The White Falcon - 29.10.1993, Blaðsíða 2

Air Force Transportation
By SSgt James Tuttle
The 35th Logistics Support
Flight’s Transportation Branch
will have an easier time support-
ing their mission this winter
thanks to in-house efforts and the
expertise of a local contractor.
As anyone who has been
through a winter here knows, the
climate can be harsh and unfor-
giving. Ice, blowing snow and
winds of sixty knots or more make
driving extremely hazardous.
Performing duties can be diffi-
cult, if not impossible. TheTrans-
portation Branch has created a
solution to this problem with two
vehicles that are able to cope
with the arctic conditions.
The first is a mobile mainte-
nance facility based on a six-
wheel-drive chassis. It houses a
complete workshop capable of
performing all levels of field
maintenance. It also has the
ability to “jump-start” both 12
and 24 volt electrical systems
with a self-contained jump unit.
It can reach the West End and
Rockville in all but the most
severe conditions.
SrA. Michael Stone is the pri-
mary operator of the vehicle and
accomplished most of the con-
version work. He lovingly refers
to it as “Betsy” and said, “When
we received this chassis from a
European base closure, I saw it as
a perfect opportunity to improve
our mobile maintenance capa-
bilities. Prior to this truck going
into service, we relied on an old
step van which didn’t perform
well at all in bad weather.”
MSgt. Charles Bullard, the Ve-
hicle Control NCO for the 57th
Fighter Wing, remarked, “Hav-
ing the truck here on a weekly
basis is a real time saver for us,
and has had a direct impact on
our support of the Wing mis-
sion.”
The second truck, “Littlefoot”,
is the brainchild of the Transpor-
tation Superintendent, MSgt.
Michael Southerland. He said,
“This vehicle is primarily for
jump starts and minor repair
work. It is the workhorse of the
fleet, and must be ready to re-
spond at a moment’s notice.”
Transportation took their ideas
from the 56th Rescue Squadron’s
highly modified glacier rescue
vehicle and adapted them, with
the help of a local conversion
expert, to suit their needs. “The
actual changes to the truck are
fairly minor,” Southerland said.
“We weren’t looking for any-
thing radical, just an improve-
ment in our ability to function in
bad weather.”
“Littlefoot” is ready for action
and looks it. The basic modifica-
tions include the additions of
work lights, slightly larger tires
and rims, a winch for vehicle
recovery, a camper shell to pro-
tect cargo, and running boards.
The job won’t be any easier,
and the working conditions still
reflect the nature of this island,
but with these trucks on the job,
the folks in Transportation are al-
most looking forward to winter
and the challenges that lie ahead.
November brings ‘Black Ice’ and chilly days
Temperatures continue to fall as
Winter settles in over Iceland. On
average, 19 days produce measurable
rainfall while six days bring snow.
Wind chill temperatures occasionally
fall below zero and Black Ice on road-
ways becomes a hazard.
Daylight hours contiue to decrease
with an average of 6.5 hours a day.
Information provided by the Naval Oceanog-
raphy Command Facility, Keflavik
Avg. temperature 36F/2C
Avg. max. temp. 39F/4C
Avg. min. temp. 32F/0C
Extreme max. temp. 52F/11C
Extreme min. temp. 15F/-9C
Dominant wind dir. N-NE
Avg. wind speed 15kts/17MPH
Extreme max. gust 70kts/81MPH
Avg. precipitation 4.6 inches
Max. 24-hr. rainfall 1.9 inches
Max. monthly rainfall 12.3 inches
Avg. monthly snowfall 9.0 inches
Max. monthly snowfall 34.0 inches
By Chaplain Leslie A. Cola.
The Feast of All Saints is
brated on the 1st of November;
The Church believes that saints
are its finest product, the product
which most authenticates it It
affords to each of its members
theresources of heroism in Chris-
tian virtue. It is their choice
whether they make full use of the
resources or not; but no member
is excluded from the resources.
The Church knows no human
condition, honest profession,
degree of education or ignorance,
and no social class in which it is
impossible to practice heroic
virtue. There is hardly any pro-
fession cr trade which does not
have its patron saint. The cata-
logue of saints is a true cross-
section of the Catholic Church in
space and time. The saints vary
as persons as much as they vaiy
in states and conditions. Some
were more amiable or intelligent
than others, while a few were ofj
extreme simplicity. Thoma
Aquinas, by contrast, would have1
to be reckoned as one of the best
minds over a period of several
hundred years.
Perhaps one of the best intro-
ductions to the genius and spirit
of Catholicism is through the
saints. These are the best repre-
sentatives of the Church, and they
are authenticated. Most Catho-
lics arc aquainted with the lives
of some, and accept them as pa-
trons and models. They were all
children of their culture, usually
in advance of it The Church does
not expect its heroes and hero-
ines to be free from fault, but
rejects any candidate who proves
to be too small.
la^
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The White Falcon
Commander, Iceland Defense Force
RADM Michael D. Haskins
Public Affairs Officer
LT Joseph L. Quimby
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Fridthdr Kr. Eydal
Public Affairs LPO
JOl David W. Crenshaw
Editor
J02 Carlos Bongioanni
Journalist
J02 (AW) Natalie Dias
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
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The White Falcon