PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
The following Reflection represents JOC Frith Arthur’s legacy of their military service from 1970 to 1991. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life.
Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?
December 2002 and my wife, JO1 Teresa Frith, is assigned to Naval Media Center Detachment Keflavik, Iceland. It was known as AFRTS Keflavik when I was stationed there from 1974-1976. I am now a dependent and retired journalist chief petty officer working at A.T. Mahan Elementary School.
It s Christmas Eve. Teresa and I are on Armed Forces Radio-Keflavik in Studio-A doing our weekly two-hour oldies show, Yesterday Once More . The base C.O., Captain Dean Kiyohara, joins us with “Santa” (a.k.a. Command Master Chief James Newton) taking phone calls during the first hour.
A short time after our guests departed, I received an off-air phone call from a VERY upset listener: “Mr. Frith. Why is the captain so mean??” Asking the girl what she meant, she replied: “It’s on TV. Look!!” I turned on our monitor and, sure enough, there it is on AFN-TV. I told her not to worry, hung up and immediately called the Skipper. “You and Jim need to get Santa back here right now! “You have a MAJOR public relations problem happening right now, Sir.”
THE PROBLEM?? AFN is airing JAG: Season 7, Episode 11. The plot: On Christmas Eve, the Navy is forced to round up and quarantine reindeer that have wandered onto U.S. Naval Air Station Keflavik, Santa’s reindeer! More calls from upset kids come in before “Santa” and the C.O. arrive. One youngster wasn’t terribly upset about the situation unfolding on TV: Mr. Frith. Does this mean that WE get to keep ALL the toys if the captain doesn’t let the reindeer go? Well, our two guests arrive and handle the “problem” perfectly. The skipper explains that what is on TV right now is NOT real. “Santa” chimes in: “We’re just refueling the reindeer with special food before continuing on our job tonight. Christmas is going on as scheduled.”
In or out of uniform, this is one of the most memorable radio shows I ever hosted on Armed Forces Radio Keflavik. Iceland.
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