The White Falcon - 12.03.1993, Blaðsíða 2

A View from the top... A truly memorable experience
By CDR Robert J. Young,
Commanding Officer, Naval Facility,
Keflavik
Iceland is one of the most unusual places in
the world. Naval Air Station, Keflavik is not.
The base has most of the problems and
amenities of any other base in the U. S. or any-
where else, but outside the gate is a different
story. I would like to take this opportunity to
talk about the interesting and exciting things
you can go do and see in Iceland.
I have not been to all the unusual places in
Iceland, but I’ve only been here nine months.
My favorite place is the glacial lakes on the
southeast coast (50 km. west of Hofn). At the
end of some glaciers, a lake is formed where
pieces of the glacier fall, becoming small
icebergs. Each iceberg is a different size,
shape and color. Some of them are white or
clear as you might expect, but some are
almost black from the dirt and rock that the
glacier has scraped away. The most stunning
icebergs are the ones that have various hues
of blue, from just a tint to dark royal blue and
everything in between.
Of course, a quick trip out to the Keflavik
outdoor city pool is also fun. There are hot
tubs, saunas and a nice slide. The Reykjavik
pool is bigger, but I kind of like the Keflavik
poll on a snowy day in January.
For people that like to hike, a trip to the
back of the Raufarholahellir cave is a must.
It’s about 1.2 km. over some rough terrauji
but a true adventure (don’t forget your bocfl
flashlight, and extra batteries). ^
My favorite waterfalls, of the thousands
we have seen, are the Lava Falls (Hraunfos-
sar) near Husafell. There are also three more
caves up there, one that is the width and
height of the base gym and almost 1.5 km.
long, talk about impressive.
These are some of my favorites, but there
are many more things to see. A military tour
to Iceland without getting off the base to see
some of the sights, is just another tour. Make
the most of off base trips and functions and it
will be a truly memorable experience.
St. Patrick’s Day poems from the elementary school
Leprechaun
Small, green
sneaky, funny, bearded
green, magical
Leprechaun
By Aaron Rowlands,
5th grade
How much longer will it be,
How many leprechauns will we see,
How many rainbows and pots of
gold will we receive,
Don’t trick these Irish Men or
thel trick you on St. Patties Day
By Amanda Young,
6th grade
Senior enlisted corner... First impressions are lasting
OTCM (SW) Michael R. Moseler,
Naval Facility (NAVFAC), Keflavik,
Command Master Chief
One of the key factors in setting the attitude
of your personnel is an effective Sponsor
Program. After all, the sponsors are the
command’s first look at newly reporting
personnel and therefore become paramount
to the success of setting attitudes for their
commands. Although Sponsor Programs are
required by Navy instruction; commands,
departments and divisions should take an
active interest in newly reporting personnel
because “It’s the right thing to do.”
Commands should try and find out as much
about incoming folks as possible to enable
them to assign sponsors as compatible as pos-
sible. The assigned sponsors should also be
available for at least one, if not two months
after the arrival of their new person and
family.
Families should be assigned to families
and all members should be encouraged to cor-
respond with the new family members.
Moving is harder on children and having a
“pen pal” at the other end certainly eases that
transition. At NAVFAC, we include a ques-
tionnaire and self- addressed return envelope
for the individual to fill out so we can provide
the best sponsor to fit their needs. It also
provides us with more latitude to correspond
with the person even after they depart their
present command. We also provide a com-
prehensive check-off sheet to the sponsor in
an effort to ensure the best service is pro-
vided.
Being a good sponsor is a personally re-
warding experience and one that you can be
justifiably proud of, particularly when your
sponsor mentions you on the Sponsor Pro-
gram Feedback form. Treating folks the way
you would like to be treated will always be
your best guide. Happy Sponsoring!
Commander, Iceland Defense Force
RADM Michael D. Haskins
Public Affairs Officer
LT Joseph L Quimby
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Fridthdr Kr. Eydal
Chief Petty Officer In Charge
JOC Terry J. Bamlhouse
Draftsman
DM2 Danielle J. Kim
Editor
J02 Colleen “Ghostwriter" Casper
Journalists
J02 Carlos Bongioanni
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
The White Falcon is printed by the NAS Keflavik
Print Plant Photo processing is provided by Fleet Im-
aging Command Detachment Keflavik.
The White Falcon is an authorized, government-
funded weekly publication of the Iceland Defense
Force. Contents of The White Falcon are not nec-
essarily the official views of or endorsed by, the U.
S. Government, the Department of Defense or the
Iceland Defense Force.- Everything advertised ia
this publication shall be made available
regard to race, color, religion, sex, age;
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factor. The White Falcon is located in Bldg. 936,
tel. ext. 4612 or 4552.
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The White Falcon