The 110th Aviation Surveillance Company was located in Verona, Italy until 1 April 1971. On the date, it was reduced and relocated to Dal Molin Airport, Vicenza, Italy under new colors and redesignated the 6th Aviation Detachment. In March of 1993 it was renamed the 6th Aviation Company.

The mission of the 6th Aviation Company has been to support the Southern European Task Force with its many missions throughout Europe, northwest Asian and North Africa. Until 1991, a platoon was located in Athens, Greece in support of the 558th Artillery Group.

1SG Daniel M. Turkelson

1st Platoon Leader - 1st LT

A-Team: Team Leader SSG- w-four soldiers

B-Team: Team Leader SGT- w-four soldiers

2nd platoon Leader- 1st LT

C-Team: Team Leader SSG- w-four soldiers

D-Team: Team Leader SGT- w-four soldiers

I was awarded the AAM. Soldier of the Month Award (statue of Leonidis and Soldier of the Year Award- Chariot).

The detachment also had a car that was passed down from soldier to soldier for at least three or four years -- and was still running in 1988 -- when I left Greece.

I found your webpage on the 59th Ord Bde while looking for a few points about my old USAFAD - the 70th US Army Field Artillery Detachment, which was located in Yiannitsa, Greece () as part of the 558th USAAG.

Recently I visited Fort Sill and ran into my old boss from the 70th USAFAD. We both had just been to see the new Field Artillery museum and had noticed an almost complete lack of information or effort to document the Field Artillery and Missile Warhead Detachments.

The links below have photos of the 70th USAFAD taken several years -- possible more than a decade -- after deactivation of the unit. I'm sure the owners would be pleased to either share them with you or post the link.

My own history with the 70th began in February 1981 and lasted 13 months. When I arrived, CPT Raymond R. (Spike) Anderson, was Detachment Commander. The other officers were CPT Curtis (Curt) Lupo, CPT Jack Kloeber, CPT John Humphries, and 1LT Charles B. (Ben) Allen. Over time all of the officers rotated and were replaced. CPT William (Bill) Koziar assumed command in August 1981. The other officers were all first lieutenants when they arrived but were promoted to CPT during their assignment. They included 1LT Terry R. Adams, 1Lt Keith Aarseth (not a typo), and 1LT Frank A. Hollo. I lost touch with most of these officers over the years but I did track a couple of them down.

Jack Kloeber is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with a PhD in Economic Decision Analysis from Georgia Tech. He also taught mathematics at West Point for 3 years and at the Air Force Institute of Technology for six years.

Curt Lupo retired as a full colonel.

Ben Allen was promoted to Brigadier General but was killed in a helicopter crash on 29 Nov 04. At the time he was the Assistant Division Commander (Support) for 4th Infantry Division.

Bill Koziar also retired from the Army and now works for the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington supporting Stryker Brigade development.

The 70th USAFAD was exclusively an 8-inch detachment when I worked there. The Greek Field Artillery unit we supported was located about 1/2 mile south of our detachment area on the west side of Yiannitsa (aka Giannitsa), Greece. The 193rd Heavy Artillery Battalion was equipped with two firing batteries of four M115 towed 8" howitzers. Interestingly, the nuclear weapons yield exceeded the range of the weapon system!

Yianntitsa was located about 10km (6 miles) northwest of the small town of Pella, traditionally considered the birthplace of Alexander the Great.

Our detachment was divided into three teams -- two of these supported the 193rd and the third supported a second FA battalion located in the village of Agia Varvara, near Veria, Greece. "Agia Varvara" is Greek for "Saint Barbara" and as all good Redlegs know, St Barbara is the patron saint of Artillerymen.

The 70th was one of several subordinate detachments of the 558th US Army Artillery Group (USAAG) which consisted of both Field and Air Defense Artillery warhead detachments. The 70th's sister detachments in northern Greece were the 18th USAFAD in Kilkis, the 19th USAFAD in Perivolaki, and the 88th USAFAD in Drama. Down south and located near Athens were the 76th and 78th USAADs, 138th Ordnance Company, and HQs, 558th USAAG. The Group Hqs and 138th were located on the Greek Air Force Base at Elevsis, west of Athens. The 76th USAAD was in Koropi, east of Athens and the 78th in Katsimidi.

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