The White Falcon - 22.10.1965, Blaðsíða 1

Navy Day Coming Oct. 27
AFWL’s Eighth Ranked Sea Service Newspaper - 1964
THE WHITE
U.S. NAVAL STATION, KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ICELAND
Volume IV, Number 39
Friday, October 22, 1965
Life Insurance
Policies Start
With Oct. Pay
Two dollars are being deducted
from the October pay of more
than 2.7 million service personnel
as a premium for $10,000 group
life insurance coverage.
It was previously reported that
$4 would be deducted for cover-
age during October and Novem-
ber.
Decision For Change
The decision for the change in
payroll deductions was made by
the Department of Defense and
the Veterans Administration
“since the larger withholding may
have affected the budget of low-
ranking personnel.”
However, individuals retaining
$10,000 insurance coverage will
have an additional $2 deducted the
the last month of service to pro-
vide the full coverage.
Further Details
A fact sheet explaining details
of the new group life insurance
has been compiled by the Director-
ate for Armed Forces Information
and Education and will be distri-
buted throughout the military
services.
As it now stands, $10,000 cover-
age is provided through an auto-
matic payroll deduction of $2 a
month. An individual may take
action to reduce coverage to $5,000
for $1 a month or, where personal
circumstances do not indicate the
need for such insurance, elect to
cancel the coverage. (AFiPS)
Christmas Mailing
Time Is Here
Christmas gifts for Armed
Forces personnel overseas
should be mailed between Oct.
21 and Nov. 10.
Air mail items should be
mailed prior to Dec. 10.
Mailers are urged to mail
their gifts early to minimize
the possibilities of non-delivery
before Christmas day.
(NAVNEWS)
Youth Center
Registrations
Youth Center registration
will be held Oct. 23 between
1:30 and 5 p.m. at the Youth
Center. All children from 6 to
19 years of age who desire to
participate in Youth Center
activities must register with
their parents.
U.S. Navyman — Symbol Of Security,
Nation’s Strength In Seapower
The U.S. Navy in 1965 is more necessary than ever to the security of the United States and to
keeping the peace. The Navy’s strength—men and ships—is on the increase, and the Navy is receiving
an increasing share of the defense budget. For 189 years the Navy has played a major role in national
defense and has been an obvious and on-the-scene factor in the many confrontations of power since
the end of the World War II.
The Navy has a unique capability to respond to such international situations with just the appro-
priate application of power. Because of this capability, the Navy is a significant instrument of U.S.
national policy. In a relatively few years there hasbeen a host of international situations and conflicts
where seapower has played a major or dominant role: Korea, Viet Nam, Laos, Cuba, Quemoy, Lebanon
and the Dominican Republic are a few such instances. With the virtually invulnerable fleet ballistic
submarine weapons system—Polaris—the Navy provides a nuclear deterrent against holocaust, while
the Navy’s general purpose forces enable Americans to meet lesser challenges without sacrifice of their
national interest.
Importance Of The Man
Today in South East Asia is another classic example of unique application of seapower. In Viet
Nam the Navy/Marine Corps team, plus Naval logistical support, all continue to prove that the Navy’s
traditional general purpose role is as essential today as it was twenty years ago.
Nonetheless, sophisticated technology has not been able to eliminate the need for what continues
to be the Navy’s most essential weapons system—The U.S. Navy Man.
The Navy Day theme, “The U.S. Navy—Mark of a Man,” indicates that the Navy’s greatest con-
cern is with its people. The Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations have reiterated
this theme on many occasions. Navy men have a proud tradition of heroism in all wars. In battle in
Viet Nam today, Navy and Marine Corps men add daily to this great naval tradition of heroism. But
the Navy is composed as well of “unsung” heroes who by their patriotism and personal sacrifice are
doing their part to uphold the security of the United States throughout the world. The sea is an inhos-
pitable environment. It is destructive. Merely going to sea requires courage, dedication, daring and a
great ability not only to live with the sea, but to control the oceans to insure the freedom of the seas.
Navy men get insufficient credit for the job they do.
Navyman’s Challenge Today
The general public sees them arrive in port, clean and eager, and it sees them depart, arrayed
neatly at quarters. The public also sees sailors enjoying liberty—but by the nature of the sailor’s life,
the public never sees him in his arduous, dangerous, and prolonged duties aboard ship. A man-of-war’s
man in 1965 meets tremendous challenges—radiomen, catapult crews, plane handlers on the ships off
Viet Nam have averaged 130 working hours per week continuously for ten weeks at a stretch. To insure
the freedom of the seas, Navymen endure stress, cramped quarters, long separations, dangerous opera-
tions, and minimum of comfort. The sea and the Navy is a man’s job.
While startling advances in weapons systems a re made, such advances only emphasize and increase
the dependence on man himself—a man marked by increased education, better training, and the advant-
ages of experience. Because of the increasingly complex weapons systems which a seagoing man must
operate and maintain, the Navy today provides education and training—particularly in the fields of
electronics and data processing—far beyond that which industry or civilian schools can usually provide.
Navy training also means real and meaningful responsibility at an early age. Training, responsibility,
and the patriotism to devote our service to our country are all the mark of a Navy man.
(September 1965 — Direction)
Nitze Outlines
Navy’s Study
In Key Rates
Simply stated, the Navy’s re-
tention problem is its inability
to retain adequate numbers of
qualified and career minded offi-
cers and enlisted men in certain
key rates and ranks. Because of
the low retention, one third of
the Navy is involved in training
as instuctors or students.
Key Men Needed
Because Navy training is con-
sidered good, Navy petty officers
with critical skills are in great
demand in America’s expanding
economy, and this aggravates the
problem of retaining men with
the key skills. The Secretary of
the Navy, Paul H. Nitze, recog-
nizing the seriousness of the
Navy’s personnel dilemma, is
placing great personal emphasis
and effort this area.
To assist him, he has convened
a policy board of Navy/Marine
Corps officers, Department of De-
fense officials, and a working Task
Force of carefully selected senior
Navy and Marine Corps officers
who are examining in great de-
tail the problem of retention.
Recommendations Planned
This Task Force is preparing
recommendations for improvement
which, it is hoped, will enhance
the Navy’s personnel position
with U.S. industry and other com-
petitors in the U.S. Navy man-
power hunt. The fleet is caught
in the vicious cycle, this austerity
in manning has led to long work
hours, frustrating demands, and
finally to low retention.
(September 1965 — Direction)
Free Mail Rates
For Servicemen
The House of Representatives
has passed a bill calling for free
air mail privileges for service per-
sonnel in designated hostile act-
ion areas and for those hospital-
ized as a result of such action.
The bill specifies that first-class
letter mail, including postal and
post cards, shall be carried as air
mail at no cost to the sender.
Other provisions call for rate
adjustments on air mail parcel
post pertaining to packages ad-
dressed to, or mailed by service
personnel in designated areas.
Certain personnel of friendly
foreign nations may also receive
the free air mail privilege.
(AFPS)
WHITE FALCON
Deadline
Mondays—8 a.m.