Here is an interesting blog post on park rangers vs. poachers in our National Parks.
http://voa-intheirownwords.blogspot.com/2010/04/rangers-vs-poachers-in-americas-parks.html
Featured in the video at this site is Cody Murphy. At the time he was the South District Ranger at Shenandoah National Park. This area adjoins the Ridge District of the Blue Ridge Parkway where I worked as the District Ranger for 23 years. The resource poaching problems that Cody describes are present in all the National Parks within the Southern Appalachians.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Blue Ridge Parkway Search Ends
A mulit-day search for a missing man from Ohio ended when his body was found in Rock Castle Gorge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The cause of death is believed to be suicide by gunshot. Below is the press release from the National Park Service.
Muti-day Search in Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area, VA
A search that began on April 22nd in the Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area of the Parkway, in Patrick County, VA, was concluded on the 27th when the body of Cincinnati, OH resident Ernest G. Brooker was located. He had apparently committed suicide using a firearm.
The search began when Brooker's car was noticed by a park employee at the trailhead near the Rocky Knob Cabins on April 18th and again on April 22nd. After a hasty search by park rangers was unsuccessful, search resources were activated through Virginia Department of Emergency Management and a Type III incident team was formed to conduct an expanded operation, Patrick County Sheriff's Office was responsible for the related investigation.
During operations on April 23rd and 24th searchers located numerous weapons and other items placed in the gorge, apparently by Brooker, that included knives, daggers, nunchucks, fighting sticks, a holster for a pistol, parrot feathers and clothing laid out in an organized, and what appeared to be, ritualistic, manner. On the 23rd civilian searchers were removed from the operation until law enforcement teams from Patrick County, Virginia State Police and NPS were able to check the area on the 24th. Civilian searchers from Commonwealth of Virginia SAR; Angle SAR; SAR Tracking Institute; Carroll County SAR; Rockingham County- Augusta SAR; Black Diamond SAR; Triad SAR; Tidewater SAR; SARTI; and Intermont-Bristol SAR, Vesta Rescue Squad, Ararat and Woolwine Fire Departments, and the Civil Air Patrol (aircraft utilized to provide radio communication between teams and the command post, located at the Parkway’s Rocky Knob maintenance area), as well as rangers from Shenandoah NP, New River Gorge NSR, C&O Canal, other districts of the Parkway as well as a canine team from NCR, returned to the search on the 25th. The body of Mr. Brooker was located in a Rhododendron thicket on a private inholding within the gorge by a canine and handler from Dogs East Search and Rescue, working a task with an NPS search team.
Mr. Brooker had stayed in a motel in Meadows of Dan for several days after he arrived in the area on the 13th of April and had been seen by neighbors in the area of the gorge over several days ending the 18th. Ernest Brooker had no known friends or relatives after the death of his wife in January of 2009, which created a challenge for search managers and investigators throughout the incident. Ernest Brooker was 66 years old.
The park wishes to thank all of the SAR organizations and team members that worked diligently in adverse weather, steep terrain and heavy vegetation to conduct the search. The park is fortunate to have a strong relationship with these organizations built over the years by conducting interagency training and SAR exercises in this and other areas of Southern Virginia within the park.
While the search was underway a running marathon was held on park roads within the same district (Roanoke, VA), which, along with the search and normal operational requirements, heavily taxed the parkway's ranger resources.
Muti-day Search in Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area, VA
A search that began on April 22nd in the Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area of the Parkway, in Patrick County, VA, was concluded on the 27th when the body of Cincinnati, OH resident Ernest G. Brooker was located. He had apparently committed suicide using a firearm.
The search began when Brooker's car was noticed by a park employee at the trailhead near the Rocky Knob Cabins on April 18th and again on April 22nd. After a hasty search by park rangers was unsuccessful, search resources were activated through Virginia Department of Emergency Management and a Type III incident team was formed to conduct an expanded operation, Patrick County Sheriff's Office was responsible for the related investigation.
During operations on April 23rd and 24th searchers located numerous weapons and other items placed in the gorge, apparently by Brooker, that included knives, daggers, nunchucks, fighting sticks, a holster for a pistol, parrot feathers and clothing laid out in an organized, and what appeared to be, ritualistic, manner. On the 23rd civilian searchers were removed from the operation until law enforcement teams from Patrick County, Virginia State Police and NPS were able to check the area on the 24th. Civilian searchers from Commonwealth of Virginia SAR; Angle SAR; SAR Tracking Institute; Carroll County SAR; Rockingham County- Augusta SAR; Black Diamond SAR; Triad SAR; Tidewater SAR; SARTI; and Intermont-Bristol SAR, Vesta Rescue Squad, Ararat and Woolwine Fire Departments, and the Civil Air Patrol (aircraft utilized to provide radio communication between teams and the command post, located at the Parkway’s Rocky Knob maintenance area), as well as rangers from Shenandoah NP, New River Gorge NSR, C&O Canal, other districts of the Parkway as well as a canine team from NCR, returned to the search on the 25th. The body of Mr. Brooker was located in a Rhododendron thicket on a private inholding within the gorge by a canine and handler from Dogs East Search and Rescue, working a task with an NPS search team.
Mr. Brooker had stayed in a motel in Meadows of Dan for several days after he arrived in the area on the 13th of April and had been seen by neighbors in the area of the gorge over several days ending the 18th. Ernest Brooker had no known friends or relatives after the death of his wife in January of 2009, which created a challenge for search managers and investigators throughout the incident. Ernest Brooker was 66 years old.
The park wishes to thank all of the SAR organizations and team members that worked diligently in adverse weather, steep terrain and heavy vegetation to conduct the search. The park is fortunate to have a strong relationship with these organizations built over the years by conducting interagency training and SAR exercises in this and other areas of Southern Virginia within the park.
While the search was underway a running marathon was held on park roads within the same district (Roanoke, VA), which, along with the search and normal operational requirements, heavily taxed the parkway's ranger resources.
Interview With April 5th Shooting Survivor
The Roanoke Times published a story based on an interview with Christina Floyd the survivor of a shooting that occurred on the Blue Ridge Parkway April 5th. Floyd's companion, Tim Davis, was also shot and died four days later. The interview reveals details of this senseless attack and how Floyd was able to survive the attempt on her life.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/244879
The Rock Point Overlook where the April 5th shooting incident occurred.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/244879
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Park Rangers Search for Missing Ohio Man
The following is a press release from the National Park Service relating to an on going search for a missing Ohio man on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. In the last 3 weeks park rangers have dealt with a murder, two suicides, two major wildland fires and other additional incidents just in the Virginia section of the park. All these incidents are adding to the work load of employees as they attempt to prepare for a series of special events to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Search Continues in Rock Castle Gorge
(Patrick County, VA) Ernest G. Brooker, Jr. has been missing and is thought to be in the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area, or the surrounding area. Mr. Brooker is a white male, age 66, about 5’10” tall, and 175 lbs, with hazel eyes and white hair, driving a 1985 white Chevrolet Celebrity with Ohio tags..
“We know a few things”, said Blue Ridge Parkway Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett, “but the location and condition of Mr. Brooker are two unknowns at this time”. We know that he passed through West Virginia on his way from Cincinnati, Ohio on April 13th, we know that he stayed in a motel in Meadows of Dan for four days, we know that he was seen near the Rocky Knob Cabins at the top of Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area over a period of four days ending April 17th. On the 18th his car was noticed by a Park Service employee. A US Park Ranger noted that the car was still there on April 22nd and did not appear to have been moved. Eight Park Rangers, including two trainees from other National park units, initiated a search that day and found items inside the Gorge area associated with Mr. Brooker, at the same time Patrick County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the where abouts of Ernest Brooker. Virginia Department of Emergency Management was contacted and various Virginia Search and Rescue (SAR) resources were activated for the following day, April 23rd. Those teams include Commonwealth of Virginia SAR; Angle SAR; SAR Tracking Institute; Carroll County SAR; Rockingham County- Augusta SAR; Black Diamond SAR; Triad SAR; Tidewater SAR; SARTI; and Intermont-Bristol SAR. Members of the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Vesta Rescue Squad, Ararat and Woolwine Fire Departments, and the Civil Air Patrol (aircraft utilized to provide radio communication between teams and the command post, located at the Parkway’s Rocky Knob maintenance area). Logistical support is being provided by local agencies and maintenance employees of the Parkway.
On Friday April 23rd searchers began to find items near the trail that had been placed by Brooker. “The items,” said Chief Ranger Stinnett “including edged weapons and indications of a firearm generated concern by the search managers and led to the withdrawal of the civilian teams. The following day only law enforcement personnel were used to continue the search.” Those included officers from PCSO, Virginia State Police and NPS rangers from the Parkway, New River Gorge NSR, Shenandoah NP, and two ranger trainees. In addition Triad SAR provided 3 Bloodhounds. The Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area was closed to the public while that phase of the search was completed.
On Sunday the area was reopened by the Parkway and the civilian searchers returned, along with two canine units. Up to this point in time Mr. Brooker has not been located and plans are being made to continue search efforts with local rangers, as well as rangers from Cumberland Gap NHP, Shenandoah NP, C&O Canal NHP, and a canine unit from the National Capital Region.
Anyone having knowledge of Ernest Brooker is asked to contact the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office at 276-694-3161 or Parkway Emergency phone: 1-800-PARKWATCH (800-727-5928).
Search Continues in Rock Castle Gorge
(Patrick County, VA) Ernest G. Brooker, Jr. has been missing and is thought to be in the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area, or the surrounding area. Mr. Brooker is a white male, age 66, about 5’10” tall, and 175 lbs, with hazel eyes and white hair, driving a 1985 white Chevrolet Celebrity with Ohio tags..
“We know a few things”, said Blue Ridge Parkway Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett, “but the location and condition of Mr. Brooker are two unknowns at this time”. We know that he passed through West Virginia on his way from Cincinnati, Ohio on April 13th, we know that he stayed in a motel in Meadows of Dan for four days, we know that he was seen near the Rocky Knob Cabins at the top of Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area over a period of four days ending April 17th. On the 18th his car was noticed by a Park Service employee. A US Park Ranger noted that the car was still there on April 22nd and did not appear to have been moved. Eight Park Rangers, including two trainees from other National park units, initiated a search that day and found items inside the Gorge area associated with Mr. Brooker, at the same time Patrick County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the where abouts of Ernest Brooker. Virginia Department of Emergency Management was contacted and various Virginia Search and Rescue (SAR) resources were activated for the following day, April 23rd. Those teams include Commonwealth of Virginia SAR; Angle SAR; SAR Tracking Institute; Carroll County SAR; Rockingham County- Augusta SAR; Black Diamond SAR; Triad SAR; Tidewater SAR; SARTI; and Intermont-Bristol SAR. Members of the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Vesta Rescue Squad, Ararat and Woolwine Fire Departments, and the Civil Air Patrol (aircraft utilized to provide radio communication between teams and the command post, located at the Parkway’s Rocky Knob maintenance area). Logistical support is being provided by local agencies and maintenance employees of the Parkway.
On Friday April 23rd searchers began to find items near the trail that had been placed by Brooker. “The items,” said Chief Ranger Stinnett “including edged weapons and indications of a firearm generated concern by the search managers and led to the withdrawal of the civilian teams. The following day only law enforcement personnel were used to continue the search.” Those included officers from PCSO, Virginia State Police and NPS rangers from the Parkway, New River Gorge NSR, Shenandoah NP, and two ranger trainees. In addition Triad SAR provided 3 Bloodhounds. The Rock Castle Gorge Recreation Area was closed to the public while that phase of the search was completed.
On Sunday the area was reopened by the Parkway and the civilian searchers returned, along with two canine units. Up to this point in time Mr. Brooker has not been located and plans are being made to continue search efforts with local rangers, as well as rangers from Cumberland Gap NHP, Shenandoah NP, C&O Canal NHP, and a canine unit from the National Capital Region.
Anyone having knowledge of Ernest Brooker is asked to contact the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office at 276-694-3161 or Parkway Emergency phone: 1-800-PARKWATCH (800-727-5928).
Monday, April 26, 2010
Recommended Books for Lesson Plan on United States National Parks
The book "A Park Ranger's Life" is among several others recommended in a lesson plan on the web site Suite 101. Check it out at the link below.
Recommended Books for Lesson Plan on United States National Parks
Recommended Books for Lesson Plan on United States National Parks
Park Ranger Images That Stay With You
As a National Park Ranger you work in some of the most interesting and spectacular settings in our country. Most people believe that park rangers sleep dreaming about the vast vistas and beautiful sunsets they get to enjoy each day. The reality is quite different.
As a young park ranger I believed in the above image until I had to deal with my first dead body. Little did I know that this would be the first of many such situations I would have to face in my career. I ended up providing emergency care to victims and investigating deaths of people from auto and motorcycle crashes, gunshot wounds, drowning, drug overdoses, falls from cliff faces, and suicides. Several of these bodies floated in my dreams for years and still appear on occasion.
One such incident was in 1982 while working on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was a young man in Galax, Virginia that was cruising with his 15 year old cousin in a Pontiac Trans Am. They met two teenage girls in a parking lot hangout and asked them to go for a ride in the impressive muscle car. They ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway where the driver lost control of the car in a sharp curve at the state line with North Carolina going at speeds estimated of 80mph. The Trans Am went directly into a large oak tree killing the two girls and driver instantly. The bodies were torn and smashed to the point that no one could identify them.
The lone survivor was the cousin who was in the back seat awake and screaming as it took the Rescue Squad an hour to cut him from the wreckage. His body was cut wide open from one leg through his groin and down his other leg. EMT’s worked to stem the bleeding as the Jaws of Life worked to cut him from the mangled car.
The survivor did not even know the last names of the girls they had picked up. High school rings with initials on their lifeless fingers led local agency investigators to get the high school principal out of bed in an attempt to match the names in the year book for the upcoming graduating class. Once at the hospital I was able to get the survivor to tell me where they met the girls. In that parking lot was found a lone car registered to the parents of one of the girls picked out as a possible victim from the yearbook.
The Virginia State Police handled notifying the families of the tragedy relieving me of that tough duty. They found two next door neighbors home with every light on in the house. It was 3 a.m. and both families knew something was wrong.
At the hospital I finally had a few moments to start writing down some notes for the required investigative report. I had before me the official report form and I started to fill out the blank spaces. On these forms you placed all the information about the driver and passengers in neatly placed boxes outlined in black. To the right of the identity information the investigator had to check one of three boxes titled at the top of the column as; No Injury, Injury, or Fatality. By the time I had checked the third fatality box all the emotion and sense of loss of what I had been dealing with came upon me like a flood from a broken dam. My eyes began to swell up with moisture, my heart rate increased, and my writing hand began to tremble. I found an empty waiting room and sat for a few minutes to get myself back together. Eventually my supervisor found me and I cannot remember what he said or did, I wish I could, but he helped me to recover my composure and move on.
The part of this tragic event that stays with me to this day is the checking off of three young human lives on a government form in a small sterile hospital waiting room.
These are not scenes and visions that most new park rangers consider at the beginning of their career nor are they prepared to deal with. I thought that something was wrong with me for a long time since these topics were never discussed or dealt with by peers. You kept it inside and kept on going. You did not want others to know that you were not made of stone and macho enough to be a ranger. It took some time, and although I was not obsessed with these images it made it much easier to deal with once I knew others had the same experiences.
The crashed Trans Am as described in the story above. That is me in the upper left hand corner holding the flashlight. You can see EMS personnel trying to remove the lone survivor from the back seat.
As a young park ranger I believed in the above image until I had to deal with my first dead body. Little did I know that this would be the first of many such situations I would have to face in my career. I ended up providing emergency care to victims and investigating deaths of people from auto and motorcycle crashes, gunshot wounds, drowning, drug overdoses, falls from cliff faces, and suicides. Several of these bodies floated in my dreams for years and still appear on occasion.
One such incident was in 1982 while working on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was a young man in Galax, Virginia that was cruising with his 15 year old cousin in a Pontiac Trans Am. They met two teenage girls in a parking lot hangout and asked them to go for a ride in the impressive muscle car. They ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway where the driver lost control of the car in a sharp curve at the state line with North Carolina going at speeds estimated of 80mph. The Trans Am went directly into a large oak tree killing the two girls and driver instantly. The bodies were torn and smashed to the point that no one could identify them.
The lone survivor was the cousin who was in the back seat awake and screaming as it took the Rescue Squad an hour to cut him from the wreckage. His body was cut wide open from one leg through his groin and down his other leg. EMT’s worked to stem the bleeding as the Jaws of Life worked to cut him from the mangled car.
The survivor did not even know the last names of the girls they had picked up. High school rings with initials on their lifeless fingers led local agency investigators to get the high school principal out of bed in an attempt to match the names in the year book for the upcoming graduating class. Once at the hospital I was able to get the survivor to tell me where they met the girls. In that parking lot was found a lone car registered to the parents of one of the girls picked out as a possible victim from the yearbook.
The Virginia State Police handled notifying the families of the tragedy relieving me of that tough duty. They found two next door neighbors home with every light on in the house. It was 3 a.m. and both families knew something was wrong.
At the hospital I finally had a few moments to start writing down some notes for the required investigative report. I had before me the official report form and I started to fill out the blank spaces. On these forms you placed all the information about the driver and passengers in neatly placed boxes outlined in black. To the right of the identity information the investigator had to check one of three boxes titled at the top of the column as; No Injury, Injury, or Fatality. By the time I had checked the third fatality box all the emotion and sense of loss of what I had been dealing with came upon me like a flood from a broken dam. My eyes began to swell up with moisture, my heart rate increased, and my writing hand began to tremble. I found an empty waiting room and sat for a few minutes to get myself back together. Eventually my supervisor found me and I cannot remember what he said or did, I wish I could, but he helped me to recover my composure and move on.
The part of this tragic event that stays with me to this day is the checking off of three young human lives on a government form in a small sterile hospital waiting room.
These are not scenes and visions that most new park rangers consider at the beginning of their career nor are they prepared to deal with. I thought that something was wrong with me for a long time since these topics were never discussed or dealt with by peers. You kept it inside and kept on going. You did not want others to know that you were not made of stone and macho enough to be a ranger. It took some time, and although I was not obsessed with these images it made it much easier to deal with once I knew others had the same experiences.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
More Reader Reviews for "A Park Ranger's Life"
These reader comments were found on the website Goodreads.
Very interesting, easy read...a good one for a trip that will provide time for intermittent reading. The stories are curious and a bit random--and they are insightful, particularly for those who live near the Blue Ridge Parkway. After reading, I understood much more about what park rangers do...and I had been entertained while being informed. This book may be a bit challenging to find, as it is new and published by a smaller press. If you are in Rke, try Ram's Head.
Flouser
Note: The book is available in Roanoke, Virginia at Ramshead Books and the Barnes and Noble Tanglewood. It can also be found at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and aparkrangerslifethebook.com.
As a young boy, I always wanted to be a park ranger and have liberally taken advantage of the park system over the years. After reading Bruce Bytnar's well written memoir, I am happy that my life did not take that path but am grateful for rangers like Bruce who have devoted much of their lives to keeping our national parks safe and available.
George
Very interesting, easy read...a good one for a trip that will provide time for intermittent reading. The stories are curious and a bit random--and they are insightful, particularly for those who live near the Blue Ridge Parkway. After reading, I understood much more about what park rangers do...and I had been entertained while being informed. This book may be a bit challenging to find, as it is new and published by a smaller press. If you are in Rke, try Ram's Head.
Flouser
Note: The book is available in Roanoke, Virginia at Ramshead Books and the Barnes and Noble Tanglewood. It can also be found at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and aparkrangerslifethebook.com.
As a young boy, I always wanted to be a park ranger and have liberally taken advantage of the park system over the years. After reading Bruce Bytnar's well written memoir, I am happy that my life did not take that path but am grateful for rangers like Bruce who have devoted much of their lives to keeping our national parks safe and available.
George
PARK RANGER LEADERSHIP
Every successful National Park Ranger develops leadership styles and techniques. Leadership is not only necessary for supervising employees but for managing emergency incidents, disruptive or distraught visitors, and managers to sell them on how they believe things should be done.
After more than thirty two years, many of which were spent as a supervisor and manager in the National Park Service, I have developed a list of tips that I found useful in persuading people to work toward a common goal. These leadership skills are the result of years of daily supervision of a variety of diverse employees and the stress of wildfires, searches, violent crimes, natural disasters, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and special events. I shared my experiences with new National Park employees in Wildland Fire and Fundamentals Training before retiring in 2008.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership. You must establish a level of trustworthiness, reliability, subject knowledge, and integrity with those you intend to be your followers. In the case of day to day work environments this relationship must be built over time and maintained in a consistent and decisive manner. In emergency situations, a leader needs to establish their credibility quickly and effectively. Successful National Park Service employees can function under both situations and be able to unconsciously adapt their skills to ever changing conditions.
Credibility goes beyond being given authority by management. An individual having the title of supervisor does not assure their ability to function as a leader. A mistake I saw many times during my career was when people relied on their administrative authority to demand compliance and dedication from employees to accomplish a common goal. Park Rangers by the nature of their job demands, education, and training are programmed to be thinking and working independently. To have someone tell a park ranger to do some work function that they believe is wrong will result in questions. The worst mistake for a supervisor is to respond “Because I said so,” or “Because I am your boss, that’s why.” Both are quotes I heard numerous times in my career.
I plan to present a series of lessons learned from my thirty two plus year career as a National Park Ranger to help individuals develop and maintain their credibility as leaders. These tools can be applied to any work situation, not just National Parks. Stay tuned.
After more than thirty two years, many of which were spent as a supervisor and manager in the National Park Service, I have developed a list of tips that I found useful in persuading people to work toward a common goal. These leadership skills are the result of years of daily supervision of a variety of diverse employees and the stress of wildfires, searches, violent crimes, natural disasters, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and special events. I shared my experiences with new National Park employees in Wildland Fire and Fundamentals Training before retiring in 2008.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership. You must establish a level of trustworthiness, reliability, subject knowledge, and integrity with those you intend to be your followers. In the case of day to day work environments this relationship must be built over time and maintained in a consistent and decisive manner. In emergency situations, a leader needs to establish their credibility quickly and effectively. Successful National Park Service employees can function under both situations and be able to unconsciously adapt their skills to ever changing conditions.
Credibility goes beyond being given authority by management. An individual having the title of supervisor does not assure their ability to function as a leader. A mistake I saw many times during my career was when people relied on their administrative authority to demand compliance and dedication from employees to accomplish a common goal. Park Rangers by the nature of their job demands, education, and training are programmed to be thinking and working independently. To have someone tell a park ranger to do some work function that they believe is wrong will result in questions. The worst mistake for a supervisor is to respond “Because I said so,” or “Because I am your boss, that’s why.” Both are quotes I heard numerous times in my career.
I plan to present a series of lessons learned from my thirty two plus year career as a National Park Ranger to help individuals develop and maintain their credibility as leaders. These tools can be applied to any work situation, not just National Parks. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Park Ranger Response
Park Rangers do not always know what they are getting into when responding to calls for help.
I was working at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in 1978 patrolling Lee Drive when I was a bit taken aback to hear Linda my young wife of one year’s voice come over the radio. It was a Saturday afternoon and she was at home in our park house at Chatham Manor. She sounded a bit upset and said there was a 10-33, radio code for an emergency. I thought I could hear another voice in the background and realized it was Mary the historian on duty at Chatham. I asked what the nature of the emergency was but was only told I needed to get there as soon as I could.
Although I asked more questions attempting to find out if this was a medical or criminal problem. I was unable to get a straight answer and the more we communicated the more drastic the situation became in my mind. I turned on my emergency lights and started the five mile response through downtown Fredericksburg. My wife called several more times wanting to know when I would get there. I explained that I was having trouble making my way through traffic since no one was getting out of my way and I suspected a conspiracy to prevent my making it to Chatham. The tone of my wife’s voice started my mind spinning through various possible scenarios. Was there a hostage situation? Had someone been shot or robbed? Maybe it was a serious accident and someone was lying there injured? The more my adrenalin level rose, the tougher it became to get through traffic. When I pushed my way through one intersection I could hear vehicle horns protesting my move.
After what seemed hours I entered the gate at Chatham Manor and viewed my wife and Mary in the front yard of the caretaker’s house where we lived. I jumped out of my car ready to go for my gun or the emergency medical kit in my trunk. As I glanced over the roof of my car I realized that the emergency lights were not on. I looked to the console and the lighted switch for the light bar was still illuminated. I discovered later that a burned out fuse had prevented the lights from working. At least that eliminated the conspiracy theory.
Linda and Mary came running up to me and quickly explained that some kids had gotten into a barn on the property and somehow started up a farm tractor. The tractor had taken off without a driver and was running amuck through the fields of the park. I asked why they could not have told me that on the radio and their response was that they could not find a 10-code for a runaway tractor. Both were very consciences types and did not want to violate radio protocols.
The tractor was nowhere in sight, but I was eventually able to track it to the side of a commercial building outside the park where it had struck with such force it cracked a cinder block wall. I was able to turn off the engine and contacted the owner who then returned it to the barn.
We never did catch the culprits, but I bet they got a scare and a good story out of their experience. Linda later became almost a professional radio dispatcher on many occasions being my only link with the outside world on. She was always clear and precise in her future radio communications.
Our house at Chatham Manor with the patrol car with non functioning emergency lights.
I was working at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in 1978 patrolling Lee Drive when I was a bit taken aback to hear Linda my young wife of one year’s voice come over the radio. It was a Saturday afternoon and she was at home in our park house at Chatham Manor. She sounded a bit upset and said there was a 10-33, radio code for an emergency. I thought I could hear another voice in the background and realized it was Mary the historian on duty at Chatham. I asked what the nature of the emergency was but was only told I needed to get there as soon as I could.
Although I asked more questions attempting to find out if this was a medical or criminal problem. I was unable to get a straight answer and the more we communicated the more drastic the situation became in my mind. I turned on my emergency lights and started the five mile response through downtown Fredericksburg. My wife called several more times wanting to know when I would get there. I explained that I was having trouble making my way through traffic since no one was getting out of my way and I suspected a conspiracy to prevent my making it to Chatham. The tone of my wife’s voice started my mind spinning through various possible scenarios. Was there a hostage situation? Had someone been shot or robbed? Maybe it was a serious accident and someone was lying there injured? The more my adrenalin level rose, the tougher it became to get through traffic. When I pushed my way through one intersection I could hear vehicle horns protesting my move.
After what seemed hours I entered the gate at Chatham Manor and viewed my wife and Mary in the front yard of the caretaker’s house where we lived. I jumped out of my car ready to go for my gun or the emergency medical kit in my trunk. As I glanced over the roof of my car I realized that the emergency lights were not on. I looked to the console and the lighted switch for the light bar was still illuminated. I discovered later that a burned out fuse had prevented the lights from working. At least that eliminated the conspiracy theory.
Linda and Mary came running up to me and quickly explained that some kids had gotten into a barn on the property and somehow started up a farm tractor. The tractor had taken off without a driver and was running amuck through the fields of the park. I asked why they could not have told me that on the radio and their response was that they could not find a 10-code for a runaway tractor. Both were very consciences types and did not want to violate radio protocols.
The tractor was nowhere in sight, but I was eventually able to track it to the side of a commercial building outside the park where it had struck with such force it cracked a cinder block wall. I was able to turn off the engine and contacted the owner who then returned it to the barn.
We never did catch the culprits, but I bet they got a scare and a good story out of their experience. Linda later became almost a professional radio dispatcher on many occasions being my only link with the outside world on. She was always clear and precise in her future radio communications.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Help Celebrate National Parks For Free
Help to celebrate National Park Week by visiting a National Park area near home. During this week designated to recognize our National Park System, many entrance and user fees are being waived. This is your once a year opportunity to enjoy your parks for free.
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