The White Falcon - 24.11.1976, Síða 1
White Falcon
Volume XXXII Number 47
Kellavik. Iceland
November 24, 1976
The
Thanksgiving
controversy
The feathers are flying — and
they're not turkey feathers—in the
long-standing controversy between the
Commonwealths of Virginia and Massa-
chusetts over the origin of the first
U*S. Thanksgiving. To complicate the
picture, New Jersey and North Caro-
Sja, among other States, have also
erted a claim to that "first."
The first Thanksgiving, everyone
admits, was held closer to the Sep-
tember-October harvest time than its
present fourth-Thursday-in-November
date. The passage of time, the lapse
of memories and controversy over the
day have led to the discrepancy.
Plymouth's Thanksgiving Day this
year will open, as will Thanksgiving
Day all over the Nation, with church
services. The 1621 Plymouth Thanks-
giving was a harvest feast and gath-
ering of family and friends. The
best eyewitness account of the fes-
tivities is contained in a letter
from Edward Winslow, one of the lead-
ers of the community, to a friend in
England:
"At which time, amongst other rec-
reations, we exercised our arms, many
of the Indians coming amongst us, and
amongst the rest their greatest king
Massasoit with some 90 men, whom for
three days were entertained and
feasted."
Just over a decade ago Virginians
asserted their claim to the first
Thanksgiving and began holding a cel-
ebration alongside the James River,
not far from Colonial Williamsburg.
There, each year they reenact their
version of the Nation's first Thanks-
giving which included a band of 39
Englishmen from the Maraget, a 47-ton
ship that had sailed from Bristol,
England and arrived two-and-one-half
months before the Mayflower. This
"first" group had come to claim an
8,000-acre tract of land granted to
the proprietors of the Berkeley Com-
pany by King James I. Virginia's
Thanksgivings were probably repeated
in 1620 and 1621, but an Indian mas-
sacre in 1622 put a halt to the ob-
servances and they were not revived
until recently.
President John F. Kennedy in his
Thanksgiving Proclamation for 1962
unwittingly helped reestablish the
Berkeley observances when he an-
nnced, "Over three centuries ago in
•mouth on Massachusetts Bay, the
Tgrims established the custom of
gathering together each year to ex-
press their gratitude to God for the
preservation of their community and
for the harvests their labors brought
forth in the new land."
This was the ultimate provocation
for the Virginians, who wrote to the
White House pointing out that the
first Thanksgiving was celebrated at
Berkeley Plantation more than a year
before the Pilgrims had set foot upon
Plymouth Rock.
President Kennedy in the year fol-
lowing redeemed himself by proclaim-
ing, "Over three centuries ago, our
forefathers in Virginia and Massachu-
setts, far from home in a lonely
wilderness, set aside a time for
Thanksgiving."
That was the first time that Vir-
ginia had been mentioned in a Presi-
ntial Thanksgiving Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln included the
t^te after a visit to Berkeley Plan-
tation during the Civil War.
The first national Thanksgiving
was proclaimed by George Washington
in 1789, but it did not become a reg-
ular national holiday at that time
because of resistance to the idea
from a number of southern States.
Thomas Jefferson branded the idea as
a "monarchial practice." It was cel-
ebrated, however, in a number of New
England communities for many decades
(see controversy on page 2)
4 feu
Sailor receives medal
for saving 2 children
For his life-saving action at a Kef-
lavik pier Aug. 15, Ocean Systems Tech-
nician Seaman David Beauchemin was
awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
yesterday at the Naval Facility.
Rear Admiral Karl J. Bernstein, Com-
mander Iceland Defense Force, made the
presentation.
Seaman Beauchemin and his wife,
Beverly, were fishing in Keflavik when
they saw some children, who had been
playing near them, fall over the side of
the pier.
Immediately, Seamen Beauchemin shed
his coat and dove 10 feet into the 46-
degree water.
For 10 minutes, he stayed afloat with
two struggling, young Icelanders.
His wife sought help: two Danish
fisherman from a ship in the area pulled
the threesome from the water, using a
long pole.
One child received mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation at the scene. All were
treated for exposure and released from
the hospital.
In part, the citation reads ..."This
award is presented to you for your act
of heroism...of complete disregard for
your own life to save the lives of two
children...."
Seaman Beauchemin, who has been as-
signed to NAVFAC for one year, will
transfer in December to Wales.
A Thanksgiving message
Thanksgiving Day has special signif-
icance during 1976 when we are cele-
brating our nation's beginnings. This
oldest of American holidays is a time
for expressing our gratitude for this
country's enduring freedoms.
America and the world have changed
significantly since the first Thanksgiv-
ing Day when those early colonists, far
from home in a lonely wilderness, set
aside a time to thank God for a bounti-
ful harvest. The spirt of self-sacri-
fice, however, still motivates Americans
today, and is exemplified by the men and
women of the U.S. Armed Forces who
voluntarily serve at home and abroad to
insure our national security and contri-
bute to peace and stability in the
world.
On this Thanksgiving, I express my
personal appreciation to our men and wo-
men in uniform, to their families, and
to all members of the Department of De-
fense whose deep commitment to the De-
fense of freedom deserves the thanks and
admiration of the nation.
Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
FIRE CHIEF Sveinn R. Eiriksson accepts the Fire Prevention Group II first place
award from Captain Jack T. Weir, Commanding Officer, Naval Station Keflavik/Com-
mander Naval Forces Iceland. The Naval Station Fire Department took top honors
in the 1975 Fire Prevention Contest sponsored by the National Fire Protection As-
sociation. Joining him in the acceptance is Commander Donald E. Blish, Air Opera-
tions officer. (photo by PH3 Len Wehrung)
57th FIS takes 3rd place in ’76
William Tell world series tourney
57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
placed third in the 1976 William Tell
competition at Tyndall AFB, FL, with
17,020 points.
The 57th FIS William Tell team is
scheduled to depart Tyndall AFB today.
For top honors, the 4th Tactical
Fighter Wing of Seymour Johnson AFB, NC,
amassed a total of 18,700 points.
In the runner-up position, the 43rd
Tactical Fighter Squadron of the Alaskan
Air Command counted 17,305 points.
The 496th Tactical Fighter Squadron
of Hahn AFB, Germany, took fourth place.
The total point count was a corabina-
3-day performance slated
tion of scores received by the aircrew,
maintenance personnel and the weapons
controllers.
The competition was further divided
into specific areas, with various scores
awarded for each area.
A totally coordinated effort among
all entries, the 57th FIS participated
in the competition, representing the Air
Defense Command and the Iceland Defense
Force.
The aircrews will return about 1:30
p.m. today; maintenance personnel and
weapons controllers should arrive on an
Air Force C-141 "Starlifter" at approxi-
mately 8 tonight.
USO presents: Miss Black America
The USO show "Miss Black America
1976/1977" will arrive on the NATO Base
Dec. 1 for a scheduled three-day per-
formance. The group consists of Miss
Black America, Miss Black Texas and a
seven-man band. They will be arriving
from a performance tour in Germany, and
past performances in Italy, Belgium,
Great Britain and Holland.
Members of the group are: Twanna E.
Kilgore, Miss Black America; Denise
Brooks, Miss Black Texas; Gary Brown,
manager and drums; James J. Johnston,
singer; Lewis Bell, guitar; Jerome
Clawson, Saxophone and flute; Gregory
Lee, trumpet and percussion; Lindel
Hobson, base guitar; and Daryl Skil-
lings , keyboards.
Schedule of performances:
Dec. 2
10:30 a.m.—Enlisted Dining Facility
9 p.m.—Andrews Theater
Dec. 3
Hofn (H-3)
Dec. 4
BREAKING OUT THE STORES for Thanksgiving, Mess Specialist First Class William A.
Carver readies for the galley's Thanksgiving dinner. (photo by J01 Jim Miller)
2 p.m.—Grindavik
8 p.m.—Rockville
The group is scheduled to depart
Dec. 5.
Cardinal Cooke to arrive
His Eminence Terence Cardinal Cooke,
Catholic Military Vicar and Archbishop
of New York, is scheduled to arrive at
Keflavik at 7 a.m. Friday.
A special mass is slated at 5 p.m.
Friday.
The visit to the NATO Base is part of
a tour by the Cardinal of military in-
stallations in the North Atlantic.
The Cardinal will depart Keflavik
Sunday.
Chapel sets special mass
A special Thanksgiving Day Mass and
First Communion will be held at the NATO
Base Chapel at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.
An ecumenical Thanksgiving Day ser-
vice will also be hosted at the Naval
Station Chapel at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Canned goods, which will be donated
to the Salvation Army and the Carmelite
Sisters' Convent, should be brought to
the service, according to Chaplain (Cap-
tain) P. H. Lionberger, Iceland Defense
Force senior chaplain.