WEBVTT 00:00.119 --> 00:02.230 OK , so how long have you been in the 00:02.230 --> 00:05.429 Air Force ? Oh , your title . Yeah , uh , 00:05.550 --> 00:07.980 so , uh , uh , it's Colonel Jason White . 00:08.100 --> 00:11.960 I'm the deputy commander for the 611th 00:11.960 --> 00:14.939 Air Operations Center at Joint Base 00:14.939 --> 00:18.180 Elmendorf , Richardson , Alaska . A 00:18.979 --> 00:22.100 611 Uh , air 00:22.950 --> 00:26.680 air operation center . Bye . 00:28.120 --> 00:31.409 And where ? Uh , joint base , 00:31.879 --> 00:33.759 Elmendorf , Richardson . 00:38.959 --> 00:39.430 OK . 00:44.250 --> 00:46.889 And where is that ? Uh , so that's in 00:46.889 --> 00:50.750 Anchorage , Alaska . So are you up 00:50.750 --> 00:52.861 in Anchorage right now ? Are you down 00:52.861 --> 00:54.861 in ? Yep . Nope . Uh , yep , you're 00:54.861 --> 00:56.639 talking to me here in , here in 00:56.639 --> 00:58.830 Anchorage . We're uh we're 4 hours 00:58.830 --> 01:00.650 behind you . It's 11:30 in the 01:00.650 --> 01:04.638 afternoon here . Neat 01:05.690 --> 01:08.099 So you're , uh , as far as my readers 01:08.099 --> 01:10.210 are concerned , you're right there at 01:10.210 --> 01:12.321 the North Pole . Yes , pretty close . 01:14.180 --> 01:17.559 OK , um . So how did you get roped into 01:17.559 --> 01:20.110 this ? Uh , 01:21.970 --> 01:25.330 so the , the track , uh , you know , 01:25.410 --> 01:27.610 NORAD track Santa is obviously a , a , 01:27.650 --> 01:30.949 a pretty big event for NORAD , uh , 01:31.050 --> 01:33.870 their public affairs office at , uh , 01:34.029 --> 01:37.959 at , um , Peterson Air Force Base , uh , 01:37.970 --> 01:40.839 reached out to our Public Affairs 01:40.839 --> 01:43.360 office . So I'm , I'm a subcomponent , 01:43.510 --> 01:46.150 uh , NORAD's broken into three regions . 01:46.480 --> 01:49.089 So you're talking to me in the Alaskan 01:49.089 --> 01:52.319 NORAD region , and so , uh , through 01:52.319 --> 01:55.559 public affairs , um , I was asked to 01:55.559 --> 01:59.239 participate in in this . OK , so how 01:59.239 --> 02:01.459 close , hold on just a second . Yeah , 02:01.599 --> 02:04.360 yeah . How close are you to the uh . 02:05.410 --> 02:07.190 The radar sites . 02:08.610 --> 02:12.410 Um , well , uh , so there are , there 02:12.410 --> 02:14.354 are a number of radar sites , uh , 02:14.354 --> 02:16.466 around the peripheral of the state of 02:16.466 --> 02:19.529 Alaska , um , and then , um , several 02:19.529 --> 02:23.520 in the interior of Alaska . Um , we 02:24.529 --> 02:27.559 Uh , tie into a bunch of different , um , 02:29.029 --> 02:30.918 a , a number of radars to include 02:30.918 --> 02:33.140 sharing that information with the FAA , 02:33.140 --> 02:35.339 um , so I , I couldn't give you an 02:35.639 --> 02:37.750 exact distance to the closest radar , 02:37.750 --> 02:39.695 but , uh , it's a whole network of 02:39.695 --> 02:41.389 radars really . OK . 02:52.059 --> 02:54.170 Yes , I'm trying to figure out how to 02:54.170 --> 02:56.281 write a story that's going to include 02:56.281 --> 02:58.281 that . You know , normally I get to 02:58.281 --> 03:00.337 talk to somebody who is , you know , 03:00.337 --> 03:03.690 from the south who got stuck . Colorado . 03:04.639 --> 03:06.889 Yeah , so , uh , um , 03:08.479 --> 03:10.590 You know , so the mission of NORAD is 03:10.590 --> 03:12.820 to protect the United States , uh 03:12.820 --> 03:15.042 correction , to protect North America , 03:15.220 --> 03:18.050 um , and so we do that , uh , you know . 03:19.000 --> 03:23.000 Year round , 365 days a year , 24/7 , 03:23.039 --> 03:25.639 and so we're using those same assets 03:25.639 --> 03:27.806 and capabilities that we use to defend 03:27.806 --> 03:30.509 North America to then also track Santa . 03:31.039 --> 03:33.261 Um , so maybe , maybe you could kind of 03:33.261 --> 03:35.500 angle it that way . Oh , I'm going to . 03:38.490 --> 03:42.089 And , and so in doing that , we use a a 03:42.089 --> 03:45.440 myriad of um assets to include 03:45.850 --> 03:49.369 uh military aircraft , uh , the 03:49.369 --> 03:51.729 radar , the radars when there's a whole 03:51.729 --> 03:53.490 network of radars and then uh 03:53.490 --> 03:56.029 satellites as well . OK . 03:58.350 --> 04:00.572 OK , so , uh , you're how old are you ? 04:01.649 --> 04:05.179 Um , um , I'll be 45 this month . OK , 04:05.300 --> 04:07.578 well , happy birthday . Thank you . Uh , 04:07.578 --> 04:09.856 how long have you been in the military ? 04:09.856 --> 04:11.633 Uh , it'll be 22 years in May . 04:16.179 --> 04:18.679 What's the usual question ? I also , OK , 04:18.880 --> 04:21.790 um , how many volunteers are doing this 04:21.799 --> 04:25.220 this year ? Uh , so , uh , more than 04:25.220 --> 04:28.529 1000 , somewhere between 1000 and 1500 . 04:30.510 --> 04:32.177 Across the NORAD Enterprise . 04:38.500 --> 04:38.980 OK . 04:45.029 --> 04:47.230 Um . 04:49.940 --> 04:52.640 Where did you go to college ? Why did 04:52.640 --> 04:54.862 you be what hold on just a second , I'm 04:54.862 --> 04:56.696 looking at last year's interview 04:56.696 --> 05:00.540 questions , yeah . Um , what made you 05:00.540 --> 05:02.262 decide to join the Air Force ? 05:04.059 --> 05:06.739 Um , well , so for me , uh , it was , 05:06.820 --> 05:08.820 there was a couple different , uh , 05:08.820 --> 05:12.369 aspects of it , um . Uh , military 05:12.369 --> 05:14.329 service runs in my family . My dad 05:14.329 --> 05:16.730 served , my grandfather , uh , and most 05:16.730 --> 05:19.260 of my uncles , uh , had all done uh 05:19.260 --> 05:21.769 military service , uh , during World 05:21.769 --> 05:24.410 War II and , and , uh , Vietnam and the 05:24.410 --> 05:26.410 Korean conflict . Uh , so there was 05:26.410 --> 05:29.250 that aspect of it . Um , I personally 05:29.250 --> 05:31.769 joined , uh , in , in , uh , shortly 05:31.769 --> 05:34.700 after I graduated college in 2002 , so 05:34.700 --> 05:38.170 it was uh kind of post 9/11 , um . 05:38.480 --> 05:40.739 And uh just , just felt like the right 05:40.739 --> 05:43.130 thing to do . OK , where did you go to 05:43.130 --> 05:45.600 college ? Texas Tech in Lubbock , Texas . 05:49.630 --> 05:53.420 OK . Colonel , we're in 05:53.420 --> 05:56.109 West Virginia and you know that this 05:56.109 --> 05:58.053 state has the highest , one of the 05:58.053 --> 06:00.980 highest percentages of Kids that go 06:00.980 --> 06:03.940 into the service , so I'm asking 06:03.940 --> 06:06.809 probably questions that . May not seem 06:06.809 --> 06:10.450 relevant to this story . But 06:11.410 --> 06:14.279 You know , I've been doing this the 06:14.279 --> 06:17.260 track Santa for Almost 10 years so I 06:17.260 --> 06:19.149 have a lot of the information the 06:19.149 --> 06:21.316 background already done but I'm trying 06:21.316 --> 06:23.260 to , I'm trying to do the personal 06:23.260 --> 06:25.690 thing so that when kids read this or 06:25.690 --> 06:28.399 when parents read it , it encourages 06:28.399 --> 06:30.700 them to have their kids go into the 06:30.700 --> 06:33.420 military if that makes any sense . Yeah , 06:33.500 --> 06:35.769 it makes perfect sense . I we greatly 06:35.769 --> 06:38.209 appreciate it . Uh , 06:39.929 --> 06:42.040 if I can speak on behalf of the whole 06:42.040 --> 06:44.869 military . Sure . OK , uh , how do you 06:44.869 --> 06:48.010 like doing the , uh , the track Santa 06:48.010 --> 06:51.829 stuff ? Give me a good quote . Well , 06:51.869 --> 06:54.036 it's certainly heartwarming to , to be 06:54.036 --> 06:56.700 able to share , uh , you know , with 06:57.309 --> 06:59.531 the , the children of the world exactly 06:59.531 --> 07:01.642 where Santa is on , you know , one of 07:01.642 --> 07:03.865 the most important days of the year for 07:03.865 --> 07:06.329 most children . Um , so it , you know , 07:06.470 --> 07:08.692 that's certainly heartwarming and , and 07:08.692 --> 07:12.190 we all enjoy doing it . Um , you know , 07:12.470 --> 07:14.526 our day to day mission , like I said 07:14.526 --> 07:16.359 earlier , was is to defend North 07:16.359 --> 07:18.637 America , and so we're doing this , uh , 07:18.637 --> 07:21.940 24/7 , 365 . Anyways , 07:22.170 --> 07:25.369 um , and , uh , but to get to add kind 07:25.369 --> 07:28.500 of this , uh , lighthearted aspect of 07:28.500 --> 07:30.500 the mission and share that with the 07:30.500 --> 07:32.556 public , um , particularly the small 07:32.556 --> 07:35.489 children is , is super rewarding and 07:35.489 --> 07:36.933 just a whole lot of fun . 07:40.279 --> 07:41.279 just 07:54.739 --> 07:58.320 OK , I think I have . I need . 07:59.399 --> 08:02.239 OK , awesome . Uh , what question 08:02.239 --> 08:06.190 should I ask that I didn't ? Um , 08:06.690 --> 08:08.912 well , uh , given that you've done it a 08:08.912 --> 08:12.410 number of years , um , Uh , I , you 08:12.410 --> 08:14.410 know , tough for me to say what you 08:14.410 --> 08:16.188 don't already know , but , uh , 08:16.188 --> 08:18.410 obviously there's a website , there's a 08:18.410 --> 08:20.521 phone number , uh , that people can , 08:20.521 --> 08:22.688 can go to and , and call in to talk to 08:22.688 --> 08:24.743 somebody , um . Oh yeah , how many , 08:24.743 --> 08:26.799 how many calls did you guys get last 08:26.799 --> 08:28.799 year do you know ? Yeah , it was uh 08:28.799 --> 08:32.590 around 400,000 calls last year . Yeah , 08:32.729 --> 08:35.010 um , but then between the website , I 08:35.010 --> 08:36.954 think they , they tallied about 20 08:36.954 --> 08:40.090 million hits or views . And then , uh , 08:40.099 --> 08:42.043 through the different social media 08:42.500 --> 08:44.619 connections , it was about 2 million 08:44.619 --> 08:48.380 social media hits . So , 08:48.390 --> 08:51.830 um , so this is definitely , uh , a 08:51.830 --> 08:55.320 huge , you know , huge event for NORAD . 08:55.869 --> 08:58.299 Uh , the website , uh , supports 08:59.710 --> 09:01.830 about half a dozen or more different 09:01.830 --> 09:04.289 languages , Chinese , English , French , 09:04.390 --> 09:06.057 German , Italian , Japanese , 09:06.057 --> 09:08.112 Portuguese , Spanish , Korean . So I 09:08.112 --> 09:11.859 mean this is , uh , No Russian . Yeah , 09:12.190 --> 09:15.630 uh , not that was provided to me , so , 09:16.030 --> 09:18.349 but , uh , you know , um . 09:19.909 --> 09:21.940 But , OK . Uh , but yeah , uh . 09:24.460 --> 09:26.738 So go ahead , I'm sorry . Oh , no , no , 09:26.738 --> 09:29.016 no , yeah , I was gonna say , you know , 09:29.016 --> 09:31.238 I don't , I think we kind of touched on 09:31.238 --> 09:33.460 a lot of the , the main aspects of it . 09:33.460 --> 09:35.516 I mean , you know , the big thing is 09:35.516 --> 09:37.738 NORAD's here to protect North America , 09:37.738 --> 09:39.960 uh , with our partners in Canada and uh 09:39.960 --> 09:42.016 this is a a fun event every year and 09:42.239 --> 09:45.229 and . Yeah . You want me to send you a 09:45.229 --> 09:47.285 copy of this when I'm done . I would 09:47.285 --> 09:50.369 love a copy , yes , sir . OK , uh , 09:50.380 --> 09:53.989 what's your email address ? Hey sir , 09:54.150 --> 09:56.429 this is uh Major Janelle Haig . You 09:56.429 --> 09:59.710 could send it over to me . Uh OK . My 09:59.710 --> 10:02.429 first name is spelled . I'm sorry , 10:02.599 --> 10:04.710 ma'am . We can , we can take it at it 10:04.710 --> 10:06.877 and pass it along to you . Oh , that'd 10:06.877 --> 10:09.043 be perfect . Yeah , that , that may be 10:09.043 --> 10:12.099 the best route to go . Um , so , sir , 10:12.409 --> 10:14.576 uh , Charles , I'll be in contact with 10:14.576 --> 10:17.070 you , um , On the number that you have 10:17.070 --> 10:19.237 here or the email that we corresponded 10:19.237 --> 10:21.989 on what I'll do is this um when we go 10:21.989 --> 10:25.080 to press and 12 hours , 10:25.710 --> 10:29.530 um , what I'll do is um . When I get 10:29.530 --> 10:32.840 the PDFs done tomorrow I will uh send 10:32.840 --> 10:35.007 you a copy of the complete newspaper . 10:35.469 --> 10:37.747 Sounds good . I'll pass it right along . 10:37.789 --> 10:41.479 Definitely appreciate it . OK . And 10:41.479 --> 10:43.812 everybody thank you for keeping us safe . 10:43.812 --> 10:45.701 I appreciate it . Yeah , thanks , 10:45.701 --> 10:47.868 Charles . Take care . Happy holidays . 10:47.919 --> 10:50.400 You and your wife and family . Thank 10:50.400 --> 10:52.622 you . Take care . You too . Thank you , 10:52.622 --> 10:52.849 sir . Bye .