E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

From the Columbia Basin Herald on July 31, 1952:

Today we backtrack a bit and then complete the account of Columbia Basin Herald Editor Ned Thomas as he volunteered to stand watch at the beginning of Operation Skywatch, which was a part of the Ground Observer Corps.

Continued: Trucks sound like airplanes to spotter in lonely vigil for Operation Skywatch

By Ned Thomas

The manual also gives the qualifications for observers. You must have normal hearing (hearing aids permissible), normal eyesight (or normal eyesight when corrected with glasses), ability to speak clearly and distinctly to the filter center, ability to exercise good judgment and make proper decisions and definite loyalty to the United States “which can be checked by a personal clearance.”

While I was trying to master all this, plus a lot of technical stuff I the manual, a dog kept up an incessant barking in the bureau camp just below. He never let up once during the two hours I was on duty. I never saw him, but a constantly barking canine in the middle of the night can be a bit unnerving.

Along about 2 a.m., when I was to be relieved by the next guy, I began wondering if he’s get there. Having two hours invested, you don’t want to just go away and leave your post unguarded if your relief doesn’t show up, yet you want to get some sleep.

So I kept watching the Wheeler Road for signs of Chuck Smith, who was down for the trick from 2 to 4. Then it was that I noticed a steady trickle of cars going out Wheeler Road, and none coming back. Finally one of them turned off and it was Chuck. And he had to go to work at 5 that morning!

Aircraft? I didn’t see a single one.