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Two Aiken residents once spent more than a year where some of the last votes in the Nov. 5 election will be cast. Warren and Tina Marinaccio lived in Adak, Alaska for 15 months from 1967-1968.
Warren became a lieutenant in the Navy after graduating from the U niversity of Iowa's dental school . After he completed officer training at Great Lakes Naval Base (now Naval Station Great Lakes), Warren was assigned to Adak. Aiken City Council could move Powderhouse Connector forward Monday "We didn't know where Adak was," Warren said.
Adak — the name derives from the Aleut word, Adaq, which means father — is one of the farthest points west in the Aleutian Islands. The island is around 1,200 miles west of Anchorage. The island served as a launching point for the retaking of two Japanese-held Aleutian islands during World War II.
After the war, it became a naval base used to track the movement of Soviet submarines. And Adak will be the last place in the United States where in-person ballots can be cast . Getting to the base was the first indication of how remote Adak was.
From horses to hardwood: Senior women's basketball team calls Aiken home First, they drove from Illinois to Seattle, Warren said. Then, they took a plane from Seattle to Anchorage. And finally, they rode a twin-prop DC-3 from Anchorage to Adak.
"We landed and the pilot got out," Warren said. "And we said are we there. He said no, we're halfway.
We're in Cold Bay." The Marinaccios quickly learned just how isolated Adak was. Savannah River Site nuclear waste contractor indicates completion date doubts "Alaska Airlines flew in twice a week (weather permitting) to deliver packages and mail, otherwise there was really no outside communications — no TV, no outside phone service," Warren continued.
The phones had no dials, he added. Would-be callers waited for the operator and could only call locally, Warren said. Citizens Park welcomes thousands for 'trunker' hospitality The White Alice network connected Adak to the world, Warren said.
But, the network was reserved for the military, he added. "For family and friends, we wrote letters," Tina said. Life consisted of work, the officer's club, a bank and a grocery store, Tina continued.
Warren said he was one of five dentists stationed at Adak. Other medical personnel included seven doctors, he added. Prime Steakhouse's founder has stepped away from ownership of popular Aiken restaurant Aiken attorney suspended after being accused of recording and possessing child sexual abuse material Prep Football Roundup for Week 11 South Aiken extends win streak over Aiken with big plays late Player of the Week: North Augusta's Doe batters Bearcats FOTAS: Only-pet dogs, cat in search of forever home at Aiken County Animal Shelter Criminal trials of 2 prominent Aiken residents have been delayed again Early voting begins in Aiken County with long lines at the Aiken County Government Center Live in Aiken County and plan to vote Tuesday? Here's what you need to know.
One person killed in Aiken-area two-vehicle collision Thursday morning Tina said she taught 39 second-grade students. "There were all dirt roads," Warren said. "There were no restaurants.
There was no nothing...
The entertainment was nil." The only entertainment: waiting in line to get fresh produce, clam digging and buying Alaskan king crab for $1.50.
"Fresh produce was a treat and you would stand in line and be rationed," Tina said. Warren caught a 70-pound halibut, she added. One bit of excitement happened when a Russian sub stopped to have an Adak surgeon perform an appendectomy on a crew member, Warren said.
The Aleutians are notorious for bad weather and earthquakes. Adak was no exception. The DC-3 arrived during a williwaw, Warren said.
A williwaw is a burst of wind from mountains down to the sea and can reach up to 140 miles per hour. "We never saw the sun," Tina said. "Weather on Adak consists of short, cold and windy summers with winters that are long, very cold and extremely windy.
" "We never straightened the pictures because we had earthquakes all the time," Warren added. The island is a tundra plain, Warren said. After World War II, the Navy planted 33 evergreen trees that never grew, Warren continued.
"You're entering and leaving Adak National Forest at the same time," Warren joked. Base accommodations? A Quonset hut. The williwaw that greeted the Marinaccios also knocked out power to the hut's heater, Tina said.
Warren left the Navy after his tour of duty on Adak. He returned to Iowa to begin private practice. Later, he opened his own practice in Wisconsin — Warren is a Green Bay Packers fan — which he operated for 45 years.
After retirement, they moved to Hilton Head, a frequent retirement destination on South Carolina's coast, before meeting a USC Aiken professor who talked them into visiting Aiken. They moved after visiting and falling in love with the city, Warren added. The Navy closed the Adak base in 1997.
Fisherman use the base now but there are talks of reopening it due to the geopolitical threats from China and Russia, Warren added..
