The White Falcon - 06.08.1993, Side 5

1
Troops enjoy a breather before heading out into the field
Story and photo by
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
The soldiers were lounging about, some
reading letters, some browsing through comic
bodes, others re-organizing the contents of
their 90-pound field packs.
“I really like Iceland, although my only
exposure to the country has been the base and
the things I’ve read on its history before
coming here,” remarked Spec. Jason Dugal,
a medical student at the University of Maine.
Dugal is in Iceland for Northern Viking ’93,
with B Company, Second Battalion, 16th In-
fantry, 187th Infantry Brigade, Ft. Devens,
Mass. Dugal was here filling his reservist
duties as a medic.
Dugal and Spec. Leonard Mullins, a
medical student at Concord Tech, Maine,
were waiting to leave on a two-day trip to
Hofn, in southeastern Iceland. There, the
reservists harpened their soldier skills and
learned more about squad movements and
fighting positions.
1 st Lt. Ray Dunning, Platoon Leader for
theSecondBattalion, 16th Infantry, explained
that skills such as these are perishable. If they
are not repeatedly practiced, people will lose
their ability to perform them.
The two-week exercise involved more
than 800 reserve personnel from the Army,
Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
“The collective cooperation between the
Navy, Army, Marine
Corps and the Air Force
made this a success.
Because of effective
planning, we had a good
mission,” remarked
Dunning.
The 30-man platoon
ended their obligations
in Hofn in a one day
period, then moved on
to Egilsstadir and back
to Keflavik. Once they
returned to the base, the
soldiers busied them-
selves cleaning their
gear.
Spec. Jason Dugal finds time to read before deploying to the field.
The
ft
The rolling terrain of the hills surrounding Akureyri proved to be a challenge for the men of
514th Signal Company. Here, the trailer holding the dish antennas of the TROPO unit,
ts final adjustments to bring it perfectly level. Apart from the physical obstacles that the
ground presented, the area remained covered in fog for the duration of their stay.
(Photo by J03 (SW) Andreas Walter)
AKUREYRI from page 4
farmers. They were excited to leant about the
exercise, its implications and the chance to
assist the effort,” said Astvaldur Eireksson,
Deputy Fire Chief, NAS, Keflavik Fire
Department, and acting liason between the
U.S. forces and the host nationals.
The AN-TRC 170 TROPO setup is one
complete system, spread between two trucks
and a trailor, and is highly mobile. “The
whole unit can be airlifted to remote sites
when time is of the essence or roads impass-
able. We feel that the location chosen near
Akureyri was one of the more challenging to
communicate from,” said Capt. Thomas C.
Riddle, Company Commander for the 514th.
“The simple fact that the mountain ranges
prevented us from getting a clear shot was
enough of a hindrance. Yet on top of that, the
whole Eyjafjordur area was continuously
shrouded in dense fog,” he added.
As the soldiers from the 514th concluded
their efforts, 33 troops from B Company,
Third Battalion, 16th Infantry, 187th Infan-
try Brigade, Ft. Devens, Mass., practiced
their field training efforts, face painting and
infantry maneuvers in the highlands surround-
ing Akureyri. The reservists were taking part
in the Field Training Exercise portion of
Northern Viking. In addition to actual train-
ing in the field, the soldiers spent time in
classroom instruction.
August 6,1993
5