Reflections and Wanderings and Taking a Breather

I've been writing this blog since 2007 and, like most bloggers, I run out of new material from time to time.  It seems like those dry spells have been happening more frequently in recent months.  I used to worry about it, but then I reminded myself that the whole purpose of this effort was to assemble as much of the history of the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command as I could find, since there wasn't much of it available elsewhere.  I feel like I have accomplished most of what I hoped to do and I'm okay with that.

So if you don't see a lot of updates to this blog going forward, don't assume that I've given up on it.  Whenever I come across something interesting, I'll write about it.  For example, I submitted a FOIA request to the Naval Historian's office several months ago and maybe one day they'll get around to responding.  If they ever do so, I'll pass along whatever I receive.

In the meantime, I'll be trying to figure out a way to make all the information contained here a little easier to sort through.  The advantage of having a blog format is that readers have an opportunity to comment on each topic as it is written.  The disadvantage is that there has been a lot of information posted here since 2007 and there's no easy way to find what you're looking for.  I must confess that even I lose track of where things are sometimes.  I'll probably begin by taking a look at the tags for all entries, since there's now a hodgepodge of topics, many of which aren't very useful at all.  I have a couple of other ideas as well which I'll be exploring in the days ahead.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other outstanding resources available to Taiwan veterans.  The first one I found before I ever started the blog was the website dedicated to the 6987th Security Group at Shu Linkou.  As you scroll down their main page, you'll find well-organized links in various topic areas, all of which contain many photographs.  The site is updated frequently and is a treasure trove of memories.  I'm often amazed at the sheer volume of information they've assembled.

I also heartily recommend the Taipei Air Station blog, which recently has focused on Taipei as it exists today.  It's a great resource for us "old timers" to see how much things have changed.  I always find it interesting (and maybe a little depressing sometimes) as I am reminded of the years that have passed since I was stationed in Taipei and all the changes that have taken place.

The same author maintains the Taipei Air Station website, which was actually the predecessor to his blog.  It also is a goldmine of information and photos.  I should mention that both of his sites cover far more than just Taipei Air Station.  You can find historical information about the Taipei area as well as other U.S. military units that were in Taiwan.  Please note that Kent is organizing another trip for veterans to visit Taiwan for a few days during November 2011.  I'm sure that he'd be pleased to add your name to the list.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of the more than 63,000 visitors to the USTDC blog for dropping by here every now and then.  I especially want to thank the many folks who have contributed so much here.  I don't want to risk offending anyone by inadvertently omitting a name, but you all know who you are.  This blog would have died long ago if not for you.  It has been a tremendous pleasure corresponding with each and every one of you.  I have made many good friends here and I am most grateful for the opportunity.

May the good people of Taiwan continue to enjoy a lasting peace and the freedom to determine their own destiny.

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.

Happy (Western) New Year to All!

I just want to wish everyone a very happy and successful new year.  I am especially thankful for all the friends I've met by way of this blog during the past two and a half years (more than thirty-six thousand hits so far!).

Many thanks to all of you for your interest in the US Taiwan Defense Command, the people who worked there, as well as the surrounding military compound, none of which remain there today.  I'm pleased to have been able to document some of that history -- with lots of help from others -- and I'm looking forward to even more stories and photographs during the upcoming year.  If you've been meaning to join the conversation but just haven't gotten around to it, why not drop me a note?  My email address is at the top right corner of this page.

Warmest regards to all,

Don Wiggins
Illinois
USTDC, 1973-1974

The Guest

The party was well underway when the guest arrived at the second floor apartment. He arrived alone, as he always did, but he was grateful for the invitation and the chance to relax with good friends. The other guests, some there with their wives and others with their girlfriends, were helping themselves to the well stocked bar. He opened a can of Budweiser and began to mingle.

The host proudly demonstrated his “magic television” which turned itself on whenever he rattled his keys. He said that the first time it happened was during another party when someone dropped a glass on the tile floor and the TV clicked on all by itself. He’d spent hours experimenting with other noise sources to find one that might also work and the jingling key ring did the trick. The guest supposed it was less expensive than replacing broken glasses, but also thought that it would be simpler to just click the remote.

Someone turned on the stereo. It was an imposing behemoth from the Navy Exchange that fairly rattled the walls. The guests began singing loudly along with the music, mostly stuff from the sixties. Two guys in the room started voicing over the music in the style of Wolfman Jack (bringing you the BIG sound from the BIG town). They weren’t very good but nobody noticed and the other guests cheered them on.

The volume of both stereo and singers increased as the evening wore on and the guest wondered how the neighbors felt about it. He was a bit older than most of the other guests and thought about how he would react if he was one of the neighbors. He decided that he probably wouldn’t handle it well, especially if the partiers were guests in his country.

As the party continued into the night, he decided it was time to slip quietly out the door, catch a taxi and maybe drop by the Club 63 stag bar for a beer before calling it a night. He walked down the stairs, went outside and started up the street to find a cab.

As he walked under the balcony of the apartment where the party was being held, he felt what he first thought were rain drops. Only it wasn’t raining. One of the partiers had decided to relieve himself off the balcony onto the street below.

The guest jumped back under the balcony, out of the line of fire, until the phantom reliever stumbled back into the apartment. He considered going back upstairs but decided to forget about it and hailed a cab. After cranking down both of the backseat windows, he decided to forgo the stag bar and asked the driver to take him straight home…as quickly as possible.

After a long, hot shower (with lots of soap), the guest decided that he’d probably not be attending any more parties until his return to the States. He considered burning his clothes but decided to just have them washed the next day instead. He never mentioned the incident to anyone.

He didn’t realize that throughout his life, this night would be one of the first things he recalled whenever he thought about his fifteen months in Taipei.

Needless to say, he’d have preferred most anything else.

Newsreel from 1959

I just came across a Universal Studios newsreel from 1959, the kind they used to show in theaters just before the feature film was shown. It presents a very positive view of Taiwan after ten years of rule under Chiang Kai Shek.

Though it really has nothing directly to do with USTDC, I thought that some of you might enjoy seeing the people and their activities from 50 years ago. The film has a running time of 1:19.

You can view it at this link.

Little League International World Series

I'm watching Taiwan ("Chinese Taipei") play Mexico in the International Little League Championship.

• Top of the 2nd inning and Taiwan just scored the first run of the game.
• Taipei scores another run! (2-0)
• The Taiwan pitcher throws a 73 MPH fastball! The announcer says that's equivalent to 95 MPH in the major leagues! After two innings, still 2-0.
• You DON'T want to make any errors against this team because they'll make you pay. They've obviously been well coached on playing fundamental baseball. Top of the 3rd inning, bases loaded, score now 3-0.
• Taiwan leaves three on base in the top of the 3rd inning. Score now 4-0. These kids could beat the Cubs. Actually, I think my Sunday school class could beat the Cubs.
  
• Three up and three down for Mexico in the bottom of the 3rd. Score still 4-0 Taiwan. The kids from Taiwan look like they're having fun and enjoying themselves.
• Mexico scores 2 runs in the 4th inning. Score 4-2 Taiwan. Felt sorry for the Taiwan catcher who made a couple of very rare errors.
  
• Taiwan at bat in the top of the 5th. Three outs. Looks like both teams are settled in.
• Error on the Taiwan shortstop. Mexico runner on first base.
• Double play! Then a ground-out to short. Still 4-2 after 5 and heading for the final inning. It has started raining and the field lights have been turned on.
• Taiwan coach gathers team before the sixth inning: "Let's bring victory home!"
• Taiwan has a runner on 2nd. Still raining, but apparently not hard enough to stop the game. Wild pitch, runner advances to third. Batter walks -- runners now at first and third with one out. Mexico sending in a relief pitcher.
• Stand-up double down the 3rd base line scores two runs. Now 6-2 Taiwan. Raining harder now.
• Rain delay. The grounds crew covers the infield.
• Rain delay
• Rain delay
• Rain delay
• ZZzzz....
• "How much of human life is lost in waiting." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "Between the wish and the result lies waiting." -- Unknown
• "People count up the faults of those who keep them waiting." -- French proverb
• The rain has finally stopped. The players are ready. Play ball!
• Error in the outfield; ball drops between players. Taiwan has runner on first with two outs. Hit-errors-two runs score! Score is 9-2 Taiwan.
• Popped out to 2nd baseman. Three outs. Going to the bottom of the 6th (final) inning with Taiwan leading 9-2.
• Mexico punches a single through the infield.
• Drive to center field. Run scores. Batter goes to second. Score 9-3. Runners at 2nd and 3rd, no outs.
• Batter strikes out. One out.
• Ground ball to short. Runner out at first. One run scores. Runner at third. Two outs.
• Close play at first; runner safe (on a VERY bad call!). Score 9-4. Two outs.
• Batter strikes out!

TAIWAN BEATS MEXICO!!

Momma, Don't Take My Kodachrome Away

It's a sad time for those of us who shot roll after roll of Kodachrome, Kodak's color slide film. It's likely that many of the great photographs that have been submitted to this blog were originally shot with Kodachrome.

Kodak announced on June 22nd that they would no longer manufacture the product due to a greatly reduced demand. I understand that there's only one lab in the nation -- somewhere in Kansas, I think -- that still processes it.

Most everyone uses digital cameras today, making it possible for those of us who are photographically challenged to take dozens of shots of a subject to find the one or two that may be worth keeping.

My first decent camera was a Minolta Hi-Matic 7 that I bought at the Kadena Base Exchange on Okinawa in 1963. It was pretty primitive by today's standards, but I used it for years and took many memorable photographs with it, a lot of them on Kodachrome film.

So to commemorate the proud history of Kodachrome and all the scenes that it captured, let's load up the old carousel projector and invite all the neighbors over to watch our vacation slides. Don't forget the popcorn...and none of that instant microwave stuff either.

One other thing: If any of you have old slides of USTDC or the compound area, and you'd like to have them converted to digital images, I'd be happy to do that for you. Just drop me an email and we can sort out the details.

Taiwan Photorama

One of the Taiwan-related links to your right is called Taiwan Photographers. They always have a great collection of contemporary photographs of Taiwan, but I just became aware of one of their contributors by the name of Mark Forman.

Mark's photos -- the ones I've seen anyway -- are often more art than graphic image. Take a look at this slide show and see if you agree. I'd love to follow this guy around for a day just to see how he goes about getting these incredible shots!

Memorial Day 2009

Seriously Off Topic

This has nothing at all to do with Taiwan, except perhaps for the movie theaters there, but I just couldn't resist passing this important information along to all of you.

Every now and then I walk over to the local multiplex to see a movie. Yesterday I caught the new Star Trek film -- not too bad, by the way. It ran a little over two hours and because I usually get a bag of popcorn and a big old soda before the show, I started getting a little...um, "uncomfortable" an hour or so into the movie. Of course I didn't want to miss anything important so I just toughed it out until the credits started rolling.

By happy coincidence, today a friend alerted me to a website that provides a solution to such dilemmas! It's called, appropriately, RunPee.com. It screens most films for those scenes where you can leave for about three minutes and then return to your seat without missing anything important. If you want to know what's in those three minutes, the site will tell you what you missed. Brilliant!

Of course you could just wait for it to come out on DVD and watch it at home, but what fun would that be?

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend as we honor our brothers and sisters in arms who didn't make it back home.

PRC-Taiwan Police Exchange?

This has nothing directly to do with USTDC, but I thought it might be of interest to other Taiwan vets.

There is a report that police officers from China may be stationed in Taiwan and police officers from Taiwan may be stationed in China. The Taiwan Crime Investigation Bureau says that they are moving in that direction but that there are no firm plans at this time. An article from the Taipei Times can be found at this link.

Some Taiwan bloggers have suggested that if such an exchange occurs then it would be just a matter of time before there were military exchanges as well, which could eventually lead to a Chinese domination of Taiwan without firing a single shot. Obviously this is a very controversial and complicated issue and such exchanges may not happen for a very long time, if at all.

I know that we Taiwan vets are from another time, but I think most of us would probably prefer to see a free and independent Taiwan that is recognized by other nations of the world as a sovereign state, free from outside interference by any other nation, including China. It's one thing to encourage closer ties between these two countries, but quite another to allow Chinese police officers to exercise legal authority over the good citizens of Taiwan.

Where To Now?

I don't usually comment on today's Taiwan, except to point out how much things have changed since I was last there in 1974.

But with a new administration in Washington, and a relatively new administration in Taipei, I've been thinking about the future of Taiwan, especially in regard to its relations with the United States and the People's Republic of China.

By the way, I've always preferred to use the terms Taiwan and China to describe those two nations, though I know there are plenty of good folks who disagree with me. Using "Republic of" and "People's Republic of" is just too complicated -- sort of like trying to figure out why there are a dozen different flavors of Baptist churches in my town.

The United States has walked a diplomatic tightrope between Taipei and Beijing (or Peking, if you prefer), apparently eager to trade with the mainland but still wanting to have a quasi-diplomatic foothold in the neighborhood. Beijing insists that there is only one China, of which Taiwan is just a part. Taiwan, on the other hand, went from planning to retake the mainland to today's position of "let's all just get along -- but separately...for now."

President Ma certainly seems to be warming up to Beijing, but he also seems to be still holding on to the idea of an independent Taiwan -- apparently walking that same tightrope.

Michael Turton, an American educator in Taichung, wrote a very good piece yesterday on his View From Taiwan blog. He included this quote from our new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton: "The administration’s policy will be to help Taiwan and China resolve their differences peacefully while making clear that any unilateral change in the status quo is unacceptable." Sounds like more of the same to me.

What's your opinion? What do you think the US/Taiwan/China relationship will look like by the time President Obama leaves office?

Navy Coveralls?

I received an email from ROC Navy LTJG Tiu a couple of days ago. He asked if there was any way to purchase US Navy coveralls anywhere besides the Exchange. He and some others would like to purchase a few of them.

I told him that I didn't know of any sources, but that I'd post his request here. If you have any ideas, you can either post them here or contact LTJG Tiu directly. Type the following address in the "To:" block of whatever email program you're using:

Here's a portion of the text of his message:

I am a LTJG in the Navy of Taiwan (ROC). I have read the articles on your blog and felt proud and suprised about the connection between US and Taiwan throught the history.

Some of my crew would like to buy the navy blue coveralls from the Navy Exchange. Some officers in the Navy got those coveralls when they participated in [a project in North Carolina]. Because of the coveralls' great quality, some of my crew would like to get them as well. However, most military on-line shops don't sell the kind sold in NEX, and the Navy Exchange requires US military identity and SSN to access.

Saluting in Civvies

This is a bit off-topic but since most of us here are veterans, I thought it might be of some interest.

According to a US Department of Veterans Affairs press release, all military veterans and military personnel wearing civilian attire are now permitted to salute the US flag when it passes by during parades and also during the playing of the National Anthem at any venue, such as a sporting event.

It's a relatively small thing, but it makes so much sense that you wonder why nobody thought of it before. Even after all these years, I still have to make a conscious effort not to salute during the playing of the National Anthem.

The measure was sponsored by Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, an Army veteran. It was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed on October 14.

Still Here

It's been several days since I've posted anything here so I thought I'd let everyone know that I'm still on the planet.

When I started the blog last year, it wasn't unusual for there to be long periods of silence because I really didn't have much to share at the time -- no pictures at all and just a few fading memories of my 15 months at USTDC.

But as time went on, I started receiving occasional comments and photographs from readers and I posted most of them. During recent months, I was blessed with a real tsunami of great photographs from folks like Sarj, Stev, Les, Kent and many others, and they had some great stories to go along with them. The result was a new post nearly every day.

But things have slowed down again and I'm sort of back where I started. If I think of anything, or if you folks remember something long forgotten or find another box of photos or documents somewhere and email them to me, I'll be happy to get back to work.

In the meantime, if you haven't read some of the earlier posts here, you might consider going back to the first post from 7/17/2007 called "The Watch." When you get to the bottom of that one, just click on Newer Post and go on to the next one. So far there have been 295 posts so feel free to comment on any of them. I am notified whenever anyone comments on anything, as do all those who subscribe to this blog, so you might open a whole new dialogue here.

Hangin' in there,

Don

The Passing of a Friend

I think often about the people I knew in Taiwan. Many of them were good friends who could always bring a smile to my face. That same smile returns when I think about them even today.

There were a few people who weren't exactly close friends, of course. It's funny, but today I remember them with a fondness that I suppose comes with the passing of time and the maturity that accompanies it. I like to think that their recollections of me may have undergone the same evolution.

One of the good guys at the US Taiwan Defense Command was Army Lieutenant Colonel Clay Blanton who worked in J-1 from 1973 until 1975. He arrived about the same time I did and I worked for him until the day I left.

He was a mustang who worked his way up through the enlisted ranks which I think helped him understand all sides of many issues. He and I didn't always agree but I believe that we arrived at the right solution most of the time. His job could be difficult sometimes, with pressure coming from many different directions, but he performed it with the utmost professionalism.

I just learned that LTC Blanton passed away last April in Topeka, Kansas. I understand that his next job after Taiwan was as the Senior Army Adviser with the Kansas National Guard, and that's where he decided to retire. He was a product of Texas and Oklahoma and I'm sure that he blended well with the down-to-earth folks of the Sunflower State.

Rest in peace, Colonel. It was an honor to have served with you.

Old Friends

Yesterday I posted a key personnel roster from 1974 that included several individuals at USTDC. Most of the names were familiar to me, since I returned to the States in August of that year.

One name that stood out was LCDR Jay Coupe, who was our Public Affairs officer. He was a really great guy and I remember him as almost always being in a good mood -- a rare trait for Navy officers (kidding...sort of). I believe that my friend Larry Sherman and I "house-sat" for Mister Coupe when he and his wife took a trip to Hong Kong for a few days.

I did a Google search on him and was saddened to learn that he died a couple of years ago and that he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His obituary in the Washington Post revealed that he was eventually promoted to Captain 0-6 and that he was the Public Affairs officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A few years ago I made contact with one guy that I knew at TDC -- Larry Driscoll, a Yeoman Second Class who also worked in J-1 -- but lost contact again a few months later. He was a good guy. There were lots of good guys. I hope that life has been kind to all of them.

How about the rest of you? Have you stayed in touch with any of the folks that you worked with in Taipei?

Nostalgia Time

After writing about "The Twist" yesterday (an ancient ceremonial dance designed to cause long-term back and knee injuries), I started thinking about all of the old hits of that era, as well as the everyday things that we enjoyed so much during those times.

I recently came across a couple of unique websites (both created by the same Navy vet) and I thought you might enjoy these journeys down memory lane.

Kick back, turn up your speakers and soak in these wonderful songs and images:

1. From the 1950s
2. From the 1960s

Request For Help (Slightly Off-Topic)

I received an email today regarding the adult son of a former Army guy, possibly a supply sergeant, who served in the Chiayi area from 1960 to 1966. The sergeant apparently wanted to take his son with him back to the States, but his girlfriend refused.

The son, born in 1960, grew up to become a Christian minister in Taiwan who is now the head chaplain of a large hospital. He would like to locate his father, about whom he remembers almost nothing. He vaguely remembers playing on a military base as a child but that's about all. He remembers almost no English from his childhood.

I couldn't find anything on any US Army unit in the Chiayi area. I told his friend that I would seek the advice of others and that's what I'm doing here.

I did suggest that he consider looking into Y-chromosome DNA testing as offered by places like Ancestry.com, which I've used in my own genealogical research. It would still require some legwork, but it might provide him with some leads.

If anyone has any other ideas, please post them here or contact me directly. After all these years it would be really nice if this gentlemen could learn more about his paternal ancestry.

Assorted Musings

I don't have any new material today, but I would like to touch on a couple of subjects that have been on my mind recently.

First of all, I'm a little concerned that I may have left the impression here, and in the newsgroup as well, that I didn't care much for Taiwan while I was there. If anyone got that impression, please understand that I have nothing but admiration for Taiwan and its people. Whatever negative feelings I ever had were solely because of my separation from my wife and kids for the fifteen months that I was there. For several good reasons at the time, my family remained in the States while I was at USTDC.

I'm sure that I don't have to explain to former military folks how long absences from one's family can affect attitude. I have always said that Taipei should have been the best assignment of my career. Under different circumstances, I'm sure it would have been. I don't think I've ever met anyone who felt that Taiwan was a bad place to be assigned, and I include myself in that group.

Also, please understand that the views expressed here are those of young American military men, most of whom were in their twenties or so when they served in Taiwan. I'm not the same person I was in 1973-1974, nor is anyone else. The exuberance of youth is a wonderful thing, but I suspect that most of us wouldn't really want to relive it. If you're looking for the "big picture" of Taiwan or you want to discuss current political issues of the place, there are plenty of blogs and newsgroups available for that. This is more like a personal diary than a history book.

I started this blog to record a brief history of USTDC and its surroundings as seen through my eyes and the eyes of many other young men many years ago. I like to think that I've accomplished that objective, even if I don't write another word.

Thanks.

Don