A near-lethal and unexpected polar storm struck Greenland on Jan. 24, trapping two airmen from Thule Air Base on the island’s tundra in their stranded patrol truck without heat. US and Danish personnel rescued A1C John Wood and A1C Marc Chavis, who had to be treated for first-degree frostbite. The two 821st Security Forces Squadron airmen were responding to a routine security alarm when blinding snow hit and visibility disappeared. Sustained winds rose to 50 knots and higher with less than 100 yards of visibility, and snow slowly rose to the windows of the patrol truck. They were able to radio the base, but in the blinding snow, they couldn’t pinpoint a location. Barely visible through the storm were the truck’s orange lights. “It never crossed my mind to panic,” Wood said. “I knew they were out looking for us, and they’d get us.”
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
