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| Europe |
| U.S. base in Iceland packing it in quickly |
| 2006-05-22 |
| Naval Air Station Keflavik will be shuttered by October EFL NAVAL AIR STATION KEFLAVIK, Iceland — Many people at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, knew the base could be closed down. Rumors that the U.S. would one day pull out of the remote Cold War post had circulated for years, locals said, and talks between the two nations’ governments this winter hinted that movements were afoot. But few ever thought that when word did come about Keflavik’s future, it would be so sudden or call for the base to be shuttered on such an aggressive timeline. There was a pervading feeling that, “They’ll eventually draw down, but not during my time,” said Tech. Sgt. Dave Oddo, of the 932nd Air Control Squadron. On March 15, however, the U.S. government announced it would close the base by this October, ending a 65-year American military presence in the country in just over six months. “That was a jaw-dropper,” said Staff Sgt. Rhodello Nuval from the 85th Group Civil Engineering Squadron. A mix of about 1,200 U.S. Navy and Air Force personnel man the base and the Keflavik airport, home to the 56th Rescue Squadron, known for saving scores of lives in the country in the past three decades. With the March announcement, airmen and sailors who signed up to live and work in Iceland for coming years suddenly faced immediate reassignments and household moves to different countries, plus an unexpected turn in their careers that some said alters their plans for their military future. “We were really heartbroken we couldn’t go over to Europe,” Oddo said. “Something like this, it really does change your mindset. More at link. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #8 Yeah, they're all like Bjork, only crazier. The US has been trying to close the base for years after the Soviet's breakup, but the Icelanders like to have the F-16's and SAR services provided by the US. Now they will have to buy their own helicopter fleet. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-05-22 20:46 |
| #7 hey you ever seen women from iceland? I f i was a man from there i wouldn't want anyone messing with them either |
| Posted by: Greamp Elmavinter1163 2006-05-22 19:49 |
| #6 Damn. I thought it was going to be something amusing about bars or driving snowmobiles on the sidewalk. My opinion of Iceland just went down. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-05-22 15:46 |
| #5 The 1951 U.S.-Icelandic Defense Agreement paved the way for a permanent U.S. military presence at the Keflavik base in Iceland, an outpost that played a crucial role in U.S. strategy during the Cold War. The article explores two gender-related aspects of the U.S.-Icelandic Cold War relationship: the restrictions on off-base movements of U.S. soldiers, and the secret ban imposed by the Icelandic government on the stationing of black U.S. troops in Iceland. These practices were meant to "protect" Icelandic women and to preserve a homogeneous "national body." Although U.S. officials repeatedly tried to have the restrictions lifted, the Icelandic government refused to modify them until the racial ban was publicly disclosed in late 1959. Even after the practice came to light, it took another several years before the ban was gradually eliminated. Misguided though the Icelandic restrictions may have been, they did, paradoxically, help to defuse domestic opposition to Iceland's pro-American foreign policy course and thus preserved the country's role in the Western alliance. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-05-22 15:40 |
| #4 you've gotta be kidding me! What year is this?? |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-05-22 10:51 |
| #3 It concerned the prohibition on non-whites leaving the confines of the base. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-05-22 10:28 |
| #2 a very interesting local policy concerning US military personnel and off-base activities Dude, you can't say that and not tell what the policy is/was! |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-05-22 10:24 |
| #1 There used to be a very interesting local policy concerning US military personnel and off-base activities. I wonder if that policy is still in effect. I also wonder what prompted the rapid closure. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-05-22 09:41 |