In December 1955 Air Force Col. Harry Shoupe manned his desk late on Christmas Eve at Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., a strategic nerve center that would later become the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). It was the height of the Cold War, and he was the officer in charge of the men and women assigned to monitor the skies over North America. The threat of nuclear holocaust at the time made the mission a critical and deadly serious one.
When the red hotline that connected the center directly to the Pentagon rang, there’s no doubt the thought of World War III entered his mind. The career military man, who served in World War II, Korea and spent 28 years in the U.S. military before retiring, remained businesslike and stoic when he picked up the phone with a snappy, “Colonel Shoup.”
Instead of a General on the line, it was a small child. “Is this Santa?” was the timid inquiry.
No one, except U.S. military with high-level security clearance, knew that phone number. Col. Shoupe was taken aback at first, but ultimately delivered his best Saint Nicholas imitation, patiently answering questions and reassuring Santa’s on schedule.
Col. Shoupe—now often called the Santa Colonel—asked to speak to the child’s mother, who was apologetic, but explained they saw the number in a Sears & Roebuck ad. It was a typo of historic proportions, because soon calls flooded in from good little boys and girls, as well as the naughty ones full of excuses for their mischief.
He quickly briefed his staff. Each of the youngsters was eager to connect with Santa’s North Pole headquarters to talk to the big man or an elf. Col. Shoupe instructed his team to answer the phones, explain Saint Nicholas was aloft, on the radar and safely delivering packages—even through thick snowstorms like this one. The typo, and the officer in charge that night, launched the NORAD Tracks Santa tradition that continues to this day.
A lot has changed since that first fateful call, though. Today children of all ages can visit NORAD’s official Santa tracker to watch his progress on Christmas Eve. During all of December the website has games, holiday music, virtual tours of workshops at the North Pole, elves, sleigh technical data and much more. It’s hypnotizing for a child, decent nostalgic fun for adults and, yes, you can still call. It’s toll free at (877) HI-NORAD.
Every year more than 1,000 uniformed and civilian volunteers staff the facility to answer e-mails, tweet and keep everyone updated. A dedicated YouTube channel includes videos and trailers, and one short video even explains how that wrong number launched a program that’s thrived for nearly seven decades.
To all the men and women in our nation’s uniforms standing guard on the Front Line of Freedom this holiday season, thank you. Your service doesn’t always garner headlines and rarely medals, but seemingly little duties—like Col Shoupe’s patience on Christmas Eve—make a huge difference often felt for years to come.
And if you have a child you like to read to, consider my modest book “The Year Santa Came Back” available on Amazon (only $1.99 for the Kindle version). It’s a true story about the miraculous survival of a little girl on Christmas night. I was one of the rescuers that fateful evening, and I can’t forget that fateful night and happy ending in a winter storm.