Operation Deep Freeze a 'cool' success for 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron Published March 14, 2008 By Holly Birchfield 78 ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- The 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron recently helped the 109th Air National Guard in Schenectady, N.Y., in a "cool" mission to support the National Science Foundation. About 20 Airmen from the 653rd CLSS rotated in and out for the mission, also known as Operation Deep Freeze, at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. For four months, the crew repaired and maintained six to eight LC-130 Hercules aircraft in support of the U.S. Antarctica Program's Scientific Station. The Scientific Station, part of the National Science Foundation, enables scientists to research wildlife, marine life and Antarctica's other environmental factors. Tech. Sgt. Kevin Call, a depot level maintenance craftsman in the 653rd CLSS and crew chief for the Antarctic mission, said his unit helped the 109th ANG work the operation. "The whole point of Operation Deep Freeze is to get all of the supplies down to the South Pole and to the other research facilities to sustain them for the whole winter," he said. Master Sgt. Michael Renshaw, a 653rd CLSS liaison and an aircraft structural maintenance mechanic for the mission, said his unit has worked the frigid mission almost 10 years. "(We) fuel them and do the inspections on them and send them back out," he said. "As long as the weather holds out, we're flying as much as we can, hauling as much cargo and fuel down to the pole." Sergeant Call said his crew kept the planes operational. "It's our job to keep the aircraft airworthy," he said. "We go out and refuel them, and do the inspections on them. We fix anything that breaks on them, whether it's a ski, hydraulic pumps or hydraulic lines. We get the aircraft back in the air, launching and recovering them." Working on the frozen Arctic Ocean wasn't easy though, Sergeant Call said. "At the beginning of the season, we're out on what we call 'the ice runway,'" he said. "Then, somewhere around the first part of December, we move everything to the other side of the island to what (is) called, 'Willies Field,' a permanent ice shelf that's probably about 200 feet thick." Sergeant Call said unpredictable weather made working 12-hour shifts six days a week even harder. "The weather is a big challenge because it can go from a beautiful, sunny day to a complete white out in 20 minutes," he said. "When the wind starts kicking up, the snow starts blowing, and the temperature starts dropping, it's hard to work. On average, the temperature ranges from 10 to 20 degrees below zero." Staff Sgt. Rob Levelle, a fuel systems craftsman in the 653rd CLSS and a crew chief for the mission, said despite the cold, he gained a lot from the trip. "I hate cold weather, but I love going down there because it's the most beautiful place on the planet," he said. "It turned out to be a good time. I got to meet some good people from New York and I learned a new job, because launch and recovery is not something I normally do." Sergeant Renshaw said no one else will come to support the National Science Foundation mission again until October.