The “Polar Bears” was a regiment of soldiers from Michigan who “were called to brave the cold arctic snows and fight long battles in temperatures of sixty-degrees below zero, under the midnight sun of arctic Russia” in 1918.  Unlike other troops, these men didn’t get called home when the war ended but stayed fighting in northern Russia for another 8 months.  We hadn’t heard of this story before, but TAM Honorary Member Murrill Colburn sure had—his father served in the Polar Bears and the diary he kept is part of a new PBS film shot in northern Michigan about the battle.  Murrill appears in two small scenes of the documentary, which is set to air on Detroit Public Television at 3:00 p.m. on November 8, 2009.

Murrill Colburn has been an Honorary Member of TAM for more than 23 years, which is longer than many of us have worked in the industry.  Murrill started Michigan Associated Telephone in 1942, took a “break” to serve in the South Pacific as part of the Army Signal Corps, and returned to Michigan in 1946.  He worked in various telecom positions in the U.S. and Canada for the next 21 years before becoming Michigan’s REA Field Representative in 1967.  He held that position until he retired in 1986, but then stayed involved in the industry as a Barry County Services board member and a consultant for companies in the Great Lakes region.  That’s 64 years of service to our industry.  Murrill and his father weren’t the only family members to defend our country in the military.  His sister Sandra retired from the armed services just last month after serving eight tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In fact, the Colburn’s know of no other WWI veteran’s offspring who was on active duty at the time she retired.  Murrill’s wife Bessie died of lung cancer in 2007.  Murrill now resides in Jackson and is blessed with three daughters, eight grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.  Thank you, Murrill, for everything.

(Documentary website)