Nick Sundt Smokejumpers Oral History Project

This collection of interviews details the experiences of smokejumpers at the Redmond Air Center in Redmond, Oregon and at the jumper base in Fairbanks, Alaska. The interviews were conducted from 1981 to 1983 by Nick Sundt, Charlie Bragdon, and Bruce Van Voorhis. The interviewees discuss their smokejumping training, memorable jumps, and colleagues. Most of the interviewees offer their opinions on the topic of women becoming smokejumpers and the U.S. Forest Service’s attempts to recruit women for smokejumping. The non-interview recordings consist of smokejumper meetings in the Center’s Ready Room, a rookie initiation, and various gatherings at local bars. The original interviews are held as Oral History collection OH 172 at Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula.

This collection includes 12 interviews.

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Carl Dammann Interview, July 25, 1981

Carl Dammann

Carl Dammann describes how he got into smokejumping after working on U.S. Forest Service IR crews for several years. He details the decision that prompted him to switch to smokejumping after a particularly bad fire season in 1970 that required many days of mopping up. ... Read More
David "Skinny" Beals Interview, July 1, 1981

David Beals

David “Skinny” Beals talks about being a conscientious objector [CO] to World War Two and how this led to his involvement in smokejumping in the 1940s. He discusses the early days of smokejumping and talks about the various changes in equipment and technology that he ... Read More
Dean Johnson and Steve Reynaud Interview, June 28, 1981

Dean Johnson and Steve Reynaud

Dean Johnson and Steve Reynard discuss smokejumping and smokejumping culture during the 1960s and the 1970s. Johnson and Reynard talk about training new smokejumpers and how training was designed to prepare new smokejumpers for high-stress and life-threatening situations. Johnson and Reynard describe the dangerous experiences ... Read More
Doug Houston Interview, July 28, 1981

Doug Houston

Doug Houston, the training foreman at Redmond Air Center, describes the decision by the regional office to begin closing smaller smokejumper bases and centralize resources. He notes that the uncertainty about whether a base will be open the following year caused a significant amount of ... Read More
Doug Houston Interview, May 21, 1982

Doug Houston

Doug Houston describes the ongoing efforts to establish the presence of women in the smokejumper program. He also details what changes are being made to the recruitment process and shares his concerns about these changes.
Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick and Chris Farinetti Interview, July 4, 1983

Michael Fitzpatrick and Chris Farinetti

Mike “Fitz” Fitzpatrick and Chris Farnetti, smokejumpers in Alaska at a remote fire camp near Manley Hot Springs, describe their smokejumping experiences. Fitzpatrick recalls how and why he got started smokejumping and describes his rookie training. He offers his opinions how he thinks rookie training ... Read More
Paul Sulinski Interview, July 13, 1983

Paul Sulinski

Paul Sulinski describes how he became a smokejumper in the 1960s after moving from New Jersey to the West. He talks about working briefly at the jumper base in Winthrop, Washington, then joining the Marine Corps. Sulinski details going back as a smokejumper in the ... Read More
Richard B. “Dick” Wildman Interview, August 6, 1981

Richard B. Wildman

Fire Management Officer Richard “Dick” Waldman describes why he entered the smokejumping program in Region 6. He talks about the various jumpers he trained and worked with including his former supervisor Francis Lufkin. Waldman shares stories about specific jumps including his favorite where the pilot ... Read More
Richard E. Montague Interview, January 14, 1982

Richard E. Montague

Richard Montague discusses how firefighting funding was determined in the late-1970s and early-1980s, in terms of both prevention and suppression of wildfires. He describes the negotiation process between firefighting outfits, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Congress for appropriate funding. Montague also explains how ... Read More
Scott Fairchild Interview, Summer 1982

Scott Fairchild

Scott Fairchild, a lead plane and a jumper-plane pilot who worked as a smokejumper out of Redmond, Oregon, describes planes at the base, what lead plane pilot procedures consist of, critical aspects of the being a lead plane pilot, and the qualifications and procedures for ... Read More
Steve Nemore Interview, July 13, 1983

Steve Nemore

Steve Nemore describes how he first became interested in smokejumping as a child, when he read about it in a Boys’ Life article. He recalls attending forestry school at Virginia Tech, then in 1966, getting his first hot shot job in Priest Lake, Idaho, before ... Read More
William D. Moody Interview, July 19, 1981 and April 9, 1982

William D. Moody

William Moody discusses his 25-year career as a smokejumper in the Pacific Northwest, specifically at the Redmond Air Center in Redmond, Oregon. He talks about various aspects of the job including his rookie training and the mental and physical demands the job requires. Moody talks ... Read More