The White Falcon - 07.08.1959, Qupperneq 3

Saturday, August 7, 1959
THE WHITE FALCON
Page 3
CHAIN OF COMMAND
Defense Force Function
Unique in Command
The Iceland Defense Force at Keflavik Airport is one of the most
unique military commands in the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion. First, Iceland is a member of NATO, but has no armed forces.
This island republic has granted us the use of Keflavik International
Airport and other areas as their contribution to the defense of the
North Atlantic.
Under NATO, Brig. Gen. Gilbert L. Pritchard, is the Island
Commander, Iceland. Abbreviated, it looks like this: ISCOMICE.
He reports in the NATO chain of command to the Joint Com-
mander in Chief, Eastern Atlantic. The next higher step in the
chain is the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. These com-
mands carry the abbreviations shown on the chart which indi-
cates the relationship of ISCOMICE to the other NATO Com-
manders.
By NATO agreement, the office of SACLANT will be held by
an American. This office is now held by Admiral Jerauld Wright,
U. S. Navy. Admiral Wright is also Commander in Chief Atlantic
(CINCLANT), a U. S. Unified Command. A unified command is
defined as an organization comprised of two or more services. As a
Unified Command, the Iceland Defense Force is a subordinate uni-
fied command of CINCLANT. This chain of command begins with
the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon and down through CIN-
CLANT, the Unified Commander of the Atlantic Command to the
Iceland Defense Force.
In this chain, General Pritchard is the U. S. boss of the Iceland
Defense Force, but now he’s wearing a different hat—-he is Com-
mander, Iceland Defense Force, or COMICEDEFOR.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have established CINCLANT as a uni-
fied command, and CINCLANT in turn has set up the Iceland De-
fense Force as a subordinate unified Command.
On the local level, COMICEDEFOR has three subordinate com-
manders, one for each component, Army, Navy, and Air Force. The
staff of COMICEDEFOR is composed of all three services. For
instance, at the present time, General Pritchard has as his Chief
of Staff, an Army Colonel, whose deputy is a Commander in the
Navy. General Pritchard’s Headquarters functions in a dual capacity
since it is the staff of ISCOMICE, as well as the staff for COM-
ICEDEFOR. The chart shows how the chain of command reaches
down into the local level.
The Commander, Army Forces, Colonel B. F. Evans, Jr., has in
his command the Second Battalion Combat Team. The Commander,
Naval Forces, Captain Charles J. Eastman, has under his command,
Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 107 and half of a squadron of patrol
bombers. This PATRON is the only unit at the base that rotates
as a unit. The rest of the organizations on the base rotate their per-
sonnel individually.
The Area Engineer, Lt. Col. Byron M. Kirkpatrick, an Army
Officer, works directly for the Area Engineer, Eastern Ocean Dis-
trict, in New York City. He does, however, coordinate his work
closely with CIDF and his components.
The Iceland Air Defense Force Commander, Col. Benjamin G.
Willis, is the Air Force Component Commander, (AFICE) and the
Base Commander at Keflavik Airport. As AFICE, Commander, he is
responsible for the combat readiness of the Air Force men and
equipment assigned to AFICE. Flying and maintaining combat air-
craft is the job of the 1400th Operations Group. The Base Com-
mander is also responsible for operation and maintenance of the Base.
In this capacity he is required to provide support for the Army,
Navy and Air Force.
While wearing his hat as Air Force Component Commander, he
is responsible to CINCLANTFLT for Navy matters, and COMAR-
ICE to the First Army or Department of Army, for Army matters.
Army Hourglass: WAAC train-
ing first began at Fort Des
Moines, Iowa on July 20, 1942.
The Bob Hope Show Officially
opened the Viking Service Club
on Christmas day of 1955.
Troops . . .
(Continued from page 1.)
ber Group with atomic capabili-
ties in the Pacific Theater.
During General Pritchard’s
command, the 49th placed second
in the Air Force Gunnery Meet
in 1954 and walked off with first
place honors in 1955. The Gen-
eral personally captained both
these teams.
Also, it was the 49th and Gen-
eral Pritchard which completed
the longest non-stop flight in his-
tory, when they flew from Yokota
Air Base, Japan to Sidney, Aus-
tralia. He also led his fighter
group on a good-will flight to
Bangkok, Thailand in 1955.
A Command Pilot with nearly
7,000, flying hours to his credit,
(including 1,040 hours in jet air-
craft), the new commander holds
the Distinguished Flying Cross
with three Oak Leaf Clusters; the
Air Medal with 12 Clusters and
the Silver Star.
He is married to the former
Gloria Yost of Montgomery, Ala.
They have three children. Mrs.
Pritchard and the children are
expected to join the new IDF
(Jhief soon.
General Thorne, in relinquish-
ing command of the Defense
Force, can look back on a mul-
titude of advances and improve-
ments in practically every phase
of the military’s operation at
Keflavik.
Chaplain Promoted
Keflavik Airport’s Chaplain Joseph C. Sides seems a little shocked by
it all as Mrs. Sides and former IADF Commander, Col. P. P. Douglas
Jr. pin the newly acquired silver eagles on the Chaplain’s shoul-
ders. Promoted last month to full Colonel, Chaplain Sides has served
as Staff Chaplain for IDF and IADF since July 18, 1958. A veteran of
21 years service, he graduated from the University of Missouri and
the Chicago Theological Seminary before entering the service in 1938.
He and Mrs. Sides have three children, Randolph, 19; Sandra, 15; and
Kenneth, 12. They make their home on the base.
owe Officers
Members of the Officers’ Wives Club elected new officers to govern
the club for the current year at their monthly meeting July 15. The
newly elected officials, Lucia Whelan, Treas.; Glen Krause, Vice-Pres.;
Mollie Gainey, Press, and Mildred Ogle, Sec., replace outgoing officers
Mrs. L. Lockwood, Mrs. L. Mathwick, Mrs. P. E. Winn and Mrs. Law-
rence who has returned to the States.
General Thorne
During his stay, the airfield
has been equipped with new and
safer navigational aids, and im-
proved detection devices consid-
erably strengthened the defense
capabilities of the Iceland De-
fense Force.
Shorlty after his arrival here,
General Thorne initiated plans for
prefabricated housing on the base.
These plans have since material-
ized into a contract for several
additional dependent housing units
at Keflavik Airport.
Besides his regular duties as
Commander of Iceland Defense
Force, he gave frequent assistance
to the Icelandic Government and
communities . . . especially in
emergencies. He repeatedly loaned
IDF personnel and equipment for
aid in relief work, rescue missions,
and other deserving causes.
In recognition of his contribu-
tions to the Icelandic Government
and its people, President Asgeir
Asgeirsson awarded him Iceland’s
“Order of the Falcon”.
General Thorne’s new assign-
ment will take him to Wright-
Patterson AFB in Ohio where he
will command the USAF Recruit-
ing Service.
And there’s the man who says
that marriage is an automatic
music lesson. He says a man
learns to piay second fiddle.
Dependents
Can’t Go Alone
Dependents planning to va-
cation abroad cannot travel
to, from, or between overseas
areas via MATS on a “space
available” basis unless they
are accompanied by the head
of the house.
This clarification of the
rules was contained in a
Headquarters message which
also reiterated that “space
available” is not always avail-
able. When it evaporates the
traveler is on his own as far
as the Government is con-
cerned.
Identification of dependents
will be by show of the “Uni-
formed Services Identifica-
tion and Privilege Card” —
names of dependents need not
be shown on leave orders.