US Taiwan Defense Command: Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Sarj Bloom penned these verses to describe his arrival on Taiwan many years ago:

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Arriving

Far below everything is green
Yet close like a lush blanket
Mountain and valleys never ending
Green on green a living dream.

Descending the scenery changes
Bomb craters and dirty streets
Simple buildings, strange sounds
Bicycles and pedicabs scurrying around.

Asking around I find where to stay
A long ride up a steep mountain
To an old strange looking building
Chinese men welcome me to Grass Mountain Hostel

The smell is surfer and old wood yet not offensive
It rains very hard that night and the room leaks
Servants change the sheets and clean up
In the morning a fresh, yet strange new start

First Day

The bathroom is communal with many windows
Looking out it seems like clouds or maybe mist
Strange feeling of being alone yet a peaceful newness
Down to breakfast served by Chinese gentlemen.

I feel a beauty about the surrounding quaintness
I'm no longer the same person
I am so far from home, from my culture
How will I change and what will I discover?

Down the mountain into town
We are going to drink and eat American style
Typical American dinner and beer at military club
This doesn’t make me less lonely, just confused

Back up the mountain to my hostel
Amazing how I feel at peace and secure
I’m comfortable with my new surroundings
The kind and gentle ways of the service people

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Sarj, truely wonderful and emotional. Many of us experienced the same deep feelings my friend.; 10 June, 2008 12:54

Overview

The United States Taiwan Defense Command was a sub-unified command which reported directly to the Commander-in-Chief Pacific (CINCPAC). The command was composed of personnel from all branches of the U.S. armed forces and had its headquarters in Taipei.

Operational since November 1, 1955, USTDC was a planning headquarters for the defense of Taiwan and the Pescadores. In the event of hostilities, the Commander, USTDC, would have assumed an operational role and coordinated with the Government of the Republic of China in the defense of Taiwan and the Pescadores. In the event of such a contingency, three existing service commanders would have reported to the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command commander. The 327th Air Division commander would be the air component commander, the Taiwan Patrol Force commander would be the naval component commander, and the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) would be the Army component commander.

In addition to planning and peacetime responsibilities, the Commander of USTDC was assigned as the Single Senior Military Representative of Commander-in-Chief Pacific (CINCPAC). As such, he served as CINCPAC's single military spokesman on Taiwan -- exclusive of the miliitary assistance program -- and assumed responsibility for coordinating administrative and other policy matters for all U.S. armed forces on Taiwan on behalf of CINCPAC.

After twenty-three years, five months and twenty-six days of operation, the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command held its final flag retreat ceremony during the afternoon of April 26, 1979. Marine SSG D. J. Gemmecke lowered the colors for the last time.

Rear Admiral James P. Linder, the last USTDC Commander, departed Taiwan on April 28, 1979, accompanied by his wife Patricia.

Today there is no trace of the large American military compound on Chung Shan North Road in which USTDC was located. The area now contains a modern art museum, a park and a large sports stadium.

I am not a historian, but I do recognize that history unrecorded is history lost. My objective here is simply to record some of my own experiences as an Air Force enlisted man during my assignment to USTDC from 10 June 1973 until 4 September 1974, and to provide a platform for others to do the same.

Feel free to comment on any of these entries or to e-mail me with your own experiences and photographs. My e-mail address is displayed at the top and bottom of this column, or you can comment on any of my entries by clicking on "Comments" directly under each one.

Don Wiggins
SMSgt (Ret), USAF
Arkansas, USA
USTDC, J-12

Regarding Photographs

To the best of my knowledge, all photographs on this blog are either in the public domain or are displayed with the permission of their owners.

Owned photographs remain the sole property of the individuals who provided them. They are not to be downloaded, copied or reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of their owners.

Send all requests for consent to me, through the email link at the bottom of this column, and I will pass them along to the owner of the photographs.

If you see any photographs here, past or present, which you believe have been inappropriately posted, contact me at the email address shown at the bottom of this column and they will be removed.

USTDC

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

1 comment:

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