The White Falcon - 24.05.2002, Blaðsíða 1

The
White Falcon
Vol. 61 No. 20
online at www.nctskef.navy.mil
Now =
featuring
Jjei444/ie.W£
aiaiiai
May 24, 2002
932nd Air Control Squadron bridges past, future
Memorial Day message by the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
The following is the text of a message from Air Force Gen. Richard
B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Across our great land, thou-
sands of American flags, proud-
ly waving, mark the final resting
place of Soldiers, Sailors,
Airmen, Marines, Coast
Guardsmen and merchant
mariners who had their lives cut
short so that we may live freely
and enjoy the blessings of liber-
ty. Memorial Day is the one day
of the year that we set aside to
remember and honor our coun-
try’s patriots, yet we owe them a
debt of gratitude, every day of
every year.
This Memorial Day finds our
nation at war — a war we did not
seek, but one we will decisively
win. However, our victory will
not come without its costs. Once
again, we are witnesses to
America’s sons and daughters
being brought home, solemnly
and respectfully, in flag-draped
coffins. They join those who lost
See Holiday on page 11
Secretary of Commerce visits NAS Keflavik
NAS Keflavik Commanding Officer Capt. Dean Kiyohara (left) and
Commander, Iceland Defense Force Rear Adm. John Waickwicz
greet U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans on May 20. Evans
visited the base briefly during a refueling stop. During his time here
he took a windshield tour of the base. (Photo by JQ2 Stephen Sheedv)
Story and photo by J02 Jean Ross
Veterans and Service members alike
gathered to bridge the past and present at
the 932nd Air Control Squadron’s 50th
anniversary dedication ceremony May 21.
While the threat of bad weather kept the
ceremony indoors, it did not take away
from the solemnity of the occasion as the
Air Control Squadron passed the milestone
of a half-century of the United States Air
Force providing air defense for the sover-
eign republic of Iceland.
Veterans, many of whom traveled from
as far away as Florida and New York,
looked forward to the chance to visit the
place where they spent some of the most
interesting times of their lives.
“It is exciting to come back after more
than forty years to the place where, as
young men, we learned to survive,” said
William Thomas, who, at 20 years of age,
traveled to Iceland to be a radar operator
with the 934th Air Control and Warning
Squadron (AC&WS)at H-4, a site located
on Straumnesfjall, a 1,400 ft. mountain in
the Northwest of Iceland. “After the
friendships and camaraderie we shared, I
have looked forward to this
trip for years.”
2nd Lt. Kurt Reichardt,
master-of-cere monies,
related some of the history
of the Air Force presence in
Iceland beginning with the
construction of four remote
aircraft control and warn-
ing stations placed on four
corners of Iceland. This
was considered the first
step to counter the threat of
long-range Soviet bombers
during the Cold War. These
sites were the 932nd
AC&WS at H-l in
Sandgerdi Station, now
known as Rockville, the
667th AC&WS at H-2 on
Peninsula in the Northeast, the 933rd
AC&WS at H-3 near Hofn in the Southeast
and the 934th AC&WS at H-4.
H-4 and H-2 were closed in 1960
and 1961. Also, the 933rd and 934th were
deactivated. Then, in 1988, the Iceland
Regional Operations Control Center was
completed and the sur-
veillance and control
of Iceland’s airspace
fell to the 932nd.
Lt. Col. Van Kepley, commander of the 932 nd Air Control
Squadron reflects on the changes that have occurred over the
past 50 years during the 932 nd Air Control Squadron’s 50th
Anniversary dedication ceremony.
the Langanes
“The world has changed, the threats have
changed and the Air Force has changed.
But, the one thing that hasn’t is the dedica-
tion and sacrifice of the airmen of the arc-
tic watch, holding the 24/7 vigil here at the
932nd,” said Reichardt.
Jon Bodvarsson, the director of the
Iceland Radar Agency, unveiled a plaque
that will be placed on a monument
between the two buildings currently hous
See 932nd on page 11
Whatever
it Takes
Fed
Federal Express
Licensee of Federal Express Corporation:
HracYlutningar ehf. • Grjotuhraun 4 • 220 Hafnarfjordur
tel: 535 8170 e-mail: fedex@hradi.is
webpages: www.hradi.is and www.fedex.com
® The Hot Dog Shop is the receiving agent at the Base