The White Falcon - 16.10.1965, Síða 1

AFWL’s Eighth Ranked Sea Service Newspaper - 1964
THE WHITE

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U.S. NAVAL STATION, KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ICELAND
Volume IV, Number 38 Saturday, October 16, 1965
Iceland, U.S. Observe
Leif Erickson's Day
Saturday, Oct. 9., two ceremonies, over 2,000 miles apart,
honored the same man . . . Leif Erickson. Newport News,
Va., and Reykjavik, Iceland, turned out to do homage to
this man, who 1,000 years ago landed on North American
soil, becoming the first European to do so.
By the proclamation of President Johnson, and by the
endorsement of Governor Albertus^
Harrison; Newport News, the
CENTURIES APART — Boy scout
from the Naval Base stand in
front of the statue of Leif Erick-
son, whose search for adventure
this organization has embodied in
its activities. They are (from 1 to r)
A. W. Hayes, Scoutmaster, Willard
Watson and Tony Owens.
home of the Mariner’s Museum,
looked to the past, and found com-
mon bonds with far-away Scand-
inavia.
Congressman Thomas Downing
and the Icelandic Ambassador to
the United States, IPetur Thor-
steinsson, gave speeches during
the ceremonies which included the
laying of a wreath at the foot of
a statue of Leif Erickson. The
statue is a replica of the statue
in Reykjavik presented to the
people of Iceland by the United
States.
Worthwhile Suggestion Earn
Cash Awards For Servicemen
President Johnson has signed an act authorizing cash
awards up to $25,000 to service personnel for suggestions,
inventions or scientific achievements which benefit the go-
vernment.
It will be some time before each service can adopt re-
spective programs to put award machinery into motion,
an official said, but anyone making a contribution now is
eligible for consideration.
Uniformed personnel are en-
couraged to submit worthwhile

contributions for evaluation und-
er the new authorization.
Money will be paid from ap-
propriated funds similar to the
program provided civil servants.
Previously, some service personnel
were granted cash awards in les-
ser amounts from non-appropri-
ated funds such as post or base
exchange profits.
The awards legislation was in-
troduced by Rep. Richard S.
Schweiker, R.-Pa. It gives reg-
ulation authority for the new pro-
gram to Secretary of Defense Ro-
bert S. McNamara as it affects
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps
and Air Force. Similar authority
is given to the Secretary of the
Treasury for the Coast Guard.
An additional authorization can
be made by the President for
“efficiency, economy, or other im-
provement of operations of the
Government of the United States.”
This means a person can receive
an award for “service contribu-
ton” and then be given a “Presi-
dential” award, if both do not
exceed the $25,000 limit.
Only active service personnel
are eligible. A person may receive
the award after service separa-
tion, if the contribution was
made while on active duty. Should
the contributor die, the money
would go to a beneficiary.
Anyone receiving a cash award
will be required to waive rights
for future legal action against the
Government incolving such claims
as patent or royalty rights.
Nordic Kinship
Governor Harrison sent a note
to Newport News in which he
said: “One of the great seafaring
men in history, Leif Erickson, re-
minds us of our kindship with
Nordic people and of their con-
tribution to our own heritage of
freedom.” He went on, “his like
ness in Iceland and its counter-
part at the Mariner’s Museum
in Virginia symbolize years of
friendship between the U.S. and
Scandinavia.”
In Reykjavik, in spite of the
threatening weather, hundreds of
people turned out to listen to
Prime Minister Bjarni Benedikts-
son and United States Ambassa-
dor to Iceland, James K. iPen-
field, do homage to the famous
traveller from this land.
Proud Heritage
Mr. Penfield spoke highly of
Leif Erickson, saying that: “He
was a man who utilized his capa-
cities to the fullest.” The Am-
bassador spoke of Leif’s great
ability and great drive, saying
that these qualities have come
down through the centuries in
Iceland. “The Icelandic people
could never have survived the
rigors of the bad years, the cen-
turies of isolation, the cruelties
of nature, volcanic eruption,
floods, cold, the plague, even the
Barbary pirates unless they had
possessed in full measure those
(Continued on page 2.)
AIR MARSHALL VISITS—Iceland Defense Force’s Air Forces Ice-
land (AFI) was toured Oct. 4 through 6 by one of NATO’s top ech-
elon officials, Air Marshall Sir Paul Holder (second from right),
Royal Air Force (RAF), Northwood RAFB, England. Air Marshall
Holder is the Commander, Maritime Air, Eastern Atlantic Area
which is under Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic (CINCEASTL-
ANT). Pictured with the Air Marshall (left to right) at the 57th
Fighter Interceptor Sq (57th FIS) Alert Barn are his aide; Col.
Alan G. Long, AFI commander; and Lt. Col. Joe H. Joiner, com-
mandant of the 57th FIS.
Admiral Booth Ends
Command Inspection
VAdm Charles T. Booth, Commander Naval Air Force,
U. S. Atlantic Fleet, took charge of the Command Inspec-
tion at U. S. Naval Station, Keflavik, Iceland and conducted
a Personnel Inspection, Oct. 8, at 9 a.m. in Hangar 831.
The Admiral was escorted during the inspection by Capt
Emile E. Pierre, Jr. and Cdr Richard C. James, the com-
manding and executive officers of the Naval Station.
Admiral Booth had arrived at®-
Keflavik, Tuesday, Oct. 12, at
5:30 p.m. and was greeted by
RAdm Ralph Weymouth, Iceland
Defense Force commander and
Captain Pierre as well as other
officials.
Admiral Booth Speaks
After the inspection, the Ad-
miral spoke to the officers and
men. He said: “I am one of those
many people who have so many
times been to Keflavik but only
passing through, only enjoying
the service afforded their air-
planes and the crews of the air-
planes and their own comfort, but
never to find out why that ser-
vice is so good....”
“So, I can tell you that I am
very happy to be able to be here,
and to spend a couple of days to
see why it works so well, see
who’s doing it, and understand
how that is.”
Congratulates Men
Admiral Booth said that he was
very pleased with the inspection,
that “you look as though you
have all the spirit in the world.”
He congratulated the men of the
Naval Station, saying that they
looked as though they had con-
fidence in themselves, and their
jobs and are doing their job well.
The Admiral attended a formal
dinner and reception at the Offi-
cers’ Club Wednesday evening
prior to his scheduled departure
for Argentia, Newfoundland, Oct.
14.
The Personnel Inspection con-
cluded the five-day Command In-
spection for the Naval Station
which began Oct. 8 at noon.
Inspectors Arrive
The first contingent of the
Command Inspection Team con-
sisted of approximately 28 offi-
cers, several enlisteds and civilian
inspector personnel headed by
Capt W. A. Kiernan, assistant
chief inspector of the Command
Inspection.
Upon the team’s arrival Oct. 8,
a ten o’clock briefing was held at
the Officers’ Club Main Ball-
room. At the briefing, Captain
Pierre spoke about the various
roles, duties and functions of the
U.S. Naval Station in Iceland.
Five-Day Inspection
After the briefing, the base’s
inspection got underway as each
of the Naval Station’s depart-
ments were examined and visited
including their divisions and sec-
tions.
The inspectors spent from noon,
last Friday until Monday evening
looking over the base before leav-
ing Keflavik for Argentia, Tues-
day, at 7 a.m. via C-121 aircraft.
ADMIRAL SPEAKS—Terminating
the Command Inspection of the
Naval Station was the speech gi-
ven by VAdm Charles T. Booth,
Commander Naval Air Force, U.
S. Atlantic Fleet, during the Pers-
onnel Inspection held Oct. 13 at
9 a.m. in Hangar 831.
Scientists Answer Question:
‘Is There Life On Mars?’
by Mike Greenman
Is there life on Mars? Can life
come from organic chemicals
under conditions such as existed
during the earth’s formative cen-
turies? These are the questions
that Dr. Cyril (Ponnam Peruma,
a chemist, and Dr. Richard Young,
a biologist, both of NASA are
trying to answer.
On Oct. 5, these two men, along
with Dr. Irving Breger, a geo-
chemist from the Geological Sur-
vey of the Department of the
Interior appeared on Armed
Forces Television to discuss these
questions. They had spent a day
on the volcanic island of Surtsey,
searching for “evidence of organic
synthesis as it might have occured
on the primitive earth.”
Dr. Young said, “We feel that
if we can find such evidence and
be certain, that it’s abiogenic
synthesis, that is, synthesis with-
out the presence of life, then this
may contribute a great deal to our
understanding of how life could
have orginated on this planet, or
somewhere else.”
Dr. Ponnam-Peruma described
laboratory conditions that have
been set up to duplicate as closely
as possible the conditions that ex-
isted on the primitive earth’s sur-
face.
Simulated Elements
In a glass container lightning
is simulated by an electric dis-
charge, radioactivity by using a
linear accelerator which shoots out
electrons, volcanoes by passing
heated gasses through the con-
tainer. They even can simulate
“something like what happens
when a meteorite strikes an atom-
osphere, and the shock wave pro-
duced in the impact.”
What is the result of these lab-
oratory experiments? “In every
one of these cases we have found
the molecules which go to make
up the important molecules in
life.”
Discounts Pictures
Dr. Young discussed the possi-
bility of life on Mars. He dis-
counted the pictures taken by
Mariner IV as proving anything,
since: “if we were to take a photo-
graph of the earth from the same
satellite, we wouldn’t have detected
(Continued on page 6.)