The Medics

Ute Dam in Northwestern New Mexico, 1964. Open less than a year.

They found that skiing was best just after dawn and just before sunset. That was when the water was typically smooth as glass. The surrounding terrain was flat but much of the reservoir water was shielded by rocky cliffs. During the day the wind normally whipped the water into small whitecaps. It was a mild climate though and water skiing weather was pretty good from Easter to Thanksgiving. 

The small group of medics from Cannon Air Force Base were regulars at the Dam.  They had little money but one of them had re-enlisted and had enough to purchase a small used boat… an Aristocraft Torpedo.  The Aristocraft was a great, aerodynamic looking 14 foot mahogany ski boat that would comfortably accommodate a 50 horsepower Mercury outboard engine.  The combination worked good for a couple of passengers and one skier.

It could be a little rough getting the boat to plane and get the skier up at times.  If a dock was available, they would set up with the skier standing on it with one foot in the front binding, ski pointing up with a lot of slack on the ski rope.  When ready, the skier would yell, “Hit it!” or nod and the spotter would have the driver put the boat at full throttle.  That permitted the boat to plane off and get almost fully up to speed before bearing the weight of the skier.  At the last second, the skier would leap off the dock.   The ski would slap the water and quickly plane while the skier used the free foot to drag the water like a rudder..  Once stable the skier would place the free foot in the rear mount and be fully underway.

Of course after the inevitable fall while attempting jumps or extreme “S” curves, the skier would have to relaunch while partly submerged… this was not a problem as long as the skier wasn’t  “too pooped to participate”.

The group had made fast friends with a local family from nearby Logan, New Mexico whose son and daughter liked to ski and were about the same age.   The entire family treated the medics warmly with home cooking and occasional overnight accommodations when the weather turned too cool for lakeside tents. 

The rocky cliffs of Ute Dam were tempting targets for the group.  A slalom skier would move out to the side of the boat’s wake and make a high speed direct run toward the cliffs.  At the last second the skier would cut deeply into the water sending a solid spray as much as 20 feet up the cliff sides. It was a pretty spectacular stunt.  No one contemplated what would happen if the ski rope were to snap under the tremendous pressure a good slalom skier could make when cutting sharply.

There was a day when the group noticed a small crowd gathered just down the beach toward the dam.  They approached to see what was happening and found a teenage boy laying there with a frightened look in his eyes.  One of the members of the crowd explained that the boy had fallen while climbing among the rocks and they had sent someone to get help in treating him.  The youngest of the medics knelt over the boy and, seeing no visible injuries told him he “would be all right”.  That seemed to calm the boy a little.  With nothing further to be done, the medics returned to their campsite on the beach.  

A few days later the medics learned the boy had died of internal injuries.  It was an experience the youngest medic would never forget… a lesson on just how little he knew but also learning that his first inclination was to help.

Ute Dam near Logan, New Mexico in 1964.  The Shiplett family of Logan… great Americans who treated military members with respect.  Not such a common occurrence in those days.