The White Falcon - 19.02.1955, Blaðsíða 1

Army Plans Early Release
For Short-Time Inductees
Washington (AFPS) — Army inductees scheduled to end
their 24 months of active service between May and August
1955, can look forward to early separations ranging from
one day to two months ahead of schedule.
The Army’s tentative plans for reducing its strength to
1,100,000 by June 30, 1955. call for the release in May of
inductees who have completed 23
months of service and the separa-
tion in June of those with 22
months service.
Army officials also indicated
the possibility that men ordi-
narily scheduled to get out in
May will be released earlier in
the month to make room for
those getting early outs that
month under the new policy.
However, this plan has not yet
been firmly worked out.
A comparable early release pro-
gram during the period from
March to June is being planned
for about 3400 Reserve lieutenants
currently serving their initial ob-
ligated 24-month tour of active
duty. Most of them probably will
be released after serving 21
months. Officers who have volun-
teered and have been accepted for
additional periods of active duty
will not be released.
Officers of the Women’s Army
Corps, the Chaplains Corps and
Army Medical Service, other than
Medical Service Corps, will not
come under this early separation
program.
The Army emphasized that
the plans affecting officers and
EM, both of which are awaiting
final approval, are voluntary.
Those eligible for early release
who wish to complete their full
two years of service will be per-
mitted to do so.
The exact number of men who
will get early releases has not yet
been finally determined. In May
1953, Selective Service provided
the Army with 53,000 draftees,
while 32,000 men were inducted
that June. The July and August
calls were for 23,000 men each.
Those getting out early will come
from these groups.
Vol. V.—No. 4
HQ. IDF, KEFLAVIK AIRPORT, ICELAND
Saturday, Feb. 19, 1955
Engineer Detachment
Builds Bn Gun Sheds
The 105mm howitzers and the
105mm recoilless rifles in the 99th
Battalion got new homes this
week, when workers of the Engi-
neer Detachment put finishing
touches on two new gun sheds,
constructed in the Battalion Motor
Pool.
The Engineers, under the com-
mand of Captain G. W. Kirby,
finished the job in near-record
time, taking only three weeks
to construct both sheds in ad-
verse weather.
The frames for the new gun
sheds were obtained from Camp
Geek. Huts were dismantled there,
and the pieces transported back
to the Motor Pool, where they
were reassembled.
The recoilless rifle building is
17’x40’, and was built by the se-
cond squad of the Engineer pla-
toon, with SFC Herbert J. Sonier
in charge. The shed contains one
space heater and has a concrete
floor.
The howitzer shed is larger,
measuring 28’x46’, and can hold
all the howitzers of “B” Battery,
76th FA Bn. It contains two space
heaters, and was built by a squad
commanded by SFC William T.
Winger.
M/Sgt Walter W. Wheeler was
NCOIC of the entire project.
Monkey Business
Miss Helga Tryggva, information desk attendant at the Keflavik In-
ternational Airport, gives a warm welcome to one of a planeload of
900 Rhesus monkeys grounded in Iceland recently when their plane
developed mechanical difficulty. Looking on is John W. Wilson, London,
England, an experienced animal handler who was accompanying the
monks on their flight from Calcutta, India, to New York. Wilson has
escorted snakes, elephants, show dogs and baby rhinos on similiar
transoceanic flights.
99th NCO With Colorful Career
Departs for States, Retirement
An Army Master Sergeant whose 20 years of service
read something like the pages from an adventure novel, de-
parted the 99th Battalion last week for the United States
and retirement.
He was M/SGT Thomas E.
Watson, who, prior to departure,
was Administration and Supply
NCO of the Battalion’s Aviation
Section.
During his twenty-year stint in
an Army uniform, Watson has, at
various times, been an honor
guard for the King and Queen
of England, tested the “new”
Garand rifle in 1938, represented
the Army at the 1940 World’s
Fair in New York City, survived
the Bataan Death March, and
spent three years as a Japanese
POW.
In addition, he was an in-
structor and advisor to the Phil-
lipine Army, and has served two
tours with the Army in Iceland
since 1952. Between the Iceland
tours, he was an Army Recruiter
in Utica, New York.
Watson helped test the then-
new Garand rifle in 1938, as a
member of the 18th Infantry. The
(Continued Col 5, Page 3).
Army Forces CWO Gets
First Oak Leaf Cluster
CWO James A. Cox, adminis-
trative assistant to Colonel John
F. Reed, Commander, Army For-
ces, Iceland, was awarded the
First Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
to the Commendation Ribbon this
week.
The presentation was made last
Tuesday morning by Brigadier
General Donald R. Hutchinson,
IDF Commander.
The award was made to Cox
for “meritorious service,” while
serving with the Alabama Mili-
tary District from December,
1952, to October, 1954.
Mechanical ’Cow*
Gives Fresh Milk
for IDF Personnel
Mechanical equipment is rapidly
replacing everything, even the
lowly cow.
Personnel at Keflavik Airport
are now drinking milk that comes
from a cow of mechanical nature.
Although the “Cow” doesn’t chew
a cud, it can beat the regular cow
in several other ways. For in-
stance, the cow on the farm may
produce two or maybe three
gallons of milk a day, but the
Mechanical Cow produces 300
gallons a day, and only stops
there because that’s all there is
a need for.
Keflavik Airport isn’t the first
base that has replaced the farm
type cow with one made of steel.
At the present time the Air Force
has a total of nine “Cows” being
operated under civilian contract.
The process is a method of con-
verting dried milk back into liquid
form. The recombined milk of the
Mechanical Cow acts just the same
as natural milk in body, taste and
flavor.
Although the cow has no way
of stopping a certain amount of
bacteria from getting into the
milk, the Mechanical Cow produces
milk with no bacteria.
This MATS-operated base uses
both the milk produced by the
Mechanical Cow and milk obtained
from civilian sources.
Mr. F. K. Smith, the local
“herdsman” operates the unit with
occasional help from an Icelandic
civilian.
1955 Dimes Drive
Totals Top $13,000
The clink of coins was missing in the 1955 March of
Dimes drive at Keflavik Airport, but the rustle of military
payment certificates made it clear that US military and
civilian employees stationed here had topped 1954 contribu-
tions by 110%.
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Iceland’s Famed
Ship Repairmen
Work on YOG-32
The crew of the United States
Navy’s YOG-32, the 1400-ton yard
oiler (gasoline) craft that sup-
plies fuel needs for the Iceland
Defense Force from storage tanks
elsewhere in Iceland, can thank a
little international cooperation for
their ship’s recently acquired ex-
cellent running condition.
It seems that the YOG’s Fair-
banks Morse 500 horsepower
main engine had developed se-
rious trouble during some of
its local runs. It was fast losing
compression and developing ex-
cess carbon. The YOG’s operating
crew was not equipped to execute
such complicated major repairs.
So the ship’s skipper CHBOSN
Frank W. Glowacki, US Navy,
sent out a distress call which
was answered by Velsmidjan
Hedinn H.F., a ship repair com-
pany in Reykjavik, which sub-
mitted the lowest bid to do the
work.
Having been a sea-faring nation
for over 1000 years, Icelanders
have a reputation for their know-
ledge of ships. And the engineers
of Velsmidjan Hedinn proved
themselves no exception. They
completed the YOG’s repairs in
record time, and their work has
been proven to be very satisfac-
tory.
Using the paper money of
overseas commands, Army, Navy
and Air Force men and civilian
workers comprising the Iceland
Defense Force have donated
$13,459 to the 1955 campaign.
The 1954 drive wound up with
$6,009 in the coffers.
A check for the entire amount
is being mailed to the National
Foundation in New York City by
Brigadier General Donald R.
Hutchinson, IDF Commander.
In compiling results of the cam-
paign, Major Victor L. Loughnan,
Base Finance Officer and drive
chairman, commented that he has
received extraordinary cooperation
from all levels.
“The enthusiasm of all persons
at Keflavik Airport aided in more
than accomplishing the orginal
goal of $7,500 set for this year,”
he added.
A final breakdown of contribu-
tions, compiled earlier this week,
showed that Army units gave
$4,045, and the Navy gave $369,
while the Air Force components
added $6,529. Miscellaneous con-
tributions accounted for another
$2516.
Within the 99th Battalion, “I”
Company led all contributors
with a $724 total, while the Tank
Detachment led, on a per capita
basis, with a figure of more than
$11 per individual assigned.
FASRON 107 led Navy units by
contributing $207.
The Materiel Squadron headed
Air Force units, dunking a total
of $1180 into the polio coffer.
Close behind was the Installation
Squadron, with $1077.
Best at Keflavik
Proudly displaying the certificates they won as Soldier, Sailor and
Airman of the Month for January are, left to right, A/1C Billy J.
Eslick, 1400th Air Installations Squadron, AD-3 Roger O. Klein, FAS-
RON 107, and Cpl Murray C. Murphey, of “M” Company, 99th Bn.