SAN DIEGO - Lost Wallet from Antarctica

NOTE:  This article copied from the e-newspaper, therefore no link to article.

Paul Grisham and his wife, Carole Salazar, of San Carlos look over his wallet and the items inside, which were recently returned to him after being found in Antarctica. (Nelvin C. Cepeda U-T)

PERSONAL NOTE:  I am retired Navy (22yrs) as ATC (Aviation Electronics Technician Chief) and most of the squadrons I served in deployed on the USS Hancock CVA19 when it patrolled off the coast of Vietnam DMZ.

"Wallet lost in 1960s makes its way from Antarctica to S.D. owner" by Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune 2/4/2021

Navy meteorologist’s billfold found in building being torn down at McMurdo; trio of online sleuths tracks him down to return it

In October 1967, Navy meteorologist Paul Grisham shipped out to Antarctica, where he worked as a weather forecaster for a science station and airport on Ross Island.  Thirteen months later, he returned to his family in sunny California, but his wallet never left.

On Saturday, the now 91-year-old Grisham was reunited with his long-lost billfold, which was found behind a locker during the demolition of a building at McMurdo Station, the southernmost town on Earth.

Inside the recovered wallet was Grisham’s Navy ID, his driver’s license, a tax withholding statement, a recipe for homemade Kahlua and several items other so-called “ice rats” who worked at the station might recognize.  There was a beer ration punch card, receipts for money orders sent to his wife for his poker winnings at the station, and a pocket reference card with instructions for what to do in the event of an atomic, biological or chemical weapons attack.  There was never any cash, as there was nothing to buy at the station.

The brown leather wallet arrived by mail in good condition with all its contents intact following a weekslong journey of emails, Facebook messages and letters between a group of amateur sleuths working to trace its owner.  After 53 years, Grisham said he can’t even remember losing his wallet on the continent he calls “The Ice,” but he’s grateful for the efforts that enabled its return.

“I was just blown away,” said Grisham, who lives in San Carlos with his wife of 18 years, Carole Salazar.  “There was a long series of people involved who tracked me down and ran me to ground.”

The team who found Grisham were Stephen Decato and his daughter Sarah Lindbergh, both of New Hampshire, and Bruce McKee of the Indiana Spirit of ’45 nonprofit foundation.  It was the third lost Navy item the trio has recently returned to families.  Last year, Decato got upset when he saw someone’s personal Navy ID bracelet for sale in a shop.  He decided to buy the bracelet and, with his daughter’s help, find the owner and return it.  Lindbergh found the Facebook page for McKee’s veterans tribute organization and he posted a notice online that helped trace the original owner.

Before he retired six years ago, Decato worked for an agency that does snow cap research in Antarctica.  When two wallets were found in the demolition at McMurdo last month, Decato’s former boss remembered the bracelet story and shipped both wallets to New Hampshire in hopes they could do some more detective work.  Once again, Lindbergh reached out to McKee, who contacted Gary Cox of the Naval Weather Service Association, of which Grisham is a member.  The second wallet belonged to a man named Paul Howard who died in 2016, but his family was grateful to receive it.

“If it was my dad’s possessions, I would have treasured it as I think they will,” said Lindbergh, whose grandfather served in the Navy.  “It was a feel-good thing to do and both my dad and I have gone to bed thinking that another family was as happy as we are.  My grandpa would be so proud and my dad is proud to have things in their rightful places.”

Looking back on the 13 months he spent in Antarctica, Grisham said it was an unusual, memorable and sometimes tedious experience that he most remembers for the unremitting cold.  The average daily temperature was 25 degrees Fahrenheit, but in the winter months, it dropped as low as -65 degrees during his stay.

“Let me just say this, if I took a can of soda pop and set it outside on the step, if I didn’t retrieve it in 14 minutes it would pop open because it had frozen,” Grisham said.

Raised in Douglas, Ariz., Grisham enlisted in the Navy in 1948.  He started out as a weather technician, then moved up to weather forecaster and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in Antarctica.  His job took him to duty stations in Guam, Hawaii and Japan, and he served twice aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

He spent four years aboard the aircraft carrier [USS] Bennington in the 1950s and ’60s, and a two-year stint on the carrier [USS] Hancock during the Vietnam War.  He was onboard the Hancock in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon, when the ship’s flight deck crews had to push empty helicopters overboard to make room for new ones touching down with evacuating U.S. military personnel and refugees.

In between those shipboard assignments, Grisham was assigned duty in Antarctica as part of “Operation Deep Freeze,” where the Navy provided logistical support to civilian scientists on the frozen continent.  At the time, Grisham was in his mid-30s and married with two toddlers.

“I went down there kicking and screaming,” he said.

Grisham said it’s hard to grasp the vastness and remoteness of Antarctica.  It’s the size of North America and the journey to get there by ship from New Zealand is 1,100 nautical miles.  Most of Antarctica is covered with ice up to 10,000 feet thick, but McMurdo Station is one of the few places that sits on an exposed landmass of volcanic rock.  During Antarctica’s summer months, which are our winter months, Grisham said there were as many as 1,100 workers at the station.  But during the Antarctic winter, the onsite staff shrunk to 180 because sea ice and sub-freezing temperatures make travel and supply runs impossible.

During the winter, all of the food was canned and workers passed the time playing cards, chess, the backgammon-like game of acey-doucey and bowling at a two-lane alley.  His sole luxury was a daily after-work martini.  Once a week he talked to his wife, Wilma, via a voice relay through two shortwave radio operators.  The year’s highlight was a morale-lifting visit from Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountaineer who crested Mount Everest in 1953.  He’d traveled to Antarctica that year for a climbing expedition.

In 1977, Grisham retired from the Navy and settled in Monterey, where Wilma passed away in 2000.  A year later, while vacationing in Paris, he met Salazar, who lost her husband, Gil, in 1995.  They struck up a conversation on the bus to Orly Airport and five weeks later he came to visit her in San Diego.  They married in 2003 and have four adult children between them, including Carole’s son Vic Salazar, who was a longtime local TV anchor for KNSD 7/39 (now ABC7).

McKee, with Indiana Spirit of ’45, said he’s delighted to know that Grisham was pleased at the return of his wallet.  An Air Force veteran himself, he knows the value of military mementos.

“I have a deep love for those that serve and their stories,” McKee said.  “Something such as an old wallet can mean so much to someone with the memories that item holds.”

TRUMP FAILURE - Post North Korean Summit

North Korea is not about to give up its ONLY hold-card in negations.  North Korean Nuclear Weapons was the only reason for the summit in the first place.

Also, when in comes to rockets, the only difference is the payload.  A satellite payload has different consequence than a nuclear weapon payload.

"After failed summit, what’s next for U.S. policy on North Korea" PBS NewsHour 3/8/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A little over a week after the second summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un ended early and without a deal, North Korea watchers have published satellite imagery indicating that a dismantled rocket launch facility is now being reassembled.  What does this development mean for U.S. strategy on denuclearization?  Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

TRUMP FAILURE - North Korean Summit

The build-up:

"Can U.S. post-war relationship with Vietnam serve as a model for North Korea?" PBS NewsHour 2/26/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In Vietnam, President Trump is preparing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- and the summit's location isn't a mere coincidence.  Indeed, U.S. officials are touting the rapprochement and economic ties that now exist between the U.S. and Vietnam, only decades after brutal warfare divided them.  Nick Schifrin reports on whether U.S.-Vietnam relations can serve as a model for North Korea.

"In Hanoi, Trump looks to develop a ‘phased’ North Korean denuclearization" PBS NewsHour 2/27/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Last June's summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un marked the first time a sitting U.S. President met a North Korean leader.  Now the two are convening in Vietnam, whose economic resurgence U.S. officials hope can serve as an incentive for North Korea to prioritize cooperation with the U.S.  Judy Woodruff talks to Nick Schifrin, who is reporting from Hanoi, about the summit's policy goals.

"What Trump’s personal relationship with Kim Jong Un means for U.S. policy" PBS NewsHour 2/27/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Last June, President Trump called his first meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a new chapter in the historically adversarial relationship between the two nations.  Since then, American policy toward North Korea has evolved from demanding complete denuclearization to emphasizing peace on the Korean peninsula.  Nick Schifrin reports from Hanoi on how and why that change has taken place.

The collapse:

Kim sucker-punches Trump, again.  So much for the 'good relationship.'
Trump does not understand Kim.  Kim does NOT care about money issues, he ONLY cares about his personal power at home and the world, which overrides all other considerations.  Kim is not about to give up his ONLY negotiating tool, Nuclear Weapons.  After all, the only reason for the summit was Kim's Nuclear Weapons.

"After months of buildup, Hanoi talks conclude early — with no deal" PBS NewsHour 2/28/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  After 8,000 miles of travel and hours of high-stakes discussion, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked away from the Hanoi summit without a deal.  U.S. officials said that while North Korea agreed to reduce its nuclear facilities, their concessions didn't warrant the requested lifting of U.S. sanctions.  Nick Schifrin reports on the much-anticipated meeting's abrupt conclusion.

NEWSHOUR BOOKSHELF - "Richard Nixon: The Life"

"New biography humanizes Nixon while revealing his ‘most reprehensible’ act" PBS NewsHour 5/2/2017

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In what ways is Richard Nixon still with us in our political culture?  John Farrell, author of "Richard Nixon: The Life," joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss Nixon’s Dickensian childhood and how it influenced his polarized politics, his mix of idealism and inclination toward dark intrigue, as well as the revelation that Nixon helped sabotage the Paris peace talks to end the Vietnam War.

DIPLOMACY - U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam

"Meet bicycle diplomat Ted Osius, America's modern ambassador to Vietnam" PBS NewsHour 5/20/2016

NOTE:  I am retired U.S. Navy (22yrs) and a Vietnam Vet.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Ted Osius' path to becoming U.S. ambassador to Vietnam began with bicycle diplomacy, soon after relations with Hanoi were restored in 1995.  As a consular officer, he pedaled the countryside and endeared himself to the Vietnamese.  Osius is gay and married, and represents a modern America: “I'm white, my husband's black and our kids are brown,” he says.  Special correspondent Mike Cerre reports.

MIKE CERRE (NewsHour):  Breakfast at the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Hanoi, with a side order of Vietnamese language lessons.

TED OSIUS, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam:  I can speak what is a pretty difficult language, and I speak it pretty well.

I think, more often than not, people like to get out and mix it up, really learn what's going on in the countries where they serve and make a difference.

MIKE CERRE:  The closest most locals will ever come to a U.S. ambassador abroad is a passing motorcade or a heavily staged official event.

But given the tortured relations between the United States and Vietnam over the years, U.S.  Ambassador Ted Osius is dispensing with traditional protocols to help create a new reference point on U.S.-Vietnam relations.

His mission in Vietnam started with a 1,200-mile bike ride, the length of the country, as a U.S. consular officer in 1995, soon after official relations between the two countries were restored.  His bike diplomacy continues to be his signature style for interacting with the Vietnamese people, as well as local government officials.

While crossing the former demilitarized zone, once separating North from South Vietnam, a local woman offered a rare, but indelible Vietnamese perspective on what they call here the American war.

TED OSIUS:  And I asked her, “So, why are there so many ponds right here?”

And she said, “Well, that’s where the Americans dropped bombs.”

And she said — she went on to say:  “They dropped bombs on my village.  They dropped bombs, and I lost family members.”

And I said:  “Well, I need you to know I’m American and I work for the U.S. Embassy.”

And she said well, “Today — today, you and I are brother and sister.”

CHINA - Another Land Grab

China just believes (mistakenly) anything bordering the 'South China Sea' belongs to them AND they do not care what the international community says.

"China expands claim on disputed islands by adding sand" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2015

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Now to growing tensions in Asia over who controls contested areas in the South China Sea.  China has recently tried to expand its claim by dumping tons of sand to build up small reefs into islands capable of holding military equipment.

MAN:  China would rather use its bullying force against a small country like the Philippines.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Tough words in Manila today, and protests outside China’s embassy, in what’s become a big dispute over a small chain of islands in the South China Sea.

They’re called the Spratlys, about 1,000 miles south of China’s Hainan province.  The archipelago is claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.  But in recent satellite images, it is China that appears to have built up one of the islands, known as the Fiery Cross Reef, constructing an airstrip there.  The island is reportedly large enough for a 9,500-foot runway, which could accommodate military aircraft.

Today in Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman defended the project.

HONG LEI, Spokesman, Foreign Ministry Spokesman, China (through interpreter):  The relevant construction is conducted within China’s sovereign territory.  It is reasonable, understandable and legal, and it is not targeting or affecting any other country.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The U.S. has weighed in on the dispute.  The commander of American forces in the Pacific spoke at a congressional hearing.

ADM. SAMUEL LOCKLEAR, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command:  The implications are, if this activity continues at pace, is that it — it would give them de facto control, I think, in peacetime, of much of the world’s most important waterways.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The U.S. has expressed concerns about China’s land reclamation, which has gotten so tense at points that Chinese ships have blocked vessels from other countries.

"Why the U.S. is worried about China’s land grab" PBS NewsHour 4/17/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Tensions among some Asian nations are growing after satellite images showed that China has been building up small islands in a disputed area of the South China Sea.  Judy Woodruff talks to retired Adm. Dennis Blair, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, to learn more about the contested area and the U.S. response.

ASIA - China vs Vietnam, South China Sea, Oil

China thinks it own everything in the South China Sea and ignores international conventions.

"Territorial dispute with China boils over in Vietnam" (Part-1) PBS NewsHour 5/14/2014

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Tensions between China and Vietnam reached a fever pitch today, as thousands of protesters in Vietnam went on a rampage over Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

Clouds of smoke rose skyward over foreign-owned factories near Ho Chi Minh City today, casualties in an escalating territorial struggle with China.  Rioters targeted industrial sites they believed were Chinese-run, but a provincial official said some were actually Taiwanese or South Korean-owned.

The mobs torched at least 15 plants.  Scores more were looted or vandalized.  In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded action to calm the situation.

HUA CHUNYING, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, China (through interpreter):  China is seriously concerned with these incidents.  The Foreign Ministry has called in the Vietnamese ambassador to China and lodged a solemn demand for Vietnam to take immediate and effective measures to stop and punish the illegal activities.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The protests, rarely allowed in Vietnam, began peacefully enough several days ago, but officials claimed today they’d been hijacked by extremists.  They said 440 people were detained.

Vietnamese anger flared after the Chinese began operating an oil rig in disputed waters near the Paracel Islands.  They’re controlled by China, but claimed by Hanoi.

Both sides have accused the other of intentionally ramming their vessels.  Chinese ships also fired water cannon at Vietnamese crews.  Today, the Vietnamese coast guard claimed Chinese ships had once again blocked attempts to reach the rig.

COL. PHAN DUY CUONG, Vietnamese Coast Guard Tactical Assistance (through interpreter):  Today, we got as close as 12 kilometers to the oil rig, and Chinese forces reacted with many ships and followed us closely.  At one point, five Chinese ships surrounded one of ours to stop us from getting close to the oil rig that is operating illegally in our territories.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  China has rejected Vietnam’s complaints and defended its own actions.  Again, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman:

HUA CHUNYING (through interpreter):  I think it’s quite obvious who is the provoker, who is the victim, who is trying to calm the situation, and who is escalating tension.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  In Washington, the White House has criticized China’s actions in the territorial dispute.  But spokesman Jay Carney appealed today for calm on both sides.

JAY CARNEY, White House Press Secretary:  These are disputes that need to be resolved through dialogue, not through intimidation.  And we are not a party to the specific disputes, but we, again, urge dialogue and their resolution.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  China is also involved in territorial disputes with the Philippines and Japan.

"What are China’s ambitions in escalating dispute with Vietnam?" (Part-2) PBS NewsHour 5/14/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Judy Woodruff talks to Kenneth Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution and Gordon Chang, a Forbes.com columnist, about the historical rupture and motives underlying a dispute over a Chinese oil rig placed in waters claimed by Vietnam.

OPINION - America's Wars, Vietnam and Iraq

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 3/18/2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 
Ah, come on Rachel, he didn't earn the nickname 'Tricky Dicky' for nothing.
 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ART - "Heart of a Soldier"

"'Heart of a Soldier' Opera Chronicles Heroism, Love Amid Tragedy of 9/11" PBS Newshour Transcript 9/20/2011

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour): Next: a tale of heroism and love amid the tragedy of 9/11.

It comes in the form of a new opera based on one person's true story.

NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels has this look.

SPENCER MICHELS: From the orchestra pit at the San Francisco Opera, the strains of new music to tell the story of a 9/11 hero waft through the hall during a rehearsal.

The opera is "Heart of a Soldier." And it tells of the life and death of Rick Rescorla, an amazing soldier who saved thousands of lives in Vietnam four decades ago and in New York back in 2001.

POLITICS - Iraq vs. Vietnam

"Transcript: Bush Interview, President Spoke to 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley At Camp David" CBS News

You can read the complete interview at the above link, but here is my comparison to Vietnam.

INTERVIEW:

PELLEY: You think the whole region could be in play? Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait?

BUSH: Absolutely. No question in my mind. And I know this is hard for some Americans to understand. The operative phrase that I thought made a lot of sense about this war is: if we fail in Iraq, the enemy will follow us here. And the point I make is that what happens in the Middle East matters to the homeland. And that's different than in some past engagements. Secondly, chaos in the Middle East will empower extremists who hate America. And failure in Iraq, defeat of America, in quotes, will then embolden these extremists. They'll be able to recruit more. They'll be able to find more suiciders. They'll have resources at their availability, like energy if they were able to topple modern governments. In other words, these people have a plan. They have a vision of the world. And they intend to use murder to enact their vision. And I fully understand that. You know, some of my buddies in Texas say, “You know, let them fight it out. What business is it of ours? You got rid of Saddam. Just let them slug it out.” And that's a temptation that I know a lot of people feel. But if we do not succeed in Iraq, we will leave behind a Middle East which will endanger America in the future.

PELLEY: Instability in Iraq threatens the entire region?

BUSH: If the government falls apart and there is sectarian enclaves and violence, it'll invite Iran into the Shia neighborhoods, Sunni extremists into the Sunni neighborhoods, Kurdish separatist movements. All of which would threaten moderate people, moderate governments, and all of which will end up creating conditions that could lead to attacks here in America.

This is the equivalent of "the domino theory" used to justify continuance of the Vietnam war.

INTERVIEW:

PELLEY: Could have been a mistake?

BUSH: Yeah. [General] John Abizaid, one of the planners, said in front of Congress, you know, he thought we might have needed more troops. My focus is on how to succeed. And the reason I brought up the mistakes is, one, that's the job of the commander-in-chief, and, two, I don't want people blaming our military. We got a bunch of good military people out there doing what we've asked them to do. And the temptation is gonna find scapegoats. Well, if the people want a scapegoat, they got one right here in me 'cause it's my decisions.

Military not responsible, not to be held responsible for mistakes in judgment?!

INTERVIEW:

PELLEY: Do you believe as commander-in-chief you have the authority to put the troops in there no matter what the Congress wants to do?

BUSH: In this situation, I do, yeah. Now, I fully understand they could try to stop me from doing it. But I made my decision, and we're going forward.

Shades of Nixon Whitehouse during the Vietnam war.

The President does not have to listen to anyone, including "the people." The Presidential authority to protect America overrides all other sections/clauses of the Constitution. Hail Cesar!

POLITICS - View Form a Vet

"Dry-rot-phase U.S. soldiers won’t fight for Iraq" by Gil Mulley, The Coloradoan

(in full)

With more than 2,500 dead in Iraq, thousands wounded and no end to the conflict in sight, I suspect American troops are entering the dry-rot phase. This demoralized state of mind subverts individual initiative and unit cohesion. It’s a result of reality versus preconception: What soldiers or Marines expected to find in their combat experience is not consistent with reality.

Dry rot is insidious. You don’t even realize it’s happening to you. It’s the exhaustion, the heat, the bugs, the noise, the stink, the violence. It’s the stress of being a walking target. It’s being away from your wife, kids, family and friends. It’s also the futility of going through the motions, the lack of a believable cause to keep your belly fire burning.

Boredom’s a big part of dry rot. In Vietnam — my war — there was no movement. Everyone worked out of a base camp or fire base and skirmished with the enemy intermittently. There weren’t any crucial battles that led to victory; the enemy never gave up; there was no glorious flag raising like that on Iwo Jima in WWII. All the promises of glory and patriotic service proved hollow. Each day in Vietnam was just like the day before; combat action was intense, but brief and rare. It’s basically the same situation in Iraq.

The lofty talk by politicians and diplomats doesn’t translate well to GIs. As a dry-rot soldier, you do what you’re told to do but inside all you want is to go home; you have no real interest in fighting for Vietnam or Iraq. This is an ultimate truth that our political leaders don’t seem to understand: American soldiers don’t want to be mercenaries for anyone, but especially not for countries that don’t know about or support our way of life.

Believing that GIs will continue to give their all in these kinds of wars is the mistake previous commanders in chief have made and now President Bush is making. I and every one of my troopers will fight to the death anyone who attacks the United States, but don’t ask us to pretend that we care about Vietnam, Iraq or any other place that is just a piece of a muddled political puzzle.

Ultimately, dry-rot soldiers make decisions that dilute the military effort — usually nothing brazen, just little things, subtle things that a driven and determined enemy won’t do. Our troopers’ willingness to take risks and be the brave soldiers they could be is replaced by dry rot anxieties. The goal for dry-rot soldiers is to live and go home, not to be a martyr or to be the hero they once dreamed they could be.

The war in Iraq has gone beyond any rational justification for its existence. Our only reason for staying there now is to help make up for the mess our leaders created. American troopers know this. Continuing a war because politicians feel guilty about creating the war in the first place is not much of a motivator for a 21-year-old, dry-rot grunt on his third tour in hell. If our leaders had spent some time in hell themselves, they’d already know all of this.

What’s the solution? Be as decisive about getting out of Iraq as we were getting in. Set reasonable timetables (keep them secret, go public … whatever), get the troops out and put the onus on the Iraqis to solve their own problems. Anything else is just more muddling.

Gil Mulley lives in Livermore. He was a 1st lt., U.S. Army, fighting in Cu Chi, South Vietnam in 1969

I'm also a Vietnam Vet and totally agree.