The White Falcon - 02.07.1999, Blaðsíða 2

V White Falcon
Commander, Iceland Defense Force
Commander, Fleet Air Kcflavik
Rear Adm. David Architzel
The While Falcon is produced by the Iceland
Defense Force staff. The editorial content of this
newspaper is prepared, edited and provided by the
public affairs office of IDF. Photo processing is pro-
vided by Commander, Fleet Air Keflavik.
PAO - Lt. Cmdr. Karen D. Sellers
Deputy PAO - Friflf>6r Kr. Eydal
Asst. PAO - JOCS(SW) Dave Voungquist
Editor - J02 Christopher E. Tucker
Staff Journalist - J03 Mike C. Jones
Administrative Asst. - Sigrifiur Svansdottir
The White Falcon is an authorized publication for
members of the military services and their families
stationed at NAS Keflavik. Its contents do not nec-
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The White Falcon is published by Vfkurfr6ttir, a pri-
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Questions or comments can be directed to the pub-
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White Falcon reserves the right to edit all submis-
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In the Spot Light
While a member of a Foreign Joint Services
organization in Washington, D.C., I was amazed at
the pace my foreign counterparts set for them-
selves when it came to seeing our country. They
planned tours, day trips, festivals, concerts and
vacation itineraries that made me tired just reading
them. I couldn’t quite understand the hurry - sure-
ly a two or three-year tour was plenty of time to
see everything there was to see.
My family and I recently celebrated the anniver-
sary of our first year in Iceland and I can now
appreciate the dilemma our friends faced: so many
places, so little time.
There are several ways to approach being sta-
tioned overseas, from refusing to venture past the
front gate, to becoming actively involved in an
Icelandic community project. But as hard as the
base tries to make us all feel “at home,” the truth
is, most of us didn’t come here just to see the
Naval Air Station. We accepted these orders
expecting a challenging assignment in an environ-
ment where we could experience life with a flavor
of adventure.
Fortunately for us, the answers to most any
question concerning what, when and where to
explore in Iceland are just a phone call away. The
MWR tickets and tours office, Project Player, and
the USO are great places to start and the Family
Service Center has an Icelandic cultural specialist
on staff to answer all our questions.
There are, as with any assignment to a new duty
station, things we need to remember before start-
ing off. Unlike some attractions and sights in the
States, the safeguards to which we’ve become
accustomed are not always provided, such as rail-
ings and barriers, and we need to be especially
cautious.
A related issue that is taken very seriously by the
Icelandic police as well as the Naval Air Station is
drinking and driving. The penalties can be severe
both personally and professionally. So please, “if
you drink, don’t drive.”
It’s that time of year again - time for around the
clock daylight, time for the rotator to bring a new
group of friends and families, and time for those of
us who came here for the adventure to mount
another assault.
Some would say we have the best possible com-
bination of a wonderful country to explore and a
great base to return to when we’re finished. The
list of places we’ve seen and people we’ve met in
the last year is matched only by the thickness of
our photo albums, and it has happened much too
fast.
So if some of us seem to be moving at a some-
what quicker pace, it’s because a two or three-year
tour is just too short.
See you out there,
l/VA
ETCM(AW) Jimmy Hodges
Lyte Bytes
Therapy of Laughter
By Chaplain Tadeusz Gegotek
People who truly enjoy living know how to have a good laugh. The
spiritually and emotionally healthy laugh easily and naturally. There is
something therapeutic about laughter. That may be why Saint Ignatius of
Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, advised, “Laugh and grow
strong.”
Most of us need to take ourselves less seriously. A good model is for-
mer boxing heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Although he suffers
from neurological problems related to years in the ring, Ali has not lost
his sense of humor. Actor Michael Caine tells of meeting Muhammad Ali
at a dinner party, “He was a great joker and at one point said to me, ‘Do
you want to see my right hook?’ A bit apprehensive, I said yes, hoping
that he would miss my chin in the demonstration. He stood absolutely
still for a second or two and then said, ‘Do you want to see it again?”’
The next time you are feeling gloomy and sad, find something that will
make you smile and laugh. When events prompt you to feel disturbed
and depressed, remember that the life of faith is first and foremost a life
of joy. The closer you are to God, the more reasons you have to sing,
rejoice and laugh. After all, God has revealed to you the “path of life”
and given you “unbounded joy.”
Page 2
Grand Opening ...
(from left) Cmdr. Ken Moncayo, NAS Public Works
Officer, Brig. Gen. William C. Jones, Deputy Adjutant
General for Air, Headquarters, Air National Guard, and
Capt. Allen A. Efraimson, NAS Keflavik Commanding
Officer officially opened the “K-Span” quonset hut built
during NV-99. (Photo by J03 Mike C. Jones)
The White Falcon
July 2, 1999