Somebody recently mentioned the Naval Hospital and I've been trying remember where it was located. I vaguely remember going there for immunizations and I think I may have gone there on one or two other occasions, but I can't even picture the place. The name NAMRU-2 seems to ring a bell for some reason.
Does anyone out there remember where it was?
Don,
ReplyDeleteI think the Navy Hosptial was not to far from the BOT housing in Tienmou. The main road to BOT ran SE to NW, and at some point just beyond BOT housing, there was an East - West Rd - with a rather wide benjou ditch on one side. The hospital was on that road. At least that's what I remember! Surely someone has a map of key facilities back then - with BOT housing area, bowling alley, Taipei American School, etc.!
Regards
Yes, The Navy Hospital was located in Tien-Mu, while Namru (Navy or Army Medical Reseach Unit) was located in the Downtown Area near the railroad station (hope I got that right, but working from memory). I was a mail carrier all over the place back in 1965.
ReplyDeleteI remember the hospital being in in Tien Mu. I remember that if you were coming from Taipei you would pass the BOT housing and take the 1st left which was Tien Mu Road 3 West Road. This would lead you to the hospital about 2 miles down the road. It was across the street from the Taiwan Veterans hospital.
ReplyDeleteAlthough small the hospital provided very good service. I received dental treatment there too.
All in all a good hospital.
Regards
25° 7'16.10"N
ReplyDelete121°31'24.27"E
I lived a few hundred yards away and used to get picked up for school at the TAS bus stop right beside the hospital.
Rumour has it that some secretive chemical experimentation was conducted at this site.
My lasting memory is a friend having had a bicycle stolen just outside the baseball diamond, post US withdrawal, and being spat at by the local kids, as they assumed, falsely, that we were American.
Anon: Thanks very much for the coordinates and I'm sorry that you were subjected to such shabby treatment. Kids can be pretty cruel and those were obviously very turbulent times.
ReplyDeleteDon
I was playing soccer at TAS on the day that the the news broke about the withdrawal. I remember being horrified that the matches were abanonded.
ReplyDeleteThe 1970's TAS (Taipei American School) is still a vacant building - as it is governement property.
25° 6'8.24"N
121°31'11.77"E
It was prone to flooding during typhoons but since the river was developed it is a much better area.
It's only in the last year or two that most of the facility was knocked down and you could still see the old swimming pool and sports facilities on google earth. Now only a couple of the old buildings remain.
Was anyone there for the bi-centenial celebrations in '76? I remember there was a huge gathering on the sports fields.
As far as local animosity goes post-us forces withdrawal it lasted only for a short while. We used to wear pins and stickers with the Nationalist flag for a while as this showed our support and deflected any negativity.
New BOT
ReplyDelete25° 7'4.07"N
121°31'43.55"E
Old BOT
25° 7'0.20"N
121°31'46.07"E
I can't honestly remember which was the 'old' and which was the 'new' BOT so these might be mixed up. However the new BOT, was the first to be vacated and was decaying by '78. The housing conditions were squalid as no one ever seemed to settle.
The old BOT came down in about 1980.
The east baseball diamond (old BOT) is still the same one was it was in the '60s and '70s but no other buildings remain. The bowling alley, cinema and pool were all behind this.
The only dwellings that I remember to be used by US serviceman still standing in Tienmu is a tiny apartment complex:
25° 6'48.48"N
121°31'43.09"E
Anon,
ReplyDeleteI was there for the fireworks at TAS for the bicentennial. I remember lavying on a blanket with many many people around me. I seem to remember the fireworks were great with an American flag appearing in the fireworks.
I went to U of Maryland night classes at the old TAS. Those were very good times.
As for old vs new BOT. The old BOT were up the hill past the "Tien Mu" tree. You would pass the tree and about three quarters of the way up the hill towards the police and bus station you would take a left and the old BOT houses were spread about.
The new BOT area is where the new TAS is today. There was a teen club, swimming pool, bowling alley, and theater in the complex.
Your writings are really enjoyable.
Good luck
Bill
"Anon" has graciously provided a number of useful coordinates here. For those who don't already have a copy of Google Earth, I suggest you download a copy at earth.google.com. Once installed, you'll be able to type in those coordinates and see where everything used to be.
ReplyDeleteUSTDC was in the general area of:
25° 4'18.96"N
121°31'32.94"E
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteWhen a new building of primary school of TES (Taipei European School) had built at spring of 2007 next to the old TAS main building, and started to use from the semenster 2007/08.
The vacant TAS buildings had been destroyed at late 2007, and may be a park or road as extend section of Fu-kuo Road (to connect the ZhouMei Expressway).
New TES primary school is located at:
25° 6'3.41"N
121°31'13.11"E
Hello, my name is Bud, I was stationed HSA, Supply and Fiscal, Staff Services for about 5 months. then moved out by the Airport to the POL/Disposal Yard. My wife was there with me and our son was born in the HSA Hospital June of 1968. When you were talking about the mongolian bbq, my mouth began to water. Does anyone remember the tree in the middle of the road in Tien Mou? Coming from Taipei just past the tree turn left I lived back that road. Don't recall the name. How about Ricardo Lyns Furniture store? I was in the Navy fourteen years, Taipei was the best duty I ever had! I left there Dec 1969, was there for a week in 74.
ReplyDeleteRicordo Lynn was located just after the bridge between Shilin and Tienmu if you were heading out of Taipei. There as a traffic circle (roundabout) in front of the store which became a regular junction some time in the '80s.
ReplyDeleteThey only stopped occupying that location quite recently.
The tree in the road is sort of still there but it isn't the original tree. I remember it not being there and now it appears to be back again..??
Yea, we were right around the corner from the Naval Hospital. And I remember the baseball diamonds too. We spent many nights at this place for my brothers baseball games.
ReplyDeleteI was born in the Navy Hospital in March of 1975. My family were living in Tien Mu at the time 1965-1975. Does anyone have any photos of the hospital?
ReplyDeleteYou can find that photo at this ROC website:
ReplyDeletehttp://taiwanimage.gio.gov.tw/photo/en/category1.php?c=926&startPage=9
I can't format in the Comments section so just highlight the entire address, copy it and paste it into your browser. The hospital picture is the first on on that page (#9).
Don
All this brings such strong memories, more like snapshots than facts. We arrived in 1957 and left in '60. I remember the big tree in the middle of the road in Tien Mou, my sister and I had dresses made by a woman who lived in the village. Traveling opera companies played a field just south of the tree. Our house was up the hill and to the right, I don't remember how far. Racing across the paddies to the elementary school! The bus to TAS, envying the gorgeous upperclassmen (Bobby Sun and Susan Hart!) and Senior Island events, decorating the gym for dances. Going to Yang Ming Shan to get cool. Dinners at the Golden Dragon. My sister and I had the time of our lives, on our bikes up in the hills, treated with kindness and humor by the Taiwanese. I'd love to go back, but as Thomas Wolfe said...
ReplyDeleteSigrid Heath (Bunny Wallace) said...
ReplyDelete"All this brings such strong memories, more like snapshots than facts...."
Sounds like you really enjoyed your time in Taiwan! I assume that you're aware that there's a Taipei American School alumni website: http://www.taipeiamericanalumni.org/
Regards,
Don
I was born in the Navy Hospital in December 1967. I had the opportunity to return to Taipei a couple of weeks ago. My aunt (who lives in Taipei) asked the local mayor to help us locate site of the old U.S. Navy Hospital. He gave us the address of the Neural Regeneration Center.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was stationed at the Dental Clinic at the Naval Hospital from 1964 to 1967. We lived across the street in the stone houses surronded by a brick wall. I went to TAS and remember the rice paddies, the fireworks, going to Camp McCauley for the summer. great times.
ReplyDeleteRoy
The Hospital that served all the military in 1955-1959 to the best of my recollection was the MAAG hospital in the MAAG compound off of Chung Shan Pei Lo. Don't recall any other Hospital in the area at the time. Believe they contemplated moving the MAAG Hospital shortly after one of the typhoons flooded it pretty bad. Went back to Taiwan a couple of years ago and attempted to locate the command where I was stationed. It was COMSEVENTFLT Staff Det. Alfa, Joint Operations Center (JOC). It was located about a 1/4 of a mile past the old 13th AF Base Out a long way via Roosevelt Rd (which was a dirt road at the time). If anyone can offer a coordinate for google world check I would appreciate. I might add, the first club 63 was also on the compound and moved to Pei An Rd (below the Grand Hotel) in 57 I believe.
ReplyDeleteThe O Club was a little ways outside the gate of the MAAG Compound up on Chung Shan Pei Rd. across from Hostel 2. Fond memories of different times. I completed 30 years of Naval Service in 1981 and my memories have always taken me back to the best duty station I had in Taiwan. Best, Gene Abernathy
I was a Navy Dental Tech at the TDC hospital from January of 1959 until April of 1961. The hospital was located on Chung San North Road not far from the old Grand Hotel unti early 1961. It was then moved to a new building in Tien Mou.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear from any DT's or HM's from that era.
Hi -- I also lived near the navy hospital and caught the TAS bus right outside of it. I lived in taiwan from 1977-1982. I went back two years ago and have a ok pic of the hospital but not sure how to post on this site.
ReplyDeleteMohit Sadani TAS '86
Sorry, but readers can't post photos in the comments section. If you'll send me an email with the photo as an attachment and maybe comment about when you took the shot (and any other comments you'd like to include) and I'll be happy to post it on the blog.
ReplyDeleteDon
I was a Dental Technician stationed at the Naval Hospital from July, 1968 to August, 1970. Would love to hear from anyone…especially Major Suzie ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was born February 1967 at the Naval Hospital in Tien Mou. This info was just confirmed by a call to my Dad. I am traveling to SE Asia and have a long layover in Taipei. Much to my disappointment the hospital is no longer there.I was planning to start my journey at the place where I was born. I really have enjoyed reading the comments. Happy New Year! Jen
ReplyDeleteJen, there have been several things posted here at the blog about the Naval hospital. If you go to the search box toward the top of the right-hand column and type in "hospital," you'll find most of them. The one at the following link was about another person who was born there and who returned to the spot where the old hospital was located: http://ustdc.blogspot.com/2010/08/taichung-area-maag.html
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Don
TDC Blogger
Hi, I was born in this hospital in 1974, i was wondering if anyone might know what has happened to all of the records of birth. I'm missing my birth certificate and i'm not sure where to begin. Any help would be great.
ReplyDeleteHi, you may check with US navy about the record I guess, I was working at that hospital in
Delete1974 ,it located at Taipei city, See Lin district, USD to be called Turn Mou
Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteI think you will find the info you're looking for at this State Department website: http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_825.html
Don
TDC Blogger
My son was born at the Naval Hospital in 1964. It was a great place to have a family. I loved my 5 years in Tien Mou very much.
ReplyDeleteHello guys,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Cheng Ming( Tommy Jame) who have worked for naval hospital at warehouse as a local supply clerk in 1973/74-75, remember name ,Wallz was chief of supply, could anyone let me know who have worked there before? I have been a chinese m.p. at 3213th air force compound in Taipei kon Kwan close to Taiwan university. I would like to have clues of my American colleagues if any one can help would be much appreciated.
My email.
tommyjamestella@gmail.com
We were stationed in Taiwan twice...1958/1960 and then again Dec 1966 to Dec 1968. My Dad was a hospital corpsman. The first tour he was at the dispensary in the compound in Taipei and then at the hospital in Tien Mou.
ReplyDeleteJ. Hand
I was stationed at the Navy Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan from 1976-1978. I first lived on the East Compound BEQ - but living so far from the hospital became tedious and I rented an apartment just across the street from the back entry. I loved my days in Taipei, I only wish I could've understood the history a bit better. I was actually the youngest sailor on the island and was the official "cake cutter" at the Navy Ball in 1977. It was located in Tien Mou - which felt more local than military. Our CO was Capt. Ling.
ReplyDelete