We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin!
“If you can’t accept anything on faith, you are domed to a life dominated by doubt.” - Kris Kringle, Miracle on 34th Street
It was Christmas Eve, 1958:
“Mike, come quick and listen to this! What’s going on Dad? Just listen.” The announcer repeated, “We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin! NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) radar has picked up an unidentified flying object entering Canadian airspace.”
Understand, this was 1958, with the growing threat of Soviet long-range strategic bombers carrying nuclear weapons across the Arctic, any unidentified object created immediate concern. And resulted in an immediate response.
The news continued, “Fighter jets have been scrambled from Peterson Air Force Base to intercept the UFO.
This station will broad cast ‘live’ the transmission from the Air Force flight leader and base command. Wait! Wait! We have something. Tango Alpha Five Niner; have you made contact with the bogie(s)?"
“Negative, Peterson. However, I have something on radar. Range 20 miles. Should intercept in 5 minutes. Permission to arm missiles?
“Roger, Tango Alpha. Permission granted. Once you have visual, attempt to make radio contact on all international frequencies. If bogie does not respond, you have permission to fire. Roger, Peterson. Missiles locked on."
“Peterson, this is Tango Alpha, I have visual. Woo. Uh, stand by Peterson. I need to make another pass. Peterson, radio contact not possible. Say again Tango Alpha. Negative on the radio contact. I am now along side the bogie. Tango Alpha, describe aircraft?
“Peterson, you won’t believe it… (pause) it looks like 9 large reindeer. The lead aircraft…I mean reindeer, has a large glowing red nose.They’re pulling a huge sled filled with multiple bulky brown sacks. The pilot of the aircraft…uh sled, is a large man dressed in red with a long white beard.
“And he just waved at me! No, I’m not hallucinating. He looks like Santa Claus"
“Stand by Tango Alpha. (30 seconds pass) Tango Alpha, disengage missiles immediately. Do you read me? Roger, Peterson. Missiles disengaged.
“Identity confirmed! You have intercepted Santa Claus. Provide safe escort to Canadian-US border and return to base.Fighters from Wright-Patt will continue escort.”
That was 1958. My first introduction to “Santa Tracking.” And I believed every word of that broadcast. Pretty exciting for a boy of 9: Christmas Eve. Santa pursued by fighters. Flying reindeer. And a sled full of packages. But, in the end I knew Santa was safe and on his way. And I needed to go to bed.
Mom made sure there were cookies and hot chocolate for Santa and sugar cubes for the reindeer on the coffee table. I believed then and I still believe…over 50 years later.
And we have Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup to thank for providing Santa’s safe passage. On Christmas Eve 1955, a Sears & Roebuck store misprinted a phone number they’d set up for children to call Santa. Lights started to blink on Colonel Shoup’s red ‘hotline” phone at CONAD, the precursor to NORAD. He was the Director of Operations. After talking with a few children (and parents), he realized it was an honest mistake and got his airmen to answer the phones all night, keeping children updated on Santa’s location as he made his way from the North Pole.
And a new tradition was begun.
Today , decades later, NORAD is still continuing this tradition by answering phones and using four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets. You can follow Santa’s progress by logging on to www.noradsanta.org.
Through the eyes of one excited little boy, I thank you Colonel Shoup. I thank you for realizing how important it is for children to have faith and hope.
With magic in the air, I leave you with the words of Gladys Taber,” But in this season it is well to reassert that the hope of mankind rests in faith.
“As man thinketh, so he is. Nothing much happens unless you believe in it. And believing there is hope for the world is a way to move toward it.”
Sandra and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas.
Dad’s gone now. But I can still here his voice, “Mike, Mike…come quick!”
