European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 the stars and stripes sunday february 9, 1969 . Navy turns gunboats Over to s. Vietnamese Saigon special the .Navy has turned Over two com plete River assault and interdiction divisions totalling 25 heavily armed and armoured River gun boats to the vietnamese Navy in the Mekong Delta Southwest of Here. It was the largest single turn Over of . Navy gunboats to Date and represents a major step Forward for the vietnamese Navy s riverine gunboats will form two River assault and interdiction divisions raids to capitalize upon natural infiltration Barrier afforded by canals and other in land Waterways. New Ste this added function is a step beyond the More traditional in land amphibious warfare presently conducted by the . Army Navy Mobile riverine Force and vietnamese Navy River As Sault groups rags. The rags Are made up of similar but More lightly armed and armoured Craft Many of them turned Over by the French when they left Vietnam 15 years Tran Van Chon vietnamese chief of naval operations accepted the 25 gunboats from vice adm. Elmo r. Zum Walt jr., commander . Naval forces Vietnam and chief of . Naval advisory group there. Value of the 25 boats was Esti mated at $7,700,000. 200 available about 200 american Nav men were made available for reassignment by the turnover. Most of them will head up expanding training programs for Vietnam Ese sailors while others will be reassigned to other Navy units in Craft turned Over were three Lam monitors often called the battleships of the Delta of cuts red tape for retraining is Washington Bureau Washington is Theair Force has eliminated some of the red tape facing career and first term airmen who wish to retrain into needed specialities according to a change in a i r Force manual 39-4.airmen who want to go into a new Field on rotation from Over seas May apply for on the Job retraining into any category Bor c shortage Between seven and nine months before the end of their tour. They will be reported for reassignment in the re Quested specially if their application is approved. Major overseas commands May authorize airmen to Start out before the leave their command. Out anytime overseas commands May also conduct out retraining at anytime local requirements warrant As Long As it is from air Force wide overage or balanced specialities into those that have shortages. Retraining must Bedone at the airman s present the Case of first term air men an additional 12 course shave been added for a total of 63 to improve the opportunities to train in needed specialities an encourage their retention in the air Force. A command and communication boat cab eight assault patrol support boats asps and 13armored troop carriers acts. Since june 1968, the Vietnam Ese Navy has received six lems land Craft converted Dorchain drag min sweeping10 Swift boats pcs12 River patrol boats prs and the yr-24, a Large floating repair facility. With these ships and patrol Craft the vietnamese Navy has taken on full responsibility forbore than a dozen Inland and coastal areas formerly patrolled exclusively by the . Navy. Afn9 troop papers receive Ciuti ass a Washington Bureau Washington Sas the american forces network in Frankfurt the Vietnam network in Saigon and troop newspapers i Europe came out the top winners in the army s annual newspaper radio and station awards for 1968, according to a Pentagon announcement. Selected As the outstanding army newspaper in each of the following categories were the com z chronicle army reporter Vietnam offset. Frankfurter forum of the army Security Agency in Europe Mulu uth. The guardian of the 709th military police in in Frankfurt Argus of the air defense come at ent fab. Colo., Magazine of us arc special category. The Monmouth message of it. Monmouth n.j., civilian Enterprise army weekly of . Army Hawaii civilian Enterprise offset. The end of the War to end wars produced by an Frankfurt was chosen us the outstanding radio program of the year while the counterpart produced by in american forces Vietnam network was chosen As the outstanding television program. The winners will now be entered in the defense department Thomas Jefferson awards contest where they will be judge against other service entries by Newsweek Magazine cosponsor of the contest. Winners will receive a Gold Statuette of Thomas Jefferson. Additionally each office will be invited to Send a representative to serve n one week internship with either Newsweek Magazine the army times publishing com Pany or the evening Star broadcasting com Board of officers from the army s office of the chief of information selected the Winner based on recommendations from major com mands. Judging was based on support of information programs professional Quality originality and use of available facilities. Danish f104 pilots on Alert against aggression by de Freakley staff writer Aalborg Denmark is Needle nosed f104 Star fighters of the Royal danish air Force stand As a Vanguard against aggression Here on the perimeter of the free world. The 28 fighter interceptor based Here and committed to nato can scramble skyward Ina matter of minutes says 1st it. Klaus Chelsoe a 10-year fighter Veteran. Chelsoe who received his flight training in Canada in the late 1950s, said the danish air forces principally defense oriented and concerned with Protection of National air space. But we have a nato Mission also. I have flown and trained with the air forces of Norway Belgium the Netherlands Italy checkout1st it. Klaus Chelsoe of the danish Royal air Force at Aalborg Denmark climbs Down from an f104 Star fighter after taking anew Pilot up for a checkout. Is Freakley sergeants major attend re up seminar in Berlin Berlin special Quality in Quantity was the theme of Usa eur and seventh army reenlistment seminar held Here. Approximately 40 command sergeants major and career coun Selorus were in attendance. The purpose of the seminar was to educate motivate coordinate activities give direction and resolve problem areas. Additionally the seminar served to 3167th com so wins Chicksands England Spe Cial the 2167th communications so s training Section has been selected to receive the . Communications Region s fourth Quarter out achievement award for 1988. The training Section beaded by m. Sgt. Gordon t. Davies was the Only one in the Region to achieve 100 per cent of qualifying scores on the 5 and 7 level set s during the Quarter. Regroup forces for the final As Sault on the fiscal year 1969 objectives. Classes presented were on evaluation of the reassign ment program training of newly assigned Counselor interview techniques bars to reenlistment and other aspects of the present retention program. Principal speakers for the four Day seminar were col. John h. Robinson Usa eur an seventh army adjutant general and maj. John w. Boyle a representative of the in service re enlistment Branch department of the army. Maj. Peter Kama Usa eur reenlistment officer served As Moderator of these Minar and reviewed past accomplishments and future objectives of the reenlistment pro . Gen. R. G. Fergusson . Commander Berlin was on hand to Welcome the group to Berlin and he gave background information and purpose of the Berlin brigade. Those in attend Ance were Given an orientation tour of East and West Berlin. Rap heaps Praise on phantom Mach 2s London is the Phan Tom Mach 2 Jet fighter has been called one of the world great aircraft by Raf air support come chief air mar Shal Lewis Hodges. The testimonial was Givens the Raf s first phantom Squadron prepared for activation at con Lusby air station in British defense minis try has ordered More than160 phantoms. Delivery will be made during a 10-Yearperiod West Germany and France Hel Soe said. These missions were about lie same As those now being flown by american f4 phantoms to various nato countries the Pilot and pilots of the two fighter squadrons Are always on Alert and ready to defend the skies Over Denmark fro possible attack Chelsoe said. The Border of the soviet Union is stars ind stripes Only a few Hundred Miles to the East. Although the danish emphasises on defense the danish air Force is buying swedish Drakes next modified Draken the swedes use it As an interceptor will serve As a fighter bomber and replace the fido super sabres now used by Denmark. But the f104 is the Pride of their air Force according to Hel Soe. It is a tool with which vegan accomplish what the people expect he Here at the base just 10 minutes from the Large and mod Ern City of Aalborg Fly 15 to 18hours each week. Although some countries have had problems with the starfish ers this base which is carefully guarded has not had one mishap with the f104s since receiving them in 1965.danish pilots Are trained in the . Or Canada after Basic train ing and a few hours in prop trainers Here. All of them speak fluent English. According to col. J. Wolls chief of the air Force Section of the . Military assistance group in Denmark the danish spend about $1 million a year training pilots in the . He said it costs about $48,000 to train one Pilot. He added that the danish air Force buys about $3 Mill it"1worth of equipment a year frn the . I
