The White Falcon - 08.05.1965, Page 4

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WHITE FALCON
Saturday, May 8, 1965
( ilr James, New AO
Becomes Acting CO
Squadron Twenty-Six (VP-26)
homeported at that time in At-
lantic City, N.J. He was in a de-
tachment of this squadron in Port
Lyautey, Morrocco until 1948. He
was then transferred to London
for a one year tour of duty with
VP-24.
Student At Memphis
In 1949 he was sent to Memphis,
Tenn., to undergo a course of
study at the Aviation Officers
Electronics School. Upon finishing
his studies he went to Anacostia
Naval Air Station, Washington,
D.C. to become an instrument fly-
ing instructor.
Commander James, after his
tour of duty at Anacostia, went
to Fleet Air Ship Wing One for
blimp training and at the end of
his training was assigned to duties
as operations officers for ZP-3.
To further his studies, Commander
James went to Monterey, Calif,
for Naval Line School.
Goes To Japan
At the completion of his train-
ing, he was assigned to Electronics
Counter-Measures Squadron One
(VQ-1) in Iwacuni, Japan. While
with VQ-1 he nrogressed from
operations officer to executive of-
ficer to commanding officer.
In early 1960, he was reas-
signed to Commander Anti-Sub-
marine Defense Force for two
years. He was then transferred
to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962
in Washington, D.C.
Has 5000 Hours
In his spare time, Commander
James is an electronics experi-
menter.
Commander James was married
July 4, 1941 to the former Kath-
leen Bennett of Maider-Head, Eng-
land. They have one daughter
Ann Elizabeth, age 22. Ann Eliza-
beth graduates from Mary Wash-
ington College in June of this
year.
Commander James was bom
October 6, 1915 to Mr. and Mrs.
Carl H. James of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Commander James lists his of-
ficial address as Kenmore, New
York.
Cdr Richard C. James officially
relieved Cdr Robert O. Boe as exe-
cutive officer of U.S. Naval Sta-
tion, Keflavik, recently and upon
the death of Capt Robert R.
Sparks became acting commanding
officer of the Naval Station.
Prior to receiving his commis-
sion in the Navy, Commander
James attended Carnegie Insti-
tute of Technology at Pittsburgh,
Pa. and George Washington Uni-
versity at Washington, D.C.
Civilian Pilot
He was a civilian pilot before
his Navy career began and piloted
for the British Air Ministry in
the early days of World War II.
His main duty was to pilot air-
craft to different airfields in Eng-
land.
Because of his vast experience
as a pilot, he was commissioned
directly from civilian life into the
Navy as an ensign on June 26,
1942. He was sent to Corpus
Christi, Tex. for Officers Candi-
date School.
Aircraft Instructor
Upon completion of OCS he was
transferred to Aircraft Trans-
port Ferry Squadron Three
(VRF-3) in San Pedro, Calif. En-
sign James spent two years with
this squadron before being sent
to Hutchinson, Kan. as a Libera-
tor Bomber Aircraft instructor.
He remained there for the dura-
tion of WWII.
In 1945, Commander James re-
ceived orders to Aircraft Patrol
IMCO Club Elections
To Be Held May 13
There will be a general meet-
ing of all E-5 and E-6 per-
sonnel Thursday, May 13 at
1 p.m. in the NCO Club.
All personnel being advanced
to E-5 on May 16 are invited
to attend as observers.
Nomination for the election
of new officers are being ac-
cepted. Contact Poillucci, AE1,
at Ext. 7127 or Fox, SK2, at
Ext. 6237.
Surprise On Arctic Ice Island —
Polar Bears Bring Excitement
(Editor’s Note: The following is one of a series of articles written exclusively for the White Falcon
about ARLIS II—Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station.)
by Special Correspondent Mike Greenman
A slab of ice drifting in the Arctic Ocean does not appear to be a particularly good
spot for studying mammalian animal life. But then, ARLIS II is not just an ordinary
chunk of ice. It has “mountains.” It has people. In the summer it has lakes and rivers,
and sometimes, beaches. It even has a crude sort of plant life, such as moss. So why
not animals?
Frank Akpik, a native of Alaska, has been on ARLIS II six different times, working
as a mechanic and equipment operator. During these stays he has seen polar bears,
Arctic foxes and seals. He and®
Dick Ketchum, an Oceanographer
from the Office of Naval Re-
search, tell one story about a
polar bear that came visiting early
one windy morning.
The Visitor Appears
Dick was asleep in his hut,
along with another scientist. Sud-
denly, the window in the front
of the dwelling burst inward with
a loud crash. Thinking the wind
must have blown it in Dick, still
half asleep, got up and shoved
some clothing into the opening to
keep out the wind. Imagine his
surprise when, instead of being
blown back into the room, the
FIXING WEASELS, AND SHOOT-
ING BEARS—Frank Akpik and
Ray Ipalook, Eskimoes from Point
Barrow, Alaska, take care of main-
tenance of all machinery on ARLIS
II, from airplane engines, to elec-
tric generators. During the sum-
mer months, they sometimes catch
a seal unawares and manage to
shoot it for the Arctic Research
Laboratory.
THE WHITE FALCON
U.S. Naval Station Keflavik
White Falcon’s mission—To in-
form and entertain all hands: to
clothing disappeared out of the
window.
Now fully awake, Dick lifted
the blind and peered out. He found
himself face to face with, that’s
right, a polar bear. He jumped
back, put his clothes on, and ran
out with a pistol. The bear had
moved around the side of the
house, but he managed to get a
couple of shots at it, before it
moved out of sight.
Wounded Animal Dangerous
You might say, why kill it, it
hadn’t done anything? But when
you are hundreds of miles from
the nearest land, it isn’t what the
bear has done that is important,
but what it might do.
Roaming around the camp, it
could, if hungry enough, attack
one of the men; or it could break
into the food locker and destroy
a large amount of food. Even if
it didn’t get nasty, however, it
would be a nuisance and would
impair the men from doing their
jobs well. So, when a bear shows
interest in the camp, if it doesn’t
move on, it must be killed.
The Chase Is On
The bear had moved out of
sight, off towards the dump. The
station leader woke up Frank,
who grabbed his pistol and went
to get out the weasel (this is
not an animal which they ex-
pected to have attacked the bear,
but a “jeep” on tank treads which
is their principle means of trans-
portation.)
Dick jumped into the cabin of
the weasel, and his roommate
jumped on the sled which is pulled
along behind. They set off, fol-
lowing the wounded bear’s tracks.
Now that it had been wounded, it
was essential that they finish it,
because a wounded bear can be-
come enraged and attack anything
it sees without provokation (and
who could blame it).
As they approached the dump,
Frank, who was driving, spotted
something alongside a hummock
of snow about 15 feet away. Then
suddenly the bear stood up. It
was eight feet tall, and all eight
feet started towards the weasel.
The men on the inside grabbed
their weapons and tried to get out,,
while at the same time, the man
on the sled was trying to crawl
in through the window to escape.
Right Between The Eyes
After they all got in or out,
Dick shot at the bear with his
rifle and Frank emptied his pistol
into it. He reloaded and got off
a couple more rounds. The last
one hit between the eyes.
They loaded the bear on the
sled and rode back to camp. The
bear was skinned and the hide
and head were packed up and sent
to Point Barrow, Alaska, The
men kept the teeth as a souvenir
of the encounter with the Arctic
trespasser.
The men on ARLIS II say there
are two different reactions that
men make when they see a polar
bear in the camp. Some men
scream; others run. Me? I think
I’d be a screaming-runner.
Benny Suggs Sez:
On Sept. 16, 1964,
the commanding offi-
cer of the Naval Sta-
tion, in a letter to all
military and civilian
personnel, urged the
support of and parti-
cipation in the Bene-
ficial Suggestion Pro-
gram to effect a
means for improving the opera-
tions of the Station.
He stated that the Naval Sta-
tion operates on a very tight
budget and any improvement
which can be made to conserve
time, materials and labor is of
vital importance.
Some very fine suggestions have
been submitted but many more
are needed to assist in cutting
costs and improving operations.
Have YOU submitted a sug-
gestion?
serve as a positive factor in pro-
moting the efficiency, welfare and
contentment of personnel.
Cdr Richard C. James
Acting Commanding Officer
Cdr George D. Switzer, USN
Executive Officer
LCdr Alice V. Bradford
Service Information Officer
Staff
G.A. Simpson, J03, Editor
T.D. Streeter, SN, Asst. Editor
K.E. Marcum, SN, Reporter
J.P. Schmieg, JOSA, Reporter
W. Keener, A1C, AFI News Editor
The White Falcon Is published weekly on
Saturdays In accordance with NAVEXOS
P-35, revised June 1958, for free dlstrlb-
tion to personnel of Naval Station Keflavik.
It Is printed commercially by the Isafoldar-
prentsmidja,, Reykjavik, Ice., from non-ap-
proprlated funds.
Opinions and statements made In articles
published here are those of the authors and
are not to be construed as official views of
the U.S. Govt., Dept, of Defense or the Navy
Dept.
NORTH POLE CHAMPIONSHIPS—An underinflated basketball, 22
scientists and support personnel, a frozen stretch of ice, and you’ve
got the makings of an Arctic Soccer match, spare time amusement
for the men on ARLIS II.