European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1958, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday november 14, 1958 the stars and stripes Page 9 macs starting 21st year of service to of Washington special thirty six thousand members of the air ways and air communications service at 339 Sites around the free world nov. 15 Are celebrating their 20th anniversary As the air Force s air traffic control and communications Arm. Maj Gen Daniel g. Doubleday macs commander commenting on the future said the air Force is priming for excursions into unknowns that could Only be imag ined when macs was founded. By 1964, air traffic control air navigation and communications must serve military aircraft that will reach speeds of 3,200 Mph in level flight and land at speeds unto 230 Mph. 3 officers when launched two decades ago macs had Only three officers and 300 self taught radio operators and maintenance men. Early in 1941 macs set up its first overseas Sta Tion at Gander Lake newfound land and then set about adding others along the world War ii bomber routes to England and Africa. By year s end the communications net had been extended to reach southward to Panama North to Alaska and West to Hawaii. When world War ii ended 25, 000 men and 4,500 officers manned the worldwide communications and air traffic control Sites. Berlin blockade during the Berlin blockade macs played a spectacular role and is Given a Large share of credit in making the Airlift a Success the air Force pointed out. When Korea erupted macs rushed 10 Complete Mobile station Sand More than 300 officers and men to the combat area to control the first Jet fighter action in history. In fiscal 1958, macs units con trolled More than 12,230,000 take offs and landings including 1,364, 674 radar controlled approaches. During the year macs effected 313 aircraft saves bringing in to Safe landings 194 Jet fighters and train ers 14 Jet bombers 85 conventional aircraft and 20 private planes. Sidi Slimane plans Hookup with Santa Sidi Slimane Morocco is the 1975th airways and air communications service so Here has arranged a communications Hookup Between Africa and Santa Claus. On nov. 15, the macs 20th anniversary be Squadron will hold an open House and . Children willbe Able to Send a message to Santa via teletype and receive his immedi ate reply. I col Glenn e. Fleming squad Ron commander has arranged for an imitation Igloo to be built inthe strategic communications build ing. Other macs squadrons in Spain and Morocco Are planning open houses for . Military and civilian personnel and their dependents. Col Walter l. Coss commands the Spanish macs Region. Nov. 20 is last Chance to make sure they get there on time via ship deadline nears for mailing Yule gifts to . Frankfurt is last min Ute Christmas card mailers take warning get them in the mail right away or else pay the full air mail postage on them. This advice comes from maj Edwin e. Slater co of the 28th base Post office the unit that operates Apo 757, Central Clearing House for All Apo mail Between the states and Europe the Middle East and North Africa. Up until this year Slater explained a Large proportion of Christmas cards mailed at the old3-cent now 4-cent surface travel rate got free airlifts on military air transport service aircraft on a space available  that has been changed since the fiscal year began on july 1, and now the Only letters that willbe flown Are those bearing air mail Stamps. Because some Christmas cards run to weight this can be costly. The deadline for mailing Yul parcels with Assurance that they la reach . Destinations in time is nov. 20.packages mailed after then Slater Points out will get the same expeditious handling As those sent earlier but have a Slimmer Chanc of pre Christmas delivery especially if they re addressed to Destina sounding off at Moron air base a/1c Donald a. Love front Row right works out with the band he organized at Moron air base in Spain during a practice session. It s the first air Force band in Spain. Is photo by Hunter a/1c organizes 1st of band in Spain by Paul Spiers staff writer Moron Spain is a/1c Donald a. Love is putting some Tara a Boom de a into Moron air base. The 23-Yoar-old air policeman has organized the first air Force band in Spain in addition to the marching band he s directing a dance band and is planning to organize a Western band. The marching band got under 7 get driving awards at 4th army div Geoppinger Germany Spe Cial seven members of the 4th army div s 4th pm in have received army motor vehicle awards for each having logged 12 months of Accident free driving. Sgt Johnny l. Polite sp4 Forrest e. Downes Broom pfc sp4 Harold e. My Doyle e. Abies pfc Ralph l. Roman pfc Richard r. Weir and pfc James c. Torrens received the awards from Cap George m. Taylor battalion motor officer at Cooke Barracks Here. Way this summer when love asked m sgt Charles m. Hill first sergeant of the 3973d air base so to assist him in obtaining instruments for a Small group of musicians. The word quickly spread and a dozen men volunteered. Love says the band knows about a half dozen marching songs. We pretty much play the music by ear. We just know the time and put it through a Horn. If we Don t know a song Well listen to a record of it and Learnt that Way. The base commander col Henry c. Godman got us the record of stars and stripes for Ever and i wrote Clown the music from listening to the  applaud we Call our dance band the skylights. We played at the fiesta at Moron do la Frontera. They thought we were pretty Good and really ate up the banana boat song.1 love of new Albin Iowa directed a band at Pepperill air base Newfoundland during 1956 57. Among the instruments he plays Are saxophone trumpet piano base tuba guitar and string  in the marching band Are a/1c Wilbert nailing a/1c a Haniel Johnson a/2c Larry Nei Vil a/3c Vernon Lawrence a/3c John Paige a/2c Gary Russel a/3c Lewis Davis a/1c William Marshall a/2c Joseph Snead a/1c Ralph Buschell and a/2crlobert Mueller. 4 nations to hear Safe s musicians Wiesbaden Germany Spe Cial the Safe band will appear in four countries Spain Germany Luxembourg and France this month in a series of events ranging from jazz concerts to sports engagements. Led by s sgt Vincent p. Som a the Safe ambassadors dance band was scheduled to pre sent a jazz concert at the University of Madrid Friday and to entertain air Force personnel Dur ing a dance at Torrejon air base also in Spain the following Day. On sunday the 48-Plece Safe band under the direction of assistant band commander two Ross s. Whitehead is scheduled to provide music at Madrid stadium where a Spanish soccer game and an american football game will be played. It will be the first time that the american sport will be seen by a primarily Spanish audience in Madrid Safe said. Air Force teams in this exhibition game Are the Toul France tigers and the Gie Belstadt Ger Many Taco neers. The Safe band also will be on hand to perform when the Safe championship football game will be held at Ramstein air base in Germany nov. 22. Later that Day the command band will play during a Charity dance and concert in Luxembourg City with Prince Charles of the grand duchy of Luxembourg expected to attend. The Wiesbaden based air Force musicians will provide the music at the civilian awards presenta tation ceremony at Safe he Here nov. 25. Winding up the month s Specia events schedule the Safe ambassadors will play at the re Cross Ball at Toul France nov. 29 with proceeds of the event to go to the French red Cross. Ions a considerable distance from new York their port of entry. The soldiers who handle the ordinarily massive inflow and out flow of mail and packages through Apo 757 have been feeling the pressure of the Holiday season since Early october when the buildup began. In that month the Normal total of 5,500 tons a month of mail received and dispatched climbed Tofi,500 tons and is still going up. The air mail total increased from 2,000 pounds a Day to 15,000 to 25,000. To Cope with this Rush 45 extra men have been added to the unit s Normal strength. Tardy shoppers but saturday s deadline won t be particularly noticeable around Apo 757, there la be another wave of mailings right after this month g pay Day and Many of the tardy i shoppers will be using air mail to gel their gifts Homo in time. And lie Christmas card Rush has Only just begun. But All this added activity has not affected the prompt handling of routine and official mail and there s no sign of confusion around Apo 757, which occupies a Ware House like building alongside the tracks at South Frankfurt freight  mail cars arc hooked to the Bremerhaven trains and army trucks Are handling much bigger mail bag loads but the whole pro Cess is orderly and goes on As i does the year round 24 hours a Day with no holidays oven Christmas is just another work Clay for i he men of the 28th  headaches thanks to Alert postal clerks at unit Apos the Frankfurt Central office has few headaches with improperly wrapped packages hut Ica parcel comes in torn or broken t is repackaged before being sent on. The worst problems Are pack Ages on which the name of theol dresses has been obliterated. To prevent this happening the postal men advise mailers to in clude a slip of paper in every pack age listing the destination and these under s name and the contents. This is added Assurance that somebody s Christmas gift won t end up in a dead letter bin. 474th fighter or to replace try unit at Spain base Moron Spain is the 474th fighter Day so will replace the 1st fighter Day so on six months temporary duty at Moron air base next week. Both f100 units arc part of the 413th fighter Wing at George air Force base Calif. Commander of the 474th is it col Louis r. Vogt and it col Charles e. Chuck Yeager com mands the 1st.while in Spain the try units Are under the command of the 65th air div with Headquarters at Torrejon air base. Is evaluating idea program Heidelberg Germany Spe Cial Usa eur inspectors Gener Al making annual unit inspections have been directed to evaluate local support of the Usa eur incentive awards program Usa eur he announced Here. Throughout the remainder of this fiscal year inspecting officers will determine whether sufficient action has been taken by individual commanders to inform person Nel of the award program. Sincerity on the part of com Manders to solicit suggestions an the adequacy of administrative measures to process suggestions and notify personnel also will be determined Usa eur explained. Professional country Singer joins 3d army div s 1st Cav Kirch Goens Germany Spe Cial a Well known country music Singer has joined he co 1st Cav of the 3d army div Here. He is Charlie f. Hodge whose singing group the foggy River boys has appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Talent scouts show win Ning first prize red Foley s Ozark Jubilee the Tennessee Ernie Ford and Eddie Arnold shows and has performed on tour with comics Homer and Jethroe. The quartet is rated As one of the top spiritual song groups in the country. Hodge of Decatur ala., said to has been in the entertainment business As Long As he can re member starting in High school and then branching out Over the country As a professional. On his Way to Germany aboard the Rand All he directed and served a master of ceremonies in a variety show. While Here he Hopes to organize a country band to participate in military Talent show