US Taiwan Defense Command: April 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Chung Shan N. Road -- 1973

Dennis McNelis and I served in Taipei during the same period (1973-1974). I don't think we ever met in those days, though it's likely that we saw each other from time to time. Unlike me, Dennis took a lot of photos of the area in those days and I've posted several of them here in the past. He is now in the process of scanning his collection of color slides from that period and I'll likely be posting some of them here also as they become available in the weeks ahead.

Today's image was taken during July, 1973. It was taken from the south end of the old bridge on Chung Shan North Road. You're facing southwest and the area behind the billboards is where the zoo was located. Note that one of the signs is advertising Royal Crown Cola.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

East Compound

Dennis McNelis sent another photo taken at the Headquarters Support Activity (HSA) east compound, sometime during 1973-74. To your right is the Navy Exchange, which was located directly across the parking lot from the commissary. At the far end is the library and theater. What do you suppose they were doing with that big crane?

Friday, April 22, 2011

More on TDC's Back Entrance

Stev Pitchford annotated (in black) the map from the last post to show the route he used to take from the rear entrance to his workplace in the photo lab. He says that there was no passageway from the main building to the building behind it at that time. I extended his path to show (in red) the route that I took to the TDC main entrance.

I tried to figure out where my office was but I've pretty much forgotten the layout of the interior of the building, except for the main lobby (shown below in a really rough sketch!) and the interior of my office.

If anyone would like to take a shot at diagramming the building's interior (lower or upper floor), please send me whatever you come up with.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Rear entrance to USTDC

Old friend and frequent contributor Dennis McNelis just sent me this shot of the rear entrance to TDC. The tennis courts are to the right.

I think I used to enter that way to get to my office, but I must have had to walk around the building to the left to get to the main entrance, since the outside door to my office only opened from the inside. I'm still having trouble figuring out exactly which corner of the building this shows. Memories have faded over the past 37 years or so.

Below is a map of the compound. The TDC building was #19 on the map. I believe the main entrance to the building was just above and to the left of the #19. The tennis courts shown to the right in the above photo are at #17 on this map.

If anyone remembers this any better than I do, or if you can identify anything else in the photo, please let me know.

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