically located. Apparently, he had not known this, and had somehow screwed-up his general's itinerary. Anyway, I was about to respond when the colonel with whom I had been talking asked me to put the major on the phone. Apparently, the colonel had overheard the ranting. I didn't hear exactly what was said by the colonel, but I could tell it was loud and not pleasant for the major. He handed me the phone back and stomped out of the office. Since it was not our decision, but that of headquarters at Elmendorf how to set our clocks, I felt vindicated and didn't even have to say a word!

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