My father passed away in 2010 but prior to him passing he told me this story which I figured I would pass along.

Well he was stationed in Alaska during the cold war at a base that monitored radar for possible invasion from Soviate Union. Well as you can image this was a very boring and tedious work. My Dad was a LT and was responsible for making sure the radar stations was manned and he was also responsible for sending up weather balloons on a daily bases. Which he followed. There was one exception, when the wind was blowing to the west they were no allowed to send up balloons as this would blow into Soviet air space.

Well one day he and several of his co-conspirators decided to send one up anyways. But they had to make it even more interesting they added a message, the single finger salute and wrote underneath it hello from the US Air Force, both in English and Russian.

So up it went, they were monitoring it via the radar and saw the migs scrambled to intercept to see what it was. Well as you can image my Dad and his counterparts were laughing and had a good time.

Well flash forward about 6 months, my Dad was in his office and there was an inspection and the colonel called my Dad into the office and closed the door. He started asking my Dad questions, well on the XX date in 1959 did you send up a weather balloon, he said could have, I would have to check my records. Well the colonel was getting a little mad, so he told him the Russians sent the US a bill for there time and fuel to send up the migs to check on what it was. He did tell my Dad if he ever did it again he would be stationed in Greenland for the rest of his career. So of course he did not ever do it again.

Well at least there was some humor in the Air force.

William S Galvin