US Taiwan Defense Command: Returning to Taiwan

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Returning to Taiwan

I want to put in another plug for the Taiwan trip being prepared by Kent Mathieu and Bill Kling. If you have ever considered returning to Taiwan for a visit, this may be your best opportunity.

The details are still being worked out, but here's what they have in mind at this point:

Depart from the west coast, probably on China Air Lines on Wednesday, September 9th and arriving in Taipei on Friday, September 11th. The rest of the day will consist of the usual arrival routine, checking in at the hotel, exchanging cell phone numbers, etc.
Saturday will be spent visiting Taipei Air Station, National Taiwan University, the former HSA east and west compound areas, Taipei 101, and various other spots.
On Sunday, the schedule includes visits to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the Presidential Office Building, the 228 Peace Park and other locations in the area.
Monday will include a visit to Keelung, then on to the artist town of Jioufen. Next will be a visit to a gold mine and a World War II POW camp at Chinghuashii. After that will be a trip through the longest tunnel in Asia to Hualien to visit a marble factory and other places, then check into a local hotel for the night.
Tuesday will include Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake and other area sights.
On Wednesday the group will travel to Alishan, which is about 7,250 feet above sea level. There will be plenty of time for hiking the well marked nature trails before heading to a local hotel for the night.
On Thursday the group will return to Taipei with free time for the remainder of the day.
Friday is a free day where you can visit (or revisit) all the other places you'd like to see in Taipei.
Saturday will be for farewells and return to the airport for the flight home.

There is still much planning to be done, but if you're at all interested in this trip, visit this page at Kent's Taipei Air Station website for more details. If you don't have a current passport, you'll need to get the paperwork moving on that also. Kent tells me that he'll have a better handle on prices in the next few weeks, so be sure and let him know if you're interested so he can better estimate group prices for all events.

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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, February 17, 2009

Returning to Taiwan

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