USASTRATCOM

This blog was created for USASTRATCOM Long Lines Battalion Army personnel who served in Taiwan during the 1965-72 time frame. Specifically, those who lived and worked in and around Taipei are the target. If you worked at the Grass Mountain or Gold Mountain facilities or anywhere in downtown Taipei, we would like to hear from you. All are welcome to visit and contribute to this blog. Your comments and pictures are encouraged.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Gold Mountain, Taipei Taiwan

The main purpose of this blog was to make contact with men who had served in Taiwan during the Vietnam War. So far, only one person with whom I worked has been e-mailing.

Gary Roske worked as a Tech Controller on Grass and Gold Mountains for over 2 1/2 years. He has provided many pictures and is, I hope just the first USASTRATCOM person to contribute to this blog.
  
Living in Tien Mou, (Tianmu) Gary commuted to and from Yangmingshan. We worked right across from each other in the Grass Mountain complex, separated by a large glass partition. We didn't know each other then, but have become friends through correspondence.  


Here is Gary, along with the people he knew best--fellow Tech Controllers. I believe the guys at Gold Mountain had a lot of fun at work. All of these pictures were provided by Gary Roske.


Shown here, Gary is hard at work at his training facility at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He finished there with 2 MOS certifications.

This would be the hard-working young man in the previous picture. Shaving, apparently, was part of his complicated road to graduation.
It all paid off as this diploma attests.

And here we find Gary, Rich, Dan and Tony in Japan awaiting the final leg to Taipei. 

Everyone I knew from STRATCOM bought one of these name badges. Gary's is in pristine shape. We all thought they were really cool. What our translated names meant wasn't as important as wearing this distinctive identification.

One of the Gold Mountain Joint Overseas Switchboards (JOSS)

Sp6 Whatanbe shown in front of some of the Gold Mountain Equipment

Staff Sergeant Henry Hankins at the audio board


SSGT Hankins and his children pose in Tien Mou. Don't you wonder when looking at these old pictures what everyone looks like today?
With no fear of heights, two young guys atop the Gold Mountain Tower
The story of this picture, as related by Gary, isn't the great-looking Honda, but rather the worst-ever sunburn he got that day! Many others who were out in the sun for extended periods could offer their own experiences with a Taiwan sunburn.  

All of us had best friends with whom we felt comfortable. Here, Dan DiThomas works on his 1956 Chevy. Many automobile parts were shipped overseas by friends or relatives to get or keep these fine machines running. Chicago's J.C. Whitney catalogs were used by servicemen to order specific parts.

There was a driving range near Taipei International Airport. Here, Gary takes a hack as Dan and Mary DiThomas await their turn. Dan must have gotten the Chevy running.

Kneeling, Gary and friend Jeff Blumberg work without directions putting a grill together. Nothing ever went wrong doing this, did it?

Now we see how exhausting assembling the grill was. It called for Gary and Jeff and Sue Blumberg to visit McCauley Beach.

SPC5 Gary Roske along with man's best friend at his Tien Mou residence

This might look familiar to some of you.It's the bus turnaround in Tien Mou.

5 comments:

  1. Stationed At The Transmitter Site From 1969 To September 1970...
    Voluntered To Matsu Island September 1970 To June 1971...
    RAMillerSr@cox.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was at Matsu TDY for TTY repair full Month July 70 party July 4th then
      GUS

      Delete
  2. Gus,
    We get no updates until someone sends pictures or stories. John

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was stationed at the downtown Taipei Microwave Station (Line of Site to Gold Mtn) from 1971 to September 1972 ... remembered working 24 hr shifts until Army de-regulated. volunteered to Matsu Island around mid 1971 went on a flat-bottom boat for 2 weeks for installation of new microwave radio gear. Spent my afternoons listening to Andy Williams - singing Moon River...and others (nice quarters). Really missed those days...and all of what Taiwan was.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was stationed in Taipei circa 72-74. I worked QC testing circuits up and down the island.

    ReplyDelete