Imagine a life where leaving for work means you were gone for six months at a time. Heading out the door might mean that you were packing for sub-zero temperatures and looking forward to letters from home and only a few phone calls, ham-patched through from literally the bottom of the world.

Captain Eugene Van Reeth did just that for 10 years, from the mid ’60s through the mid ’70s, serving in the Navy. Captain Van Reeth didn’t just serve because he had to, he served because he loved it. To have a successful life in this situation, with three children, one would need a very supportive and courageous wife, a job which LaVonne Van Reeth accomplished with grace.

According to Dana, the youngest of three children in the family, her mother served and did her part with dedication and without question. There was a strong support group within the women of the Navy, and LaVonne got together regularly with this sisterhood, celebrating important holidays together and helping one another through the challenges of raising children alone while their husbands were serving.

Captain Van Reeth loved the beauty of the Antarctic. He was a naval aviator who would fly in for the season “on the ice.” The squadron would make one last stop in Christchurch, New Zealand, before arriving on the ice in September and departing in March. Van Reeth was the commanding officer of this squadron that handled all the logistics at McMurdo Station, allowing the National Science Foundation to implement their work.

Dana said that her father was overwhelmed with the incredible beauty of this untouched continent. He had the opportunity to explore territory never before seen by human eyes. Being there all summer means there were many days at high summer that were light around the clock.

In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed by 12 countries that were actively doing scientific research in Antarctica. This treaty basically states that no country will ever “own” the Antarctic. It is to be preserved for the sake of science and there is to be no military activity at any time on this continent. In 2016, there are 53 parties as signers. It was a rare example of bases from different countries working near one another, without any strife or gain, only for the understanding of the world and humankind. McMurdo was the biggest and most populated at this time.

Every summer, from September to March, McMurdo was very populated and busy, doing experiments, exploring and charting the ice. In the winter, there were a handful of people who kept the station running and maintained life there, “wintering over.”

This required people who were carefully chosen so that they would be strong enough to endure the challenges of being there in the extreme isolation and virtually incommunicado with the outside world for the six-month Antarctic winter, when no planes or ships could get in or out. The eldest Van Reeth son, Mark, wintered over in his early 20s.

Captain Van Reeth had a prominent glacier named after him, Van Reeth Glacier. This was an honor given to him after being in command of all military organizations, ships and the stations south of the Earth’s 60th south parallel. Van Reeth was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for navigating on previously unexplored terrain, with no ground navigational aids, executing two landings in unprepared snowfields to disembark scientific personnel.

Dana says there must be a siren call to the ice — many make repeat deployments. For Van Reeth, it was the highlight of his long and distinguished naval career. The Antarctic years represent a major part of their family history. Captain Van Reeth and his wife LaVonne will celebrate their 64th anniversary this year.

We have many in our midst here in Sammamish who have left quite a mark in this world.

Amy McOmber is a 22-year resident of the Sammamish plateau.