Stephenville, Labrador

1958 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


Historical Record
640th AC&W Squadron
Stephenville, Newfoundland
1 July 1958 to 30 September 1958

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

  1. Unit and Location

640th AC&W Squadron
APO 864, New York, New York

  1. Name and Grade of Commander

John Aitken Jr., Lieutenant Colonel

  1. Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
  2. Commander
    4731st Air Base Group
    APO 864, New York, New York

  • Subordinate Units (Down to and including squadrons)
  • None

  • Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)
  • The mission of the 640thAC&W Squadron is to conduct Air Defense operations within that area assigned by Headquarters 64th Air Division (Defense) and function as an ADC within the Air Defense System.

  • Personnel
  •    

    Officers

    Airmen

    Civilians

    Total

     
     

    Assigned

    22

    188

    32

    242

     
     

    Attached

    1

    0

    0

    4

     
                 
  • Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
  • Section II

    COMMENTARY

    Personnel Administration:

    There has been a general turnover of the personnel assigned to this section. Two (2) new persons have come in and one (1) A/2C Bullock has been transferred to a more northern unit. There have been no staff visits or inspections on this facility since out last report however we anticipate to having two (2) in the next quarter. Our workload has been increased somewhat due to the roll-back of separation dates of lower grade airmen and the subsequent change in tour anniversary dates. Captain Charles F Letsche, has replaced 1st Lt. Walter L Smith as Operations Officer. 1st Lt. Walter L Smith has taken the duties as Assistant Supply Officer.

    Supply:

    During the period of 1 July 1958 through 30 September 1958 the following new personnel reported to the 640th Supply Section: Captain John S Poulson, Supply Officer, 6424; T/Sgt. Richard Carroll Jr., Supply NCOIC, 64173; and A/3C Jared Hansen, Admin Clerk, 70230.

    The section suffered the loss of 1st Lt. Edward P Berkle, who rotated and three (3) airmen to northern sites. One (1) airman will rotate in October.

    A supply assistance team was assigned to this unit during July and completed the identification and packaging of excess supply items.

    The Base Supply at Ernest Harmon AFB, was reopened on 1 September 1958 and over a hundred requisitions will be resubmitted as there was no action on them since March 1958.

    The new UAL received during this period has been screened and checked against AF Form 1120’s.

    Tech Supply cards have been screened and all items that have not shown consumption within the last 120 days were marked "standby" and then screened and initialled by the C&E Officer.

    The heavy duty commercial type laundry and dryer was received and will be installed as soon as the work on barracks are completed.

    Air Installations:

    This squadron has taken on a new look over the last three (3) months. New sidewalks have been added, in addition to grass being planted to add beauty of the squadron area. A new heating system was installed in the quarters, thus making living conditions more comfortable. Renovations of the officers and airmen’s quarters are just about complete which includes tile flooring and new painting. Also a new gate house for the Air Policemen is being built. Completion of the overall project should be around 31 December 1958.

    Operations:

    This section has shown a vast amount of improvement. The capabilities of our operational team won high praise during the recent Tac Evaluation inspection. As a result, five controllers received expert qualifications in this field. Air traffic through this area was quite extensive during the summer months, serving as a good means of training personnel assigned to identification and surveillance.

    There was no large turnover of personnel to hinder operations, however twelve (12) airmen were recently awarded their 27350 AFSC. Training continued as programmed including Division and ADC Exercises. Much experience is gained by the controllers and airmen assigned to this section from these missions.

    New additions to operations include a new Movements and Identification table. This provides more working area and a larger picture flight plan information. A new communications network system is being outlined to be installed in the near future. As of this date no other projects for operations have been formulated.

    Prepared By: Charles F Letsche, Captain

    Typed Name and Grade of Commander

    John Aitken Jr., Lieutenant Colonel

    Signature