The White Falcon - 21.12.1984, Side 5

Season's greetings continued from page 1
ficult time of year to be away
from home,and those of you whose
duty requires you to be separated
from your friends and loved ones
deserve special recognition."
MILITARY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT GIVING
The Secretary of Defense,
Caspar W. Weinberger, echoed the
President's sentiments with these
words, "You, the men and women
of our Armed Forces, know a lot
about giving. Everyday, you give
your energy, your talents, and
your dedication to protect and
preserve our American way of
life."
"Your task is not an easy one,"
the Secretary said. "Many of you
are spending this special time
away from the warmth of your
families, in remote outposts and
in foreign lands, and sometimes
in areas of great danger."
40 CONFLICTS AROUND THE WORLD
The Chief of Naval Operations,
Admiral James D. Watkins, in his
message to the Navy, stressed
the fact that not all the world
enjoys peace.
"Today, we are at peace, but
many of our brothers and sisters
around the world do not share
this Christmas gift and blessing.
With over 40 conflicts going on,
directly affecting more than
four million peopl e and i ndi rect-
ly affecting all humanity, the
message of peace still has not
spread to all."
The CNO reminded servicemen
and women that they are "at the
heart of our historical efforts
to maintain peace and to pro-
mote freedom. This is the mes-
sage which your devoted perfor-
mance and continued presence in
oceans and seas spanning the
globe sends to all nations at
this special time of year."
SACRIFICES AT REMOTE STATIONS
As with the Navy leadership,
the Secretary of the Air Force,
Verne Orr, and the Air Force
Chief of Staff, General Charles
A. Gabriel, wished everyone in
the Air Force a happy holiday
season.
"We also want to pass on
special greetings to the men and
women on duty this Christmas at
our many remote stations around
the world," they wrote.
"We truly appreciate the sac-
rifices so many Air Force people
are making every day in the de-
fense of our nation."
CONCERN FOR HOLIDAY DRIVING
The Commander in Chief, At-
lantic, Admiral Wesley L. Mc-
Donald, concentrated his Christ-
mas message on a specific theme.
"The theme of this season is
one of friendship and good will
to all," he said.
"This theme should also be
applied to our driving. Being
courteous on the road. . .is a
sign of maturity. It has been
demonstrated that courtesy is
contagious, and this is one epi-
demic that we should encourage."
The admiral wrote that, "We
would like to see an accident-
free holiday for all Atlantic
Fleet personnel."
Commisary surcharge
Commissary customers have been
paying a surcharge since March
1983. According to Lieutenant
Orencio Albano, Commissary Of-
ficer, "The surcharge is for
maintenance, repairs, paper
bags, supplies and anything
dealing with operating the
facility." "We have no other
source of funds for these pur-
poses," he said.
How much is a mustache (or beard) worth?
This article is an excerpt from material fur-
nished by the Air Force News Service.
By Colonel Rufus D. Harris, Columbus AFB, Miss.
". . .thrown out, grounded and outcast for
failing to cut my civilian mustache; for the last
10 years. . .careful not to see the silver con-
trails of those who flew where once I flew."
That's from the introduction to "Stranger to
the Ground" by Richard Bach, better known as the
author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." Bach's
book recounts an epic flight on which he piloted
an F-84 Thunderjet across Europe one dark and
stormy night. His love of flying and his pride
in being a skilled fighter pilot are the story's
theme.
It seems to me that trimming a mustache is a
small price to pay for the privilege of doing a
rewarding job you love while contributing to our
country's security.
As a young pilot at Pleiku AB, Republic of
Vietnam, I was ticketed by the security police
for not wearing a hat. I had just returned from
a combat mission and was riding to my quarters in
the back of a pickup truck.
In the pressure of combat, the outward mani-
festations of good order and discipline are most
important. Now at peace, we have the opportunity
to build and maintain the discipline that will
serve us well when we fight again.
One of America's most successful Army command-
ers in World War II, General George S. Patton,
confronted the problem of developing discipline
during intense and unsuccessful combat in North
Africa. Among his actions was requiring his com-
bat troops to wear ties.
He reportedly said that if he couldn't make
the troops wear ties,how could he make them fight
and risk death. Perhaps the necktie became a sym-
bol of growing combat capability and professional-
ism that contributed to Allied victory in North
Africa.
December 21, 1984 The White Falcon
5