Operation Deep Freeze

Airmen in Antarctica support ‘world-class research’

U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Wimmer, 56th Operations Group flight surgeon, poses for a photo in front of an LC-130 aircraft on the flightline of Amundson-Scott South Pole station, Antarctica, in 2021. (Submitted photo)

The McMurdo Station in Antarctica in 2021. The research station is the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, established by the National Science Foundation in December 1955. The U.S. Air Force has provided intercontinental airlift support to the National Science Foundation research stations in Antarctica since the 1950s. (U.S. Air Force/Submitted)

BY SENIOR AIRMAN DOMINIC TYLER

56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

In 1955, the United States began a series of continuous operations in support of the National Science Foundation mission in Antarctica. Operation Deep Freeze, an inter-continental mission located in one of the coldest and most austere environments on the Earth, has been in place since the 1950s.

Year after year, people travel to Antarctica in the name of science, exploration and for a historically unique human experience.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Wimmer, 56th operations group flight surgeon, was selected for a temporary duty assignment in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

“The medical personnel selected to deploy for Operation Deep Freeze are the best of the best,” says Maj. Andrew Fisher, joint task force-support forces Antarctica chief of medical services.

“Maj. Wimmer’s extensive operational experience in providing care in austere environments was a big contributor to his selection.”

Wimmer aided in six emergency medical evacuations and provided medical assistance on the ground at two primary Antarctic research hubs — McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

“Something you learn being out there on the ice for any amount of time, is that things can go very wrong, very quickly,” Wimmer says. “It’s an eight-hour flight to the closest medevac station, so all the steps have to be thought out well in advance before we decide on the best course of medical care.”

In the austral summer, from November to February, when the temperatures often drop into the teens at McMurdo, the Air Force pro-

U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Wimmer, (far left) 56th Operations Group flight surgeon, poses for a group photo with his medical team at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in 2021. The research station is the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, established by the National Science Foundation in December 1955.

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vides intercontinental airlift with the LC-130 cargo planes. These aircraft are equipped with retractable skis and jet-assisted takeoff rockets that allow the aircraft to take off and land on snow and ice, as well as on conventional runways.

“Working in that environment, (during Operation Deep Freeze) was a unique experience to say the least,” Wimmer says. “As a physician, I learned a lot about medical evacuations in unregulated areas. The weather is always a factor when determining the course of action we take. Due to the remoteness of the deployment, it’s all on our team including our AE nurse and technician to stabilize the patient, decide on medical procedures and validate them for transfer.”

According to the U.S. Antarctic Program, Antarctica in the winter can be one of the windiest, coldest, driest and most remote places on the planet, making it difficult for anyone to travel to and from the continent. Additionally, at an elevation of 9,300 feet, the South Pole Station has an average monthly temperature in the austral summer of minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit in the austral winter.

Aside from the weather conditions, Wimmer notes the remoteness of the continent being extensively noticeable, which limited his ability to communicate with the rest of the world.

“Social media and most civilian forms of email weren’t accessible because all internet bandwidth, limited to less than that of a single cellphone stateside, for the entire station is used to send essential research data from the continent,” Wimmer says. “In the military, we’re used to working with what we’ve got, but the isolation there was still unlike anything I’ve experienced.”

Though the conditions could seem uninhabitable to some, Wimmer spoke on many remarkable experiences to be had on the continent.

“One of the most exciting things for me was supporting world-class research,” Wimmer says. “My team and I learned about various topics including microbiology, marine biology, astronomy, astrophysics, geology, volcanology and more during the National Science Foundation presentations given by the researchers.”

To add to his newfound knowledge of Antarctica, Wimmer also found the area offers amazing wildlife, great hiking, beautiful scenery and a supportive community unlike any other.

“The community at these research bases have an exclusive perception of the planet,” Wimmer says. “Those that live there have built an incredible community over the years that the majority of humanity have yet to lay eyes on.”

Three LC-130 aircraft sit on the flightline during Operation Deep Freeze at McMurdo Research Station (Williams Field), Antarctica, in 2021. The LC-130 is equipped with retractable skis and JATO rockets that allow the aircraft to take off and land on snow and ice as well as on conventional runways. (Submitted photo)