Yes, I used to have engine block heater on my vehicles that stayed out overnight outside. Those were the days of carburetor (what the heck is that?!) engines. Even removed the battery and took it into the basement. Just had to remember NOT to close the hood tight as hood-latch release cables sometimes snapped or the lever under the dash would break because it was so cold. It was a pain to install when it`s -30°F in the morning to get to work, but I was much younger then. I learned to wear skin-tight fabric gloves to reduce the chance of frostbite on the fingers. It only takes one experience with metal hand tools and bare hand in sub-zero weather to learn how to deal with extreme cold. Having frozen hands/fingers "thaw out" is an extremely painful experience, akin to smashing your fingers with a hammer, but the pain lasts for about 2-3 minutes before the feeling comes back to your fingers and hands.
Your experience in the military sounds like a documentary on PBS TV I saw on the Korean War when American troops were fighting the Chinese troops (allies to the North Koreans) in North Korean mountains in the winter. Just as many GI`s died from frostbite and exposure as they did in actual combat. Ambient temperature were anywhere from -30° to -50°F and when a strong wing of 20-30 MPH was blowing, it felt like -90 ° to -100°F with the wind chill. Some of the men who survived said they slept by taking off their boots and placing their feet in the armpits of their fellow GI and they would do the same for that fellow to keep from getting frostbite feet. Cannot imagine what it was like to just try to be outside, let alone live outside, for days on end end in sub-zero weather. They did come off those mountains. some GIs were shot and killed by sniper fire. They said there was not place to take cover on the trail going down or to try and locate the sniper, so they just kept marching downward and could not help their fellow GI who was shot because they become a target for the snipers. When they got to the valley where it was 35°F, many striped down to their long-sleeve T-shirts, it felt that "warm". One GI said he had the utmost respect for his Chinese counterpart because he had to survive in the same sub-zero conditions as he did on that mountain and he said surviving the elements became more crucial than surviving the combat.
Mi Hermano, Lonnie,
Ok, glad you have tried the block heater. I have to think if it worked good enough, it might help keep the oil warm enough to flow faster, when all those metal parts start rubbing on each other, at 0-dark-30 in the morning..
Where I was stationed (Greenland), it was 6 months of darkness and coldest, then, 6 months of light, and not as cold but always way below zero..
One absolutely Beautiful part up there --- the Aurora Borealis !!! Oh wow !!! It was Huge !!! So Clear!!! You could almost reach up and touch it...
The coldest it was up there for me was -84 below zero F.. I remember, not far from zero degrees made it difficult to take a deep breath because the cold air hurt your lungs so much.. Had to be careful...
First time in my life that I learned that if you touched the inside walls of your room where you slept, your fingers might just stick to it...
One could never go out without a buddy, and try to keep track of the ropes that helped find your way through/around those huge snow drifts... If one got lost in the snow, he might not be found until the next spring/summer season..
The entire base except for where I worked, and Finance, was run by Danish nationals... Some of the nicest men I have ever met...
They had to sign a 5-year agreement to work up there, and they did it because the 50% tax in Denmark just killed them..
It makes a difference to come from cold temps, in how your deal with it too..
These guys came to work every day in the same white cotton clothing, the absolutely needed parka, and
Wooden Clogs, a thin, white sock on their feet!!
I don`t know how they did that, but perhaps a shot of Schnapps helped..
That Korean war story - wow -.. I have a brother-in-law that served there, and to this day he has never talked about it... Perhaps now I know why..
The entire time I was at the North Pole, during the Cold War, and the Ruski`s very arrogant and willing to just hit the red button and launch nuclear warhead rockets at us; it was a constant vigil we had to have, as we could look out North of us, and there they were...
Everyone worked 12 hours on, 12 hours off..The entire 14 months for me..
Something else I learned about that assignment - a LOT of aircraft fly that route to and from the USA and of course Canada...
There was even a civilian airlines (Scandinavian Airlines, SAS), that had a terminal not far from another airbase, Sondestrom Fjord, AFB, and when they could land safely, they landed there, on their way to the USA, etc..
The Air Force lost 3 - F105`s up there that year, that were flying either to or from Southeast Asia, needed to land at that airfield, but, because of weather so bad, they could not, and they ran out of fuel..
We went out to look for them, and listen for transponders and never found them..
The map of Greenland at Base Ops was absolutely
Covered in colored push pins, hundreds of them.. All represent an aircraft`s last known location, before losing contact...
Dan F
