The Voice for Kitsap County’s Veterans, Active-Duty Personnel,
and their Families
Veterans Life
KitsapVeteransLife.com
IN THIS EDITION
December 2015
Tracking Santa for 60 years A typo in an advertisement led to a new type of service for NORAD Col. Harry Shoup, operations officer at NORAD on Dec. 24, 1955, answered a child’s wrong-number call and began the tradition of NORAD tracking Santa. Shoup died March 14, 2009, yet the tradition he started decades ago continues to bring holiday cheer to millions of children around the world.
Improving access to mental health care 5
NORAD / Courtesy photo
T Marines talk about why they love the Corps 8 Opinion 4-5 Features 8-9 Resources 10-12
he North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado is celebrating its 60th anniversary of tracking Santa’s yuletide journey. The “NORAD Tracks Santa” website, www.noradsanta.org, which launched Dec 1, features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, activities, and more. The website is available in eight lan-
guages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese. Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can count down the days until Santa’s launch on their smart phones and tablets. Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. Santa followers just need to type “@norad-
santa” into each search engine to get started. Also new this year, the website features the NORAD Headquarters in the North Pole Village, and highlights of the program over the past 60 years. Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way
over various locations. Then, at 4 a.m. MST, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-4466723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, and OnStar See NORAD, Page 2
Marines package love and hope through local Toys for Tots campaign By SOPHIE BONOMI Veterans Life
POULSBO –– As Santa preps the reindeer and packs the sleigh at the North Pole, Marines are working just as hard in Kitsap County, collect-
ing toys to distribute as Christmas presents to lessfortunate children in the community through Toys for Tots. Serving in Kitsap County for 33 years, Toys for Tots’ mission has been to deliver
a new toy at Christmas — and a message of hope to less-fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens. See TOYS FOR TOTS, Page 3
A Toys for Tots toy drive is scheduled 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the Poulsbo Walmart. Marine Corps Association / Courtesy