The White Falcon - 02.07.1999, Page 5

Canadian fighters stop on
base returning from Kosovo

Two Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighters sit on the tarmac at NAS Kefiavi'k. Twelve
Canadian fighters passed through the base this week, returning home from operations in
Kosovo.
Story and photo by J03 Mike C. Jones
With the wind down of NATO air strikes in
the former Yugoslavia, units of the Canadian
Air Force began returning home with a stop at
NAS Keflavfk to refuel and service their CF-
18 jet fighters.
Of the 18 jets which made up the Canadian
Task Force, based in Aviano, Italy, 12 passed
through NAS Kefiavi'k in three waves this
week.
“We’re the first wave of aircraft to head
back,” said Canadian Pilot Capt. Le Vogan.
The crews were glad to help achieve the
objectives of NATO, he added. “It was very
exciting. It’s a fighter pilot’s dream to go to
war and to be victorious without losing any
comrades. Watching the harmony displayed
by the NATO forces was amazing. We
crunched the bad guys which is what it was
all about.”
When a normal working day would last 16
hours, including more than six hours of com-
bat flight, Vogan said the crew was more than
happy to return to Canada.
“Most of the nations from NATO sent
fighters and bombers it was incredible. It
was a very busy and exciting time. It was fun,
but I’m glad to be going home.”
Vogan attributed the effectiveness of the air
campaign to the outstanding cooperation of
the various units and crews. “The team effort
displayed by all the men and women serving
over there was great,” he said. “Watching all
the NATO countries come together with very
little preparation was the most commendable
thing.”
One tanker squadron deployed to Kefiavi'k
from Winnipeg to assist the CF-18 crews dur-
ing the three-day repatriation.
“Professionally, this base has been very
accommodating,” said Tanker Commander
Capt. Brent Andrews. “The support we’ve
received has been outstanding.” The crew
was also prepared for the challenging envi-
ronment of Iceland. “Thankfully, the weather
has been good during our mission. We’ve
been told the wind gets pretty rough up here,
but fortunately not this time.”
News You Can Use
Feedback
To keep up with what’s up on the
NATO Base, tune in every Tuesday at 7
p.m. on Channel 4 for Feedback. This
week’s topic will be: MWR Youth
Services. Be sure to call ext. 4613, 4614
or 4550 with your questions or com-
ments.
Chapel of Light
• Summer Knights will have coffee
house/karaoke night on July 7, 6:30 p.m.
Friday night movies start at 7. All junior
and senior high youth are welcome.
• The next general protestant hospital-
ity luncheon will be on September 25, 11
a.m.
• The next S.A.L.T. trip around
Iceland will August 2-8. If you are inter-
ested in going, start planning now. For
more information on these or other
chapel events, call ext. 4111.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross will be spon-
soring a healthy pregnancy, healthy baby
class on the following dates:
July 9, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
July 10, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
July 11, 1 - 5 p.m.
To sign up call Pat Ryan at ext. 3370.
ASLC
The Academic Skills Learning Center
offers free computer-based education to
active duty military, adult family mem-
bers and civilians with U.S. military ID.
The self-paced curriculum is an excellent
opportunity to improve academic skills,
prepare for ASVAB, CLEP, GED, or
ACT/SAT tests. To learn more about
ASLC or to schedule a demonstration,
call Mary or Michele at ext. 6310. The
ASLC is open Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.,
Monday and Wednesday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.,
Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Base P-3 Flight Schedule
July 12: Kefiavi'k - Norfolk -
Jacksonville, 32 seats, 8 a.m. Space “A”
call for 10 a.m. takeoff.
July 15: Jacksonville - Norfolk -
Kefiavi'k, 32 seats, times to be
announced.
August 2: Kefiavi'k - Norfolk, seats to
be announced, 8 a.m. Space “A” call for
10 a.m. takeoff.
August 6: Norfolk - Kefiavi'k, seats to
be announced, 10 a.m. Space “A” call for
noon takeoff.
This schedule is subject to change.
Watch the Roller or call passenger ser-
vices at ext. 6139 for more information.
No one gets through unchecked ...
Under the watchful eye of a 240G machine gun, members of the Marine Corps FAST
team make a vehicle inspection during Exercise Northern Viking ‘99. (Photo by PHC
George Clien)
The White Falcon
July 2, 1999
Page 5