The White Falcon - 04.05.1957, Side 1

Volume VII, Number 9
Headquarters, Iceland Defense Force, Keflavik Airport, Iceland
IDF
Saturday, May 4, 1957
Regulars Start
Benefits Group
Washington (AFPS) — A new
non-profit benefit association open
to regular enlisted personnel of
the Armed Forces world-wide, re-
cently has been organized here.
Formed by a group of enlisted
men stationed in the Washington
area, the association initially will
offer members emergency loan
privileges, scholarship grants to
deserving children of members
and low-cost group life insurance.
Established as the Armed Forces
Enlisted Benefit Assn, and pat-
terned after a similar organiza-
tion for commissioned and war-
rant officers, membership is open
to regular servicemen and women
in all grades.
Further information may be ob-
tained by writing the association
at 422 Washington Building,
Washington 5, D.C;
USO Troupe
Chases Gloom
Men of this NATO installation
were entertained on 25 and 26
April by one of the snappiest
USO Camp Shows to appear here
in recent months.
Calling themselves the “Gloom
Chasers”, the group featured Don
Cumming, veteran comedian of
New York theaters and night
clubs; Ruth Petty, top ranking
songstress; Harry Reser, unique
banjo player; Helen and Boh
Manzi, accordionist and br.ss
player.
The show was presented tw'c'
at Viking Club, once at the NCO
Club, and once in Rockville.
Ilniv. of Iceland Student
Council Tours Base
Guests of Iceland Defense Forces
recently were eight members of
the Student Council of the Uni-
versity of Iceland in Reykjavik.
The students headed by their
president, Mr. Bjarni Beinteins-
son, and accompained by Mr. Peter
J. Heller of the United States
Information Services in Reykja-
vik, were brought to Keflavik Air-
port by military bus.
The young men were shown
through Co A, 2nd BCT barracks,
Viking Service Club, TFK-radio
and TV stations, and 1400th Base
Hospital, before lunch in the
Terrace Room-
Later in the afternoon, the 57th
FIS was host to the group and
conducted a simulated fighter
interceptor scramble, one of the
highlights of the day.
The Base Education Office was
the next stop and from there, the
Wien returned to the Terrace
Lounge to be greeted and briefed
by Brigadier General John W.
White, Commander IDF.
After late afternoon refresh-
ments, the group returned to
Reykjavik via the special bus
.which had been provided for their
Itour.
SACLANT Visits Iceland
Admiral Jerauld Mason Wright, U.S. Navy and NATO’s
Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT) paid a
visit to the base here at Keflavik 18 April as part of his
policy of maintaining direct contact with his many farflung
bases and to confer with Icelandic Government officials.
The Admiral made a tour of the
base Friday morning, 19 April.
Later he called on the Foreign
Minister at the Government Build-
ing in Reykjavik.
On Saturday, the 20th, Admiral
Wright departed for Rome, Italy,
after calling on the Prime Minister
of Iceland and conducting a press
conference at the Government
Building in Reykjavik.
As SACLANT, Admiral Wright
is the naval counterpart to that
of the Supreme Headquarters Al-
lied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in
Paris. He is Commander of all
NATO Naval Forces in the At-
lantic, and has direct charge of
all planning and operations for
these forces, extending from the
North Pole to the Tropic of Cancer
and from the North American
coast to the shores of North Africa
and Europe.
Admiral Wright Welcomed Aboard
Navy Aids Search
For 3 Soviet Seamen
At 1239 hours on the 13th of April a Navy patrol plane
was launched to search the area north-north-west of Ice-
land for three Russian seamen missing in a longboat from
the sealer Tsjistibol and who were thought to have been
still alive on an icefloe.
Desceinding the ladder from the R6-D which transported him from
his headquarters at Norfolk, Va., Admiral Jerauld Wright (left) is
seen being greeted by Brigadier General John White, Iceland Defense
Force commander. At right is a member of the Icelandic Police honor
guard.
The Navy patrol plane worked
in direct coordination with the
Icelandic Life Saving Association,
the Icelandic Coast Guard Service
and one of the thirty to forty
Russian and Norwegian sealers in
the area.
Portions of the missing long-
boat, a flag and skins of animals
were found near the huge icefloe.
The search continued from the
13th through the 16th during ex-
tremely difficult flying weather
and finally had to be called off
due to the lack of visibility.
When the Soviet Embassy in
Reykjavik was informed of the
American offer to use its aircraft
in the search their spokesman ex-
pressed his appreciation for our
participation in the search for the
missing men.
AFD to be Observed May 18
The tenth anniversary of military unification and the
fiftieth anniversary of military aviation will be keynoted
in the 1957 observance of Armed Forces Day, May 18.
Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army.
Naval aviation dates from its first
aircraft order May 8, 1911. The
U.S. Air Force was established as
an independent Department in ’47.
It was on September 17, 1947
that James Forrestal took office
as the first Secretary of Defense
Armed Forces. The four succeed-
ing Secretaries of Defense were
Louis Johnson, General George C.
Marshall, Robert A. Lovett and
Charles E. Wilson.
Both anniversaries to be observ-
ed this year are teamed under
POWER FOR PEACE which has
been, since it was first used in
1953, the Armed* Forces Day
slogan.
Next issue of the White Falcon
will feature Armed Forces Day
messages and further information
from the Department of Defense.
Military aviation was establish-
ed on August 1, 1907 in the Aero-
nautical Division of the Office,
New IDF A Commander
Col Linwood Griffin assumed command of IDFA here
at Keflavik 17 April replacing Lt Col Morgan Whitfield,
temporary commander since early February.
Col Griffin attended the Virginia Military Institute and
Southern Methodist University receiving his B. S. degree
from the latter in 1934. During World War II he was con-
nected with Army Amphibious Training at Camp Johnston
Fla, serving both as instructor and director. From Feb
1944 to the end of the war, he was assigned to the Navy
Department, and served in train-
ing and operational activities with
Amphibious Forces Atlantic Fleet.
Assigned to the Plans and Opns
Div, GSUSA, Wash, D. C., July
’48—June ’51, Col Griffin attend-
ed the Command and General Staff
College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan-
sas. Upon leaving the College, he
became Ass’t Chief of Staff G-3
Hq TRUST, Aug ’52—Nov ’53,
when he was assigned to G-3, Hq
USAREUR.
Returning to the ZI in July ’55,
Col Griffin served as Post G-3 at
Fort Hood, Texas, until his pre-
sent assignment to Keflavik, Ice-
land.
Accompanying Col Griffin to Ice-
land were his wife, Zelda, and four
children, Linwood III, Robert,
John, and Sherry. Col Linwood Griffin
French Explorers Stop
At Keflavik Airport
Seventeen members of an expedition to Greenland’s Ice
Caps stopped over at Keflavik airport en route to Sonder-
strom. The group included several scientists, air crew
members and a photographer.
Leader of the group was Paul
E. Victor, noted French polar ex-
plorer, who only last month re-
turned from Antarctica where he
flew over the South Pole as French
Representative with Admiral
Dufek, head of “Operation Deep-
freeze.” Victor is also a special
consultant for the U.S. Armed
Forces and holds the rank of
GS16.
The group was flying a French
“Nord 2501” aircraft, which is
similiar in appearance, though
smaller than the Fairchild C-119.
The Nord, piloted by Maj. R. J.
Despouy, was loaded with
emergency rations, spare parts,
scientific and photographic equip-
ment — and even a complete
helicopter.
The copter called the “Alouette”
(which means ‘The Lark’) will be
used over the Greenland ice caps
to search for possible access
through the mountain zone before
the thawing season. Pilot of the
“Alouette” is Lt. Andre Cesson.
This is the last leg of the Inter-
national Glaciological Expedition
to Greenland — a continuation of
the French expeditions to Green-
land annually since 1948. There are
now four men on the ice cap who
were parachuted there last August
during a similiar expedition. These
men have been doing research on
glaciology and weather.
Other scientists in the group
who were at Keflavik, are Dr.
Borge Fristrup, representing the
Danish government and. Dr.
Andre Roch, Swiss glaciologist.
Dr. Roch was one of the three
mountain climbers holding the
record for height in climbing Mt.
Everest until 1952, when the
British with Sir Edmund Hillary
conquered the famous mountain
by reahing the top.
The group expects to complete
this year’s study during May.
Crew Injured
as F-89 Burns
Two AF officers of the 57th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron
brought a damaged plane back to
the base in a harrowing “wheels
up” landing April 26th.
An electrical failure followed by
a “flame out” of one engine made
a forced landing imminent. The
pilot, First Lieutenant Franklin
Rowe, managed to get the aircraft
into a final approach position and
was about to put his wheels down
when the second engine flamed out
making a belly landing necessary.
The plane slid off the runway,
was shattered by the rocks, and
caught fire. The radar observer,
First Lieutenant Robert L.
Sparks, was able to crawl away
from the wreckage but suffered
burns.
Not so fortunate was the pilot,
trapped in the cockpit and unable
to get free. His quick thinking
saved his life. With the plane on
the ground he activated the ejec-
tion-seat gear and was hurtled
from the aircraft and away from
the fire. He suffered several burns
about the face and hands.
Both men have been returned
to the United States Naval Hos-
pital in Philadelphia for further
medical attention and to recuper-
ate from their injuries.