East Compound Chinese Restaurant

A few days ago I posted a link to a blog called Boudicca's Voice.  The author's father was assigned to USTDC and the family lived in the Taipei area up to the time of the US withdrawal.

In one of her emails to me, she mentioned a Chinese restaurant in the east compound.  She thought it was behind the theater and that it was called the China Pavilion.

I don't remember the place at all but I'm wondering if it was the building labeled "Mess Hall" (building 709) in this page from the Taiwan Report:

If anyone else remembers the place, please leave a comment or two about it.  I saw another diagram which labeled that building as the FASD facility.  It seems to me that FASD stood for Foreign Affairs Service Department (or something like that) and I think they operated the hostel where I lived.  Were they a department of the ROC government?  Maybe MND? Did the restaurant accept US dollars, NT dollars or both?  I know that I always had to convert US dollars to NT to pay my monthly rent at the hostel.

In The Beginning . . .

I was recently contacted by retired Marine Colonel Darrell Davidson, who was one of the first to arrive in Taiwan for assignment to USTDC.  Until now, I've had almost no record of those early days when the command was first established.  Colonel Davidson was kind enough to allow me to post some of his comments here:

I thought you might be interested in what I might contribute to those who share a USTDC heritage from one of the "plank owners."  I believe that a Navy CPO Schremsher and I, a Marine 1st Lt, both recent graduates of the U.S. Naval Photo Interpretation Center were the first two to arrive on the scene on April 1 or 2, 1955.  My orders were classified "Confidential" and directed me to report to the Formosa Liaison Center for duty with the U. S. Taiwan Defense Command.  Neither the Chief nor I had a clue as to where to find the FLC, but somehow we ended up in a hostel that housed a number of U.S. military people, both officer and enlisted.

After a day or two of nosing around, I learned that there was a Marine colonel who was the G-2 on the MAAG staff so I went to the MND where he had his office to see if he could point us in the right direction.  Fortunately, he was tuned in and told us that a Navy captain was enroute who was to be the J-2 and instructed us on how to rendezvous with him, which we did.  We were the cadre of the working party that took over what became the TDC building as Western Enterprises, the CIA cover organization, moved out to new digs and a new identity as the Naval Auxiliary Communications Center.


As more TDC people arrived, I moved to a new western style house on Chien Kuo Pei Lu that had been rented by a Maj Haggerty, USMC.  Capt Al Wilson, USMC, and Lt. Harvey Decker, USN also stayed there until Haggerty's wife arrived.  Then, I rented a new house on the same street where my wife and daughter joined me in August '55.  All of the aforementioned were J-2 types also.  We were joined on CKPL by the Schremshers, and by fellow J-2 officers Ltjg Jed Hazel and Ltjg Ed Moser and their families.  This string of houses was just a couple blocks -- easy walking distance -- from the Taipei American School where my wife later taught.

I can't for the life of me remember how we got to and from our quarters to TDC.  I recall that while at the hostel we were picked up by sedans with Chinese army drivers.  I am inclined to think that practice continued, for there was scant parking space at TDC for our private vehicles that came with our dependents.  Also, although pedicabs were the primary mode of getting around Taipei, I can't remember taking them to TDC.  Amazing what time does to memory -- very selective!!

Semper Fidelis,
Darrell Davidson

I sent COL Davidson a photo of Hostel #1 on Grass Mountain and asked if that's where he was initially quartered and he replied that it was not.  He said that they were somewhere close to the airport.

I'm really looking forward to reading more of COL Davidson's recollections in the future.

Selling Vehicles in Taipei

I received a note from Sarj Bloom a few days ago describing how he went about selling his car in Taipei. 

Some time ago someone posted a note about not being able to sell your car in Taiwan. I sold mine and still have the MAAG form used for the contract.  In August of 1961 while on leave I bought a 1957 Chevy in Ohio and drove it to California knowing that the Navy would transport it to Taiwan for me.

My car arrived about a month after I did (Oct '61).  The day it arrived I was told I could sell it for $1,500.00 US easy, but I would have to wait for [reassignment] orders first. I wasn't interested in selling it until I was supposed to leave in Oct. of '62 so I did nothing.

In Oct. of 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis happened and I volunteered to extend at TDC for another year. I had already written a contract with a local for the sale of my car upon orders to transfer. 

Well, when I extended my tour, this poor guy, who thought he would get the car in a month or so, was told he would have to wait another year.  He was very upset but I didn't plan it and my hands were tied.

So the story goes that in 1961 I paid $900 for a great car, drove it across the country and all over Taiwan for 2 years, and still got $650 for it.

American Institute in Taiwan Request

Back in November I published a request from LTC Scott Ellinger, who is at  the American Institute in Taiwan – Taipei (AIT).  He works in the Technical Section (Technical Section is the term used for the US MAAG since 1979) as the Army Programs Manager.

Scott's request was for memorabilia from former US military members who were assigned to any unit in Taiwan (USTDC, MAAG, Army/Navy/Air Force/Marine units and DoD civilians assigned to any of these units).  Items will be displayed at AIT in Taipei.  He's interested in photographs, award certificates, orders, badges, and just about anything else you can think of that helps provide a record of the American military presence in Taiwan.

He has now been asked to participate in an exhibition sponsored by the American Center in Kaohsiung.  AIT-K (AIT's branch in Kaohsiung) will host a portion of the exhibition.  The key element will be the US presence in Taiwan which will mostly cover the period 1950-1980.  Scott will be assisting with the military portion of the exhibition and will temporarily supply the few items of memorabilia that he has already collected.  This exhibition would be a great opportunity for anyone who is thinking about going back to Taiwan to see "things of the past."  Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) will also assist with this project.

As I wrote earlier, many of us have little mementos that have been in boxes in closets and basements for decades.  When we're gone, those items may or may not be of interest to anyone else in the family and this could be an opportunity to send them "home" again for display.  About the only things I still had were my "Gemo" medal from TDC and the metal USTDC badge that we wore on the shirts of our uniforms  I sent both of those items to Scott a couple of months ago.

If you would like to contribute to this project and to the permanent display at AIT, please email LTC Scott Ellinger at us_maag_taiwan@yahoo.com as soon as possible.

Where is the Ship's Bell?

I have often wondered whatever happened to the ship's bell that was located just outside and to the right of the main entrance door at TDC.  I suppose it probably was either given to one of the last senior naval officers assigned to the building or else it's on display somewhere.  Does anyone happen to know?

The bell was on some sort of stand, I believe similar to the one shown in this photo and of course it had a rope attached to the clapper.  As I recall, the bell was only used when we raised the flag at the far left corner of the parking lot on Monday through Friday mornings at 0800 hours (8:00 AM, eight bells).  On weekends, when BMC Gagne (in my day) wasn't there, the person on watch just blew a whistle (one long blast) to raise the flag and then three short blasts to signal whoever had raised it that it was okay to drop his salute and return to the building.  I don't think they trusted us with that bell.

I think I mentioned a couple of years ago that one day another chief in the building had to do the honors of ringing the bell when Chief Gagne had an appointment elsewhere.  Now the backup had never done this before and apparently forgot that it was supposed to be done in four groups of two rings:  ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding.  So when his little radio beeped the 8:00 AM signal, he just clanged out eight bells...all at once:  dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding!  It sounded like the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

I happened to have flag detail that morning and I clearly remember watching the J-1 (a Navy captain 0-6 at that time) flying out of his office door in the lobby and getting up in the chief's face, inviting him back into his office for a little talk after the ceremony.   The captain was not happy and the chief was definitely not happy.  But the rest of us, including the Chinese color guards who I'm pretty sure were laughing as they raised their flag, all thought it was pretty cool.  But I always felt badly for the chief, who was a really nice guy.  Sometimes these things just happen.

So if anyone knows where the USTDC ship's bell is today, please let me know.  I'd love to ring it a time or two, if only because I wasn't allowed to back in the day.

Boudicca's Voice

I received a very nice note from the author of a blog called "Boudicca's Voice" a day or two ago.  Her dad was assigned to USTDC and the family was in Taipei for a couple of years, up until the withdrawal of American forces.

She came across my article about the Grandee Hotel and  wrote a piece on her blog about her family's experiences there as they were preparing to leave Taiwan.  It's a fun read and you can find it HERE.  Oh, it would help you to know that TGOO is her father (The Great Omnipotent One).

In her email to me, she mentioned a Baskin Robbins in the east compound that her family often visited, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't there in 1973-74.  Believe me, old Don definitely would've remembered something like that.  Anyone know when it opened?

URGENT!

[Added on 1/30/2010]:  Please see my comment (#11).  Cathy had great success as a result of the suggestions provided here.  I'd also like to thank everyone who helped her find her way around her old neighborhood.

Don
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I just received an email from a woman who is visiting Taipei and wants to visit her old neighborhood today.  If you can help her, please either post a response to this piece or email me at USTDC(at)yahoo(dot)com.  Here's what she had to say:

Thank you for your website.  I live in Taiwan 1969-71 as a dependent.  For the 1^st time in 40 years I have returned and have a day off tomorrow to go back to Tien-Mou where I lived.  It was near the US complex that had a theater, swimming pool, bowling alley, and teen club.  I’m hoping you remember this and can help me with the location as my house was very near to this site.

So far, in browsing maps, I am unable to find it.  So I have nothing to tell the cab driver who will probably be too young to remember it.  Of course, it is very likely that it no longer exists, but if I can get a street name, that may be close enough for me to begin my exploring.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Nights in the TDC Building

One of my earliest posts to this blog was about pulling watch duty at USTDC.  During normal duty hours, the Master at Arms sat behind the "glass cage" in the lobby, which was referred to as the quarterdeck.  We Air Force people had no idea what a quarterdeck actually was but at least we knew what they were talking about.  To the left is my very poor sketch of how I remember the area.  You're looking down from just above the main entrance and that would be the chief's cage directly ahead with the stairs to the second floor just to the right of it.  The J-1s office was to the left.  I don't remember there being an office on the right side, across from the J-1.

BMC Gagne spent his days there on the quarterdeck during most of my tour and he departed not long before I did in 1974.  I don't recall whether he was reassigned elsewhere or retired.

During evenings, weekends and whenever the chief had to be somewhere else, the quarterdeck was staffed by other available enlisted people, I think in grades E-4 through E-6.  Certain shops were exempt from the duty, but I believe that all of us in J-1 were scheduled for it.

The reason I'm writing about this again is that I just remembered one of the duties of the watch that I'd long forgotten about.  I may not have the times right, but I believe that somewhere around 8:00 PM (2000 hours; eight bells), we came out of the cage, took a right down the hall to where it hooked to the left and continued on to the other front entrance door.  We locked that door and then pulled down a steel overhead door.  At about 10:00 PM (2200 hours; four bells) we did the same thing back at the main entrance.  At some specified time the next morning, we raised the steel doors and unlocked the entrance doors for the new day.

Okay, so maybe none of this is of any interest to anybody but me, but I can still hear the clatter of those doors echoing up and down the deserted hallways of TDC late at night so I guess it's still part of the history of the place.

Ray's Mementos

I posted some comments from Ray Richardson a few days ago.  He was an Army E-5 who worked in the Command Center from March of 1978 until USTDC was closed in early 1979.

Ray sent me images of a few items that he brought home from Taipei.  The first two have to do with the Meritorious Unit Commendation that was awarded to USTDC for the period 1 May 1977 through 30 Apr 1979.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I wonder if the US Taiwan Defense Command received any other unit awards during its existence.  They would most likely have also been Navy awards.  Does anyone know of any others?

Next is Ray's certificate of Achievement for his time spent at USTDC.

 

Finally, here's the chop that he bought while there.  These were a very popular item with American military folks and they probably purchased hundreds (thousands?) of them over the years.

Top of the Ambassador -- Conclusion

These are the rest of the outstanding photos that Les took from the roof of the Ambassador Hotel during the 1960s.  It's funny how we sometimes do things that don't seem terribly significant at the time but that gain importance as time passes.  In this case, we're fortunate to have a remarkable record of the city of Taipei as we knew it years ago.