The White Falcon - 22.10.1993, Blaðsíða 1

Icelandic Comer
Be careful in the dark
Farid varlega I myrkrinu
(Far-ith var-lay-ga ee
mere-krin-na)
Tailhook
The Secretary of the
Navy names those held
responsible in Tailhook,
see page 4
Carnival
Large crowds enjoy the
treats at this year’s Fall
Carnival, see pages 6-7
'Dinner Dress
Junior enlisted attend
formal affairs in style,
see page 8
Sod house
Icelandic heritage is
within walking distance
of the base, see page 9
Inside
Lyte Bytes 2
Editorials . ..2-3
Icetales 3
Briefs ....4-5
Features ....6-9
Awards 10
^Classifieds 11
Sports 12
Pelicans rebuild nest in Keflavik
The patrol squadron stands ready for its six-month deployment after a one-year cycle stateside.
Story and photos by
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
The “Pelicans” of Patrol
Squadron 45 (VP 45) are back in
Keflavik, after a year-long hia-
tus in their homeport of Jackson-
ville, Fla. and participation in
various overseas missions.
As the newly returning squad-
ron landed at Naval Air Station
Keflavik and started settling in,
the personnel of VP 49 collected
the last of their gear and ended
their six-month deployment,
eager to return home and enjoy a
warmer climate.
VP 45 departed Keflavik one
year ago after fulfilling their
regular deployment require-
ments. Now the personnel, which
include nearly 50 percent of last
y ear’s team, return, ready to com-
plete their mission and interact
with the Keflavik community.
“The base has given us an ex-
tremely warm welcome. We
couldn’t be more pleased with
the people on the base and the
support they have and continue
to give our squadron,” remarked
CDR Rob Elliot, Commanding
Officer VP 45. “We’re back in a
familiar and friendly place, it’s
like coming back home.” For
Elliot, this deployment is of spe-
cial significance since it marks
his third time deployed to Ice-
land, yet this, as the CO, will also
be his last
The Maritime Patrol Aircraft
(MPA) squadrons such as VP 45
routinely are away from
homeport for six-month deploy-
ments to strategic Anti-Subma-
rine Warfare(ASW) areas around
the globe.
“During the past one-year turn-
around cycle, the squadron was
very busy. We flew several
missions in support of humani-
tarian aid to Haiti, provided for-
ward detachments to Saudi Ara-
bia, and racked up 600 hours of
combat patrol flying in the Medi-
terranean.”
CDR Elliot describes the last
12 months as very intense, but
sees the present deployment to
Keflavik as somewhat of a
breather for the crews and sup-
AT2 Suzanne Jennings performs
maintainance on a scope.
port personnel.
“Quite frankly, people are
ready to be up here. It helps when
the destination is a familiar
place.”
The CO also reflected on
changing world situations and
how these emphasize the need
for ready, armed forces.
“That’s why we’re up here, to
provide flexible and highly
trained forces, tailored to respond
to any situation our leaders want
the military to act upon.”
For now, the crews must adapt
to the methods and peculiarities
of other MPA nations. “We re-
ally look forward to working with
the Dutch, Canadian and British
forces." The Canadians and
British are regular players in the
ASW sector of Iceland. On the
other hand, the Dutch enjoy the
convenience of having a perma-
nently assigned detachment in
Keflavik.
While not engaged in their pri-
mary duties, members of VP 45
can be seen around the base, vol-
unteering as bus drivers for the
Chapel, helping out the USO dur-
ing Thanksgiving and assisting
students in school with reading
and tutoring programs. If you
don’t see their participation in
the community, you might hear
them when they form a band in
the upcoming weeks.