The White Falcon - 17.09.1976, Síða 1

Stre»»e» profes»»onalUm
Cap! Weir assumes command
of Naval Forces Iceland, NavSta
Captain Jack T. Weir relieved Captain
John R. Farrell as Commander Naval
Forces Iceland and Naval Station Com-
manding Officer Tuesday in ceremonies in
Hangar 831.
The Honorable James J. Blake, United
States Ambassador to Iceland, was the
guest speaker. Rear Admiral Karl J.
Bernstein, Commander Iceland Defense
Force, introduced Ambassador Blake.
Capt. Weir, who is the Naval Sta-
tion's eleventh commanding officer,
comes from duty in the Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations where he was
Head of the Plans and Programs Branch,
Ocean Surveillance Division.
During the change of command cere-
.onies, Capt. Farrell praised naval sta-
tion personnel for the "superb support"
they provided him during his two year
tour. He said he did not complete all
the goals he had set for himself, but is
proud of the accomplishments thus far.
Capt. Farrell will report to the
Chief of Naval Material in Washington,
D. C.
After assuming command, Capt. Weir
praised Capt. Farrell for a "job well
done" and said there still are many
challenges ahead.
He noted that "dynamic political,
economic and social changes are at work
in the world, our nation and our Navy."
He said the Chief of Naval Operations
is leading the way toward stabilizing
the course of the future, with emphasis
on fleet readiness and professionalism
(continued on Page 3)
( White
Volume XXXII Number 37
Keflavik, Iceland
September 17. 1976
NORAD, A DCOM commander in
chief arrives in Kef for 3-day visit
The Commander in Chief of North Amer-
ican Air Defense Command (NORAD) and
U.S. Air Force Defense Command (ADCOM),
General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., ar-
rived yesterday for a three-day visit of
the Air Force facilities in Iceland.
. General James, as NORAD and ADCOM
commander, has operational command of
all U.S. and Canadian Strategic aero-
space defense forces. He is responsible
for the surveillance and air defense of
North American airspace and for provid-
ing warning and assessment of hostile
attack on the continent from bombers and
General Daniel James Jr.
missiles.
Air Forces Iceland (AFI) reports di-
rectly to ADCOM and provides coverage in
the gap between North American airspace
and European airspace. ADCOM is the
United States element of NORAD.
At 3:15 p.m. today General James will
present the Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award to Colonel William Lindeman, AFI
commander, for Air Forces Iceland
units involved. The general is also
scheduled to be the guest speaker at the
AFI "Dining Out" tonight. The Dining
Out is in commemoration of the Air
Forces' 29th anniversary.
General James' military accomplish-
ments have been numerous. He has been
assigned to Aerospace Defense Command,
Tactical Air Command, United States Air
Forces Europe, and Pacific Air Command.
He was deputy assistant Secretary of
Defense (Public Affairs) from March 1970
to April 1973, and was later assigned as
Vice Commander, Military Airlift Com-
mand. He was promoted to general in
September 1975 and moved to his present
assignment.
His decorations include: the Depart-
ment of Defense Distinguished Service
Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Serv-
ice Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf clus-
ter, the Distinguished Flying Cross with
two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious
Service Medal, the Air Medal with 13 oak
leaf clusters and the Army Commendation
Medal.
Widely known for his speeches on
Americanism and patriotism, the general
has been widely quoted in numerous na-
tional and international publications.
Excerpts from some of his speeches also
have been read into the Congressional
record. He was awarded the George Wash-
ington Freedom Foundation Medal in 1967
and again in 1968.
Officers* wives to hold
international welcome
^ To welcome three prominent women to
^flavik, the Officers' Wives Club will
sponsor an international tea at the Of-
ficers' Club Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Honored guests will be Mrs. Dolores
Blake, wife of Ambassador James J.
Blake, Mrs. Jean Bernstein, wife of Rear
Admiral Karl J. Bernstein, Commander
Iceland Defense vorce and Mrs. Sally
Weir, wife of Captain Jack T. Weir, Com-
mander Naval Forces Iceland and Naval
Station Commanding Officer.
The afternoon will feature Turkish
coffee, Japanese tea, hot chocolate and
punch as well as other foreign food and
beverages.
According to Mrs. Justine Lionberger,
Officers’ Wives Club president, all mem-
bers are urged to wear international
costumes.
In 1970 General James received the
Arnold der Society Eugene M. Zuckert
Award for outstanding contributions to
Air Force professionalism. The citation
that accompanied the award read
"...fighter pilot with a magnificent
record, public speaker, and eloquent
spokesman for the American Dream we so
rarely receive. "
General James was bom in Pensacola,
Florida on Feb. 11, 1920. After gradu-
ating from Washington High School in
Pensacola, he attended the Tuskegee Ins-
titute, majoring in Physical Education.
After receiving his bachelor's degree,
he became a civilian instructor pilot in
the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Pro-
gram. In January 1943 he entered the
program as a cadet and received his com-
mission as a second lieutenant in July
1943.
The general i6 scheduled to leave
tomorrow afternoon.
NATO base community wakes up
with hijacking at its doorstep
Sy JOC Jin Dewater and J01 Von Soriano
Keflavik International Airport was
the scene of tense drama Saturday morn-
ing when five persons, sympathizers to a
"Free Croatia" movement, forced a hi-
jacked TWA 727 jetliner to land here.
The plane landed at the Keflavik air-
port at 11 a.m. and it was immediately
taxied to an isolated apron where it sat
for more than two hours. It departed
Iceland at 1:17 p.m.
The TWA aircraft was hijacked late
Friday night while enroute to Chicago
from New York. The hijackers forced the
pilots to land at Montreal and from
there, they directed New York police to
a bomb planted at Grand Central Station.
Police found the bomb, but when they
tried to defuse it, it exploded and
killed one officer and seriously wounded
three others.
From Montreal, the flight went to
Gander, Newfoundland where it was re-
fueled. At Gander, 33 of the original
92 passengers on board were released.
When the hijacked plane departed Gander,
it was escorted by a TWA 707 jetliner
which was equipped with international
trans-Atlantic navigational equipment.
According to TWA spokesmen, the hi-
jackers, who called themselves "Fighters
for a free Croatia," demanded transpor-
tation to an unconfirmed destination.
Croatia is a small region of Yugoslavia.
After touching down at Keflavik, a
package containing "Free Croatia" leaf-
lets written in French, was delivered to
the TWA 707 escort plane. During its
stay here, the only vehicles allowed to
approach the hijacked jetliner were a
refueling truck and a micro-bus carrying
sandwiches and hot coffee.
Military authorities at the NATO base
were on hand throughout the ordeal to
offer assistance to the Icelandic gov-
ernment. Negotiations between the hi-
jackers and international authorities
were, at that time, being handled by TWA
airline officials.
Security personnel from the NATO base
and Icelandic police were situated at
various locations on the airfield and
out of sight of the hijackers.
When the plane left Keflavik, its
flight plan destination was London, but
British officials refused permission for
the plane to land there. It flew to
Paris and landed there at 5:03 p.m. af-
ter flying over London and dropping the
"Free Croatia" leaflets.
Police at Paris shot out the air-
craft's tires and some 1,200 officers
surrounded it. One of the hijackers, a
woman, was allowed to leave the plane to
negotiate with French officials but au-
thorities arrested her and refused to
let her return to the jetliner. A short
time later her four male companions re-
leased their hostages and surrendered to
police.
All of the freed hostages, although
very tired, were unhurt and were later
flown to Chicago to be reunited wj.th
their families. One of the hostages was
a 19-year-old Navyman enroute to the
Great Lakes, Ill., Naval Training Cen-
ter.
The five hijackers, four Yugoslavian-
born men and an American woman—the wife
of the hijack leader—were flown to New
York to be arraigned on Federal charges.
The bombs worn by the hijackers were
discovered to be fake and minutes before
they surrendered to the French authori-
ties, they broke their make-believe
weapons and gave pieces of them to the
just-released hostages as souvenirs.
Although the long ordeal is over, the
hijacked passengers, along with authori-
ties at the Keflavik International Air-
port will long remember the day in
September when a hijacked plane flew t,o
Iceland—the first ever for this coun-
try. Each person involved hopes it
never happens again.