Final Flag Ceremony at USTDC

Scott Ellinger pointed me to an excellent YouTube video this morning. 

Toward the end of the video is a ten second segment showing the lowering of the colors for the last time at USTDC during the afternoon of April 26, 1979. Marine SSG D. J. Gemmecke lowered the colors.  I'm fairly certain that the Navy officer standing in front of the group is Rear Admiral James Linder, the last Commander of the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command.  After the ceremony, he and his wife Patricia went to the airport and departed Taiwan.

You can go directly to the flag lowering portion of the video by clicking on the following link:  http://youtu.be/PRoe-ZNdiDo?t=9m8s

You can watch the complete video by clicking on this link:  http://youtu.be/PRoe-ZNdiDo.

The Prodigal Plaque

Military units often present plaques or other mementos to those who depart for other assignments.  When I was at USTDC, most of us received a plaque and maybe a medal or two.  Unfortunately, during one of my moves from one assignment to another over the years, my TDC plaque was lost.

Some time ago, Army LTC Scott Ellinger casually asked me for the dates of my tour at TDC and, after doing a bit of digging, I managed to come up with them.

A few days ago I received a package from Scott that contained a plaque exactly like the one I lost.  Actually, the engraved plate is a bit more fancy than the brass plate that was on the original, but otherwise they're identical.

I spoke with Scott this week and he explained that he purchased several items from the estate of the late Navy Vice Admiral Phil Beshany, who was the Commander of TDC while I was there and this plaque was among them.  The brass plate was missing but the plaque itself was undoubtedly presented to VADM Beshany upon his departure from TDC a few weeks ahead of me.  That makes it even more special to me.

Thanks so much, Scott.  It was very thoughtful of you and I sincerely appreciate it.

Analyst in a War Theater Role -- 1964

Old friend John Quinn uncovered a very interesting declassified document from 1964.  It's called "Analyst in a War Theater Role" and it provides an overview of the role of U.S. military intelligence analysts at the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command and elsewhere, especially during the early years of the U.S. military presence in Taiwan.  It was written by Robert W. Smith, who may have been on the J-2 (Intelligence) staff at USTDC.

You can read or download the PDF document at:  http://www.mediafire.com/view/pr5ms58711bebh0/Analyst_in_a_War_Theater_Role_-_1964.pdf.

1965 Taiwan Report

The U.S. Taiwan Defense Command periodically published a brochure called "Taiwan Report."  It was primarily intended for individuals and families who were being assigned to the Taipei area, providing them with an overview of life in Taiwan.

I previously posted a copy of the 1973 version of the brochure and another copy that was published in the 1960s that included several pages about Shulinkou Air Station.  Links to both documents are to the right.

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Ellinger recently sent me the 1965 edition.  You can download the PDF file by clicking on its cover, shown below.  It's a rather large file, so it may take several minutes to download.

HSA Plaque

*** UPDATE ***

Old friend John Quinn advises that Master Chief Schreppel passed away in 2005 and is buried at Arlington.  John explained that Schreppel would have been the highest Master Chief in the command (MCPOC). SK was his rating (Storekeeper).

Taipei Scott just acquired this plaque that was originally given to Master Chief Petty Officer of Command (MCPOC) Schreppel during his visit to Taipei during March, 1974.   I'm guessing that Chief Schreppel was out of CINCPAC, but I haven't been able to find anything on him so far.  Does anyone recall him?

Hacked Again

Several individuals who were on the contact list of my USTDC Yahoo email account received bogus emails today due to someone with an ISP in Poland hacking the account.  The emails contained only a link to another website.  This is the second time over the years that this has happened.  I thought I had sufficient safeguards in place to keep it from happening again, but apparently not.

If you were one of those who received the bogus email,  I apologize for the inconvenience.  I never send emails with just a link in them without also explaining why I'm sending it and what the link is about.

I have taken several steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again, but in today's world there are no  guarantees, unfortunately.

MG Bowen Farewell

Scott in Taipei provided this photograph of 鮑恩少將 Major General Frank S. Bowen, who was Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) during Sep 1956 - Jul 1958.

 If you have more information on MG Bowen or if you recognize any of the other individuals in this photograph, please comment below.