The White Falcon - 13.05.1961, Blaðsíða 1

Volume XI, Number 18 Headquarters, Air Forces Iceland, Keflavik Airport, Iceland—A MATS Unit Saturday, May 13, 1961
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PaMiny
An underground government
nerve center designed to with-
stand a nearby hydrogen bomb
blast goes into construction June
1 near Dallas, at Denton, Tex.
It is designed to serve as the
nation’s capitol if Washington and
other regional centers should be
knocked out in a war.
Civil Defense officials say the
center would accommodate 200
persons on a day-to-day basis or
800 during a 30-day emergency.
* * *
The Strategic Air Command re-
ports that it has converted to
career status 36 per cent of its
officers scheduled for release dur-
ing fiscal year 1961.
The 36 per cent figure is for
the first three quarters of FY
1961. During the third quarter
alone, the officer retention rate
in SAC zoomed to 72 per cent.
The 1961 figures represent sig-
nificant gains over the 24 per
cent officer retention ratio posted
by SAC in fiscal year 1960.
SAC’s director of personnel,
Maj. Gen. William K. Martin,
said he felt “that the major fact-
or in a junior officer’s decision
to assume career status is the at-
titude established by his super-
iors.”
H* •!•
SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Lt. Col. Elam W. Wright, Jr., is congratulated by Col. Myron F. Barlow,
AFI chief of staff, for winning t Scholastic Achievement Award from
the University of Maryland. Col. Wright has completed 13 courses
through the university and has maintained a straight “A” average.
IDF Army Officer Wins BA Degree,
13 A's, After 24-year Endeavor;
Next Step Will Be Staff College
The winding 24-year road to higher education for Lt.
Col. Elam W. Wright Jr. will reach an important mile-
stone on May 27. On that day at Heidelberg, Germany,
he will receive his BA degree from the University of
Fermented seal flippers is a
local delicacy at Hopedale, Labra-
dor, the U. S. Navy reports, quot-
ing an Air Force major as source
of the information.
On the surface, the dish would
not seem likely to win a “Hen-
nessy” food service trophy, but
those who have tried it say it’s
good, that it tastes something like
beef heart.
* * *
All Air Force, Navy, Marine
and Army combat pilots who hold
five or more victories are invited
to attend the charter meeting of
the Association of Fighter Aces
at Pensacola, Fla., June 6-11.
Presentations will be made at
the Pensacola Naval Air Station
June 9 honoring the aces of WW
I, WW II and the Korean War
by Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker.
* * *
Twenty-three Strategic Air
Air Command bases will host 174
cadets of the Air Force Academy’s
Class of 1962 this summer during
Operation “Third Lieutenant.”
The operation’s objective is
threefold: (1) To introduce the
cadets to the everyday problems
of company grade officers; (2)
To let them see “first hand” the
coordination and supervision used
in routine operations and (3) to
provide the cadets with an under-
standing of the details involved
in accomplishing the SAC mis-
sion.
Maryland.
Col. Wright attended the Uni-
versity of Texas from 1937 to
1940, earning his tuition by work-
ing at many jobs including tutor-
ing in history and Spanish and
instructing in horsemanship.
Enlisting in the 56th Cavalry
Brigade of the Texas National
Guard in 1936, he entered Federal
service as a platon sergeant in
1940 and graduated from OCS in
1943.
He resumed work toward his
BA degree with an off-duty
course in geopolitics at Loyola
College, Baltimore, in 1948.
Col. Wright came to Iceland in
March, 1959, with the 2d Batta-
lion Combat Team, which left in
March, 1960. He is now chief of
staff, J-3 plans, in Headquarters
Iceland Defense Force.
While at Keflavik Airport Col.
Wright completed his degree re-
quirements—with several hours to
spare—by taking 13 courses ran-
ging from Russian history and
foreign policy to public speaking
and Shakespeare.
Col. Wright was on the dean’s
list for his two years’ work with
the University of Maryland, main-
taining a straight “A” average in
all 13 courses.
He served in North Africa and
Italy in World War II. Among
his many decorations are the Dis-
tinguished Service Cross, Silver
Star, Bronze Star and Purple
Heart with three Oak Leaf Clus-
ters.
When he leaves Iceland Col.
See, Graduate, Page 3.
Lone Sitka Spruce
Planted As New
’Keflavik Forest'
A Sitka spruce was planted
last week to replace the only tree
that “used to be” on Keflavik
Airport proper.
The 13-year-old tree takes the
place of the taller Icelandic spruce
which was mysteriously cut down
during the winter. It had been
covered with target cloth on a
wooden frame as protection
against wind burn.
The new “Keflavik Forest” in
the grassed area at the terminal
was furnished through the court-
esy of Mr. Hakon Bjarnason, di-
rector of the Icelandic Reforesta-
tion Program.
In the four-to-five-foot range,
the new tree is about a third of the
height of the 20-year-old tree it
replaces.
The Sitka spruce was planted
by a Civil Engineering roads and
grounds crew under Mr. Palmi
Arngrimsson, base agronomist,
who also planted the Icelandic
spruce in 1957.
Keflavik Gets
192 Promotion
Slots In June
One hundred and ninety-two Keflavik Airport men will
don an additional stripe June 1, including three techs Who
will become masters, and three staffs who will move up
to tech. In addition, Keflavik Air-1
port will submit the names of four
techs and three staffs to MATS
Headquarters for promotion con-
sideration under the Exceptional-
ly Well Qualified program.
Keflavik will also promote 7
men to staff, 53 to A1C, and 126
to A2C.
All promotions will be effective
June 1.
The base quota was announced
last week after MATS received a
whopping total of 4,981 slots in
the Air Force-wide picture. Strat-
egic Air Command received the
most with 15,621, while Air De-
fense Command was second with
6,730. MATS received the third
highest quota.
During the last cycle of pro-
motion to tech and master, Kefla-
vik Airport received two quotas
for each slot.
The MATS breakdown shows a
total of 186 master allocations,
262 techs, and 395 staffs.
Consolidated Personnel Admini-
stration expects the promotion
board to meet here around May
15, to consider qualifications of
those eligible for upgrading.
There are 135 men eligible for
promotion to master, 74 to tech,
and 156 fo staff at Keflavik.
Members of the promotion board
are Maj. W. P. Griffith, presi-
dent; SMSgt Art J. Langelier,
member; CMSgt James Mundell,
Jr., member; SMSgt Frank J.
Malinak, alternate; SMSgt J. E.
Patterson, alternate; SMSgt Ric-
hard M. Smith, member; CMSgt
J. D. Kubilus, member; and MSgt
Jerry M. Parnell, recorder.
Air Force has announced a tot-
al of 44,625 slots during the June
cycle.
Story Deadline Extended
The deadline for entries in the
USAF Short Story Contest at
Keflavik Airport has been extend-
ed to May 26. Local prizes are
$30, $20 and $15. Winning entries
will be forwarded for judging in
the MATS and USAF contests.
“FOREST” REPLACED
A Sitka spruce is now the only tree on Keflavik Airport, replacing
the Icelandic spruce which was destroyed while covered for winter
protection. Sigtryggur Mariusson, Finnur Thorsteinsson and Palmi
Arngrimsson, base agronomist, of Civil Engineering roads and grounds,
are shown planting the new tree last week. (U.S. Air Force Photo
by A1C Billy N. Thurman.)
* * * U.S. AIR FORCE — AEROSPACE POWER FOR PEACE ★ ★ ★