Stephenville, NF

During this reporting period 2^nd Lt. John A Williams arrived at this squadron, and was assigned as Adjutant. This has relieved other officers of an additional duty as Actin Adjutant.

A/1C Hurst has been assigned duty as Squadron Sergeant Major upon the rotation of S/Sgt. Cabell. Airman Hurst has been performing the duties of Sergeant Major in an outstanding manner.

The conversion to the new military personnel records has been delayed due to the non-availability of the new Form 7’s. Requests have been made to the support base, and as a last resort, the 64^th Air Division (D) was called, requesting the new forms. The AF Form 617’s and AF Form 1226’s have finally arrived, and are being completed as soon as possible, in preparation for the forthcoming "Division" inspection.

The efficiency of the Administration section still remains on a high level even though there has been changes due to rotation of personnel. Airmen rotating this period were A/1C Cirilo Ruiz Jr., A/2C Jack Allen and S/Sgt. Hessie F Cabell. Personnel arriving were A/2C Richard F Shane, A/3C James F Knight and A/2C Byron C Martel. Our OJT program has increased due to this rotation of experienced personnel.

Disciplinary Action has increased during this reporting period, due to personnel being negligent in returning from leave; drunk and disorderly; violations of EHAFB Regulation 125-1; Squadron SOP 125-3 and violation of directives of the commander by personnel visiting "off limit" areas.

The primary purpose of the Medical Section is to give medical support to this unit by rendering medical treatment on an outpatient basis, or if necessary, hospitalize and treat as bed patients any illness not exceeding four days. Persons who require longer treatment and/or hospitalization will be evacuated to the support base hospital.

The health of this unit is satisfactory. Everyday medical problems with which we are confronted are similar to any other unit of this type and size. The most common medical problems with which we are confronted are upper respiratory infections. Others are common colds, minor injuries, and skin disorders. There was one case of Anxiety Reaction during this period. The relationship of this unit and the Medical personnel is good.

At the present time there are two Medical Personnel assigned this section. One, a 90270 "S" T/Sgt., and one 90250 A/1C. Losses and gains during the period are: Losses: one S/Sgt and one A/1C. Gains: one A/1C.

This section is kept open during normal duty hours and persons desiring treatment or advice may report here at any time during these periods. After normal duty hours, the Medical Section is closed and a Medic is on "Stand By" for that night and may be located by telephone, or by checking the placard on the front door and seeing who is on duty and his room number.

Drugs and supplies are maintained in sufficient quantities, on a two-week stock level. The stock is replenished every two weeks by requisitioning from Medical Supply, Ernest Harmon AFB.

Dental service for this organization is performed by the Dental Clinic, Ernest Harmon AFB. Personnel desiring dental care must report to the unit Medical Section where a Dental Service Authorization Form (AF Form 490) is made in triplicate, then proceed to the Dental Clinic by 0900 hours of that day. Emergency dental treatment will be rendered without an appointment.

The veterinary and sanitary inspections of foods and food stuffs are being conducted by the Ernest Harmon AFB Veterinary Staff. Organoleptic inspections of questionable products are performed by the Medical Technicians of this unit, in conjunction with the EHAFB Medical and Veterinary Services.

It is the opinion of the Medical Staff of this unit that the Medical Service Program is working very well, regarding our mission within the unit and to the Air Force as a whole. The Medical Service of this unit is offering immediate services to all personnel under semi-isolated conditions.

Security Indoctrinations were held monthly in the squadron. They consisted of a film entitled "Hoaxters", a lecture by Lt. Williams, a test on AFR 205-1 and a film entitled the "M2 Carbine".

During this reporting period eleven Security clearances were initiated by the Air Police Department on new personnel reporting to the squadron.

Classes were held for all personnel of the Air Police Section. The purpose of this training is to familiarize all personnel with the different duties of the section.

In April the Air Police revised local procedures and SOP’s. The Air Force Desk Journal (DD Form 580) was put into effect, replacing three forms. Also during this month, the Air Police Section was alerted of a plane crash which had taken place in the dump area. The Air Police performed the duties expected in a perfunctory manner.

One promotion was received in this section during this reporting period. A/1C Allegra was promoted to S/Sgt. and assumed the duties of Provost Sergeant.

During this period the AP’s had two losses, one due to discharge and one due to rotation to the ZI. We had one gain, in the personage of A/1C Donald L Murachel.

A new restricted area visitors pass was put into effect as of 5 June. Parking signs for the CO, Ops OIC, Adjutant, and First Sergeant were given to AIO to be erected in front of the BOQ. On request, the mouldings on the gate shack were painted by AIO also and a shelf was made for the thermos jugs obtained from the Unit Fund.

The squadron received 15 new softball uniforms through Unit Fund, the colors identical to the basketball uniforms, red and gray. During the season play, our team maintained a .500 percentage, winning and losing 2 games, and is currently tied for the third place standing. Our victories were over the 61^st FIS and the SAC "B" teams.

The library has been taken over by A/3C Billy Allen, who will keep it open three nights weekly. A/3C BrisBois, who had been maintaining the library in the morning and taking the mail run in the afternoons, is now working in the Communications Section. Our library is getting new hard-bound books at a rate of 25 per month from the Base Librarian, Mrs. Martin.

Our Bowling Team won the Base Championship this year and had their banquet and received their trophies at the NCO Club.

During this reporting period there has been no turn over in airmen personnel except in the loss column. Officer personnel has experienced a sizeable turn over.

Personnel losses were one 1644, two 27370’s, three 27350’s and two 27330’s. All except one 1644 were PCS for the ZI. Also two 27330’s reported in from the ZI.

The following promotions were received during this period: one S/Sgt., four A/1C’s, and 10 A/2C’s.

The NEAC Rocket Meet held during this period found our squadron acting as host for visiting directors and judges. Also we installed a plotting board at the 61^st FIS Operations for actual display of range activity. No exercises or operations were experienced except the aforementioned.

Intercept activity the past three months has increased moderately due to the Rocket Meet. A total of 2,311 AI and Identification Intercepts were run. The slight decrease in synthetic intercepts, a total of 906, was due to simulator ineffectiveness because of shortage of parts, breakdown, and new unit installations. GCI/GCA and GCI/NAVAIDS have greatly increased during this period.

Two jamming aircraft were run against this station with intercepts being conducted against both aircraft. There were six emergency assists to aircraft during this three month period. All except one was of the definite emergency type assist.

Training accomplished for the three month period was the completion of an ECM Course for all operators except for Simulated Jamming. Motion Pictures have been received for Weather Training which is now in progress. On-The-Job-Training has been progressing nicely with eight airmen being upgraded to the "50 and 70" level. At the present time thirteen airmen remain on OJT. All except six airmen have received and completed the following Crew Training: six hours of weather, six hours Squadron SOP’s, three hours Control Procedures, three hours Surveillance procedures, three hours movements and ID procedures, fifteen actual speed checks, and six hours 64^th AD Regulations and SOP’s. An average of three hours per man was spent on ECM training. All control personnel have participated in an average of fifteen GCI/GCA, Navigation Assists, and GCI Intercepts.

The following improvements were made during this period: Red and white indicator lights for the purpose of preventing maintenance from tuning or changing radars during a mission; a "015" Scope Camera was permanently mounted for joint SAC and AC&W usage; light reflectors for overhead lights improved the light level in the Operations Room greatly; the right and left wing rooms under the dias in the Operations made into a simulator and support room and a crew lounge respectively; plastic Scope Overlays for performing various Air Defense Control functions are being utilized; a direct land line position at controllers scopes has been installed for the purpose of setting up a quick and efficient jet recovery method. A PPI scope and GCI Common radio channel for the ID position have been installed to help in identification and handling of minor aircraft control functions. Rewiring of the Operations Room Conference Circuits increased the effectiveness and efficiency of internal communications. Also, the modification of the Operations Room was completed in May.

During this period Captain James C Sigler replaced Major B Smith as Operations Officer.

There have been 12 different Intelligence Briefings given during this period, for a total of 48 separate lectures which accounted for the four Operations Crews. We hope to have the War Room completed by the next reporting period, if the building material comes through from Harmon.

The Electronics Section has had some change in personnel during the past three months. Although no new men reported in and none rotated to the ZI, 10 men were sent further north. The overall status of the section at the end of this quarter showed 18 airmen and one Tech Sergeant as supervisor. Lt. Kushner and Lt. Jankowski remain as Electronics Officer and Assistant, respectively.

As we have mentioned in the previous reports the routine problems that occur during a three month period are too numerous to mention. The personnel of the section have worked very closely with the Marconi Site Engineers and the practical experience gained in our training program has made solving the many routine maintenance problems that came up less difficult. The antenna system is still the major problem with our prime radar equipment. Oil is seeping onto the DC tachometer. Severe hunting and overheated quadrature brushes on the amplidyne were traced to a defective noise suppresser, Z1676. Personnel are gaining the needed experience in this particular phase of the equipment and the maintenance problems are slowly being eliminated. The Early Warning Search radar has undergone two complete overhauls. At the present time the system is working, however, trouble is being experienced in keeping the set operating at the desired 52 mils.

This quarter saw the Communications Section lose some "old timers" mainly our Fire Chief, T/Sgt. Hamilton, and Comm NCOIC M/Sgt. Kilpatrick. As yet we’ve had no replacement for the Wire Chief. The Comm Center lost four men to the outfits up north and lost two shift chiefs to rotation, A/2C Holdbrook and A/2C Butler.

The Ops Room remodelling resulted in a large workload on Wire Maintenance. The "B" Scan room had to have all Operations Room circuits put in as it was utilized as our Operations Center during the modification. However, when the rewiring of the new Operations Room had to be done, 1^st Comm sent us a capable and hard working team to assist our wireman. Although a little crowded, the operations went off very smoothly.

During the latter part of this quarter, a rocketry meet was held here and another large workload was assumed by the Comm. Section. Special circuits were installed before and were taken out after the completion of the meet. Again, the operation went off smoothly.

A Marconi overhaul team came in June and completed a general overhaul of all our antennas. The winter’s ice and wind sure raised havoc with them. At the end of this quarter the ice and snow are gone and we are experiencing a few days of "warm" weather. However, a fog bank, which envelopes the entire site, persists in visiting us quite frequently.

During the past three months Tech Supply has finished ordering all parts for the overhaul. These parts are ordered directly from the Air Force Depots and should be in by the time of the overhaul. All tubes have been inventoried and new levels have been set on a few tubes that are considered critical. The NE-611 Communications Equipment has also been inventoried and all parts under our levels have been ordered. A new system of ordering parts for the handsets and headsets has been put into effect and should help greatly in keeping all levels up to the right amount.

In this reporting period Tech Supply submitted ten RNFP Priorities. All of these have been received with the exception of four. We are starting a new fiscal year and all of the items that were ordered before 1 July 1955 have been cancelled by the base. These items have been cancelled in our control register and closed out of the 84B locator cards.

During the past quarter Unit Supply received a new Unit Allowance List and processed some. Mistakes were corrected and new UAL authorization put on requisition. Excess items are still being turned into Base Supply. All jackets and parkas issued to personnel have been called in by this section and sent to the cleaners. Subject items will be reissued to personnel next October.

1^st Lt. Paul A Jankowski was appointed as Supply Officer and an inventory was taken and completed. Lt. Jankowski signed for the Supply account on 11 April. Captain Jesse M Sherrell was relieved and rotated to the ZI. A/1C Jimmy D Rhinehart rotated to the ZI during this period and A/3C Billy W Allen was assigned to this section as his replacement.

Eight section accounts transferred hands during this quarter. New Custody Hand Receipts were typed and signed for. Much time was spent in the preparation of closing out the fiscal year 1956 paperwork.

A project to beautify the grounds around the Supply buildings has been accomplished. The outside area in front of the Supply buildings has been completely sodded now.

This was a period of recovery and rehabilitation for AIO after the unusually severe winter weather encountered this season. Damage to guard rails, walk ways and fences was revealed as the snow melted. The bulldozer removed lots of snow, however, it also left its mark in the way of broken guard rails, etc.

Early in the period the Station Commander drafted a letter to the Support Base Commander proposing an expanded AIO program for the coming summer months. The aim was to place more emphasis in preventive maintenance and rehabilitation work in order to prepare for the next winter season. Certain items of repair and replacement will be mandatory if the station is to be kept operational through another winter. The answer to the letter was neither favorable nor unfavorable, and indicated that seasonal maintenance would be performed again this year with a PM program being established. After approximately eight weeks it became evident that the program had reached a stalemate due to unavailability of parts and due to certain jobs being beyond the capability of AIO personnel on the station proper. Some jobs were held up indefinitely for the lack of a welder, or for items of heavy equipment.

A survey of the entire situation indicated that positive action must be taken immediately. To this end the Station Commander personally the Support Base Commander and outlined the situation. Reference was made to NEAC Reg. 400-3 and to NEAC Letter signed by General Barcus, 9 March 1955, Subject: Supply and Logistical Support Priority to Air Defense Units. To initiate corrective measures the Support Base Commander called a meeting of the following personnel: Station Commander, N-23; BASO Representative; Lt. Col. Smith and Lt. Rindahl, EHAFB AIO; Manpower and Organization representative; Commander 6605^th AB Wing, Col. Richard Fellows.

The Station Commander again presented the problem, essentially as follows: (a) In general the AIO support to N-23 was unsatisfactory and increased priority would be necessary to insure the operational capability of the site through this next winter, (b) Lack of parts and skilled labor has precluded the completion of some jobs for as long as two years, and (c) Although the Wing manning documents indicate that 32 personnel are allocated to AIO functions at N-23, only 24 can be accounted for. It is therefore assumed that the remaining spaces have never been hired or that AIP is utilizing them on the support base for other work.

Various uncompleted work orders and AIO actions were analyzed by Colonel Fellows and comments were made by the parties present on each. Most items were reduced to a lack of parts and in some cases a lack of coordination between Base AIO and BASO in regard to the procurement and availability of parts. General plans, conclusions, and actions directed by the support base Commander as a result of this conference are: More emphasis should be placed on repair and maintenance at N-23 in order to adequately prepare the site for another winter season; closer control of AIO personnel will be exercised by the Utilities Foreman while working on jobs at N-23; BASO will attempt to expedite action on parts that have been outstanding for 2 years in some cases, and last, the entire program will be re-vitalized to ensure correction of long outstanding items as soon as possible.

Since Captain Sherrell, the former AIO Officer, rotated to the ZI, the Station Commander is administering the AIO program. Personal attention and frequent inspections are being made of all facilities until adequate action is forthcoming. It is his desire that this station be maintained in a condition that is commensurate to other AC&W sites in the NEAC area. Every available means will be exploited to the fullest extent until this goal is reached.

During this period the Food Service Section has acquired 11 new personnel. This has greatly improved the working conditions and resulted in an improvement in food preparation and serving. The warehousing system was completely changed. This change resulted in the consolidation of two warehouses and the reduction of subsistence stock to a 30 day level.

The situation in the Motor Pool remains essentially the same. Maintenance at the Base is slow and at present this section is operating three vehicles out of seven assigned. Scheduling of maintenance has taken three vehicles in one week and one vehicle is in the process of being completely rebuilt following an accident. The accident was not caused by our driver. This period has been very good safety-wise, without any reportable accidents.

T/Sgt. Edwards, NCOIC Transportation Section, has rotated, leaving one man assigned to this section.

Our vehicles have been driven 10,110 miles during the past three months carrying 7602 passengers.

James C Sigler
Captain, USAF
Unit Historian