The White Falcon - 19.08.1977, Qupperneq 1

Capt. Laurance assumes command NCS Tuesday
Captain James D. Laurance will re-
lieve Captain Ralph L. Spaulding as
Commanding Officer, United States Naval
Communication Station, Iceland in a
change of command ceremony at the A. T.
Mahan High School at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Honorable James J. Blake, United
States Ambassador to Iceland, will be
guest of honor and Rear Admiral George
B. Shick Jr., Commander Naval Telecom-
munications Command, Washington, DC,
will be the guest speaker.
Commissioned
Capt. Laurance graduated from John
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD and
was commissioned an ensign in the
United States Naval Reserve after grad- -
uation from the Naval Officer Candidate
School in 1956. He has since served in
a wide variety of assignments, both at
sea and ashore.
Naval career
After graduation from OCS, Capt.
Laurance was ordered to the Naval Com-
munications Facility, Yokosuka, Japan
where he was assigned as a communica-
tions watch officer. After a two-year
tour, he reported to the Chief of
Naval Operations Communications Cen-
ter, Washington, DC.
Augmenting to the Regular Navy in
1960, Capt. Laurance was assigned to
the USS Chilton (APA-38) as communi-
cations officer.
Afterwards, he went to the USS Albany
(CG-10) and then to the USS Canberra
(CAG-2) for duty in the weapons depart-
ment .
In July 1964, he was assigned as
communications plans office on the staff
of Commander Western Sea Frontier, and
was subsequently ordered to the staff of
the Commander Naval Forces/Naval Advi-
sory Group Vietnam.
After serving as executive officer
and then commanding officer of the USS
Lindenwald (LSD-6) and executive offi-
cer of the USS Rushmore (LSD-14), Capt.
Laurance reported in 1969 to the Bureau
of Naval Personnel.
While at the bureau, he served in
the plans and programs division and as
the enlisted rating coordinator for
communication/operation personnel in
the Enlisted Personnel Control Division.
In 1975, after two years as command-
ing officer of the USS Hermitage
(LSD-34), he reported to Commander,
Naval Surface Force, U. S. Atlantic
Fleet, as the assistant chief of staff
for communications until July 1977.
Capt. Laurance is accompanied by
his wife, the former Lou Ann Bounds of
msjwii.
Capt. James D. Laurance
Baltimore, MD, and their two children.
Travel important to tour
The Spauldings feel that their stay
in Iceland has been a rewarding and
educational experience. They have been
at Keflavik since January 1976, and
have enjoyed many varied opportunities
and activities available.
The family found travel to various
parts of Iceland to be an interesting
challenge because they visited many
areas in their four-wheel drive ve-
hicle.
Mrs. Spaulding participated in
several wives organizations while
the captain worked with the Kiwanis
Club as service committee chairman,
or tinkered with his Land Rover in
his spare time.
The Spauldings will depart Iceland
Wednesday, flying to London where they
will acquire a new camper, and then
enjoy motoring through Europe enroute to
Naples, Italy where Capt. Spaulding
will assume responsibility as commanding
officer of the U. S. Naval Communica-
tions Area Master Station, Mediterran-
ean.
Their daughter, Kathryn, has already
left for Munich, Germany, where she
will attend the University of Maryland.
Det. 14 receives high Icelandic award
DETACHMENT 14 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Covey Campbell received the Rey-
kjavik Seaman's Day Committee's highest rescue award from committee chairman
Petur Sigurdsson, a member of the Icelandic Parliament. The presentation,
which took place Tuesday, was interrupted by an emergency scramble.
Beginning Sept. 1
States to dock
Withholding of state income taxes
from military pay of residents of Ken-
tucky, Louisiana, Nebraska and Oklahoma
is scheduled to begin Sept. 1.
Kentucky, Louisiana and Nebraska a-
greed to new standard agreements for
withholding from the Treasury Department,
while Oklahoma revised its state tax law
that had previously exempted military
pay from withholding.
State income tax withholding from
military pay started July 1 with 13
states for which withholding procedures
vary. These states are; Alabama, Del-
aware, *Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, **New Jer-
sey, New Mexico, **New York, North Caro-
lina, *Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Utah and Virginia.
Service members should consult legal
assistance officers for the details of
state tax laws which would affect with-
holding status.
*In Idaho and Pennsylvania, military
income of legal residents is taxable and
will be withheld only while members are
stationed in these states.
**New Jersey and New York laws cur-
rently provide that a member claiming
legal residence in such state is pre-
sumed to be a "resident" for income tax
purposes unless he meets the following
three conditions: (1) he does not main-
tain a permanent place of abode in the
state; (2) he does maintain a perman-
ent place of abode outside the state;
and (3) he spends not more than 30 days
in the state during the tax year.
The Department of Defense has been
advised that six jurisdictions have in-
dicated they will accept the new stand-
ard agreement which provides for mili-
tary withholding. Based on that assur-
In a ceremony which ended with an
emergency scramble, the members of De-
tachment 14, 39th Aerospace Recovery and
Rescue Wing, received a special award
from the Reykjavik Seaman's Day Commit-
tee Tuesday.
During the presentation, members of
the committee and detachment were
called to aid an Icelandic seaman on a
fishing vessel 400 miles south of the
H-3 radar station. The seaman was suf-
fering from an acute appendicitis at-
tack.
Preparations for the launching of
aircraft were immediately taken, and a
helicopter and Hercules tanker from Det.
14 were sent to the mid-ocean pickup
point.
The award, consisting of a trophy,
certificate and commemorative medal,
was presented in recognition of the
long-term Search and Rescue (SAR) ser-
vices which the detachment has contin-
ually provided the country.
The ceremony began at Det. 14 head-
quarters with an address by Petur
Sigurdsson, chairman of the Reykjavik
Seaman's Day Committee and a member of
Parliament. The five-man committee,
which is responsible for recognizing
outstanding accomplishments in fishing,
pay checks
ance, the following states began with-
holding since Aug. 1: Colorado, Dis-
trict of Columbia, Indiana, Massachu-
setts. Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
The Maryland legislature has removed
a state exemption of military pay from
withholding, and the governor signed the
revised law May 26.
The proposed Treasury Department regu-
lation provides that the effective date
for replacement of existing other-than-
standard agreements with the new stand-
ard agreement is 120 days after the date
of the final regulation.
The following nine states have stand-
ard agreements, but the applicable state
tax laws specifically exempt military
pay from withholding: Arkansas, Cali-
fornia, Georgia, Maine, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and West
Virginia.
Three states have standard agreements
with the Treasury Department, but exempt
military pay from income taxes: Illinois,
Michigan and Vermont.
The following three states which have
other-than-standard agreements also have
seafaring and safety, granted the com-
mittee's highest award to Det. 14 for
"the squadron's unfailing dedication to
the saving of human life within Iceland
and around it rugged coast," according
to Sigurdsson.
The award, given only in case when
people have clearly risked their own
lives in an effort to save others, was
last presented in the spring of 1976.
In presenting the award, Sigurdsson
said, "The unselfish action of the res-
cue squadron helps to dispel misunder-
standing and establish bonds of friend-
ship between our countries."
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Covey
Campbell, detachment commander, accepted
the award "not only on behalf of the
pilots and crews but also for the main-
tenance men who keep them flying."
As Colonel Campbell addressed the
Icelandic delegates to thank them for
the trophy, the call for assistance
came.
More than 90 per cent of the detach-
ment's missions have been in support of
national search and rescue operations.
In addition to their regular duties,
Det. 14 members have routinely provided
flight demonstrations on Seaman's Day
in Reykjavik, Keflavik and other coastal
communities.
statutory provisions exempting military
pay from taxation and/or withholding:
Alaska, Arizona and Montana.
The following 10 states do not have
any tax agreement with the Treasury
Department, so withholding is not an-
ticipated: Connecticut, Florida, Nev-
ada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and
Wyoming.
New Keflavik
CPO’s named
Eight first class petty officers have
been selected for chief petty officer at
Naval Station Keflavik.
The new selectees who participated in
the February examination are as follows:
AC1 Kathleen Shanahan, AMH1 Roy E.
Gustafson, BUI Kenneth Blouch, J01
Russell J. Murphy, MM1 John Klabechek,
MSI William Carver, MSI Apolonio S.
Luna and NCI Ronald Huther.
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