The White Falcon - 13.08.1993, Blaðsíða 1

elandic words of the week:
How do you feel?
Hvernig lidur per?
(Ka-ver-nig leethur ther)
wrap up
Northern Viking con-
cludes, see pages 4-6.
Big gift
The Marines make a
hearty donation, see
page 3.
0
Rescue at sea
Joint service effort saves
verely ill sailor, see
oage 3.
Friendship
tourney
Local Icelanders and
NATO Base personnel
go a round of golf, see
page 8.
Inside
Editorials.........2
More news..........2
Weather............3
Tidal Info........3
Features........4-6
Classifieds.......7
Sports............8
Vol. 52 No. 32 August 13,1993 Serving the Iceland Defense Force Community
JWhite Falcon
35TH Wing bids farewell to Allen,
welcomes new commander
Story and photo
by J02 Carlos
Bongioannl
In July of 1991,
Col. Thomas L. Allen
took over as the Vice
Commander, Air
Forces Iceland (AH).
Within the two years
that followed, Allen
saw much change. He
went from Vice
Commander to Com-
mander in 1992. Then
this year, he put on an
additional hat as Com-
mander, 35TH Wing,
as the Air Force in
Iceland restructured
itself.
Like most people
coming to Iceland for
the first time, Allen
said he didn't really
know what to expect.
However, as he prepares to leave,
he has no doubt in his mind this
has been a rewarding assignment.
“I have marveled at the quality
of the people here,” said Allen.
“It’s amazing how small this
operation is, and yet, every single
unit in the Wing has won some
kind of award since I've been
here. That speaks of the caliber
of people we have.”
Allen also praised the way the
different services worked to-
gether to accomplish the mission
in Iceland. He likened the joint
operation to a marraige.
“Because of the strong person-
alities present, there will always
be friction between members of
different services, but they al-
ways seem to work it out.”
Allen pointed to instances
when shops from different serv-
ices pitched in to help each other
Col. Thomas Allen (right), outgoing Commander, 35TH Wing!Air Forces Ice-
land, wastes no time in acquainting Col. Bran McAllister (Center) to his new
duties as Wing Commander. The two spoke with Col. Robert Gmyrek during a
Northern Viking briefing at the Combined Operations Center.
when something was lacking. “I
believe the leadership of the two
previous admirals has made it
possible for jointness to come
about. RADM Haskins has spe-
cifically focused on getting eve-
rybody to work in unity to fulfill
the mission.”
In addition, Allen stated he is
pleased with the emphasis being
placed on coordinating a “Qual-
ity” program that deals with base
problems in a joint fashion.
Along with his wife Anne and
son Matthew, Allen will move to
Washington, D.C. where he’ll
work at the Pentagon. His son
Benjamin is a student at Yale and
his daughter Emily will start her
Freshman year at Harvard.
Allen passes on his command
in much the same fashion as his
position was passed on to him
two years ago, amidst the hustle
and bustle of a major exercise.
Commenting on his first im-
pressions of his new assignment,
the new Wing Commander, Col.
Bran McAllister, said he’s al-
ready learned “There is no other
Wing like this in the Air Force.
Nobody can appreciate it until
they come here. It’s a surprise to
find out how many diverse mis-
sions there are.”
During his first week in Ice-
land, McAllister visited with
nearly every Air Force member
stationed here. He said he imme-
diately took note of the level of
dedication exhibited by base
personnel.
“Despite the severe climate,
everybody seems to have a posi-
tive attitude. The people here are
extremely mission oriented.
That’s something you won’t find
at every base,” noted McAllister.