"Line of Death"

It was my first patrol after graduating from Radioman “C” school in Petaluma CA. Onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Storis out of Kodiak AK. It was the dead of winter and we were in the Bearing Sea, A place I grew to learn intimately over the next few years. But his was my first trip and an extra ordinary experience.
It started when the USSR (Russia) invaded Afghanistan. Strange to think that events on the other side of the world could impact me in the Bearing Sea. President Carter in his infinant wisdom decided to boycott the Moscow Olympics and decided that the Russians would no longer be allowed to fish in the Bearing Sea. I don't know which one upset them the most. Since we were the only military force within a thousand miles it fell to us to insure they stayed out of the fishing grounds. So the mighty Storis, a 230 foot 37 year old medium endurance cutter and her crew of 57 was the pointy end of the vast U.S. Military Industrial Complex. We were armed with a couple of 50 caliber machine guns and a 3 inch WWII era cannon. More than a match for any fishing trawler, but extremely inadequate when the first Russian Cruiser showed up, Their 8 inch guns and anti-ship missiles made it a Mike Tyson vs Pee Wee Herman cage match. We spent 2 weeks cruising up and down the line of separation or as we called it with a false bravdo the "Line of Death", using our significant reputation and fierce stares to hold back the mighty Russian Navy. Of course, we were a mere trip wire, sink us and they would have to answer to our big brother the U.S. Navy. The fact that the nearest Navy ship was off the coast of Hawaii was beside the point. If anything happended we were screwed, but hey that’s the price you pay for being the pointy end of the spear.
Any way some of the first message I ever sent where to the White House situation room. It is extremely empowering to know that the words I typed out on the Teletypewriter would be read by the President of the United States and be used by him in making decisions. True I was only relaying the Capt’s messages, but without me or my fellow radiomen, those messages would never have gotten to the President and he would have no situational awareness of what was going on at the fringes of his empire.
Back then we didn’t have satellite communications; everything had to go via High Frequency (HF) radios. This meant I had to bounce a signal off the Ionosphere, not an easy task in the far north; the Aura Borealis was constantly messing with the higher layers. I had to find the right frequency, correct power settings and just the right antenna to get a signal back to the Kodiak Communication station and then find their incoming signal. Synchronize everything and constantly adjust the demodulators to keep the signal on track. The signal was rarely good enough to receive a message correctly the first time, so we would get it several times and then piece it together. I loved the technical aspects. The problems of maintaining communications were constantly changing and required continuous innovation. We were the only link to shore and where providing a vital function to the Capt and crew.
As I said, we patrolled the line of separation, or as we called it the “the line of death” for 2 weeks until the U.S. Navy showed up and relieved us of the responsibility. As we departed the area to resume our patrol we told the Navy Destroyer to call us if they had any problems they couldn’t handle.
Obviously we were never in any real danger. The USSR was not going to start WWIII over a bunch of fishing trawler being kicked out of the Bearing Sea, But for a few days there I was at the center of an "International Incedent". God I loved my new job!