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Gene Murdock 7/8/07: When I returned from Germany, I followed some instructions for getting to the Air Force Technical Applications Section (AFTAC), and found it in Virginia, several miles south of Washington D.C. After getting through the tight security check-in, I was shown to my new outfit. I soon learned that AFTAC’s job was to monitor, identify and analyze all nuclear detonations anywhere in the world, by any country, friend or foe. Our job in the weather section was to take the initial cloud of debris and track it in the wind flow, predicting where and when it would be out in open air space where it could be sampled by our aircraft. The debris would sometimes travel thousands of miles before we could give the aircraft a forecast that would allow them to be in the right place at the right time. Although computer forecasts of this nature were becoming quite sophisticated, we were able to do a better job than the computers. In order to start the initial tracking, we had to be very familiar with the terrain around the blast site, which was usually in Russia or China. We all adopted specific geographical areas to specialize in. The main test sites in Russia were already assigned, so I chose to study the Chinese site at Lop Nor in the vast valley southwest of the Gobi Desert, a choice which would come in handy later. The Air Force had several ways of monitoring atomic tests. They had satellites, earthquake monitors, and ground and ocean sensors. They were able to tell us how big the blast was, whether it was conducted underground, on the surface, or in the air, and told us an altitude that the main contaminated cloud would be at. Tracking an imaginary cloud through different altitudes and predicting its future position was right up my alley. I quickly took to it and became quite adept at the process. I had always been able to visualize the atmosphere in four dimensions, the fourth being time, since the atmosphere was in constant motion. The radioactive cloud could go just about anywhere, and there were test sites in both hemispheres, so we had to be able to forecast the conditions in any spot on the globe. In my entire career of odd forecasting jobs, there aren’t many countries that I haven’t had to include in my predictions. Most of the atomic tests were conducted in southwest Russia, so that the majority of tracks came out in eastern Siberia, North of Japan. We had weather reconnaissance aircraft that flew regular tracks from Alaska to Japan, so they would be fitted with sensors and adjust their flight track to be able to intercept the cloud. We had great success in this, but the Russians, of course, could see what we were doing and harassed the aircraft, shooting at least one of them down. I thrived in the job, even though I was never able to tell my own family what I was doing, especially that I was now a full-time spy. Two particular episodes stand out in my mind and I’ll describe them in the next chapters of Gene the Spy. |
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Gene Murdock 7/16/07 Usually the nuclear testing that we monitored was unannounced, and we responded to what the sensors told us. But when the French decided to do some testing in the South Pacific, we all knew about it and had time to make our plans in advance. The big boss wanted to check out some of his equipment on a Navy ship before it left California, so he selected a few of his men to go out there, and I was invited to go along as the weather representative. We flew out to California and took a rental car to the ship. There the Captain greeted us (less than warmly) and showed us around, then had a question and answer session. On the way back we stopped in Las Vegas, saw the sights, and took a ride out to Nellis Air Force Base where we boarded a helicopter and flew out to the atomic testing site. The pilot took us all around the site so we could see all the depressions in the desert floor where underground weapons had been set off. Then he flew to the edge of the site and went up a canyon in the mountains to see where some more sites had been drilled into the mountains. The canyon was so narrow that, to make a turn at the end, he had the helicopter practically on its side. He took us back to the test site headquarters, where we were escorted to an underground bunker to watch on closed circuit TV as a nuclear bomb was set off. We felt the tremor, saw the ground rise a few feet, then settle back down in a cloud of dust leaving a depression in the ground like the ones we had seen earlier. Back at our home base, now in Florida, we resumed regular activities and provided guidance for the sampling aircraft. We weren’t alone, since the French had their sampling aircraft on site and the Russians watched from their spy ships at a distance. For some reason the British planes were late getting to the site and couldn’t get a sample. They flew back towards home and stopped in to see us on the way. They asked us if there was any chance that they could get a second chance at it before it was completely absorbed into the atmosphere. My boss said, “Chief, see what you can do for them.” By that time, the hot cloud had drifted north towards Alaska and was starting to make a turn to the east over North America. I got out my tools, looked at the computer forecasts, and projected the path way out, much further than we usually take it. I couldn’t believe my eyes – the cloud was going to pass right over England in a few days. I showed this to the Brits and told them that it was really guessing to forecast it out that far, but around noon on a certain day it would possibly be right over London. This forecast time was just a day or so after the Brits would get home from their long, fruitless flight. When they could get the planes refueled and refitted, they flew up to the area I had forecast for them and flew a search mission with their sampling equipment turned on. When they landed, they gave us a call and said, “Jolly good show, chaps, it was right where you said it would be and we got a good sample!” We were flabbergasted and I became a sort of legend, even though there was nobody outside the building that we could tell it to. I was thoroughly enjoying being Gene the Spy and figured that operation about capped off my career. But the best was yet to come – an event which I will describe in the next and last issue of Gene the Spy. |
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Gene Murdock 7/23/07: Another interesting atomic test was in the works way out in the Chinese Takla Makan basin at the site called Lop Nor. It was such a remote site on the south side of the huge valley that most of their communications with the government had to be by radio. With our various listening devices we were able to tell that a blast was in progress with a rough estimate of when. When the test finally took place, it was a huge surface explosion that sent a cloud of debris way up above the height of the jet streams. The outfit wanted to get a sample of the low surface level debris but I showed them how the basin was formed and that any release from that area would be a long time in coming, and at an unpredictable area and time. So we concentrated on the high altitude stuff. At this altitude, well above fifty thousand feet, the winds reverse and run east to west and at relatively slow speeds. We forecast the track of this plume of debris and found it would come out of Asia over the Mediterranean. They decided to send a plane to our Air Force base in Spain to try to intercept it there so the boss said, “Chief, pack your bags, you’re going to Spain!” We left out of Charleston AFB, South Carolina, in a huge transport aircraft loaded with all the support equipment need for our aircraft – a U-2, the spy plane like Gary Powers was shot down in over Russia. In Spain I set up my office, coordinated with the local Air Force weather station to get the latest weather data that I needed, and called back to my outfit in Florida on a secure telephone to see what they had done to the forecast while I was traveling. I updated the forecast and briefed the U-2 pilot on where we thought he could find the cloud. He took off and gained altitude to get well out ahead of the suspected area, then fly back towards it in a zigzag pattern to cover a lot of air space in its path. After an hour or two he called me on the radio and said “Weather this is U-2 – BINGO!!!” Of course he didn’t say “weather” or “U-2” instead he used coded call signs. The ground crew made preparations for his return and asked me if I would like to ride in the chase vehicle. WOW! I sure would. When a U-2 lands it has to be guided down the last hundred feet or so by someone on the ground because the pilot can’t see the ground out of his cockpit. When he touches down and comes to a stop, the ground crew runs over and attaches some wheels on long legs to the outer part of the wings. The aircraft’s landing wheels are just two wheels lined up one behind the other so it can land and coast down the runway, but when it stops it has to tip over onto the outer edge of the wing. It uses the wheels when it takes off and just drops them near the end of the runway. I climbed into a pickup truck with the ground crew, and we drove out to the end of the runway. As the plane came in over us, the driver revved up the pickup to stay just behind the plane and radio information to him about how high he was off the ground. Then, when the plane came to a stop, he ran over with the “training wheels,” as we call them, and put him in a secure level position to taxi away. I didn’t get out of the truck, because the plane would be heavily contaminated with atomic debris. It taxied off to a far remote corner of the runways and got decontaminated. The mission was an obvious success and we had a day or so to rest while everything got loaded back on to the transport aircraft for our return home. I took a bus in to Spain and went to the Prado Museum to see the Spanish masterpieces. The Prado is definitely my favorite art museum, with its collections by such artists as El Greco, Goya, and Rubens. The visit truly moved me. Shortly after this mission I got orders to move to a base in the South Pacific, so this ended the escapades of Gene the Spy. |
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Gene Murdock We used to get the Farm Journal back in the 1940’s, and it is still just about the same magazine. Farm Journal has been around for more than 125 years! Over the years it has maintained a high degree of professional journalism for which it has won many awards. It has adapted to changes by producing regional editions and editions with special sections aimed at specific agriculture interests. In the early 1980s it applied computer technology to produce many issues aimed at different readers. Amazingly, the May 1984 edition had 8,896 different versions! The other magazine was Grit; at least that’s what the cover said. My memory of Grit is in the form of a newspaper and I recall many ads in other publications looking for newsboys to sell the paper door-to-door. Around 1944 Grit changed from a broadsheet form to a tabloid-sized newspaper. It had the distinction of being one of the first newspapers to run color photographs. After 1981 Grit went through several owners until 1993 when it was purchased by Ogden Publications who made it into a magazine format which it is today. It is an outstanding magazine with lots of interesting articles. The March/April issue this year has articles like: MUDDLING THROUGH SPRING: Move to the country, drive a mile through two feet of mud for a few weeks, then you really know from mud. WHO’LL WATCH THE FARM? Handing over the keys to your place might be tough; learn the steps to wean yourself away, just for a little while. CULVERT CROSSINGS: Installing a culvert isn’t as easy as it might seem. Do it right the first time. But my favorite is: CHEERS FOR THE LONG-EARS: Mules and donkeys make for wonderful companions and workers, and when it comes to guarding the herd, donkeys can’t be beat. Other sections are letters and contributions from readers, and a good selection of articles on food along with recipes. My favorite in this section is: COMFORT FOODS: Create your own soda pop from plants. The title and lead in to the article is “Make Pop from Plants” “Combine herbs with sugar and yeast for soda pop that will beat the socks off anything you can buy in the store.” It describes the specifics, then gives recipes for TONIC ROOT BEER, ELDERFLOWER BUBBLY, ROSE PETAL POP, STRAWBERRY-LAVENDER SODA, and GINGER ALE. Oh, if I only had a kitchen!!! |
Roanoke Market |
Daniel Leskinen 8/2/07: Today was such a nice day, I decided to stroll down the Market in downtown Roanoke. Fortunately for me, it is across the street from my office. As I meandered through the vast amounts of fresh vegetables, soaps, and fine crafts, I thought about my bag of leftover chicken sitting in the refrigerator at my place of employment. What could complement such an entree? At the far end of the Market a stand took my attention. The table had five (5) varieties of eggplant. The man who helped me wasn't the most social, but I couldn’t back away from the assortment of produce he had available. He handed me a bag, and I proceeded to pick out my lunch supplement. I picked out an eggplant (of course), along with a plum tomato, a hot pepper, and a zucchini. Mind you, these were all small portions of fruit. Much to my surprise, the total bill was one dollar. Yes, one dollar was all I needed to complement my lunch. I brought my bounty of goodies to the small kitchenette and prepared my lunch. For seasoning, I used dried spinach, salt, pepper, and some chili powder. After washing, chopping, and microwaving, I had a plate of food fit for a hungry soul. Now I am full and ready for a nap. |
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Bob Murdock I counted 54 people at the Howlett Family Reunion. Click here for the list. Nancy took a few photos. You can see the HR2007 gallery here. From Claudia Lindsey: Dennis works for the Long Beach, CA school district. He has been promoted, and is a buyer of maintenance equipment for the schools. He also drives the maintenance truck from one school to another. Martha is a CNA (certified nurse assistant) at a convalescent hospital. Isabeau is in pre-school. From Scott and Regina Howlett: Scott is self-employed, designing electrical control systems. He is contracting for now with a company in uranium enrichment. Regina works in the medical field and will return to work after school begins. Casey is starting high school, and plays clarinet with the school band. She hopes to get into Blackstone Valley Tech. (Scott studied electronics there four years.) Jeremy is going into 6th grade middle school. He is a dirt b ike and 4-wheeler enthusiast. The whole family gets involved. Paulette couldn't come this year. Scott said that it's his mother's birthday, and she is attending a Broadway play in Boston! She will be traveling to Colorado soon to visit her other son, Mark. From Rennie Leary and family: Rennie is in property management. But properties are getting sold off, and in a couple of years he may have to go independent. Dianna is a painting subcontractor - e.g restoration of a Victorian mansion. Also works on elite places in the Lakes region of NH. Shannon said that she will be a junior at WPI this fall in electrical engineering, majoring in power systems. Women are about a third of the student body. (When I went to WPI in the late forties, there were no women students!) Shannon will be working on her IQP (Independent Qualifying Project) next year, evaluating the effectiveness of the Calculus Placement Test for WPI. Buddy is a junior at MV (Merrimack Valley) HS. In football he plays defensive end and tackle. In band jam sessions, he sings and plays drums. Matthew is a sophomore at MVHS. He plays fullback, linebacker, and is on special teams. Rob Howlett sells business class phone systems, and Willow is a full-time mother and housekeeper. They still have two dogs. Thor is two and a half now. "What's he like?" I asked. "Manipulative!" said Rob. Lori Howlett said Michael had to work today and Alyssa is in Florida. The rest of the family came here, including Kayleigh Lattousse. Lori is an RN at Norwood Hospital, in the "geropsych" unit. Amanda is the manager of a Piercing Pagoda store. They sell jewelry. Sean reports that Tommy will be five in September. He loves to go fishing, and wants a pet fish. Joey, now one and a half, is very active. He has no fears, said Sean. And he swims like a fish. From Carl "Chip" Martz: He is retired, but writes articles occasionally for the Constitutional Rights Foundation. An enjoyable adventure recently was an Elderhostel "Food trip" to Mexico. Sarah works in sales at a nursery. Their big account is Wal-Mart. Her hobby is belly dancing, and she organizes events. Gideon is a computer administrator for the "City of Hope," a well-known medical care facility. Jennifer is an RN working part time at a San Bernadino hospital. Cam is in sales in the pipeline business. Cami, 5, is in kindergarten. She's quite talkative and loves attention. Alex, 3, very active, is in pre-school, and took swimming lessons this summer. Allison and Jim Fair have moved to Bullhead City, Arizona. He retired from the government and works in security. Allison is a bank teller. She was there during a major robbery! Julie and Corey Checketts have a son and live in California. They run a Yellow Book service. |
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Valerie Davidson Fall is kind of in the air here, meaning we're stuck in a Bay Area-style late summer heat wave. They call it Indian summer hereabouts, but I think "just-plain-hot" says it better. I'm lucky to have an air-conditioned classroom. I stand at the doorway, welcoming the students to "heaven" as they pour in from the baking out-of-doors. The majority of rooms are not air-conditioned, and even some of the ones that do have it aren't kept cool. I have the excuse of needing to keep the aging computers happy. :-) School got underway August 1st, so we're in full swing already. It confuses me, because it ought to be fall (right??), but that means summer was a blink of only five weeks. When we returned to school, and had our first faculty get-together, we were to meet with a partner and tell some highlight the other person did over the summer. My partner told everybody that my big news was getting a "new car"...a 1992! They all laughed heartily, but I get the last laugh, because I'm happy as a clam with my Honda upgrade (from a 1985), sans payments, with 30 mpg, low mileage and air conditioning. The state paid generously for me to retire my old faithful to a wrecking yard. Just as well, as I had grown afraid to drive it on the freeway for fear of a certain tire falling off. You have to be able to drive it to its final resting place, then they asked me to start it up, back up, drive forward, place the keys under the seat. R.I.P. Speaking of which: my gigantic goldfish suffered a period of malaise for two months, during which he ate nothing and started to slim down. I thought this was it, but then one day he became very, very hungry and rallied and is now back to top form. Six years and counting! For a new twist at school this year, I've undertaken the [unpaid] job of running our new video production broadcasting studio, which of course I knew little about aside from the little after-school video fun I offered to a few gifted/talented kids the past two years. Graduating classes in the past endowed us with the necessary funds, so we went forward with it and now we have a cute little studio with 2 cameras, video mixer, ChromaKey (like they use in the big leagues to do the weather, for instance), and so on. We've got our little tech crew made up of about a dozen kids of a technical persuasion, including 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, a student director I've worked with in video stuff for the past 2 years, a dozen announcers who survived the auditions, to work in pairs for 2-week intervals each, and a number of big and little hurdles (headaches!) to overcome with the hope of being ready for broadcasting within a couple of weeks. For now, it's to be no more exciting than taping the next day's pledge of allegiance and school announcements for broadcast at the beginning of homeroom, but it's loads of fun and has the potential to grow into even more interesting stuff. The drama teacher is willing to help with the auditions and coaching, and to try to jazz up the reading so it isn't too boring-seeming. Since I get no financial compensation for my exertions, I pretty much said I'd do it as long as I'm having fun. Also, a second teacher, who is our band teacher and has a lot of experience with some of the equipment, has a hand in, but I'm the one staying after school each day. Of course, Larry teases me all the time about my love of work. My friends call me a "kept woman," because Larry has become such an excellent cook that he has pretty much chased me out of the kitchen. Of course, I am invited back to wash dishes... I like to play up the role, asking when dinner will be ready, requesting a "little snack," and such. This is really nice - should have thought of this sooner in my life. I see Jerod often, and not only when he has laundry to wash. He's working on an older, more mature persona, and there's a certain young lady whom I really like who keeps surfacing, even if he acts coy about it all. More power to her, hanging in there like she has. In private, I call her "Saint Lizzie." No matter the eventual outcome, she has been a good and positive force in the background. I look forward to the day when we can do the normal family thing like Thanksgiving dinner. Wow! He isn't proving to be an easy fish to land... but he's looking at 27 coming up this December, so this is helping him to slowly act more domesticated by degrees. (But don't hold your breath...) I seem to have adopted a pair of funny-looking half-Siamese brother stray cats. I say funny because they both have the light coloring on their bodies and solid brown faces. Our own former stray, Sami, tolerates them well enough as long as she gets her expected daily homage - any less than that, and she snubs me for entire days at a stretch. Life is good. Just passed my 27-year anniversary in this house. Half my life!! Here's to you, and with my hopes that this letter finds you thriving and in the embraces of robust good health. |
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