FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Perfect Storm: Local ties
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
“I lowered the small
ribby from the starboard
side into the water. Aboard
was the Chief, First,
Second, and Third Bosn’s
(Boatswain’s Mates, or,
BMs)...A freak wave oc-
curred as I tried to lower
the boat. It was about 30
feet down, then the wave
came and put the boat
about 30 feet over my
head,” he said.
Greenbank tried to pull
in the slack, but the crane’s
normal speed wasn’t fast
enough to accommodate
that, resulting in a 40-foot
free-fall for the small boat
when the wave disap-
peared, jerking out three
of the four pad eyes, and
dumping almost the whole
crew overboard. They all
managed to get back in the
small boat, and, “...we all
knew they wouldn’t come
back...” due to the damage,
Greenbank said.
The small boat crew,
after giving three survival
suits to the Satori crew,
forced them to abandon
ship. Captain Lawrence
Brudnicki of the Tam was
approved by District Com-
mand, and able to order
the crew to abandon ship
legally by declaring the
Satori’s trip a “Manifestly
Unsafe Voyage.” During
this time, the Satori’s bow
had crashed into the small
boat, causing damage. The
crew of the Satori, and
the crew of the small boat
were rescued by the crew
of a Coast Guard Sikorsky
HH-3F “Pelican” helicop-
ter, which had been also
present.
An Air National Guard
(ANG) chopper, dis-
patched to rescue a Japa-
nese fisherman 250 miles
off the New Jersey coast,
could not complete the
attempt, and experienced
a broken fuel line while
attempting to refuel in-
flight, prompting the pilot
to have to ditch the aircraft
in the ocean. That was a
U.S. Air Force Sikorsky
HH-60G Pave Hawk, call
sign “Jolly 110,” from the
106th Rescue Wing, New
York. The crew included
Pilot Major David Ru-
vola, Co-pilot Captain
Graham Buschor, Flight
Engineer Staff Sergeant
James Mioli, Pararescue
Jumper (PJ) Tech Sergeant
John Spillane, and PJ Tech
Sergeant Rick Smith.
The Tam was tasked
with reaching and rescu-
ing the crew of the ditched
ANG chopper, and Green-
bank said, “...the seas were
at 50 feet, and the winds
were at 80 knots. A third
of the Tam crew was out
of commission, and just
puking into the saltwater
that had built to about a
foot into our birthing area,
where we lived.” He said
the water was coming in
from numerous areas, and
one of the spin windows
(basically, a spinning
“windshield wiper”) on the
bridge was forced out, be-
cause of the strength of the
incoming waves. “Also,
the ladder (stairs) from the
fan tail (near an overhang,
at the rear of the ship) to
the O-1 deck almost got
ripped completely off...”
When the Tam was close
to the ditch site of the
chopper, Greenbank said,
“All hands that were still
able to function...” as-
sembled in the mess deck
(dining area), and were
assigned responsibilities.
“Apparently, I didn’t rank
very high (he was a Sea-
man at the time),” he said,
as he and less than half a
dozen others (all Seaman,
SNs, or Firemen, FNs,
he said) were assigned
to the bow, to search for
survivors (he said it was
too foggy, as he noted the
small number assigned to
that task).
He said, “That entailed
that, dressed in mustang
survival suits, along with
a preserver and a flood
lamp, we would hold on to
the life line (a safety cable
around the perimeter of the
ship) with one hand, and
shine the lamp with the
other (they weren’t secured
to the ship with any type
of harness). Now imagine,
50-foot seas and 80-knot
winds that have already
taken out a spin window on
the bridge. Now imagine
what it’s like on the bow.
When the bow dipped, I’d
drop to my knees, hold on
for dear life with my weak
hand, and get churned
like I was in a washing
machine, for what seemed
to be an eternity. Then,
I’d jump back up and
shine my spotlight again,
trying to find the aviators...
Remember, there were no
life line attachments--just
our free hands...It wasn’t
fun being on the bow then.
I recall many times that
the only thing keeping me
aboard the ship was my
death grip to the life line,
as my body was being
pulled by the sea...I can
tell you, I didn’t think I’d
live at the time...After God
knows how many bouts of
that, we spotted them...”
Speaking about the
arrival to the ditch site,
Greenbank said, “I should
note that Coast Guard Air
was there...C-130s were
overhead (aircraft from the
Coast Guard included the
HU-25 Guardian, or “Fal-
con,” and the Lockheed
HC-130H), and noting that
they could see our keel
as we rolled...Which, for
this ship, meant that our
mast should have sheared,
or, we should have sunk.”
The Tam registered at least
52-degree rolls, which
meant at least a total arc
of 104 degrees. “I walked
with one foot on the
deck, and the other on the
bulkhead (wall). Then, the
opposite, when we rolled
the other way,” he said.
Greebank said that three
of the airmen were seen
huddled together, and the
Tam maneuvered close
enough, so they could grab
the scramble net (on the
side of the ship). Buschor,
who had been separated
from Ruvola, Spillane, and
Mioli, was pulled aboard
first, leaving the three.
“We were too excited; we
jerked, and two of them
couldn’t hold on. The one
that did (Spillane) flew
to the deck with his arm
tangled in the net, and now,
newly broken (This could
have happened earlier, as
Spillane had suffered a
fractured right arm, left
leg, four ribs, a ruptured
kidney, and a bruised
pancreas)...The other two
Ruvola and Mioli) drifted
down to the back of the
ship, where we thought
the screw was going to kill
them. They made it past
that. It took many hours,
but we eventually rescued
them, too. Days later,
the survivalman (Smith,
who had been missing the
whole time) was spotted by
a C-130. Hours later, we
finally got to the location,
but he was gone.” Smith
was never recovered.
The 72-foot fishing
vessel Andrea Gail and her
crew played a major part in
the book and the film (they
were the basis for both),
and all were lost at sea, as
well. They were Captain
Frank William “Billy”
Tyne, Jr., Michael “Bugsy”
Moran, Dale R. “Murph”
Murphy, Alfred Pierre,
Robert F. “Bobby” Shat-
ford, and David “Sully”
Sullivan.
Greenbank saw The
Perfect Storm when it was
released, noting that while
the story is more widely
known and recognized
now, there are numerous
discrepancies in typical
Hollywood fashion. A
notable example is that the
ship intended to portray the
Tam is inexplicably mod-
Standing Rock
eled after a newer class,
and the rescue scenes are
inaccurate. In interviews
with media, Brudnicki said
that newer Coast Guard
cutters, like the one in the
film used to portray the
Tam, would not have been
able to sustain the waves
and make the rescues,
noting that the Tam was
700 tons heavier, and sat
six feet deeper than more
modern ships (the Tam had
a lower center of gravity).
The Tam, also known
as the “Mighty Z,” among
other names, was built by
Commercial Iron Works
of Portland, Oregon, and
began life as the USS Zuni
(ATF-95) in 1943, later to
be transferred to the Coast
Guard, following World
War II, in 1946. During
her life, the Tam’s crews
proudly served and saw
her through the battles of
World War II, and beyond
Halloween weekend
also marked the expected
sinking of the Tam, which
was decommissioned in
1994, due to budget cuts,
and the costs involved
with an overhaul. She was
kept afloat by a group of
dedicated Coast Guard and
Navy veterans, the Zuni
Maritime Foundation, but
repair costs became too
high, and it was estimated
that it would take at least
$2 million to fix the cur-
rent damage. The Tam will
join the Navy destroyer
USS Arthur W. Radford as
an artificial reef, 120 feet
deep, and she will have
other vessels as company,
as well, on the Del-Jersey-
Land Reef, managed by
Delaware, New Jersey,
and Maryland. Though
a disheartening fate (she
has an extensive history of
numerous acts and awards,
including during World
War II at Iwo Jima ), it is,
according to former crew
members and others, the
best outcome considering
the alternative—the scrap
yard.
Along with others,
Greenbank received med-
als to include the Air Force
Commendation Medal, and
the Coast Guard Meritori-
ous Unit Commendation,
for his rescue efforts. He
is Chief Deputy Prosecu-
tor for Bonner County, in
Sandpoint, Idaho, and he
lives with his wife, Kim,
and their two daughters,
Kari and Cadie, in Couer
d’ Alene. With respect to
those lost at sea, and to
those like Greenbank, who
have answered the call,
from this reporter and for-
mer Tam shipmate of his
prior to The Perfect Storm:
Semper Paratus.
County gets weed, legislative
updates, visit from Bentz
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners met for
its first, regular session of
the month on Wednesday,
November 2, 2016, 9 a.m.,
in the Commission Cham-
bers of the Baker County
Courthouse. Highlights
include a County Weed
Department update, with
Weed Supervisor Arnie
Grammon, and an Oregon
Legislative update, with
Representative Cliff Bentz.
Present from the Board
were Chair Bill Harvey,
Commissioners Mark Ben-
nett and Tim Kerns, and
Executive Assistant Heidi
Martin.
Attendance also includ-
ed Baker County Weed-
master Arnie Grammon,
Baker County Facilities
Maintenance Foreman Dan
McQuisten, District 60
Representative Cliff Bentz,
Mary Miller, Don Herman,
John Creighton, Ed Hardt,
Chuck Chase, Tork and
Wanda Ballard, Bobbie
Danser, and Marshall Mc-
Comb.
The meeting was called
to order, and the optional
Invocation and Pledge of
Allegiance were recited,
both led by Harvey. The
agenda was adopted, with
no noted changes, with a
motion from Bennett, and
a second from Kerns.
Bennett, expressing his
thanks to the Baker County
Health Department, men-
tioned a press release from
Manager E.A. Duke, of the
Oregon Health Authority,
Public Health Division
Adolescent and School
Health Program.
The release states, “At
the October 26th SBHC
(School-Based Health Cen-
ter) Coordinator’s Meeting
the SBHC State Program
Office presented awards
to recognize and celebrate
the committed work going
on in Oregon’s certified
SBHCs.
“Congratulations to
Baker High School-Based
Center for receiving the
2016 SBHC Partnership
Award! Baker County’s
School-Based Health
Center Program has gone
above and beyond the
traditional SBHC partner-
ships.
“At Baker SBHC, two
separate hospitals (his-
torically thought to be
competitive) are now both
working with the Baker
County Health Depart-
ment to ensure the SBHC
has enough primary care
to meet the need of the
students and certification
standards. Four physician
assistants rotated coverage
last school year to ensure
that students could be seen
regularly.”
SEE COUNTY
PAGE 7
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Also up for debate is whether the protestors or the
authorities have overstepped their bounds—or possibly a
complicated combination of the two.
Said Keefauver, “It seemed like we came and went at
Standing Rock during a lull in the battle—it just worked
out that way. I heard about a week after I got back that
the police tear-gassed the Red Warrior camp from the air
and arrested many people on the highway for stopping to
pray. My brother and I thought that much of the so-called
violence was initiated by the authorities.”
Law enforcement would counter that the protesters in
prayer had either blocked the roadway or were trespass-
ing on private land.
Keefauver said, “Our mission was to bring food and
supplies to the main camp on the Cannon River, to volun-
teer, and also to place our tribal flag there. We came from
the south to avoid the police roadblocks. I volunteered at
the medics tent briefly and my brother helped out wherev-
er he was needed. We spoke to the tribal elders on behalf
of our tribe were officially welcomed then, given permis-
sion to place our flag on the main avenue of flags.”
Keefauver was asked what he personally saw.
He explained, “We camped in the main camp near the
Red Warriors camp, which was by the river. During our
brief stay we partook of the rituals around the sacred fire
attended the meetings and saw much brotherhood and
sisterhood among the thousands of people there. Every-
one helped out and all gladly shared. They were very
peaceful people and the elders were especially cared for.
No weapons were allowed in these camps and no police
officers were required. There was no trouble in these
camps. On the second day they called for volunteers to
protest at the Sheriff’s Office for those that had been ar-
rested. All the camps were getting ready to move across
the river onto the reservation (or at least that was the plan
at the meetings). More people were coming in all the
time (bus-loads). We did not spend very much time there
although we did catch a glimpse of the oil pipeline on our
way out.”
That pipeline at the center of the controversy crosses
beneath the Missouri River—on private lands, techni-
cally not reservation lands. Protestors view themselves as
‘water protectors” against potential oil pollution of those
waters. A pipeline break would prove devastating to lands
considered sacred to local people.
On the flip side, the construction of the pipeline creates
roughly 8,000 local jobs during construction, and con-
nects production areas in a more direct way to an existing
pipeline in Illinois.
After Keefauver returned to Baker City, protestors and
law enforcement clashes escalated, and accusations flew.
Off-site, Grand Central Station in New York City was
temporarily closed this week due to protestors.
Online, about a million people across the U.S.
“checked in” to Standing Rock to show support for the
cause.
Tennis courts
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Don McClure testifies.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
McCormick claims that she has been threatened if she
goes up to the property and complained that they have
had tennis traffic use their driveway to turn around and
has even had drunken tennis players in her driveway.
“I’m just sick and tired of it,” she said.
A question posed by Commissioner Tim Collins as to
if there was a way the electrical boxes that housed the
switches to turn on the lights could be locked or break-
ers pulled sparked a lengthy conversation on the topic.
McClure explained that some of the lights had manual
switches and since there were Catering facilities on site
he did not see locking electrical boxes was not an option
and it was his understanding that due to Fire Marshal
standards some could not be locked at all.
However, he was willing to look into lock solutions
and regulations in an effort to remedy the situation. Mc-
Cormick claimed that the Grangers, the former owners,
showed McCormick the lighting panels and how the
lights worked.
She claimed the breakers for the lights could be pulled
to keep the lights from being turned on.
The Commission ultimately decided to work with
McClure to find a solution for locking up lights and to
look for options to “line” the light boxes in an effort to
minimize the amount of light reflected when the lights
were being used.
They were all in agreement that the matter would be
taken up again at the next Commission meeting and they
all would do some research on solutions. No formal ac-
tion would be pursued at this time. During the meeting
McClure insinuated that he may be exploring options to
sell the property.
McCormick agreed to the Commission’s decision.