SCUTTLEBUTT   ..arc.. the bit bucket of yore...

This is the 'scuttlebutt' page.  Scuttlebutt started in the early sailing Navy when shipmates gathered around the 'drinking fountain of the day' called the scuttlebutt and exchanged rumors, rumors of rumors, no shitters and the real straight scoop.

If you are Politically Correct and/or lack a sense of humor then please KEEP OUT!!, nobody wants you here! Do not read further under penalty of open mindedness. You therefore default in your consience that any light thought or message of well being herein discovered shall not be used in the 'sound byte' sense of fact spinning to no good ends.  You are issued a password, it is: WELLNESS and welcome to the real world. If you poll these guys I betcha they will fall heavily on the believing and GOD side. Careful, heavy stuff...      Call me Ishmael..
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Latest update on C-17 landing at McMurdo.
RECAP:
News Release: Crews unload a C-17 Globemaster
                      from McChord Air Force Base,
                      Wash., Oct. 15 at McMurdo Station,
                      Antarctica. This was the first time a
                      C-17 touched down on the frozen
                      tundra of the Antarctic Circle. A first
                      for the C-17, this is part of validation
                      tests for future Antarctic missions.
COMMENT: No doubt that a PAO type wrote the above from his desk at McChord AFB without ever having been to the ice and not knowing anything about Antarctica, or that tundra does not compute in connection with Antarctica.
UPDATE:
A herd of starving Yaks have invaded McMurdo Station after devouring the frozen tundra on the skiway at Williams Field. Observers on Ob Hill reported the herd of berserk animals came through the pass and descended on the NSF Field Party warehouse at about 1300 Sunday. By 1500 the crazed Yaks had devoured most of the field party rations including the entire stocks of sesame seeds, pickled beetroot and Fannies Secret Barbecue Sauce. When last seen the beasts were headed north and had just rounding Winter Quarters Bay Peninsula.
The Yaks were imported to Antarctica from Greenland by the NYANG in an effort to control the frozen tundra problem at Willy Field. Some usually reliable sources speculate that the tundra was really a hardy form of marijuana plant that had been cultivated by hydroponic methods by the civilian contractor Strip Rats. The Yaks ate the "tundra" just as planned, but after the vegetation ruminated in the four-stomach pouches of the Yaks the peculiar behavior started.
Neither the NSF Representative or the Air Force on-scene commander were available for comment.
An investigative team from New Zealand will be sent south Monday or on the next available aircraft. The team will consist of members of the New Zealand Safety Board, The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Christchurch Police Department Street Crimes Unit. 
In an interview in Christchurch with Detective Sergeant Minton, of the Street Crimes Unit, the detective made the statement: "There is definitely skullduggery ahoof in McMurdo."
More to follow as developments permit.
Tibbetts now downclosing (tapes oncely)
Billy-Ace (cub reporter)
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I used to relay 318's position from the Ice using Tan Son not (spelling), San Juan P.R. McDill Radio, Honolulu Radio,  and a few other HF service providers. I happened to have a copy of the Collins Radio HF handbook with all the freqs. and call signs. Once CQ'd Honiara Radio by dit dah's when an Aussie voice interuppted with the followin quote "AIRCRAFT CALLING HONIARA PLEASE STOP THE DAH DAH DIT DAH'S AND COME UP 8775 UPPER SIDEBAND PLEASE, OVER..."
kinda spooky I thought but I guess thats when Morse became passe.   DFSoupy
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An Air Force C-141 was preparing for departure from Thule, Greenland. The crew were waiting for the 'honey bucket' truck to arrive to pump out the plane's sewage holding tank (SHT). The aircraft commander was in a hurry, the truck was late in arriving, and the airman was extremely slow in getting the tank pumped out.  The aircraft commander berated the airman for his lack of promptness and proficiency, and threatened punishment.
The young airman responded, "Sir, I have no stripes to lose, it is 20° below zero, I am stationed in the middle of nowhere on the arctic tundra, and my job is pumping shit out of airplanes. Just what are you planning to do to punish me?"

The following day the airman received orders to the NYANG and is now serving box lunches on C130s operating in Antarctica during the austral summer season. He only has to pump the SHT during crew rest in Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Pigmy, the only problem with dogsledding to the pole for a sniff is that there was nothing to sniff, short of maybe the lead dog.  As I said in earlier renditions of memories of the Ice, and no offense to you women that have served valiantly, you didn't really think about it that much because you had a job to do and there were no feminine distractions.  There were several ventures made to the winter isolation sites to pull out crushed personnel and sick scientist but as you said, that did not seem newsworthy at the time, we were just doing our job!!
As a matter of fact, I don't think the crews that performed those mid-winter missions even got awards, I could be wrong, it was just another day in VX-6.

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Where were the media when we flew into Byrd and
saved that scientist and two of us ended up in the
hospital with hurt backs and busted mouths and hands.
  Where were they with the truth when, in 1964, a
Times Air Force Reserve officer wrote that the Air
Force flew to Antarctica year round and the Navy
sneaked in and out for a few months each year?
  I'm sick of the pussy service getting credit for
simple crap when we get credit for zilch!
Get on the net and let the ABC's, CBS's and NBC's
know what we did, and what we will still do, if asked.
  We would dog sled to Pole to save that woman if
asked. Hell, there was a time when I would have dog sledded
to Pole just for a sniff.
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I can only remember on a flight back from Pole on 318, an Air Force Capt. who hitched a ride with us was so proud of a stone (Pebble) he found somewhere near the barber pole. He was afraid that USARP's would sequester it if they knew he had it so he kept it well hidden in his parka pocket and had only pulled it out to show a couple of our crew what he had. Nobody really got a good look at the object. Ironically, the same gentleman was on 318 again the same day for our flight to ChiChi. After landing and clearing Customs, he reached in his pocket to show his treasure to some comrades who had met him at the terminal.....Loo and behold, the stone had melted into a mushy piece of DOG DODO...compliments of the Old huskey pet that used to be at Pole Station. So the Air Force definitely has Antarctic experienced personnel who probably never got called for this air evac mission.

Soupy...that soupy is wild and crazy guy!!!

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  charlie:
didn't you guys ever make a winfly? i've never
seen so much hype in all my life, hell it was on our
local news here in little old kirksville, mo. i don't
know who does the air force promo but they are masters
at it, you would think that the navy  had never taken
a crap on the continent. i don't remember any navy
publicity when in 1968 two third class abh's took off
from chili in an open cockpit ultralite, flew to byrd
run out of gas and walked on to McMurdo all in the
dead of winter with nothing but a jar of tang and a
jar of peanut butter. do you remember it charlie. i
thought not.
                        bear
see if any of the others remember it.
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You sluffers and phony's,
  I, Captain Zoomer USAF Public Affairs, Washington,
DC, shall expose you for the liars you are. During my
next appearance on Larry King Live, I will tell the
truth about the Ultralight flight from Chili in 1968.
  You see, we used our infrared  goggles and
B-52's to track those two gentlemen and we are
absolutlely certain that they carried at least one
lawnmower can full of extra fuel. Not only that, one
of the "3rd classes" was promoted to E-5 at least a
month before the flight departed.
  We also have good reason to believe that had they
not missed movement in Pago-Pago, their subsequent
canoe trip to Chili and flight to Antarctica would
never have taken place.
  Daring Do my ass.
                                     Capt. Zoomer

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Since they didn't set foot on the Continent I don't think they actually qualify for an Ice Medal. Probably receive something like the Flying Cross or Life Saving Medal !!?
My question is, who was operating the camera for the TV spot they ran on the news? Air Force, Lights, Camera, Action, that bunch was always good at promoting and they really know how to milk a story. They'll probably receive a few extra funds for the Deepfreeze Program just in case they have another "emergency" to respond to later. Forty people at the "Pole" for the Winter blows my mind! Having been an Avbosn who served in the Line Crew in the Summer of '59 on the 'Strip' and 'Wintered Over' DF V/60 that year then returned to fly as a Loadmaster on 130's 1964/66 I can tell you from first hand that the Air Force was in the summer of 59 when they brought the A model 130's in for us to evaluate, they were a prima donna bunch of 'candy asses' and we did all of the hard work to make them look good. They treated us like they were the technical pros and we should be glad they came to help us out. I got tired of hearing about all of the per deim they were getting for their trip when they sat around in our Jamesway 'home' and the line shack on the strip waiting for us to load their planes so they could go make a drop. Not landing mind you, but drop and then come back to McMurdo for some drinks and rest from the strenuous ordeal.
Might sound like sour grapes to some, but I have been there and experienced the Air Force up close and they only seem to get worse, not better. That is one outfit that is a bunch of politicians and can make a mountain out of a mole hill better and faster than anyone.
In my humble opinion, 'most' all of the Navy/Marine OAE's subscribed to the saying, 'the difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes just a little longer' and the CBs still always operated on their motto "CAN DO" regardless of where they were, Antarctica no exception!
Wouldn't take a million dollars for the experience and the great shipmates I had the privilege to meet and serve with on the 'world's last frontier'. They made it look routine and easy without a lot of fanfare.
I really think, all kidding aside if the "SIX" was still at the helm, the woman would have been picked up and brought out with a stop at McMurdo for fuel on the way back. Hell I've been to the "POLE" when it was -90 below and we just knew it was a little colder then usual.
Once again, who was operating the camera on that last flight so the TV news folk could have such instant coverage??
Regards to all, "Harry"

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Lots of "Black Shoes" served with VX-6 through the years.  It was a universal squadron.  RM, PH, PC, YN, PN, and other non-aviators.  All you really needed was a skill required by the squadron and the motivation, dedication, and desire to work under harsh conditions.  
PK

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As a mere blackshoe (non-aviator) I had the privilege to  serve two tours with VXE-6 in 71-72, and 72-73.  Recruitment must be really down!!  I heartily concur with all that Mr. Noel Gillespie had to say.  I've been telling people that MY Sqdn would have treated this flight as a routine mission.  As the Admiral at the Decom stated, and I paraphrase, "VXE-6 had the ability to make the impossible look easy."  Were VXE-6 involved in this operation, the person in question would be in a cancer treatment center today.