The White Falcon - 04.03.1966, Side 1

Mew Gl Bill
Awaits Signing
Flash—The GI Bill has been
passed unanimously by the
House and Senate and awaits
only the President’s signature.
Educational benefits go into
effect as of June 1, 1966, while
all other sections of the Bill
begin when it is signed.
The Bill was passed by a
vote of 381—0 by the House
and sent to the Senate. The
Senate amended the Bill
slightly to aid personnel seek-
ing a high school diploma, then
passed it with a resounding
99—0 vote. The House made no
objection to the Senate amend-
ment and it now awaits the
President’s signature.
Good News:
Non-High School Grads
The Senate has unanimously
passed the “Veterans’ Readjust-
ment Benefits Act 1966.” A
change by the Senate, and accept-
ed by the House, gives assurance
that veterans who have not gradu-
ated from high school would be
eligible for the education benefits.
(AFNB)
THE WHITE
U.S. NAVAL STATION, KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ICELAND
Volume V. Number 9 Friday, March 4, 1966
Junior Officers
Needed In RVN
The Bureau of Naval Personnel
is again looking for junior officer
volunteers to help meet the Navy’s
growing requirements in South-
east Asia.
There are presently over 340 en-
signs, lieutenants (junior grade),
and lieutenants serving in the
Vietnam area with many new bil-
lets being written to meet our re-
quirements.
Billets Available
Some of the billets soon to be
available include duty with the
junk and river patrols, division
(Continued on page 2.)
Family Life To Improve;
More Leisure At Home
Recognizing the fact that the nature of a Navyman’s duty
forces him to experience long periods of separation from
his family, the Navy’s Retention Task Force Board recently
submitted to Secretary of the Navy several recommenda-
tions to ease this problem.
The recommendations included the procedures for pro-
viding increased opportunity for leave and liberty by
reductions in the amount of time'®'
spent in watch duties aboard ship
while in port.
Another program recommends
transfer of certain overhaul work
normally done by the ship’s forces
to shipyard personnel thereby
making available more time for
training and liberty.
The plan also entails arranging
for both married and single mem-
bers of crews of ships undergoing
overhauls away from their home-
ports to visit their families at
government expense at some time
during an extended overhaul
period.
The establishment of Family
Services Centers at Navy shore
stations and Dependents Informa-
tion Section in the Office of the
Chief of Information, and modifi-
cations to improve family medical
care are also among the recom-
mendations designed to more ef-
(Continued on page 6.)
Bonds’ Interest Rates Upped;
LBJ Urges All To Buy
Interest rates paid on U. S. Savings Bonds were in-
creased from 3.75 percent to 4.15 percent this week in a
move to combat inflation by inducing Americans to invest
their money rather than spend it.
The rate increase was announced by President Lyndon
B. Johnson who termed it an anti-inflationary action that
would strengthen the nation’s economy and support U. S.
troops fighting in Vietnam.
The new rates are applicable to®"
bonds purchased since Dec. 1,
since
1965. Those bought before that
date will earn .04 percent more
than before.
Treasury officials said the new
rate would make U. S. Savings
Bonds more competitive with pri-
vate investment institutions,
particularly savings banks, many
of which pay 4.25 percent or
more.
Secretary of the Treasury
Henry H. Fowler stressed the
anti-inflationary effects of the in-
crease, noting that it would allow
the Government to borrow at less
cost and persuade people to invest
money they might otherwise spend
for goods.
Secretary Fowler said a major
effort will be made to sell more
U. S. Savings Bonds, especially in
Government and industry, through
payroll savings plans. He said the
target is to increase the number
of persons buying through pay-
roll savings plans from the pre-
sent eight million to nine and a
quarter million.
President Johnson said he
would lead the buy-more-bonds
movement.
“Your President, your Vice-
President and the members of the
Cabinet are themselves enrolling
in such a plan,” he said. (AFNS)
USAF’s Old
Emblem Gets
New Units
A familiar Air Force insignia
will reappear in the Northeastern
United States when the 26th Air
Division, headquartered at Stew-
art AFB, N. Y., becomes Head-
quarters, First Air Force. This ac-
tion is scheduled for early spring.
The change is the result of a
recent reorganization of Air De-
fense Command by the Air Force.
Air Forces Iceland, commanded
by Col. Alan G. Long, is a sub-
ordinate unit of the 26th ADiv
under the Goose Air Defense Sec-
tor. The Goose Sector will be rede-
signated the 37th Air Division in
the same action.
The white star with a red disc
in the center and golden wings,
familiar to most New Yorkers as
well as former Air Force per-
sonnel, is the traditional mark of
the 1st AF. The Arabic number
“1” on the blue circle background
designates the unit. However, the
new official emblem may differ
somewhat from this format.
Originally activated at Mitchell
Fid, L. I., Dec. 18, 1940, the 1st
trained new organizations and
later, replacements for combat
units. It also provided air defense
for the Eastern U. S. until 1943.
The 1st AF was initially assigned
to the Air Defense Command in
March 1946, and to the Continen-
tal Air Command in December
1948. It was concerned primarily
with air defense until 1949 and
with reserve and National Guard
activities thereafter.
The reoi-ganization of the 26th
ADiv will align command and con-
trol units with changed geographi-
cal boundaries. The boundaries de-
note responsibility for Air De-
fense of clearly defined areas.
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
Announces 8th Reunion
The eighth family reunion of
the USS Enterprise (CV-6) of
World War II fame, will take
place in Norfolk, Va., July 27
through July 30, 1967, at the
Golden Triangle Motor Hotel.
For further information write
to E. G. Johnston, Reunion
Chairman, USS Enterprise
(CV-6) Association, 2101 Sil-
bert Road, Norfolk, Va.
More NDSMs
To BeAwarded
President Johnson has reactivi-
ated the National Defense Service
Medal which was born during the
Korean War. And the Defense De-
partment has put out two new
directives aimed at allowing
American servicemen to accept
awards from foreign governments
for service in Vietnam.
The NDSM can now be given
to those who have served on act-
ive duty “during any designated
period after Dec. 31, I960.”
DOD Working On Details
The Defense Department is
(Continued on page 6.)
Gemini 9 Pilots
Killed In T-38
Crash Landing
Two United States astron-
auts, Elliot See, Jr., and Capt.
Charles Bassett, II, USAF,
were killed when their T-38 jet
crashed while landing at the
McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
plant in St. Louis, Mo.
Mr. See and Captain Bas-
sett were on their way to the
aircraft plant along with Lt.
Col. Thomas Stafford, USAF,
and Lt. Eugene Cernan, USN,
who were flying in another
T-38, for training in the
Gemini space capsule which is
built there.
Mr. See and Captain Bas-
sett were scheduled to be the
primary crew for the Gemini
9 flight for this coming May.
Colonel Stafford and Lieuten-
ant Cernan were the back-up
crew for the flight.
Captain Bassett was one of
the 11 astronauts who visited
Iceland in July of 1965. He was
34 years old. Mr. See, 38, was
formerly a Navy pilot and one
of the few civilian astronauts
in the space program.
More Cash To Sailors;
Sea Pay May Get Boost
The Navy has proposed and the Department of Defense
is considering a new larger sea pay payment program. Pay-
ments ranging from $15 to $105 a month are expected,
payed according to your sea and.foreign duty time, not your
grade.
The new pay would include of-*®
ficers as well as enlisted. The pay-
ment plan being $15 a month for
personnel with under two years
sea or foreign duty.
Raise Every 2 Years
Personnel would be given a raise
of 15 additional dollars for each
additional two years sea time. A
maximum of $105 for personnel
with 12 or more years sea time
has been suggested. These pay-
ments would be made to personnel
serving on sea or foreign duty
only.
This proposal was initially con-
First March Concert
Thursday, March 10
The Icelandic Symphony Or-
chestra concert this coming
Thursday evening, March 10, will
be headed by an original work
for orchestra by Jon Nordal.
Under the baton of Maestro
Bohdan Wodiczko, the orchestra
will render the featured selections
of the evening, Mendelssohn’s
Violin Concerto in E Minor, with
soloist Endre Granat, and Ravel’s
impressionistic Mother Goose
Suite.
To complete this night of music
in varied backgrounds, Proko-
fieff’s Romeo and Juliet (ex-
cerpts) will be brought to life.
There is truly here music for
every taste in a concert that
should be pleasing to all who at-
tend. The orchestra performs in
the University auditorium, the
Haskolabio every other Thursday
evening at 9 o’clock sharp. Ticket
information can be had for this
week’s concert by contacting the
White Falcon office at extension
4156.
sidered as a plausible solution to
the retention problem. It was re-
considered, however, because
when the retention problem is sol-
ved, the arduousness of sea duty
would still exist.
New Pay Rates—More Retention?
The Navy “task force” making
the study discovered that reten-
tion problems were not nearly so
steep among airmen and sub-
mariners as they were among sur-
face blackshoes. Part of the re-
tention difference could plausibly
be tied to the cash consideration.
The new sea pay rates might pos-
sibly increase retention, yet, as
was stated earlier, this is a sec-
ondary consideration.
While the increase is not tied
to grade, it is believed that larger
dividends would go to senior per-
sonnel, due to their increased
time at sea. Personnel with more
time at sea would naturally be
those with more time in the ser-
vice and thusly would have had
more time to advance.
What Is It?
W '
For information see F-5 story on
page 5.
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