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Tales about the DEW line


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Many many years ago after I enlisted there was a battery of tests and I was invited to work at the the Natick facility where army uniforms are developed and tested.

 

a story I was told was that guards were walking their tours with dogs. The army tried making booties for the dogs.  So ok, they developed booties and shipped them off to the guard unit. They soon got a requisition for more.  WTH they should have lasted longer than that! An inquiry was ordered.  Well the booties were rawhide, the dogs were eating them.

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My brother in law was a Marine stationed at a radio intercept outpost on the DEW line. He probably would have eaten dog booties. 

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I had to look up “DEW Line”. I used to know what it was but forgot. 
I can’t imagine being assigned to a patrol duty there. 
 

When I was in high school I found these white boots at an Army Surplus store. They were a felt like material and had a wool liner. The guy at the store said they were Army issue Arctic boots. They were big and cumbersome and the best snow boots I ever owned until I bought a pair of Sorels as an adult. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

With PB and BBQ sauce?

Tabasco I reckon.

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3 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I had to look up “DEW Line”. I used to know what it was but forgot. 
I can’t imagine being assigned to a patrol duty there. 
 

When I was in high school I found these white boots at an Army Surplus store. They were a felt like material and had a wool liner. The guy at the store said they were Army issue Arctic boots. They were big and cumbersome and the best snow boots I ever owned until I bought a pair of Sorels as an adult. 

 

 

Distant Early Warning Line.  Radar line intended to detect and track Soviet bombers.  In the '60's, the Air Force was issuing the white rubber "Mickey Mouse" boots.  These had two layers with an airspace between that could be inflated to increase the insulation properties.  Problem, for me, was that size 10 (actually 10-1/2 Wide) were the most common size.  I never could get a pair issued.  Finally went downtown Great Falls, MT, and picked up a pair of B.F. Goodrich shoepacs. They served me well and weren't nearly as bulky.

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Whilst in the Army Security Agency back in 1971, I spent a year on Shemya Island near the west end of the Aleutians. Pretty much the west anchor of the DEW Line. A couple thousand men, no females. We had it pretty good though, as it was an Air Force base so we didn't have guard duty or KP.557b223d3a450ef4d0e4b7ea06318b93.jpg.c74ce31482727440e5c49d1c652c117d.jpg

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DEW Line, Mid-Canada Line, Pinetree Line.

Those names bring back some memories.

Pre ICBM, they were the mainstays of North America's defence.

RCAF Cold Lake was an interceptor base, flying the AVRO CF-100 "Canuck" an excellent platform to intercept the expected waves of Soviet bombers.

Wing tip rocket pods and a quick change Browning 8 gun and ammo system.

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