Stephenville, Labrador

1963 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


Historical Record
640th AC&W Squadron
Stephenville, Newfoundland
1 July 1963 to 30 September 1963

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

  1. Unit and Location

640th AC&W Squadron
APO 864, NY, NY

  1. Name and Grade of Commander

Logan C Atterbury, Lt. Colonel, USAF

  1. Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
  2. 640 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, APO 864, NY, NY
    Goose Air Defense Sector, Goose Air Base, Labrador
    26th Air Division, Stewart Air Force Base, New York
    Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado

  • 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 the area of assignment as outlined in (ADC) (RCAF) ASI 3/4/3, and function as a NORAD Control Center within the Air Defense System.

  • Personnel
  •    

    Officers

    Airmen

    Civilians

    Total

     
     

    Assigned

    17

    149

    21

    187

     
     

    Attached

    0

    0

    0

    0

     
                 
  • Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
  • Radio Telephone – 1 FTA-13 Telephone Plant, 2 M-19 Teletype Machines, Classified GRC-27 A/G UHF Radio, Classified GRT-3 A/G UHF Radio Transmitter, Classified GRT-7 A/G UHF Radio Receiver, Classified FRT-502 A/G Radio Transmitter, Classified URG-60 A/G UHF Receiver.
    Radar – 1 each AN/FPS-20A, 1 each AN/FPS-6B, 1 each AN/GPX-7A, 1 each AN/GPA-30, 1 each AN/GPS-T2A, 6 each 0A-175 PPI, 2 each UPA-35 PPI, 8 each 0A-99 PPI, 1 each AN/GPS-T-4.

    Section II

    COMMENTARY

    Operations:

    On 29 July 1963 the Operations Section was inspected by the 26th Air Division IG Team. Overall evaluation for the section was satisfactory. In August the modifications to the operations room were completed. On 19 September 1963, the Operations Section participated in the Goose Air Defense Sector Tactical Evaluation conducted by the 26th Air Division. The Operations Section received an overall rating of outstanding.

    Security:

    Retreat ceremonies have been conducted during the month of September. Three practice alerts were held during the month of September and all proved very satisfactory. The Squadron Drill Team performed at Harmon AFB for the Thunderbird Exhibition on 1 July 1963. Security motivation lectures have been rewritten. Three fourths of the squadron personnel have completed firing during the past reporting period. Wallet size security information cards were published and distributed to all squadron personnel.

    Communications:

    The Communications Center initiated and completed action to get the squadron incinerator fixed so it would burn classified waste faster and more efficiently. This will decrease man hours and human exposure to severe weather conditions during the winter months. Two tape reperforators are now being utilized in the communications center. This should result in better quality of messages and it will help decrease the traffic load on our relay station in handling misrouted messages. The cable troughs and baseboards in the communications center were painted to improve the physical appearance of the area. The communications center lost three operators on regular rotation and gained only one during this reporting period.

    Unit Supply:

    During this reporting period the following personnel changes have occurred: Outgoing – Captain Mortine, M/Sgt Weigand, A/1C Clements and A/1C Miner. Incoming – Major Zentz, S/Sgt. Jones, S/Sgt. Denato and A/2C Hill. A/1C Truitt was promoted to S/Sgt. effective 1 October 1963. A program of excess item identification has been in progress during the month of September. Several vehicle loads have been turned in to BASO. Approximately three thousand line items in Tech Supply area have been identified as excess and are awaiting disposition instructions. Unit Supply has been re-warehoused and the exterior area has been spot painted.

    Food Services:

    The Food Services Section has had the following personnel changes during this reporting period: Outgoing – T/Sgt.Glenn E McQueen and S/Sgt. Charles T Peterson. Incoming – T/Sgt. Kenneth R Young, S/Sgt. Howard M Kaminer, A/2C Keith Startup and A/3C Arthur J Tenofsky. T/Sgt. Young has been assigned Food Services Supervisor of the dining hall vice T/Sgt. McQueen. The Dining Hall has received twenty new tables which are presently in use. A new clipper has arrived and will be installed in the near future. The Dining Hall has successfully operated in the black for the period of 1 July through 30 September 1963 in accordance with the monetary ration management system.

    Radio Maintenance:

    The Radio Maintenance Section completed the following projects during the past reporting period: installed UHF antenna on the operations building; installed hazard lights on poles in antenna farm at the RX-TX site and relocated antenna for security control radio equipment from BOQ building to a steel tower. The radio maintenance building was painted on the outside. The following personnel changes occurred during this reporting period: A/2C Lawrence E Nolan was assigned to the section. A/2C Jay A Post was loaned to the communications center due to shortage of personnel in that section.

    Civil Engineering:

    The following projects were accomplished by the Civil Engineering Section during this reporting period: excess antenna poles were removed from the station; the septic tank was cleaned; the roofing project on buildings 1503 and 1522 was completed, and painting on seven buildings was also completed. The water storage tank was cleaned. On 16 July 1963 the squadron fuel tanks were serviced.

    Personnel:

    The Squadron personnel problem has improved to some extent. However, some sections are still receiving "three level" personnel which necessitates more training from the respective supervisors. The following key personnel have been assigned to the squadron: Major Anthony W Liebeck, C&E Officer; Captain Harold E Meadows, Operations Senior Director, and M/Sgt. Dale Fall, Operations Crew Chief. Major Anthony W Palmeri, C&E Officer has rotated back to the ZI. Colonel RC Welch, Vice Commander Goose Air Defense Sector visited the squadron on the 26th of September 1963.

    Morale:

    The morale of the Squadron has remained at the highest level possible.

    Typed Name and Grade of Commander

    Logan C Atterbury, Lt. Colonel, USAF

    Signature