The White Falcon - 20.07.2006, Blaðsíða 1

‘Falcon
Vol. 66 No. 15
online at www.nctskef.navy.mil
July 20, 2006
Marine Corps Ospery Visits NASKEF
Former 934th Air Control Squadron Airmen visit former duty station
A Marine Corps MV 22 Osprey made a three-day lay over and Naval Air Station Keflavik Recently, to make engine repairs.
The Osprey is a multi-engine, dual-piloted, self-deployable, medium lift, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tilt rotor air-
craft designed for combat, combat support, combat service support, and Special Operations missions worldwide.
(Photo by Fridjjor Kr. Eydal)
Story by MC2 Matthew Bradley
Fonner Servicemembers who served in the Air
Force 934th Air Control Squadron, at the remote H4
radar station in Northwest Iceland recently returned
to the abandoned mountain site were they served
practically on the Arctic Circle many years ago.
These Ainnen served in the West Fjords of Iceland
during the late 1950’s, in possibly one of the most
difficult and isolated duty assignments in the world.
The young men of 934th served as a primary
observation post and were responsible for detecting
Soviet Aircraft flying through Iceland Airspace. They
provided detection of aircraft 2,000 miles before sta-
teside radar was able to.
Seven fonner Airmen made the trek to Latrar Air
Force Station and recalled what life was like then.
“There were many challenges there. We had 110
Airmen and officers, and to meet the challenges we
received help from several Icelanders,” Airman 2nd
Class Reed Thomas said. “Without all of us working
together it would have been impossible for us to stay
up there.”
The 934th had to endure many hardships while
stationed at Mt Straumnes, not the least of which
was the weather. The site averaged 171 days a year
of rain or snow. The annual rainfall was about 43
inches a year.
The one element that made life most difficult was
undoubtedly the wind, which could exceed 100 mph.
All supplies had to be landed by barge or small boat
over an open beach in the Adalvik Bay and trucked
7 miles to the mountain. In the winter, the trip would
take hours on a sledge behind a Cat D-8 tractor. On
good days, a single engined L-20 (De Havilland
Beaver) brought mail from Keflavik.
“Sometimes the snow was so high we had to leave
our buildings through hatches in the roof,” Thomas
said. “It was a very unusual experience.”
The operators of all remote radar sites endured
numerous hardships to defend their country and
allies. During their operational period the radar sites
in Iceland were responsible for more than 3,000
Visitors to the H4 site make the trek
back down Mt. Straummes after their
visit. (Photos by FriSjjor Kr. Eydal)
intercepts of Soviet aircraft, more than all the other
radar sites in the world combined. They were the
recipients of 22 Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.
Visit the U.S. Radar Sites Reunion Group website
http://www.usradarsitesiceland.org/index.asp for a
great collection of stories and pictures from all four
Cold War radar sites in Iceland.