When I was stationed in Alaska, the Air Force would provide “volunteer” support to the race as there were tiny Air Force stations providing air defense fighter support to the NORAD mission across northern Alaska. The Air Force was also the “telephone company” in Alaska, literally, running communications to the outposts and patching in the little communities along the way. We were the people with the equipment to move across the tundra before the oil companies showed up.
There isn’t much to do in the winter in Alaska, so the Iditarod was a nice break and a sign spring was coming.
The next big event was the ice breaking on the Tanana River, which was a major form of gambling. The person who won the pool for guessing the date and time stood to win tens of thousands of dollars.
]]>