When I look back on it now, it is sad how I didn't appreciate the experience then as I do now. I was more concerned about counting down the days until I could leave. However, the experience of living there is one I will never forget.
Greenland is like no place I have ever been. It was a very unique place.
I initially had volunteered for the assignment in an agreement that I would be granted the base assignment of my choice after my one-year tour there.
I boarded a C-130 military plane at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey for my 13-hour flight. There were no windows or inflight movies. We were given a blanket and a "boxed lunch". When we arrived, it was mid-afternoon and total darkness. My sponsor boarded the aircraft, tossed me a parka and said, "Here, you will need this!" - and I did!
On my first night, the base experienced a Phase 3 blizzard which was the highest rated storm requiring everyone to remain in place. I looked out of the window of my room only seeing white as the wind whipped around our building. It was then I wondered again what decision I had made about being there and volunteering for the assignment. Fortunately, that first night was the last Phase 3 storm I had to experience during my time there.
My assignment at Thule was in the Military Post Office. I handled the mail and provided postal service to American military and civilians who worked there. I also worked with Danish and Greenlandics. The Danes called Americans "hestetyve" which translated from Danish meant "horse thieves" which was alleged due to our fascination with Westerns.
Yes, it was cold in Greenland. There were no trees or grass. Only snow/ice in the winter and mud and rocks during the spring/summer. There had been a constant joke people would say about Greenland that there was a woman behind every tree but there were just no trees. There were, in fact, women assigned to the base but still no trees.
I didn't like the "dark season" which lasted until mid-April when it was dark every day. There was an excitement when we would see a slither of sunlight peak above the mountains. I preferred when it was 24 hours of sunlight during the spring/summer months when the temperature reached into the upper 30s or lower 40s. I did most of my off-base exploring during those months on my days off. I even walked across the frozen bay and climbed up on an iceberg which was trapped in the bay. Looking back on that now, it probably wasn't the smartest thing I did.
We played softball during the warmest months. Our field was a hard mud field with many rocks. Sliding was not allowed in fear of serious injury. A base hit could ricochet against the rocks and result in a home run. In one game it was so foggy that you couldn't see the outfielders. Our team lost in the championship game.
I'm sure things there are much different now. We didn't have the Internet then or cell phones. We were allowed two 15-minute "morale calls" per week. We had one Armed Forces Television channel which aired a variety of shows. We would see sports about two weeks after they were originally aired back in the states.
The highlight for most on the base was the arrival of the plane with people, mail and packages. The radio station on the base would announce the "Big Mac Attack" when the plane was 40 miles out. People would converge on the terminal. I would often drive our mail truck there to pick up the bags of mail and return to the post office to sort and put up the mail to impatient patrons waiting for something to hit their mailbox.
If I could go back and give my younger self some advice, I would tell me to enjoy the experience instead of counting the days to leave. As I look back on it now, I can appreciate more what I had experienced then.
It saddens me that there is a push to take over Greenland. Greenland doesn't belong to us or anyone else. It is a special place which should never be exploited.
