Forum:Comment from Lt.Col.(Rtd) Jamie Robertson - 28 Jan 2011

It's great to see the continued growth of such a cherished tradition. I had the pleasure of serving at NORAD from 1997 - 2001 and was amongst other things, the Chief Santa Tracker.

When I introduced the NORAD Tracks Santa to the internet in 1997, the web traffic quickly told us that the children (and parents) of the World had a huge desire for realtime info on Santa's Christmas Eve activities.

During my tenure, the huge amount of effort which went into all aspects of the Santa tracking program was only possible because of volunteers and generous support from organizations like Analytical Graphics, IBM, AOL and Globelink Tranlation, as well as local Colorado Springs radio stations. By 1998 the website was expanded to include complete coverage in six languages. The web traffic grew from a minimum of one million hits in 1997 to 239 million in 2000. Media coverage was global and all the big networks played their role in bringing that little piece of magic to homes throughout many parts of the World.

Of all the many thousands of emails and calls we received over my time at NORAD, the one which sticks out most is this: "Dear NORAD, thank you for giving my Son another year of Christmas magic and the belief in Santa Claus."

Lt-Col (Ret'd) Jamie Robertson, Canadian Forces