An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Dec. 20, 2013

Tracking Santa

By Tech. Sgt. John Gordinier ANR Public Affairs

Royal Canadian Air Force conducts a special mission on Dec. 24 - tracking Santa across the globe to ensure Santa experiences safe travels during his yuletide journey and Alaskan NORAD Region plays a vital part in that mission.

U.S. and Canadian servicemembers of the ANR, utilize 15 radar stations to monitor Santa as he traverses the airspace around the northern latitudes of North America. It's a mission ANR has successfully accomplished for 50 years.

"We ensure Santa's flight is successful and safe within the 1.3 million square miles of Alaska airspace he will be traveling," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Cordiner, 176th Air Defense Squadron air surveillance technician, Alaska Air National Guard.

"This is a very important mission and making sure all goes safely as planned is imperative," Cordiner said. "We only get a few distinguished VIPs of this caliber every year. The bottom line is making sure his flight goes as planned delivering toys to all the good children."

Like other regions within NORAD, aircraft are on stand-by at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to intercept and fly alongside Santa also known as "Big Red One" and his reindeer to assist in any way.

The tradition of NORAD tracking Santa, or NTS, dates back to Christmas Eve of 1955.
According to the noradsanta.org website, the program began December 24, 1955, when an incorrect phone number encouraging children to call Santa on Christmas was printed in a local Sears Roebuck and Co. newspaper advertisement.

Instead of Santa, the number actually dialed the Air Operations Center at Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor organization, in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The phone that rang that night was the top-secret crisis phone - and a call on that line meant serious trouble.

Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night, was not amused, he said in a 2005 interview.

He answered with a crisp "Yes, sir?" expecting to hear Air Force Gen. Earle Partridge, the NORAD commander, giving an order.

Instead, a little boy told him what he wanted for Christmas.

Shoup was suddenly even less amused, and started looking around the AOC for whichever Airman was on the phone and trying to stifle a grin.

"I thought, 'Someone's playing a joke, and I don't stand for that,'" Shoup said in the interview. "If I see who's laughing out there, I'm going to nail him good."

But no one was laughing. The little boy on the other end of the line sensed something was amiss.

"You're not Santa," Shoup recalled him saying.

"Oh-ho-ho, yes I am," Shoup responded.

Soon, the phone was ringing constantly - and Shoup pulled some Airmen aside and told them to answer the calls and "just pretend you're Santa."

Instead of having Sears pull the ad, Shoup offered the kids something else - Airmen would check the radar for Santa's official location as he made his journey across the globe.

Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa's location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families across the globe who inquire as to his whereabouts.

Shoup passed away in 2009 at the age of 92, but his spur-of-the-moment decision to be Santa lives on.

Any who play a part in that mission are honored.

"This is my third time to participate in NTS and I am deeply honored to be a part of it," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Cirena Pritchett, 176th ADS identification technician.

"Santa is a great man who brings happiness to all the little boys and girls of the world and I will ensure he has no interruptions while making his deliveries here in the great state of Alaska."

"This is my first Christmas with the unit and my first time being able to support Santa in such a direct role and ensuring his mission success," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Watkins, 176th ADS tracking technician, Alaska Air National Guard. "I am happy to be a part of this very important mission and I wish Santa a safe flight and God speed."

When not tracking Santa, the ANR mission is to continuously provide warning of an aerospace attack within the region.

ANR maintains aerospace control, peacetime air sovereignty and appropriate aerospace defense measures in response to hostile actions.

The Regional Air Operations Center component of ANR is composed of all Active Guard members, Canadian Armed Forces service members, and active-duty augmentees.


This article was originally published at: http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123374918
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                      

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
MARFORPAC, PMC Discuss Future Training at Staff Talks
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Christopher Winn, left, assistant chief of staff, G-5 Plans Division, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and Philippine Marine Corps Col. Enstein B. Calaoa, Chief of Marine Staff, PMC, exchange gifts after the 2025 PMC-MARFORPAC Marine-to-Marine Staff Talks, Fort Bonifacio, Philippines, Feb. 6, 2025. The three-day talks provided a forum to improve coordination of bilateral exercises and operations while discussing mutual areas of interest throughout the Indo-Pacific.(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chloe Zimmerer)
Feb. 11, 2025 - Senior leaders from U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and the Philippine Marine Corps gathered at Fort Bonifacio for their annual Marine-to-Marine staff talks, from Feb. 3 to 6, 2025...

Press Release: Aero India 2025 Opens
Aero India 2025 logo. (curtesy image)
Feb. 11, 2025 - Aero India 2025, India’s largest airshow and aviation exhibition has officially begun and will last until 14 February at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, India...

US, Australia, and UK forces conduct joint combined operations
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb. 6, 2025) Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65), support flight operations for a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter on Benfold’s flight deck during multilateral operations with Australia and the United Kingdom in the South China Sea, Feb. 6. Benfold is forward deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s Largest DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Monica Walker.)
Feb. 11, 2025 - The U.S. Navy (USN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and Royal Navy (RN) joined together to conduct a link exercise, a coordinated maneuvering exercise, and a variety of other combined operations in the South China Sea, Feb...

USAF and USMC Work With Allies and Partners to Enhance Capabilities for CN25
Japan Air Self-Defense Force Col. Takeshi Okubo, flight group commander, 3rd Air Wing, poses for a photo in front of an F-35A Lightning II during exercise Cope North 25 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Jan. 30, 2025. CN25 showcases the importance of cooperation and partnership in maintaining a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region and highlights the U.S. commitment to working with Allies and partners to promote peace and prosperity. The F-35A provides next-generation stealth, enhanced situational awareness, and reduced vulnerability to the realistic combat training and scenarios in CN25. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tala Hunt)
Feb. 10, 2025 - Aircraft from the United States Air Force along with our Allies and Partners line the runway at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam for Cope North 25. CN25 aims to enhance the capabilities of partner air forces through training,...

Governor, Joint Region Marianas, Joint Task Force-Micronesia Convene Civil-Military Coordination Council
Guam Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero and Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, convene the Civil-Military Coordination Council (CMCC) at the Ricardo J. Bordallo Complex in Adelup, Guam, Feb. 5, 2025. Council members observed a FEM-02 presentation, which provided updates on key developments and initiatives. The CMCC fosters collaboration among the Department of Defense, local government, and federal agencies by sharing information, discussing key issues to address military activity and growth while minimizing impact on community infrastructure and services. (U.S. Navy photo by William J Busby III)
Feb. 10, 2025 - Guam Gov. Lourdes Leon Guerrero and Commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia (JTF-M) Rear Adm. Greg Huffman convened the Civil-Military Coordination Council (CMCC) at the Governor’s Complex in Adelup, Feb. 5...