European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 7, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 the stars and stripes wednesday August 7, Safe celebrates its 23rd anniversary � Tutty jul t3tahra 3 11 j 4 � of � Rittle _ i _ i i i _ 4 _. I i Jyh by Robert Szarvas Wiesbaden special with nil eyes turned to Southe Astasia it would be easy to Over look half a world away an other huge air Force Organiza Tion that guards against attack. The organization which celeb r a t e s ils 23rd anniversary wednesday is Safe unite states air forces in Europe commanded by Gen. Horace . Its a r o a of responsibility roughly a Quarter of the Globe stretches from the Arctic to North Africa and from Eastern Europe around to India Ansback to the Atlantic Ocean. Equipped with the most up to Date weapons the United Stales possesses Safe is the Jor highlights during the Pas largest single contributor of air Power to the North Atlantic treaty organization nato helping to deter aggression inthe West preserve the peace and protect the rights of free nations. The 57,000 members of Safe along with their Host nation neighbors in eight countries saw a marked sophistication in the command s Airpower during the past year. Completion of the vast con version program saw older air Craft give Way to the Mach 2f4 phantom and an increase in dual Basing Between Europe and the states were Safe s a twelve months. The Man who Blue printed the professional Force in being and Quality control concepts for the air Force took the reins of command As new commander in chief As Safe entered its Twenty fourth year. Wade had succeeded Gen. Maurice . Adding the Multi Mission 1, 600 . Phantom to the Safe inventory gave the com Mand and its nato a o m fitted units a big boost i firepower. They replaced f100 super sabres f105 Thunder chief and rf101 voodoo. About 500 Jet aircraft make up the command s sunday punch backed by another 400 aircraft of various kinds providing the big Job of support. Supplementing t h e Safe strike Force is a Mace b tac tical missile Squadron which operates from Sites in Germany. The Mace a 44-foot, 18,00-Pound surface to surface missile is capable of hitting targets More than 1,200 Miles away. Much of the Safe Force is on constant 15-minute Alert. Ai defense units maintain a five minute Alert around the Mach 2 age where Ocean spanning becomes reduced to a few hours is in part responsible Gen. Chapman in far East Washington is Marin commandant Gen. Leonard f Chapman jr., has left Here fora visit to . Forces in the far East. Most of time Tju be spent with the Iii Marine amphibious forces in Vietnam. _ a Tom vow lilt ii Iivo us 1 m i h Djmal he does to though facial army Bear in Vietnam. Since he grew his Beard however he s been on the Lookout for others and he s spotted a few. I know one Guy with a Beard in the Long Binh jail Sloman constant Alert these f4 phantoms stand ready to defend the free world a part of Safe s Job. Of excuses some officers from flying Washington is ail Force rated officers with More than 15 years of service Are being excused from proficiency flying while they Are students in professional or educational courses the air Force has announced. The air Force said it made this policy change for reasons of Economy. Minimum proficiency flying requirements in the past were maintained in t33 and u3aircraft which Are being phased Down or out and on larger air Craft such As t29s and c54s. This is extremely expensive and unsupportable the air Force explained. Students attending the follow ing Are excused All the War colleges including the Industrial College All the command and general staff col Leges schools under the air Force Institute of technology and Bootstrap programs1 and equivalent Allied schools. Officers with less than 15 years of rated service must continue to meet the minimum require ments of four hours of flying a month. Of photo for the command s of the dual busing concent in command tactical units Vns based at stateside Basei Europe Are geared a deployment to their locations set up to service them at a Tice. Six Safe squadrons Are dual based within Kui upe a Momen Safe s anniversary message from Ien. Hora a m. Wade he August 7 marks23rd anniversary of hip United states air form in Europe. Born of Neces sity following world War ii usafi5 has maintained state of constant re Atli Ness for More than two decades. I has made Sig. If cant contributions to preserving Peart and build ing Solidarity among free nations. Although i have h in a member of Hie command for Only a Short time 1 am impressed. Your spirit an professionalism is v c r y apparent. I am confident you will continue to main Tain your his state of vigilance for the states. They remain How Ever under the operational control of the . Comi Nailer in chief Europe and continue to train for nato requirements. During the past year Safe pilots logged a Ore -100,0 10hours in the cockpit carrying out the command s Multi Side Mission. Recognizing their vital Rolein keeping the peace the Mem Bers of Safe remain ready to defend Wilh America s allies the rights of free be 5 by George Mccarthur Saigon a there Are some 535,000 beardless Ameri can soldiers in Vietnam and then there is sgt. John Sloman sometimes known As Weir Beard. He s the despair of Dutiful military policemen who try to enforce an army ban on Chin foliage. Sloman politely refuses to comply. He s been getting away with it for three months and Fig ures to hold out for the rest of his tour in Vietnam. No hippie is Sloman. He s a hard working Engineer sergeant and onetime far boy and me chanic from Pawnee 111. Secret weapon Sloman s secret weapon is a medical paper signed by an army doctor. It excuses him from shaving As Long As he is in Vietnam. And Sloman voluntarily extended his 12-month tour for another six though no just to escape shaving. I have plenty of Guys come up to me and ask How i get by with it grins Sloman proudly fingering a Lush red growth that any other 22-year-old would envy. Sloman s medical problem is an allergy brought on by Viet Nam s heat humidity and later the soil it makes his face break out. The doctors could t figure it any other cure so they gave Sloman a slip of paper excusing him from shaving. Sloman s May be the Only of shaves Larsn sgt. Sail. I Don t know Why he s in the stockade but 1 know he s got a Beard. I saw it while we we reworking out despite a lot of funny looks the Good Humoured sergeant in Sloman and hism the Saigon urea. Are popular a photo Joys his whiskers. It s a lot cooler u Atli a Beard. It keeps the Sun off my face he claims. Besides the Little kids like to feel ii. They like to Pat it. I be Only had one kid give it a real gets a some Bluit More pointed working Over from his buddies in lie a h a we. Some Guys Call me Moses and they Are always coming up with a new need a Lonisin says. I be had i s Slop Ami ask if was real. They ire stopping me but they re usually polite about it. They see Beard they see the uniform and they just know something s close Call his Only close Call army major who i would go belter i shaved. The discussion not a h j tie warm Lonian n Ralls but the Beard brushes with Atim Oiw usually take place in i wac ii air ters areas. Out on the Job n engineers Are usually i p 1 " informal unwashed Bunzli. Sloman knows his Days 01 whiskered glory inc Miebi in it s his wife Kli Beth bade i Springfield Iii. A her Jein a son of saw that if i did t shave it of would just stay Home " � j Lack Sloman says. I / on going out a i l Beard will have to an Hie
