The Shadow
WASHINGTON, DC. (VR) – On Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command will once again track Santa Claus on radar as he makes his journey around the globe, bringing a touch of magic to the Christmas season, said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.
What began decades ago as an unintentional phone call from a child to the then-Continental Air Defense Command has become a joyous occasion for families everywhere, showcasing the lighter side of NORAD’s 70-year-old mission, he said.
The NORAD Santa tracker will go live on war.gov tonight, and the War Department is excited to continue this tradition with the American people, he added.
Thinking about service members as the holiday season draws closer, Parnell gave a shoutout to all who serve.
“As families across the country gather to begin celebrating Christmas and the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, our thoughts turn to our courageous warfighters who continue to stand vigilant across the globe, sacrificing dearly to safeguard our freedoms right here at home,” he said.
NORAD’s Santa Operations Center will be fully functional beginning Dec. 24 at 4 a.m. MST. Children can call 877-446-6723 to talk directly to a Santa tracker, who will be able to tell callers his current location. Operators will be available until midnight.
More than 1,000 Canadian and American uniformed personnel, War Department civilians and local participants at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where NORAD is located, volunteer their time on Christmas Eve to answer the hundreds of thousands of phone calls that
NORAD’s mission to track Santa began by accident in 1955, when a young child, trying to reach Santa, dialed a misprinted phone number from a department store ad in the local newspaper. Instead of Santa, the child called the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor of NORAD.
Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child’s call, was quick to realize the mistake and, not wanting to let down the child, played along. So began the connection between NORAD and Santa, which continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.
