The White Falcon - 04.02.1983, Side 3

Station bird:
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday
dear Flying Dinosaur, happy birthday to
you," sang the C-118 maintenance crew of
the Operations Maintenance Division on
January 26 during ceremonies celebrating
the station aircraft's 30th birthday.
CAPT Eric McVadon, Naval Station skip-
per, expressed his appreciation to the
men and women of OMD for their outstanding
maintenance support of the C-118 which has
transported more than 900 passengers and
48,000 pounds of cargo and traveled more
than 43,000 miles since it arrived here in
March 1982.
NATO Base passengers have traveled to
such places as Rota, Spain; Erding, Ger-
many; Naples, Italy; Lossiemouth, Scot-
Blacks, from 1
This feeling, which would continue through
World War II, was without truth, as Black
Americans fought for equal treatment, as
well as freedom.
With the Civil War, Black Americans
witnessed the North and South fight over
slavery. Despite indirect involvement,
blacks won a big step forward as the Union
forces triumphed and slavery was abolish-
ed.
In the Spanish-American War, the 10th
Cavalry composed of blacks won respect as
they fought as members of Teddy Roose-
velt's Rough Riders in Cuba.
In general, although the opportunities
were limited, America began to accept more
blacks in the Army and the Navy. A 1918
editorial by W.E.B. DuBois, declared that
with an Allied victory, "the American
negro would have the right to vote, a
right to work and a right to live without
insult."
During World War I, over 2 million
blacks volunteered for military service,
with 367,710 enlisted and trained for
America's Expeditionary Forces. Two al 1 -
black infantry divisions were sent to
France and were consistently praised for
their courage by the Europeans.
However, Black Americans continued to
fight discrimination when they were re-
turned home after the war. In World War II
they again joined the service to battle
for freedom, although most served as stew-
ards and messmen in the first part of the
struggle. One messman, Dorie Miller, dis-
tinguished himself at Pearl Harbor, when
he manned a ship's gun and began firing at
the Japanese.
In the latter part of World War II,
when America needed every fighting man she
had, Black Americans saw combat in the air
and on the ground as they led the way to
the Rhine. After World War II, President
Harry Truman, paved the way for the deseg-
regation of the military with a proclama-
tion calling for equal opportunity and an
end to discrimination in the service.
In the Korean conflict Black Americans
joined the fight against communism. In
1965, the battleground was Vietnam as
black servicemen and women sacrificed
their lives protecting their comrades.
Like Truman, Presidents Dwight D. Eisen-
hower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. John-
son made it a point to continue gaining
equal opportunity for all Americans. Since
Vietnam, Black Americans have made giant
strides in expanding their job skills and
in attaining higher rank.
Currently, all services are represented
with high ranking black officers, the
Army's first four-star general is Roscoe
Robinson. The highest ranking black Army
woman is LtCol Charity Adams. The Air
Force's highest ranking black is Maj Gen
William E. Brown, while Brig Gen Frank
E. Peterson is among the top in the Marine
Corps. The Navy had VADM Samuel L. Grave-
ly as its first and highest ranking black
naval officer.
Today, Black Americans serve all over
the world with the same courage, pride and
dedication that Crispus Attucks had in
1770. They have earned the respect of
Americans, both black and white.
30 and still going strong
land; Lisbon, Portugal; and Mildenhall,
England, as well as other locations under
the Environmental and Morale Leave (EM&L)
program.
The C-118, one of the last of its kind
still on active duty, was commissioned on
Jan. 26, 1953 as an R6D-1 and was built by
the Douglas Aircraft Corporation. The air-
craft flew for five years in the naval
service and was transferred to the Air
Force in June 1958. The plane served the
Air Force for seven years as a C-118A un-
til June 1965 when the aircraft was re-
turned to the Navy.
For the next 16 years the plane was as-
signed with the Naval Reserve, performing
tours with Fleet Logistics Support Squad-
ron Fifty-One, Fifty-Two and Fifty-Three.
By March 1982 the aircraft, which had ac-
cumulated more than 30,000 flight hours,
had been modified to a C-118B.
The C-118B is a four-engine transport
aircraft with a wing span of 117 feet-six-
inches and is 106 feet 10 inches long. The
plane has a cruising speed of 230 knots
and has a range of 3,200 nautical miles or
14 hours flight time. The plane today is
used to transport personnel and supplies
to and from Europe and the U.S., as well
as serve as the station EM&L aircraft.
The Operational Maintenance Division crew, who provides the service and mechanical upkeep
for the C-118 transport aircraft, sing happy birthday to the 30 year old "Flying Dino-
saur" that provides NATO Base residents with an economical means of visiting Europe.
-------------------------------------- CAPT Eric A. McVadon, Naval Station Keflavik Commanding Officer, leads in the cutting of
_ 11 a birthday cake to kick off the celebration for the 30th birthday of the Naval Station
If it s news, call 4612 C-118 transport. The plane was accepted by the U.S. Navy on January 26, 1953 from the
__________________________ manufacturer, Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc. (Photo by PH3 Jeff Wood) 3
Friday, February 4, 1983 WHITE FALCON