Inside Operation Deep Freeze – Part 2

By John Ohab

This blog post was contributed by MSgt Lee E. Hoover Jr., a Combat Correspondent at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, as a follow up to our Dispatches from Antarctica series. MSgt Hoover recently traveled to Antarctica to produce a video series highlighting Air Force and Air National Guard operations throughout the continent, including the South Pole.

Once I arrived in Antarctica, I was in awe. It’s hard to explain to others what it was like. Awesome is the word that comes to mind, but that doesn’t really do it justice. Even more impressive was the work the Airmen do down there. They work 24 hours a day, six days a week to support the science. If it wasn’t for their support, science would literally come to a standstill.

This second part highlights a bit of what they do and includes a glimpse of the South Pole. The pole was -20 degrees when we got there. Supposedly that’s warm, but it’s the coldest weather I’ve ever been in. I was worried the camera’s batteries would die in minutes, but I got lucky. They lasted the entire time I was there, and I was able to get the video I needed.