Midn. 1⁄C Ander Heiles and Midn. 1⁄C Matthew Krayewsky stand outside of Scott Base, Antarctica.

Midn. 1⁄C Ander Heiles and Midn. 1⁄C Matthew Krayewsky had the opportunity of a lifetime over the holiday break, traveling to Antarctica as part of an internship sponsored by the Naval Academy’s Oceanography department.

Heiles and Krayewsky both knew from the time they were plebes that they wanted to participate in the Antarctica program.

''As strange as it sounds, going to Antarctica has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, so as soon as I found out that this opportunity existed I did everything I could to get selected,'' said Heiles.

Heiles and Krayewsky interned over the summer at the National Ice Center in Suitland, Md., to further their understanding of polar oceanography and their chances for being selected to go to Antarctica.

According to the department of Oceanography, the internship provides Midshipmen the opportunity to apply and validate concepts learned in the classroom while gaining first-hand experience with researchers in the field. The program also exposes Midshipmen to joint military operations involving Coast Guard, Air Force, New Zealand military and joint civilian-military research.

Heiles and Krayewsky found out they were selected to participate in the internship shortly after Thanksgiving. However, they had to voluntarily give up their Christmas leave.

''My mom was a little upset that I wouldn’t be home for Christmas,'' said Heiles. ''But she realized that this was an incredible opportunity and something that I had worked hard for.''

Boarding a plane just two days after finals, Heiles and Krayewsky flew from Baltimore-Washington International to Los Angeles; Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand; and Auckland to Christ Church, New Zealand.

After spending two days in Christ Church acclimating to the 18-hour time change and recovering from the 30 hours of jet lag, Heiles and Krayewsky prepared for the last leg of their trip, a five-hour flight to McMurdo Station on a C-17 flown by the Air Force’s 7th Airlift Squadron.

''We landed in the middle of a blizzard on an ice runway, and the bus we rode got stuck in the snow on the way to McMurdo'' said Heiles. ''That’s when the reality of being in Antarctica really hit me.''

The Mids were greeted at McMurdo by members of the Air National Guard who gave them a quick tour of the base and set them up in their barracks room.

''It was surreal being in McMurdo. There are three gyms, a library, a church, a fire department, a police station... it doesn’t really feel like you’re in Antarctica,'' said Heiles.

While at McMurdo, Heiles and Krayewsky got the opportunity to tag along with researchers studying aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology and glacial geology, and ocean and climate systems.

The Mids also had the opportunity to go to the geographic South Pole.

''We didn’t realize this until we got there, but people go down to McMurdo year after year, and never get the opportunity to go to the South Pole,'' said Krayewsky. ''We were there for three days and got to go. It was pretty incredible.''

When they weren’t shadowing researchers, Heiles and Krayewsky spent their time exploring the surrounding area.

''The weather was the most surprising part of the trip for me,'' said Heiles. ''The temperatures, aside from the South Pole, were pretty mild. I was comfortably walking around in jeans and a fleece, and the people that lived there were walking around in shorts and flip-flops.''

Both Heiles and Krayewsky said that it was an incredible experience and that they both fully intend to go back at some point in their lives.