The White Falcon - 14.01.1977, Blaðsíða 1

. White
Volume XXXIII Number 2
Falcon
Ketlavik. Iceland
January 14. 1977
AMN ROSEMARIE THOMAS replaces a cover over an aircraft part that she has just
inspected.
LCPL. STANLEY NICKLYN studies his aim for a corner pocket shot.
AG1 TERRY LATHAM charts the
ture onto a weather map.
movement of a frontal system from a satellite pic-
VP- 45 flies baby to Bethesda
The Patrol Squadron FORTY-FIVE " Pel-
icans" conducted a mission of mercy last
week by flying a medical evacuation to
Andrews Air Force Base, MD for a 3 1/2
week old girl who needed the special
coronary care facilities at Bethesda
Naval Hospital, Washington, D.C.
VP-45 Crew One, led by Lieutenant
Commander Paul Dykeman, was the alert
^^rew on duty when the decision was made
evacuate the child from Iceland. No-
^^Kfied in advance, the P-3C "Orion"
/ squadron alerted its air frames and
^ electronics shops to prepare the air-
craft for the 3 by 2 foot incubator in
which the baby girl would travel to the
Stateside hospital.
Lieutenant Commander Bruce MacHaffie
and Lieutenant junior grade Diane Knope
of the Navy Medical Corps, along with
the parents and a corpsman, flew more
than 2,500 miles to Andrews in eight
hours.
The mission experienced 100 mile per
hour headwinds which slowed the flight,
according to Crew One Navigator Lieuten-
ant Dave Hoffmann.
A U.S. Air Force helicopter,.waiting
for the Orion at Andrews, took the in-
fant and parents to the hospital.
Doctor MacHaffie reported that the
infant’s condition improved during the
flight and that further observation and
tests would determine the need for an
operation.
IDF lauds
by J02 Tarry Bamthouse
It’s been another day. For some, the
day was just another mark on the calen-
dar and, for others, it was the earning
of another dollar. Yet, for a chosen
few-their dedication to duty has been
recognized.
This "special" group is composed Oj. a
flightline mechanic, weather forecaster,
security supervisor, a sports enthusiast
and sentry guard. Varied backgrounds,
different job specialties and unrelated
interests-yet these same five have some-
thing in common. They are the Service-
members of the Quarter.
Monday afternoon, in the office of
Rear Admiral K. J. Bernstein, Commander
Iceland Defense Force, they gathered and
received their earned and deserved
praise. Each was presented a letter of
commendation, a personalized, wooden
Iceland-shaped plaque and a priority
three on an environmental and morale
flight to continental Europe.
Let's meet these chosen few and see
why they were chosen for their awards.
The busy click-clack of teletype
machines seemed to buzz in the distance,
but the goateed man didn't notice or
perhaps, he was so accustomed to the
sound of the machines that the noise
meant all was going well.
Placing an overlay on a map of Ice-
land, he begins scaling the chart and
marking in millibar codes and symbols
that look like musical notes. After
referring to other charts, and combining
information received from the teletype
service, he composes his meteorological
symphony.
Without looking out a window, this
man can tell you what the weather is
like. He is a trained and experienced
duty weather forecaster at the Naval
Weather Service Environmental Detach-
ment, NWSED.
Aerographer's Mate First Class Terry
Latham, Petty Officer of the Quarter,
says, "Only now, at the end of my
year's tour here, am I getting confident
with forecasting Iceland's weather."
Petty Officer Latham works with Ice-
landic meteorologists in analyzing wea-
ther conditions and sending out fore-
casts. They must come to complete
agreement before releasing the important
and informative material. He adds, "If
a person can forecast weather accurate-
ly here, he can forecast weather any-
where."
Quick to involve himself in projects,
Petty Officer Latham has organized sur-
prise birthday parties for unaccompanied
staff members and the staff Christmas
party. He also set up the NWSED booths
at the NATO Community Day and PTO carni-
val. He devoted untotaled hours in
tutoring and counseling others to estab-
lish a closer bond of friendship with
SSGT. MACK DAVIS JR. transmits a message
from an AFI security vehicle to a se-
curity dispatcher.
5 enlisteds
NWSED personnel. In addition, he en-
rolled in two college courses, conver-
sational Icelandic and creative writing.
The native of Crystal Lake, IL, will
soon be stationed in England, where his
wife and children now live.
The air was stuffy, but the atmos-
phere was alive, and shouts from op-
posing teams could be heard. On the
basketball court, lined under the basket
for a free throw shot, a ball player
wipes his hand across his forehead to
brush away perspiration.
The foul he had committed was avoid-
able, he'd play better position the next
time.
Now his concentration was on the bas-
ketball.
This husky, red-clad man is a year-
round sports enthusiast. Corporal Colin
Yorke, Marine non-commissioned officer
of the Quarter, has participated in.
softball, basketball, football and
1976 Bicentennial run as well as been
a member of the Marine Color Guard and
Drill Team. The sentry guard, who in-
structs Ground Defense Force members on
gun handling and cleaning, received the
Marine of the Month Award in February
1976.
In another area of the gym, a man who
is sweating from lifting weights, takes
a breather before continuing his muscle-
toning exercises. Lance Corporal Stan-
lev Nicklyn, Marine of the Quarter, en-
joys keeping in shape by lifting weights
and hiking. "It's the little things
that happen that make time go by fast,
like snowball fights. But, most of the
time, after standing guard duty and
work details in the barracks, I'll min-
gle with the guys, shoot an occasional
game of pool or sit and read a book."
The native of Bridgeport, MI, has
been stationed at Keflavik since May,
1976.
Bundled in Air Force green fatigues
and wearing a face guard for protection
from the wind, the flightline crewman
readies an F-4 flight. The checklist
includes an interphone check, plus a
lock and strap check for the pilots.
After the flight, it is the crewman's
responsibility to obtain oil samples,
refold the drag shoot and refuel the
aircraft.
Until the airman pulls the uniform
cover from her head and shakes her hair
loosely, one is unable to notice this
crew member is a woman in the Air Force.
"It's the closest thing to flying
without doing the real thing," says
Airman Rosemarie Thomas, Airman of the
Quarter, who doesn't mind getting her
hands dirty with hydraulic lubricant.
(continued on page 2)
photos by PH3 Rena Pearce
CPL. COLIN YORKE, Ho. 11, prepares to
make a defensive move during a basket-
ball game.