European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Petty officer 1st class Jack Davis at work de fueling a p-3c Orion at Kef Lavik. Is photos by Carlos Bongioanni set. Richard i Camanh right and senior airman Tony staff sgt. Cathy Owen concentrates As she works on an Petty officer 1st class Robert Hall Evans help unload a training bomb. M5 engine. The flight line with a cup of Coffee. Warms himself on Iceland Squadron continued from p be 15 As Espinoza checked fuel samples on one p-3c Orion aircraft another vp-24 worker a few planes away commented on Kef Lavik s unusual draw upon Squadron personnel from Florida. It s strange said Petty officer 1st class Jack Davis a flight Engineer for vp-24, the Squadron was trying to get volunteers to go Back to sunny Jacksonville but no one wanted to go. Even the linemen who have the toughest Job working in this weather love it up a few Squadron personnel admitted that the per diem they earned while in Iceland was a major reason they enjoyed deploying to Keff Avok. Others pointed to the friendships built in such a close knit Community. As vp-24 nears its decommissioning in april its personnel anticipate a Tough transition. Although the Squadron s supplies weapons systems and equipment will be sent elsewhere without ceremony or sentiment the movement of people is the More emotional Side of a draw Down. It s going to be a sad occasion said Petty officer 2nd class Davina Edgmon a hydraulics specialist. I be been with the Squadron since 1991 and i be made some Good you can get pretty emotional when you think about the Job these people do Deutsch said. All you have to do is watch one of these Young 19-year-old ladies that until they came on deployment for example were doing typical 19-year-old things and now there out in the. Middle of -10-knot winds with sleet and Snow blowing like crazy directing air planes into the parking spot. They re leaning Back into the wind As they re directing those four engine prop planes. If they slip they could slide into the aircraft. These Are America s finest doing the Job Day in and Day out. I think people tend to forget that these Carlos Bongioanni in Darmstadt Germany contributed to this report. Defusc i rough condition make pilots better sgt. Eloy Estrada performs maintenance on an is. Bomar Mcfann staff writer embers of the 56fh Rescue so at Mas Kef Lavik Iceland feel that when they leave Iceland s violent storms and. Raging seas they be graduated from the hardest test imaginable. One of the reasons i wanted to come up Here is the environment said staff sgt. William Peterson a Para Escheman with the Squadron. If a Pilot is not Good when he comes up Here he is excellent when he leaves and the same holds True for everyone in the Squadron including the pjs or Par jumper Para Escheman because the training is so much More demanding Peterson said. Because of the environment we become the Squadron s primary Mission in Iceland is to perform combat search and Rescue operations for the Iceland despite talks of draw Down involving the naval station multimillion Dollar construction projects continue. Defense Force said it. Col. Gary Copsey commander of the 56th Rescue so. Ordinarily this Means rescuing fighter pilots in an emergency. But it also involves assisting the icelandic coastguard in Rescue missions of stranded fishermen and seafarers. This is the harshest environment you can Fly in Copsey said. The Crew members who come Here Don t have a background in this Type of flying environment. Our Challenge is to see that our Guys get seasoned and become the safest pilots they can the 56th Rescue so which uses four Hh-60g pave Hawk helicopters has rescued 282 people since 1971. During 1994 alone the Squadron responded to several rescues for the icelandic coast guard in january the Squadron dispatched two1 helicopters nearly 300 Miles to Rescue the Crew of an icelandic tugboat caught in a violent storm. The Parade Schemen pulled six Crew members from the partially submerged tugboat which was rolling in 25-to 30-foot seas amid 45 knot winds. A seventh Man had been washed overboard earlier and drowned. In May the Squadron recorded the longest Active duty search and Rescue Mission that involved the pave Hawk aircraft. The 91/2-hour, 1,000-mile journey was to Rescue an icelandic Fisherman stricken with acute appendicitis. The Midnight Rescue required two helicopters and an Hc-130 Hercules for air refuelling. During june the Squadron performed two More Rescue missions both to Aid citizens of the former soviet Union. On june 7, members travelled 363 Miles West to Rescue a russian Fisherman from his boat. Four Days later they flew 340 Miles Southwest to Rescue estonian Fisherman stranded on his trawler. On july 31, the Squadron flew two helicopters More than 300 Miles for a eve hour Mission to Rescue a ukrainian from the russian trawler by Sokosk. The Sailor suffering from severe abdominal pains was airlifted to Reykjavik than a week later the Squadron returned to the by Sokosk for yet another Mission. The ship had moved More than 100 Miles farther away since the Rescue Mission and this time a russian Sailor was suffering from a fractured Pelvis and internal bleeding. The patient was also transported to Reykjavik Hospital. When you re talking about missions it s really important to know that it s a team Effort said Copsey. Its everybody working together administration maintenance aircrews to make sure the Mission Iceland Ives up to its names a file a visitor prepares to dip into the Blue Lagoon a hot Fulfur Pond that is supposed to heal skin disease. At left master sgt. Rick Check stands at the Edge of Colross Falls one of Iceland s most a popular sights. By Carlos Bongioanni staff writer or Good reasons it s called the land of fire and ice. Iceland not Only possesses Europe s largest glaciers but also is a bubbling Sulphur pot of geothermal activity the extreme contrast of the two makes a perfect combination rugged in heart. Military members stationed at Kef Lavik Iceland either love it or hate it. Those with four wheel drive vehicles who enjoy tramping Over bumpy dirt or Snow covered roads generally enjoy the tour. Those who prefer a less rugged lifestyle with warmer weather Don t some of the benefits of icelandic excursions include spectacular waterfalls or isolated camping spots Laden with the world s softest and thickest Moss. Glacier hiking snowmobiling and skiing Are year round adventures. One of the distinctly icelandic novelties is swimming in one of the country s Many outdoor Geo thermally heated pools. The thought of stepping outside in the freezing cold with nothing on but shorts can be intimidating. But nothing compares to the peaceful feeling Many experience As they watch from their steamy Bath the Snow fail. The world famous Sulphur Pond the Blue Lagoon also draws Many visitors. Some say the Lagoon s Waters help heal Many skin diseases. There Are More sheep than people in Iceland and Iceland Atlantic oceans a horses also abound. Many people enjoy the rituals of an icelandic sheep and horse Roundup which occur in the Early fall months. Horse lovers Are nearly always intrigued with the Short but Stout icelandic horses which Many mistake for ponies. Trekking on horseback is a popular activity for icelanders and visiting foreigners but the horses gait takes some getting used to. In the summer months the world never becomes fully dark As the Sun Only drops below the horizon briefly. Many people find it hard to fall asleep before 3 or 4 in the Winter months however can pose certain psychological problems for those who get depressed constant darkness. But somehow most people learn to adapt to Only a few hours of Gray skins. Iceland is More than an outdoor Paradise or final Frontier As Many europeans Call it. It also boasts a very metropolitan lifestyle around its capital City of nearly 130,000 inhabitants the City provides plenty of opportunities for Fine dining shopping and entertainment. The streets of downtown Reykjavik Bustle As late As 3 or 4 in the morning.16 the stars and stripes wednesday october 26, 1994 the stars and stripes 17
