Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Homeless feeding questioned Disc golf course coming to Cave Junction park Human remains found in burning trailer Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service Barn fire may have been human-caused Emergency services Inmates to get mental health, addiction treatment Missing Medford man found safe in Sweet Home Politics and Elections Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Commissioner candidates Talbert, Roberts duel for endorsements Falls: Jackson County sheriff's race isn't over Former sheriff calls Winters' retirement decision 'very wise' Will 'GMO effect' shape election? Education EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Eagle Point School District goes silent on gun issue Environment Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters State news Nation - World Obituaries Calvin Schaefer Norma Mae Prilliman Elizabeth Anne Jones Jesse Jay Gilchrist Lorraine Antcha Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories South rebounds with rout of Roseburg Ashland drops MWL boys match to Churchill Hay rallies Pirates past Henley Gadget play gives Grizz win over Comets GP dashes North’s hopes Varsity 541 College Sports Stanford cruises past Washington State High stakes for No. 12 Oregon, No. 18 UCLA Raider men win handily Raiders shut out Eastern Oregon Georgia star Gurley suspended for alleged violation Pro Sports Gordon-led Royals beat Orioles 8-6 in ALCS Donovan hits post in US swan song Birdie binge puts Laird in front at Frys.com Giants-Cards: Here we go again in NLCS Colts hold on for 33-28 win over Texans Community Sports Business Latest Stories Ranchers offer livestock exchange Lithia buys Clovis dealership Blog: When Life Gives You Lemons... Medford airport has busiest September ever County hopes to spur renewable energy Real Estate News Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters People In Business Transportation Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Election Letters, Oct.11 Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Matthew T. Mangino: Trials, pleas and the burden of proof: A search for justice Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Editorials Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Measure 86 would allow a prudent investment Our View: Top-two primary would empower more voters Letters to the Editor Election Letters, Oct.11 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7 Guest Opinions Mt. Ashland is responding to community concerns Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Guest Opinion: Measure 91 will snuff out local tax measures Is Ashland taking over Jackson County elections? Lifestyle Latest stories Nibbling away at the Earth Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Name that wolf Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Food Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Cardamom makes proverbial pairing with pears New owners bring new philosophy at 2Hawk Home and Garden How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Start now for a bowl of winter sunshine Health Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Dr. Murray Feingold: Take precautions to prevent home accidents Health Watch: Make TV time workout time Community blog: Do We Need Steps For Health? Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion briefs First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements New Arrivals Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' New Arrivals Wedding New Arrivals Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Agave offers tasty tacos Call for musicians Works in progress A stylish take on baroque Southern Oregon Music Festival returns to downtown Medford Theater Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist 'Mrs. Mannerly' is a matter of manners There's no accounting for poor manners Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Benefit for Nita Day at The Wild Goose Cafe in Ashland Call for musicians A stylish take on baroque Southern Oregon Music Festival returns to downtown Medford Rogue Valley Symphony season debut combines virtuosity, emotion Community Events Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Greater Medford Multicultural Fair Volunteers needed for Downtown Art + Sound Medford's Third Fridays Dining Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Spoons 'Get Giddy' at Porters Jacksonville's Thai House is everything good Thai should be Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Human remains found in burning trailer ... Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt ... Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service ... Human remains found in burning trailer ... Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt ... Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service ... The Cold War's silent heroes share memories Former submariners are seeking new members for a local association chapter Submariners are a different sort of breed — and when they get together, they seem to recognize each other immediately and within five minutes are swapping sea stories over drinks, like lifelong pals. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 7, 2014 at 11:02 AM By JOHN DARLING Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 7, 2014 at 11:02 AM » Social News Submariners are a different sort of breed — and when they get together, they seem to recognize each other immediately and within five minutes are swapping sea stories over drinks, like lifelong pals. They also have a lot of respect for the 3,500 submariners who gave their lives on 52 boats (they never call them "ships") in World War II — and they want to keep those memories alive. That's why 15 local submariners are forming a chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans and seeking out new members for a gathering at Seven Feathers in late July, according to the group's leader, Ken Earls of Eagle Point. "Submariners are an even-natured bunch," said Earls as he sipped coffee with two retired underwater types from Medford. "They don't rattle easy. In a sub, you have split seconds to make decisions that could save you or kill everyone on board." The vast majority of living submariners are Cold War sailors who did not see direct combat. The youngest veterans of World War II, who saw plenty of war, are now in their late 80s. Their war lives on in their memories. A decade ago, Earls heard one World War II sub veteran talk of sinking a Japanese destroyer, then having to sit the sub on the sea floor for two days, with everything turned off, hoping to dodge 120 depth charges dropped by another enemy destroyer. "Talk about heroes," said Earls, shaking his head. Though they haven't fired any shots in anger, the Cold Warriors of the Silent Service say they played a major role in preventing another world war, simply by being armed with 16 long-range Polaris missiles, each loaded with thermonuclear weapons that could literally end the world. "I believe our submarine force not only prevented World War III, but is responsible for the demise of the Soviet Union," says Earls, 72. "The subs had so much firepower, both Soviet and American, that both sides knew if they fired one, there wouldn't be anywhere to report back to." Fifty years later, as a member of the International Submariners Association, Earls attended a meeting of the group in Moscow. Standing in Red Square, he recalled that the targeting map on his USS Woodrow Wilson had a big, red X on that spot. "The motto was: 'You can exercise bluster all you want, but don't do anything foolish.'" Clyde Waite of Medford, 76, a veteran of the diesel-electric USS Tench, observed, "One nuclear sub carried more firepower than all the weapons fired by all sides in World War II." David Colby, 75, of Medford, served mostly on the USS Abraham Lincoln. He said he, Earls and Waite spent years in the period from 1957 to 1978 tracking and evading Soviet subs and engaging in "lots of espionage." Most of that is still classified, though much of the cover was blown by the 1998 book, "Blind Man's Bluff." Technology has become so advanced that today's subs can make their own air and water and stay submerged for years — as long as there's food, said Earls. You might think sub service claustrophobic, but Colby said it was just like being on any other ship, minus the windows. Despite being submerged for up to 60 days at a time, they said, it didn't bother them psychologically. The air, however, was super-filtered so when they surfaced and opened the hatch, said Waite, "the air outside, no matter where you were, stank enough to gag a maggot. "I thought sub service was great," said Colby. "The duty was good if you liked what you did. I worked in the engine room and loved it, except for the occasional moments of terror." Cold War sub foes often tracked each other so closely that they would actually bump, said Earls, but it didn't lead to any hostile exchanges. While there were no hostile exchanges, the subs did make news. A member of the local club or "base" as it's called, was on the USS Nautilus when it sailed to the North Pole in 1958, a history-making first. The men had friends on the ill-fated USS Thresher, which sank in 1963. They served during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war, and Colby was in the Caribbean theater. Of the many tense movies about submarines, "Das Boot," a 1981 German production about a German crew in World War II, comes the closest to capturing the experience, said Waite. Submariners are unique, adds Earls, starting with the fact that every one of them was a volunteer. Each also had to go through rigorous physical and psychological screening, followed by what he said seemed like endless training and schooling. Former submariners may join the group by contacting Earls at 928-308-4488 (number corrected from previous version) . John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Jul. 6, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 7, 2014 at 11:02 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501