I had been at Otis AFB, on Cape Cod in Massachussets as an airborne radar operator when notified that I had been assigned to Cape Makkovik. After a 30 day leave at home, I flew to McGuire AFB in New Jersey and then to Goose Bay. From Goose Bay I flew by helicopter to Cape Makkovik.
I arrived at Cape Makkovik in September 1959 as an Airman Second Class (A/2C) Radar Operator.
There were approximately 20 to 25 USAF personnel assigned to this Gap Filler and an additional 5 to 7 civilian personnel operated the Power Plant. The power plant seemed very effective and I don't remember any down time during my stay. Our rooms in the barracks were private rooms approximately 10 feet by 12 feet with a bed, table and a chair.
If I remember correctly, there were four Radar Operators assigned to Cape Makkovik and we maintained 24 hour surveillance. When I was Airborne Radar, we switched off every two hours. However, at Makkovik, all we had was the scope. Didn't have plotting board or height finder. During our shift on the scope, someone would relieve you for lunch or dinner. The rest of the time you were in the bubble by yourself watching the scope. A lot of times, someone would visit with you. If we picked up any air activity (which wasn't very often) it was reported to the long range radar station at Hopedale. We did not have any equipment for determining aircraft height at Makkovik. In my opinion, the search radar equipment that we had was inadequate. I remember not having to track very many aircraft. Maybe this is why Cape Makkovik was a short lived operation. The only unknown that I remember was a visual sighting of a large aircraft flying over at about 1,000 feet. We didn't have it on radar nor did Hopedale. Our troposcatter communications were linked to Hopedale and this system was very effective.
We had set up a basketball court in the motor pool area. We also had an area with a pool table and a ping pong table. Off duty hours were spent in these locations. Other forms of recreation included playing cards, fishing (weather permiting), reading, and listening to music. Every evening we could watch a movie. Sometimes we had to watch the same movie more than once because new movies could not be brought in due of inclement weather. We didn't go outside too much in the winter time. Didn't have skis or other winter sports equipment. There was no area big enough for playing baseball or anything else in the short summer months.
Once you arrived at Cape Makkovik, there was no way to leave except by helicopter when you were reassigned.
The weather at Cape Makkovik was very cold. I remember some days when the temperatures were 50 to 60 degrees below zero. I was used to some cold weather living in Indiana, but not that cold. I remember white-outs where you could not see a foot in front of you. The food at the site was good. The cooks could do a better job than at a regular base because there were fewer to prepare for. There was a lot of beer drinking but there wasn't much access to hard liquor. I don't remember any problems or any fights the whole time that I was there.
The only entertainment that we had was the movies that I had mentioned before. Mail delivery and getting personnel in and out was dependent upon the weather. This was all done by chopper from Goose Bay. Sometimes we would go over a month without mail delivery.
I Think the village of Makkovik was about 20 miles from our site. The only way to get from one to the other was by boat or dogsled. Once or twice a year, three or four men from the village would come to the site by dogsled to pick up some supplies. After staying a day or two they would head back to the village. The only road that we had was from the living area to the water (ocean) which was at the bottom of the hill. This was a dirt road that we used to haul supplies from the boat to the living area. This road was about 1.5 miles long and was used to carry supplies from the supply boat to the living area.
Besides the two vehicles that you saw in the photos, we had one with tracks that we could get around in the snow better with. There was really nowhere to drive, except down the hill to the water supply. There wasn't much maintenance on the road as it wasn't driven on that much.
I eventually left Cape Makkovik in September, 1960. When I left Cape Makkovik, I had the option of being discharged four months earlier than my original date or re-enlisting for an additional two years. I chose to get discharged. From Cape Makkovik I flew by chopper to Goose Bay. After a few days in Goose I flew by military aircraft to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. After two days there I was discharged and flew by commercial airlines back to Indiana.