I received some diagnostic tests here in January. After I was released for duty, I returned to Cold Bay to finish the remainder of my assignment. Winter months were the hardest for us. The cold incessant winds and blowing snow made it difficult for us to spend time out-of-doors. Going to town for the mail, or just driving up and down that road became a treat for those of us that felt cooped-up. I previously told a story of being caught in a whiteout while driving back from town on that road. That was fun! (sarcasm). We once took the snowmobile out for a spin. That was truly fun. We even took a ride in a blue, enclosed-cab, arctic cat (or whatever is the correct name for that tracked vehicle). Someone from town had left it at the motor pool for TSgt Sipes to repair. Once again, he had performed his magic! Gene and I went to the gravel pit to shoot Falstaff cans. Thus, we did still get outside...but only for a few brief interludes. I had been told back in 1970 when I arrived, "You will either love Alaska, or you will hate it. It depends upon how much you enjoy the outdoors." I now could vouch for the validity of that statement.
To maintain high morale, the troops devised ways to occupy ourselves indoors. One of those ways was to have a Las Vegas night. I wrote about that earlier as well. Some of us spent a lot of time in the Club. Most of us watched the movies in the evening. We had a library of books. I had my music on cassettes. We even had a surprise visit from a USO troop that entertained in the rec hall. Yes, we found numerous ways to occupy ourselves when not working. Still not enough for this adventurer!
Lt. Col. Quirk left in January or February. His replacement, Major Hugh O’Connor, reported not long after. Our Ops officer, Lt Jim Coyle had been replaced some time ago. Captain Gene Smith, who had picked me up at the airport, left before me. My NCOIC, MSgt. Wilson had long ago been replaced by MSgt Parsons. The list goes on and on. Although a year seems like a long time to be at a remote assignment, it seemed to be such a short time that we had to spend with those whom we had befriended. We had shared so many experiences together. Saddened by the departure of so many friends, I focused on what I was going to do at the end of my tour. By April I was ready to leave. I had met my four-year active- duty commitment in March. Time to go.