Dixie Chicks 5 Grammy Wins!

Politics aside, Chicks worthy

12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, February 13, 2007

By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News
mtarradell@dallasnews.com mtarradell@dallasnews.com

Natalie Maines didn't mince words Sunday night during the 49th annual Grammy Awards. Upon accepting the Dixie Chicks' album-of-the-year trophy for Taking the Long Way, she retorted in her usually sly, succinct style:

"I think people are using their freedom of speech here tonight with all these awards," she said while sharing the fifth Grammy of the evening with fellow Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. "We get the message. I'm very humbled."

Ms. Maines humbled? That's a switch. But the Dallas-formed trio's clean sweep carries greater significance than mere pop-culture fodder. It's water-cooler talk, of course, but with plenty of deep subtext.

For the Chicks it caps a trying year filled with the release of a polarizing disc, a tour that struggled to sell tickets in many Southern states where they were once country music darlings, and a big-screen documentary, Shut Up & Sing, that couldn't find a mainstream audience.

The trophies officially proclaim the band as respected popular music stars, not just niche country artists. Liberal-thinking Hollywood honchos aren't solely responsible for the Chicks' landslide. Their wins may have been politically motivated, but Nashville country music-industry types who are voting members of the Grammy academy cast ballots too, including for record, song and album of the year.

I wouldn't be surprised if the same record-label suits who trumpet right-leaning artists such as Gretchen Wilson, Craig Morgan and Montgomery Gentry, to name a few, secretly supported the Chicks.

The bottom line: Great music got its just rewards, no matter what the motivation this time.

The Grammys, like all award shows, are subjective. There are usually a million reasons other than artistic merit for choosing winners. Music quality seems to frequently land last on the list of considerations. How else to explain poser R&B-lite duo Milli Vanilli's best-new-artist victory in 1989, or Celine Dion taking album of the year for her schmaltzy Falling Into You in 1996?

This time, the trophy went to deserving music. Yet too many, as a knee-jerk reaction to the Chicks, consider Taking the Long Way a political record.

It's a personal manifesto. The Chicks bared their souls in the space of a compact disc. There are songs about infertility ("So Hard"), which sisters Ms. Robison and Ms. Maguire grappled with; Alzheimer's ("Silent House"), which struck Ms. Maines' grandmother; as well as the perils of celebrity ("Everybody Knows"), motherhood ("Lullaby") and a plea for an end to violence ("I Hope").

The disc's lightning-rod track, "Not Ready to Make Nice," summarizes the aftermath of Ms. Maines' infamous anti-Bush remark in London nearly four years ago. And "The Long Way Around" alludes to it: "It's been two long years now/Since the top of the world came crashing down." "Lubbock or Leave It" deals with Ms. Maines' sudden pariah status.

Still, that's just three songs out of 14, folks. You can't create a concept record with a mere three tracks. So in the media frenzy fueled by "Not Ready to Make Nice" and its startling, imagery-filled video, the rest of the tunes got lost in the melee.

The Grammy triumphs should shed more light on the record and also fuel sales. On Ama zon.com, Taking the Long Way spiked 1,500 percent, sending it from No. 32 to No. 2. Surely all this attention will fatten the CD's 1.8 million sales figure.

Ultimately it makes no difference why the Grammy voters checked Dixie Chicks on their ballots. When the masses hear powerful music, everybody wins.

HOMECOMING 2007 02/02/2007 Update

HOMECOMING 2007 August 2-5, 2007
Hyatt Regency Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Grapevine, TX


Hi! WOW! Things are REALLY HAPPENING with this event! Where to begin?
There’s LOTS of EXCITING things to share!!! Quick overview:
1. The numbers.
2. HOMECOMING HEADLINES.
3. Who are the 27 schools/groups planning ***some kind of reunion event***
4. School rankings by registrations.
5. A unique dimension of Homecoming 2007.
6. Hotel room pick-up report.
7. DISCOUNTED registration deadline is February 15.
8. Overview to Homecoming: GREAT, FUN & MEANINGFUL activities in store for YOU!
9. Homecoming 2007 Schedule (subject to change!)

*************
1. The numbers.
-92 are registered!
-2,267 are interested!
-27 schools/alumni groups planning ***some kind of reunion event*** at Homecoming 2007.The most recent schools (since the last update) now holding some kind of reunion event):Ashiya/Japan ~ Welcome!

-72 schools, bases, communities, etc. now represented among the registered!

2. HOMECOMING HEADLINES.

*TEHRAN IN FIRST PLACE!
*FORREST SHERMAN AND KUBASAKI TIED FOR SECOND!
*FUN ACTIVITIES & TOURS PLANNED!
*DISCOUNT REGISTRATION DEADLINE SNEAKING UP!

3. Who are the 27 schools/groups planning ***some kind of reunion event*** at Homecoming 2007? What is their activity?

AFCENT/AFNORTH HS = 1 registered/156 interested;
Ansbach = 2 registered/110 interested;
Baumholder = 137 interested;
Berlin = 3 registered/2 interested;
Brindisi = 31 interested;
Burtonwood (‘50’s) .= 28 interested;
Chofu = 2 registered/74 interested;
Forrest Sherman/Naples = 9 registered/91 interested;
Frankfurt (‘50’s) = No information;
Hahn = 2 registered/53 interested;
Heidelberg (‘65) = No information;
HH Arnold/Wiesbaden = 2 registered/205 interested;
Kaiserslautern (‘60’ & ‘70’s) = 3 registered/86 interested;
Karamursel = 3 registered/19 interested;
Kubasaki = 9 registered/10 interested;
Lajes = 3 registered/146 interested;
Laon = 11 interested;.
Madrid (‘65) = 7 registered;
A.T. Mahan = 2 registered/70 interested;
Mannheim = 7 registered/64 interested;
Oslo = 3 registered/9 interested;
Rhein Main Brats = 3 registered;
SHAPE = 1 registered/15 interested;
Tehran = 16 registered/276 interested;
Verdun = 8 registered/46 interested;
Woodbridge = 7 registered/37 interested.

Please note: These numbers do not add up to what the total number of people registered or those interested or planning on coming because there are many Brats and some educators who have either registered for this event or are interested that didn’t attend one of the schools mentioned above having reunions.

See those registered by going to:
www.overseasbrats.com/EventRegList.asp?event=homecoming

For a list of those interested, contact joeosbpres@sbcglobal.net .

4. School rankings by registrations. Every other report we’ll show the entire list. In alternating updates we’ll show just the Top 20.

1. TEHRAN AMER. SCH./IRAN (15)
2. FORREST SHERMAN HS-NAPLES HS/ITALY (9)
2. KUBASAKI HS/OKINAWA (9)
4. WOODBRIDGE HS/ENGLAND (8)
4. VERDUN HS/FRANCE (8)
4. MANNHEIM HS/GERMANY (8)
7. MADRID HS/SPAIN (7)
8. FRANKFURT HS/GERMANY (4)
8. KAISERSLAUTERN HS/GERMANY (4)
10. BERLIN HS/GERMANY (3)
10. RHEIN MAIN/GERMANY (3)
10. HH ARNOLD HS/WIESBADEN/GERMANY (3)
10. OSLO AMER. SCH./NORWAY (3)
10. LAJES HS/AZORES/PORTUGAL (3)
10. JONATHAN M. WAINWRIGHT ES/TAINAN/TAIWAN (3)
10. KARAMURSEL HS/TURKEY (3)
17. ANSBACH HS/GERMANY (2)
17. HAHN HS/GERMANY (2)
17. KARLSRUHE HS/GERMANY (2)
17. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND-MUNICH (2)
17. AGANA JHS/GUAM (2)
17. A.T. MAHAN ES/ICELAND (2)
17. A.T. MAHAN HS/ICELAND (2)
17. FORREST SHERMAN ES/ITALY (1)
17. CHOFU HS/JAPAN (2)
17. SAGAMIHARA ES/JAPAN (2)
17. MACHINATO ES/OKINAWA (2)
17. NAHA ES/OKINAWA (2)
17. DOMINICAN SCH./TAIWAN (2)
17. TAIPEI AMER. SCH./TAIWAN (2)
30. PACIFICA HS/CALIFORNIA (1)
30. LAKENHEATH HS/ENGLAND (1)
30. WOODBRIDGE ES/ENGLAND (1)
30. WOODBRIDGE MS/ENGLAND (1)
30. BRUSSELS HS/BELGIUM (1)
30. SHAPE HS/BELGIUM (1)
30. GOOSE BAY JHS/LABRADOR/CANADA (1)
30. W.T. SAMPSON HS/GUANTANAMO BAY/CUBA (1)
30. ORLEANS ES/FRANCE (1)
30. AUGSBURG ES/GERMANY (1)
30. BOEBLINGEN ES/GERMANY (1)
30. FRANKFURT ES/GERMANY (1)
30. GIESSEN ES/GERMANY (1)
30. KARLSRUHE ES/GERMANY (1)
30. LANSBURG ES/GERMANY (1)
30. MANNHEIM ES/GERMANY (1)
30. RAMSTEIN JHS/GERMANY (1)
30. RAMSTEIN HS/GERMANY (1)
30. RHEIN MAIN JHS/GERMANY (1)
30. SEMBACH ES/GERMANY (1)
30. WUERZBURG ES/GERMANY (1)
30. ACS ATHENS/GREECE (1)
30. KAIMUKI IS/HAWAII (1)
30. MARYKNOLL HS/HAWAII (1)
30. KINNICK HS/JAPAN (1)
30. MISAWA ES/JAPAN (1)
30. JOHNSON ES/JAPAN (1)
30. MISAWA ES/JAPAN (1)
30. WHEELUS HS/TRIPOLI/LIBYA (1)
30. AIRLINE HS/LOUISIANA (1)
30. BOSSIER HS/LOUISIANA (1)
30. GWINN MS/GWINN/MICHIGAN (1)
30. GWINN HS/GWINN/MICHIGAN (1)
30. LEO P. MCDONALD ES/K.I. SAWYER AFB/MICHIGAN (1)
30. K.I. SAWYER ES/K.I. SAWYER AFB/MICHIGAN (1)
30. AFCENT HS/NETHERLANDS (1)
30. MERCY ES/OKINAWA (1)
30. SUKIRAN ES/OKINAWA (1)
30. KHAIR-SAGALIE SCH./PESHAWAR/PAKISTAN (1)
30. LAJES ES/AZORES/PORTUGAL (1)
30. INTL. SCH. OF BANGKOK/THAILAND (1)
30. IZIMIR ES/TURKEY (1)

5. A unique dimension of Homecoming 2007. As you’ve read above, one of the unique dimensions of this event is that there are 27 schools/alumni groups that have thus far made a commitment to have their get-togethers or reunions at the same place and same time.

This means some schools/alumni groups might have as few as a half dozen present. Others could have more than 100 attending. And because of the different school reunions, this has provided a unique opportunity for quite a few people.

At one time those who lived in Laon, France went to high school in Verdun. The same happened for those (up until the mid-1970’s) who lived in Hahn, Germany and went to school in Wiesbaden at HH Arnold. That means many of those people will be able to attend two reunions.

Still there are others who happened to go to two schools holding reunions at Homecoming. Among these (and their schools in parenthesis) include:

Wendy Brower Gable (AFCENT & SHAPE);
Angela Ott Lamb (Ansbach & Berlin);
Christopher Villa (Chofu & Tehran);
Eric Manning (Tehran & Karamursel);
Barbara Freg-Carter (Educator at Naples & Woodbridge);

And we have one individual who will have THREE reunions happening at Homecoming 2007!
Ross Calvert attended Berlin High, and later served as an educator at AFCENT and SHAPE Highs!

6. Hotel room pick-up report. (As of 1/26/07)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 = 1 room booked/5 rooms blocked
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 = 10 rooms booked/15 rooms blocked
Thursday, August 2, 2007 = 52 rooms booked/200 rooms blocked
Friday, August 3, 2007 = 57 rooms booked/300 rooms blocked
Saturday, August 4, 2007 = 56 rooms booked/250 rooms blocked
Sunday, August 5, 2007 = 4 rooms booked/10 rooms blocked
TOTAL = 180 rooms booked/780 rooms blocked (23.1% of rooms booked)

Remember: It doesn’t cost anything to reserve your room! Do that by calling 1-800-233-1234. Share that you are attending "OVERSEAS BRATS Homecoming 2007" at the Hyatt Regency Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, TX, August 2-5, 2007 to get the special rate of $110 a night for single/double/triple/quad occupancy. Normal rates are $200+ a night!

7. DISCOUNTED registration deadline is February 15. You have two weeks to take advantage of the discounted registration fee. After February 15, prices go up $10 for the comprehensive package, and $5 for the pro-rated functions.

Details at: www.overseasbrats.com/Homecoming.asp


8. Overview to Homecoming: GREAT, FUN & MEANINGFUL activities in store for YOU!

*Individual school/alumni group parties happening in the hospitality suites! More on these soon!

*Join us for the Brats Film festival either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday featuring the latest movie from the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS) and the movie recently featured on CNN, "Brats: Our Journey Home." Meet Donna Musil, the director/producer of "Brats: Our Journey Home"! She’ll led discussions each day at the end of her documentary.
Don’t miss this chance to see the movie with other Brats --- a great experience!

*Exhibition and school/alumni group contests! Show-n-tell what is GREAT about your school/alumni group!

*FUN evening activities! Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights we have a DJ who’ll be spinning some of your favorite dance music and we’ll do karaoke, too! We also have a Brat entertainer Emmerson Edwards (Kubasaki HS/Okinawa’68) and his band doing a jam session Friday afteroon and they’ll do a concert/dance following the DJ Friday evening from Midnite to 2 a.m.! Emmerson would like to know if there are other Brat musicians who would like to come jam with them!
Email Joe at: joeosbpres@sbcglobal.net

*Mini-course sessions in an informal and Brat friendly enviornment! These include sessions on line dancing, a general session where YOU choose the topic, and a travel talk on how you can get involved with the travel industry!

*Tours are being organized for Friday and Saturday (during the days) to Dealey Plaza (JFK Museum), and a Ladies Tour that includes South Fork (The TV Series "Dallas," circa 1978-91) and the Mary Kay headquarters.

*Golf Tournament in the works! Organize a foursome from your school/alumni group! Details soon.

*Vacation giveaway contest. We got some EXCITING prizes lined up!

*Come meet the mobile memorial to your heritage, Operation Footlocker!

9. Homecoming 2007 Schedule (subject to change!)

Wednesday, August 1

Welcome to Homecoming, early birds! We have a couple activities for those who can start reunioning Wednesday night! From 8 p.m. to hopefully not too late, for those who want to help us, plan to meet the key staff in the registration area on the lower level of the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport next to the ballroom. If you see a bunch of people trying to get organized, that will be us! Come on over and get acquainted with those who are here to serve you!

And from 8 p.m. to ? we will have a special, "Brat Acoustic" session in a room TBA hosted by our Brat entertainer, Emmerson Edwards. Come meet Emmerson and join others for some fun entertainment!

Thursday, August 2

Registration & Brats Store: 9 a..m. - Noon; 1-5 p.m.; 7-10 p.m. Lower level of the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport adjacent to the Ballroom.

10 a.m. - 11 a.m. = Mini-course session: TBA. Room TBA.

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. = Mini-course session: Line dancing. Room TBA.

Noon = Alumni group/school hospitality suites become available.

1-4 p.m. = Brats Film Festival. Room TBA We have a couple movies orientated toward Brats! The first one is a short movie (15 minute) by the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS) and what they are doing to preserve and showcase your unique heritage and how you can be involved with them! The next movie has taken the Brat community by storm which was recently featured on CNN: "Brats: Our Journey Home," a 90 minute presentation which is emceed by Army Brat Kris Kristopherson and features interviews with a number of Brats including Frankfurt-Heidelberg-Tehran alumnus, Norman Schwarzkopf!

But there’s still more! Following the movie presentations, Donna Musil, the producer/director of "Brats: Our Journey Home" will host a discussion.

Can’t make the session held today? Want to return again to see it or participate in the discussions? No problem! It will also be held again on Friday and Saturday of Homecoming! See below.

8 p.m. - Midnite - DJ Party. In the ballroom. Cash bar.

Friday, August 3

Tour Options: Tour #1 - Dealey Plaza ("The Sixth Floor Museum) and Historic Grapevine.
Visit "The Sixth Floor Museum" and Dealey Plaza where Oswald assassinated JFK in 1963. Stand at the window overlooking the grassy knoll...walk the know..visit the gift shop then head for lunch (included) in downtown historic Grapevine followed by a couple hours to visit some of the intriquing shops and the train depot. Tour departs hotel at 8:15 a.m. Returns 3:30 p.m. Cost TBA.

Tour #2 - Ladies Tour: Visit South Fort and the Mary Kay Headquarters. South Fork was made during the famous "Dallas" TV series that ran from 1978-91. Lunch is at South Fork. A visit to the Mary Kay headquarters follows. Tour departs hotel at 8:15 a.m. Returns 3:30 p.m. TBA

Registration & Brats Store: 9 a..m. - Noon; 1-5 p.m.; 7-11 p.m. Lower level of the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport adjacent to the Ballroom.

All day: Individual parties in the hospitality suites.

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Brats Film Festival. Room TBA. We have a couple movies orientated toward Brats! The first one is a short movie (15 minute) by the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS) and what they are doing to preserve and showcase your unique heritage and how you can be involved with them! The next movie has taken the Brat community by storm which was recently featured on CNN: "Brats: Our Journey Home," a 90 minute presentation which is emceed by Army Brat Kris Kristopherson and features interviews with a number of Brats including Frankfurt-Heidelberg-Tehran alumnus, Norman Schwarzkopf! But there’s still more! Following the movies, Donna Musil, the producer/director of "Brats: Our Journey Home" will host a discussion.

Can’t make the session held today? Want to see it again or participate in the discussions? No problem! We’ll do it again Saturday!

1:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Jam session. Room TBA. Calling all Brat musicians and those who want to start partying early! Our resident entertainer Emmerson Edwards is inviting you to join him and his band for some FUN times and GREAT music! Brats KNOW how to ROCK! Emmerson would like to know in advance if you are a Brat musician who would like to jam with them.
Email Joe at: joeosbpres@sbcglobal.net


4:30 - 7 p.m. - Exhibition and reception. Want to show-n-tell what is great about your alumni group and your Brat heritage to hundreds/possibly thousands of other Brats and Educators? Please let us know (email Joe at: joeosbpres@sbcglobal.net ) no later than July 15. Join us for the exhibition and reception! Cash bar available.

TONIGHT a GREAT evening is in store for you and your friends/classmates from yesteryear!

It begins at 7 p.m. with dinner in the Ballroom.

From 8 p.m. to Midnite we have a DJ spinning discs to some of your favorite dance tunes over the years! We got some FUN plans in store during the dance too!

Then at Midnite the partying continues! Up until 2 a.m. we’ll have a special concert featuring our resident Brat entertainer Emmerson Edwards and his back-up- band!

Saturday, August 4

Tour #1 - Dealey Plaza ("The Sixth Floor Museum) and Historic Grapevine. Visit "The Sixth Floor Museum" and Dealey Plaza where Oswald assassinated JFK in 1963. Stand at the window overlooking the grassy knoll...walk the know..visit the gift shop then head for lunch (included) in downtown historic Grapevine followed by a couple hours to visit some of the intriquing shops and the train depot. Tour departs hotel at 8:15 a.m. Returns 3:30 p.m. Cost TBA.

Registration & Brats Store: 9 a..m. - Noon; 1-5 p.m.; 7-11 p.m. Lower level of the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport adjacent to the Ballroom.

All day: Individual parties in the hospitality suites.

10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Mini-course session: "Bratman returns!" Come join us for a fun, entertaining session hosted by BRATMAN who knows just about anything and everything connected to Bratdom! You choose the topic! Room TBA.

11:30 a.m. - 12: 30 p.m. - Mini-course session: "Travel Talk." Want to get involved with the travel industry as your own travel agent or with the cruise industry? Come join our resident Brat expert on this subject and see what EXCITING options you have open to YOU! Room TBA.

1 - 4 = Brats Film Festival. Room TBA The final day! Once again this begins with a 15 minute movie about the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS) and what they are doing to preserve and showcase your unique heritage and how you can be involved with them! The next movie has taken the Brat community by storm which was recently featured on CNN: "Brats: Our Journey Home," a 90 minute presentation which is emceed by Army Brat Kris Kristopherson and features interviews with a number of Brats including Frankfurt-Heidelberg-Tehran alumnus, Norman Schwarzkopf! But there’s still more! Following the movies presentation, Donna Musil, the producer/director of "Brats: Our Journey Home" will host a discussion.

One more evening of some serious partying!

It begins at 6 p.m. with a reception/cash bar. Room TBA.

Then at 7 p.m. dinner is served in the Ballroom.

From 8 p.m. to Midnite we have a DJ spinning discs to some of your favorite dance tunes over the years! We got some FUN plans in store during this time period, too!

Sunday, August 5

Registration & Brats Store open 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Continental breakfast 7 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Shut UP and Sing

Though ostensibly an intimate look at the Dixie Chicks after their 2003 anti-Bush remark, the film achieves broader relevance by exploring how media, politics, and celebrities intertwine.

"Shut Up and Sing" travels with the Dixie Chicks, from the peak of their popularity as the national-anthem-singing darlings of country music and top-selling female recording artists of all time, through the now infamous anti-Bush comment made by the group’s lead singer Natalie Maines in 2003. The film follows the lives and careers of the Dixie Chicks over a period of three years during which they were under political attack and received death threats, while continuing to live their lives, have children, and of course make music. The film ultimately presents who the Dixie Chicks are as women, public figures, and musicians. -- © Weinstein Co.

See what the Critics say!
See movie trailer 1
See movie trailer 2

End of an era as U.S. forces depart Iceland for good

The Associated Press

Published: September 30, 2006


REYKJAVIK, Iceland The United States Naval Air Station in Iceland will shut its gates for good on Saturday, ending more than half-century of U.S. military presence on this island.

Under NATO agreements, the United States has been responsible for Iceland's defense since 1951. But in March, U.S. authorities announced they would close the base, west of the island's capital.

The two countries announced this week that the U.S. will continue to defend Iceland with mobile forces stationed off the island. A package of bilateral agreements, including details of the handover of land and buildings to Iceland, and plans for security collaboration between the two countries and NATO, will be signed in coming weeks.

"We are a very special case among the NATO nations because we don't have our own defense," Icelandic Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde said at a press conference in Reykjavik. "We must now really consider defense issues much more than before — issues that accompany being an independent nation."

During the Cold War years, the base was a crucial location for tracking Russian submarines and intercepting aircraft, but by the 1990s, it had lost its strategic importance. In 1980, 120 Soviet aircraft were intercepted from Keflavik. In the past 14 years, that number has dropped to four.

The base officially opened in 1951, but American forces took over the defense of Iceland during World War II. The airport at Keflavik was used as a refueling station during the war, and as many as 45,000 U.S. service members were stationed in Iceland.

Despite the base's fading geopolitical relevance, the closure still came as a shock to some of the nearly 600 Icelanders who work there.

"Everybody knew it was reducing, but nobody expected it to happen this quickly," said Sigurbjorn Gustavsson, a 51-year-old computer specialist who worked on the base for 26 years. "I think that's what hurt everybody the most."

Six months ago, Gustavsson and other Icelandic employees heard they would soon be out of work not through their American bosses, but through the evening news.

"It's not the end of the world for us. It's how they did it that was a problem," said Thorey Marinosdottir, 30, a three-year base employee.

The young mother had only been working there for a few months in 2003 when the first layoffs began.

"You never knew if you were going to be the next to leave," she said.

Marinosdottir, like the majority of her colleagues, found other work. Many have been absorbed into the administration of the international airport, which will be taken over by the Icelandic government.

"The first people we saw were anxious and afraid," said Helga Johanna Oddsdottir, director of an employment agency to help base employees.

Like Gustavsson, many hadn't explored the job market for decades, and face lower wages than they were being paid by the military. Oddsdottir said the mood has recently changed: "The past few days, it's been different. There's no panic. There's no anxiety."

With a booming construction market and industrial projects in the pipeline around the country, demand for labor is high and unemployment is low. In Reykjanesbaer, the municipality closest to the base, Oddsdottir says the unemployment rate is about one percent.

In Reykjavik, people like Heimir Jon Heimisson are making a living by helping the Americans sell the material — like razors, Bibles, self-help books, mattresses and office furniture — that won't be going back to the U.S.

As for the institution that indirectly furnished him with a job and his customers with castoffs, Heimisson doesn't anticipate the departure will effect him.

"It hasn't done anything for me, and it hasn't done anything against me," he said. "We're vulnerable now, but we haven't done anything to anybody. We shouldn't be afraid."

REYKJAVIK, Iceland The United States Naval Air Station in Iceland will shut its gates for good on Saturday, ending more than half-century of U.S. military presence on this island.

Under NATO agreements, the United States has been responsible for Iceland's defense since 1951. But in March, U.S. authorities announced they would close the base, west of the island's capital.

The two countries announced this week that the U.S. will continue to defend Iceland with mobile forces stationed off the island. A package of bilateral agreements, including details of the handover of land and buildings to Iceland, and plans for security collaboration between the two countries and NATO, will be signed in coming weeks.

"We are a very special case among the NATO nations because we don't have our own defense," Icelandic Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde said at a press conference in Reykjavik. "We must now really consider defense issues much more than before — issues that accompany being an independent nation."

During the Cold War years, the base was a crucial location for tracking Russian submarines and intercepting aircraft, but by the 1990s, it had lost its strategic importance. In 1980, 120 Soviet aircraft were intercepted from Keflavik. In the past 14 years, that number has dropped to four.

The base officially opened in 1951, but American forces took over the defense of Iceland during World War II. The airport at Keflavik was used as a refueling station during the war, and as many as 45,000 U.S. service members were stationed in Iceland.

Despite the base's fading geopolitical relevance, the closure still came as a shock to some of the nearly 600 Icelanders who work there.

"Everybody knew it was reducing, but nobody expected it to happen this quickly," said Sigurbjorn Gustavsson, a 51-year-old computer specialist who worked on the base for 26 years. "I think that's what hurt everybody the most."

Six months ago, Gustavsson and other Icelandic employees heard they would soon be out of work not through their American bosses, but through the evening news.

"It's not the end of the world for us. It's how they did it that was a problem," said Thorey Marinosdottir, 30, a three-year base employee.

The young mother had only been working there for a few months in 2003 when the first layoffs began.

"You never knew if you were going to be the next to leave," she said.

Marinosdottir, like the majority of her colleagues, found other work. Many have been absorbed into the administration of the international airport, which will be taken over by the Icelandic government.

"The first people we saw were anxious and afraid," said Helga Johanna Oddsdottir, director of an employment agency to help base employees.

Like Gustavsson, many hadn't explored the job market for decades, and face lower wages than they were being paid by the military. Oddsdottir said the mood has recently changed: "The past few days, it's been different. There's no panic. There's no anxiety."

With a booming construction market and industrial projects in the pipeline around the country, demand for labor is high and unemployment is low. In Reykjanesbaer, the municipality closest to the base, Oddsdottir says the unemployment rate is about one percent.

In Reykjavik, people like Heimir Jon Heimisson are making a living by helping the Americans sell the material — like razors, Bibles, self-help books, mattresses and office furniture — that won't be going back to the U.S.

As for the institution that indirectly furnished him with a job and his customers with castoffs, Heimisson doesn't anticipate the departure will effect him.

"It hasn't done anything for me, and it hasn't done anything against me," he said. "We're vulnerable now, but we haven't done anything to anybody. We shouldn't be afraid."

U.S. military withdrawal end of an era in Iceland

By Sarah Edmonds
Reuters
Saturday, September 30, 2006; 6:14 PM



KEFLAVIK NAVAL AIR STATION, Iceland (Reuters) - The United States withdrew its last 30 military personnel from Iceland on Saturday as it shut a naval air base that in its Cold War heyday was the sixth largest town in the island nation.

The closure leaves Iceland without home-based defences and ends a U.S. military presence that has continued, with a brief late 1940s hiatus, since World War Two.

In a low-key ceremony before a U.S. Navy jet bore the remaining base residents back to the United States, a handful of U.S. military personnel faced Icelandic police as the Icelandic and American flags snapped briskly in the wind.

Both flags were lowered, and base commander Captain Mark Laughton presented the folded Stars and Stripes to the U.S. ambassador. Icelandic police then sent their country's flag back up its flagpole to fly alone.

The island nation of 300,000 has no army of its own and while most residents sounded unworried about the lack of visible defences, some expressed concern at the swift U.S. withdrawal.

Iceland learned in March that the base was to close.

"I think that says something about what they think about defending us," said Johann Stefansson, who owns a pizza restaurant in the town of Keflavik.

U.S. officials said this was the inevitable end of the Cold War chapter in the U.S.-Icelandic relationship. The two countries have signed an agreement that includes a U.S. promise to rush to Iceland's aid if needed.

"The kind of dangers that the people ... at the base worked to counter are no longer critical in the 21st century," U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carol van Voorst said, adding that the two nations would still work closely to combat terrorism and crime.

"If we had something of a conventional threat, I can tell you we'd be here fast," she added. "We have very mobile and agile forces now and we can move men and materiel very fast."

COLD WAR TOWN

In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde expressed similar confidence.

"We don't perceive a threat from any other country in the old sense," he said.

"(U.S.) fighters can get up here pretty fast," he said, then added: "Of course obviously longer than before, but still I am sure sufficient in case there is a danger."

The base on this windswept Icelandic peninsula housed some 6,000 at its peak, including military, families and local staff. From 1980 to 1991, its fighters intercepted some 130 Soviet bombers a year.

After his second summit with Mikhail Gorbachev ended in disappointment in 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan celebrated Keflavik's importance in a speech there.

Before Saturday's ceremony, U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Randy Weirs, commander of the Iceland Defense Force, drove through empty streets that once hummed with activity.

The base is a town in itself, complete with a primary school with a 650-student capacity, a high school, fast-food restaurants and the only baseball fields in Iceland.

Iceland is looking at ways to re-use the residential buildings, perhaps as a campus or health facility, while businesspeople are eyeing the hangars and service buildings for commercial development.

Naval Air Station Keflavik Disestablishes After 45 Years

Keflavik, Iceland - Naval Air Station Keflavik conducts a disestablishment ceremony officially ending its 45 years of operations in support of the defense of Iceland. Over one hundred Sailors attended the event, representing a majority of the forces that remain of a population that once exceeded 5,000 military and civilian personnel and family members. The United States has had a military presence in Iceland since 1941, and a formal defense agreement with that nation since 1951. The Navy assumed the responsibility of running the air station from the U.S. Air Force in 1961. The base acted as a platform for several operational capabilities throughout World War II, the Cold War and in the modern arena.

From Naval Media Center Broadcasting Detachment Keflavik

KEFLAVIK, Iceland (NNS) -- Naval Air Station Keflavik (NASKEF) disestablished Sept. 8 during a ceremony officially ending its 45 years of operations in support of the defense of Iceland.

More than 100 Sailors attended the event, representing a majority of the forces that remain of a population that once exceeded 5,000 military and civilian personnel and family members. Special guests included U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carol Van Voorst and special envoy for Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thorsteinn Ingolfsson.

Commander, Navy Region Europe, Rear Adm. Noel Preston said the base played an important role in his region’s military strategy.

“In the height of the Cold War, this was the place to be to protect against Soviet submarines. And we were successful and the NASKEF team had a great deal to do with that,” Preston said. “Now the world has changed and we are facing a war on terrorism. We are changing how we plan and prepare for this war. But what will not change is our friendship and partnership with Iceland.”

The United States has had a military presence in Iceland since 1941, and a formal defense agreement with that nation since 1951. The Navy assumed the responsibility of running the air station from the U.S. Air Force in 1961. The base acted as a platform for several operational capabilities throughout World War II, the Cold War and in the modern arena. The hangar housed rotational P-3 Orion aircraft and crews in support of anti-submarine warfare until 2004. The Army National Guard units and Interim Marine Security Forces stormed the lava fields surrounding the base during training exercises such as Northern Viking. The flight line served as a launching point for U. S. Air Force F-15 fighters.

The ceremony also marked the final moments of a transition that began in March. In preparation for the turnover, the NASKEF and tenant command team cleaned and cleared 550 facilities, and shipped 6.6 million pounds of household goods, 850 privately owned vehicles and 600 government vehicles.

“I’m in total awe of the people aboard NASKEF,” said Capt. Mark S. Laughton, the air station’s final commanding officer. “Everyone from the Sailors to the Airmen to the U.S. civilians to our host nationals who have worked this effort, have done an incredible job. And the cooperation has been simply outstanding. There are 23 tenant commands onboard the air station so it was not just a NASKEF effort. It involved everyone here and many higher headquarters elements to develop the plan and execute it.”

Everywhere from housing units, to playgrounds, to schools -- all that remains now is the memories of the vibrant community the base once supported.

A reception following the ceremony provided time for Sailors and Icelanders to spend a few last light-hearted moments together. For many, the hardest part is saying goodbye to host nation counterparts that have helped build the base’s strong legacy.

“I will really miss this place,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class (FMF) John Richardson, who led the Honor Guard during the ceremony. “I’ve been here two years and I’ve enjoyed being here where there is great camaraderie, beautiful landscapes to photograph, and where the people are really wonderful.”

The transition is to be completed by Sept. 30.

Multiple A.T. Mahan reunions at Homecoming 2007

Multiple A.T. Mahan reunions at Homecoming 2007

What? Homecoming 2007 hosted by OVERSEAS BRATS
When? August 2-5, 2007
Where? Hyatt Regency Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, TX.

I’ve signed-up, paid, and committed to attend Overseasbrats Homecoming 2007. It would be great to have a large A.T. Mahan presents so I invite all A.T. Mahan Alumni use the Overseasbrats Homecoming 2007 for their next reunion. Why?

Overseasbrats can accommodate a multiple-year A.T. Mahan reunion. Hospitality suites will be awarded for the larger groups according to Overseasbrats. Here's how it would work for us. Assign or volunteer a reunion committee for your group (i.e. early 90’s) and encourage your classmates to come. That's all you have to do. Overseasbrats already has done most of the planning.

A) We don't have to do anything with the hotel, handle money, etc.

B) You all don't have to work at registration or any of the activities unless you want to help.

C) You all don't have to plan the evening activities. All this is being taken care of.

D) A lot of our classmates live in Texas, so this will be very accessible for them.

E) For your classmates coming from out of state, they will be flying into a hub airport which means airfares will be reasonable.

F) The Hyatt Regency Dallas-Fort Worth offers courtesy shuttle service to and from the airport. This saves your classmates from having to rent a car.

G) The event would be held at an OVERSEAS BRATS Homecoming, the fourth event they have hosted of this size since 1999.

H) This is your reunion and every event is being taken care of to keep you and your friends and classmates together.

When you do decide to have your reunion at this event, know that: -They will be working with you to get people to come to your reunion;-As people register, you will know as soon as they do;-They will work hard to keep our different alumni groups together;-Those in our alumni group who are interested or planning or coming will be kept updated about their reunion and this special the event.

One of the goals the key staff (who are former Military Brats/Overseas Brats like you and me!) of this event and I have is to look out for your group so that everyone has a safe and fun time, and to do the work you would normally do at a reunion.

I) An incentive plan that will provide $$$s for snacks and goodies for your hospitality suite! The more people you can get to come to your reunion at Homecoming 2007, the more $$$s you'll receive from OVERSEAS BRATS to purchase goodies for your hospitality suite!

Information Links:
Information (Cost,events,transportation,etc)

registration

How to Locate Lost Friends

Americans walk out after Speech by Icelandic Member of Althingi

IcelandReview - Online

According to Fréttabladid, representatives of the United States walked out of a meeting of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly after Dagný Jónsdóttir, a member of Iceland's parliament, criticized how the US had notified Icelandic authorities that the American base in Keflavík would be closed.

Dagný especially noted the short notice with which the American base would be closed. (On March 15, US Deputy Secretary of State Nicholas Burns phoned then Icelandic Foreign minister Geir Haarde and informed him that the US government had decided to pull its fighter jets and helicopter rescue squadron out of Iceland before October. Previously talks had been conducted at the highest level between Iceland's Prime Minister and the President of the United States. Icelandic pundits said, “At least they did not end it by sending an SMS.”)

Both Dagný Jónsdóttir and Minister of Foreign Affairs Valgerdur Sverrisdóttir are members of the Progressive party. Dagný said in her speech that the United States' behavior was not in good taste, especially considering that Icelanders had been strong supporters and allies of the US over the years.

Dagný said that she had previously taken up the matter in a committee meeting but the US representatives had shown no reaction. “I pointed out the security situation in the North Atlantic after the US had left Iceland,” Dagný says in an interview with Fréttabladid. In the final meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Dagný raised the matter again, receiving reactions from the Russians, Canadians, British and Scandinavian representatives, but there was still no word from US representatives.

“I don’t know whether it was a coincidence but as soon as I finished my speech [the US representatives] walked out of the meeting room,” Dagný Jónsdóttir said.