Silver Darmer has always navigated his way through tough conditions, even in the isolated and inhospitable environment of Antarctica.
“We had to learn to find our way using the sun, moon and stars,” said Darmer, a Navy veteran and former naval flight officer for Operation Deep Freeze.
Operation Deep Freeze began in the 1950s as a joint military mission supporting researchers on Antarctica. Silver arrived in the 1960s. His job was to get scientists where they needed to go and back safely.
“My only point of reference was usually the sun, and I thought it was a fantastic experience. I can’t describe what it was like to see the glaciers up close,” he said. “I still don’t wear a watch, because I can tell the time by the sun’s position in the sky.”
Much of Darmer’s military career was spent on Earth’s last continental frontier, and he is now navigating a new frontier. For the last seven years, the 79-year-old has been not only surviving but thriving with pancreatic cancer. He credits his participation in a clinical trial designed by researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences.
“My attitude was, I have a little problem and I have to stay ahead of it. I did not want to let cancer determine the story of my life,” Darmer said.
