The White Falcon - 31.03.1962, Page 1

Volume II, Number 13 /_U.S. NAVAL STATION, KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ICELAND Saturday, March 31, 1962
NATO Marks 13th Year — April 4
Iceland’s Role As
A NATO Member
When it was formed on April
4, 1949, with Iceland as a charter
member, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization adopted the position
that a country without defense
endangers its own security and,
therefore, the security of its peace-
ful neighbors.
With the idea of providing Ice-
land with her own defenses, a
Defense Agreement between Ice-
land and the United States was
signed on May 5, 1951. Under in-
structions of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, the Department of the
Navy established the Iceland De-
fense Force under CINCLANT.
The first elements consisting of
a Joint Staff and a Headquarters
Detachment, arrived two days
after the Defense Agreement was
signed. The unit consisted of
Army, Navy and Air Force per-
sonnel. On July 6, 1951, the unit
was officially designated the Ice-
land Defense Force.
The Air Force, given the task
of not only running the base but
of providing air defense and air-
port support, became the largest
of the three units.
On July 1, 1961, official U.S.
Air Force responsibility for Kef-
lavik International Airport was
turned over to the U.S. Navy.
As time went on the organiza-
tion of Iceland Defense Force was
adjusted and expanded until to-
day there are approximately 3,500
personnel stationed here.
Since June 17, 1944, Iceland has
been a republic based on demo-
cratic principles, realizing the
importance of NATO and the
meaning of the words “power
for peace.”
ROA Selects
New Officers
The Iceland Chapter of the Re-
serve Officer’s Association was
held March 16 for the election of
officers.
Members seleted for the various
positions were: LCDR Charles W.
Cooper, President, Major Jack
Zeltner, Vice-President and Mrs.
Karen E. Christiansen, Secretary-
Treasurer.
The installation of officers will
be conducted at the next meeting
of the Iceland Chapter of ROA
in the Terrace Lounge of the Com-
missioned Officers Mess at 7 p.m.
Friday, April 20.
BOWLING NOTICE
The Station Bowling Alley will
be closed for four days beginning
Monday, April 2, for the purpose
of refinishing the alleys.
VARNARLIO ICELAND
ISLANDS DEFENSE FORCE
THE FIFTEEN FLAGS OF NATO representing each of
the fifteen nations bound together to call a halt to Soviet
territorial expansion and to protect freedom and promote
prosperity within the countries of the Alliance.
Quarters and Housing
tinder Consideration
Increased quarters allowances for all but a very few
lower grade enlisted men, and a new military family hous-
ing construction plan have been recommended to Congress
by the Department of Defense.
The increases, if approved, will®"
range from 8 to 66 percent with
an overall average increase of
18% percent. The largest increases
would be to E-8s and E-9s.
Members of these grades with-
out dependents and drawing the
allowance in lieu of quarters would
Military Pay
To Be Studied
The nation’s lawmakers,
convening for the second ses-
sion of the 88th Congress in
January 1963, could possibly
have a comprehensive legisla-
tive package on military pay
ready for consideration.
get a 66 percent increase and
those with up to two dependents
would get a 49 percent raise.
Military family housing con-
struction included in the proposed
legislation calls for 70,000 hous-
ing units to be built over a five
year period at a cost of approxi-
mately $1.2 billion. The first year,
FY 1963, calls for 15,000 units,
12,000 of which will be earmarked
for enlisted personnel.
When asked what chances the
proposed legislation had of being
approved by Congress, Mr. Mc-
Namara said, “I’m optimistic.” He
said the changes if passed by Con-
gress would become effective in
January 1963.
(Editors note: see page two for
Military Housing Allowances
chart.)
The Defense Department has
outlined the organization of what
is called a “Defense Study on
Military Compensation” and nam-
ed the high-ranking officials who
will tackle the problems.
Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Manpower Carlisle P. Runge
was named to head the study.
Among the specific items De-
fense Secretary Robert S. Mc-
Namara directed Mr. Runge to do
was complete the study and sub-
mit legislative proposals for con-
sideration by the President’s Pan-
el on Federal Salary Systems be-
fore Nov. 1, 1962.”
The scope of the study, as pre-
viously announced, provides that
the group will study the entire
spectrum of military pay, allow-
ances, benefits (including re-
tirement), and all other facets of
the military pay system.
Waty Cxchange
Keeping abreast of the times,
your Navy Exchange is now of-
fering the latest innovation in the
culinary art: greaseless cooking
with the Teflon skillet. Enjoy
fried foods without the extra cal-
ories caused by cooking grease or
oil . . .
Soon to appear in the Main Ex-
change a new line of Holmesgarde
crystal and cuckoo clocks from
Germany ....
Remember, our Flower Gift
Service went into effect on Mon-
day, March 26 ....
With fair weather approaching,
take advantage of our dry clean-
ing special for the week of April
2-7 inclusive. Overcoats, car coats,
(Continued on Page i.)
NATO Alliance Building
Western Unity for Peace
For the past quarter of a century the history of the
United States has been as full of letters as a plate of
alphabet soup: FDR, WPA, AAA, CINCPAC, FHA, IKE
and JFK. Some groups of letters, such as these, have a
tremendously important meaning for Americans. Among
the foremost of these is NATO.
-------------------------------<S>
Less Snow
More Daylight
Spring is Here
More daylight, less snow
and lighter winds are three
signs that spring has arrived
at Keflavik.
Daylight increases from 131/2
hours the first day of the month
to nearly 17 hours the last day
of the month, with twilight oc-
curring for most of the remain-
ing seven hours.
Long term climatological aver-
ages show that April averages a
total of six inches of snow, has a
mean temperature of 39 degrees
and has a mean wind speed of 13
knots with aeinds gusting over
35 knots 35 hours out of the
month.
(Continued on Page
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, an alliance of 15
free nations including the United
States and Iceland, which have
banded together to protect them-
selves against Communist aggres-
sion, will mark its thirteenth an-
niversary next Wednesday.
NATO is primarily a military
alliance, but its great purpose is
peace, not war. The 15 members
of NATO have pledged that they
will regard an armed attack upon
any one of them as an armed at-
tack upon all. They have also
pledged to work together to in-
crease their ability to defend
themselves by self-help and
mutual aid.
Thus another way of defining
NATO is to say that it stands
for peace, through unity and
strength.
The very word alliance is sus-
pect to Americans. Since we have
gotten along very well without an
alliance for 150 years, why should
we become involved in one now?
(Continued on Page 3)
CONGRATULATIONS TO MEMBERS OF AFRTS are
extended Mr. Sigurdur Jonsson for his simple, yet ef-
ficient innovation properly called a “zoom bar” used for
easier operation of the camera’s lens. For this creation,
he was awarded $100 dollars by Incentives Award Director
Mr. O. D. Haveland. Submitting an idea to utilize radio
and T. V. to promote Incentive Awards came from Ron
Carignan, YN1, USN, Station Manager, who received a
certificate of recognition. From left: Mr. Jonsson, Capt.
W. R. Meyer, USN, Naval Station CO, Carignan, and
Haveland