Kent Mathieu, who runs TaipeiAirStation.blogspot.com, sent a link to a posting he had done on September 10, 2008.
An Army Signal Corps soldier, assigned to MAAG in Taipei, sent Kent some pictures he had taken of his stay at the Grass Mountain Hostel in Yangmingshan.
This posting was familiar to me as I had read all of Kent's and Don Wiggins' (USTDC.blogspot.com) posts as a prelude to starting the TaipeiSignalArrmy blog in August of 2010.
Since my work station and apartment were both on Grass Mountain, I had taken a great interest in the area during our time there. Now my interest lies even deeper.
So, here are some pictures of Grass Mountain in 1956 from George Marcy. It is fortunate we have them as George and his friend were soon assigned to Kinmen and Matsu, respectively.
The first picture, however, is the CAT plane which brought him to Taipei. The Webmaster at Dawgflight.com and I have developed a place in our hearts as well as our pages of all things CAT.
So, all pictures are courtesy of George Marcy. The entire posting can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Thanks for the reminder, Kent. Funny, but 2008 seems so long ago when reading your and Don's total body of work.
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Imagine how young, naive and trusting we were boarding a plane like this and fully expecting it to land on a dime at its destination.
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This photo is of some historical significance as it is the only picture of the entrance to the Grass Mountain Hostel I've ever seen.
Many men lived there during the 1950s. Is this what you remember?
Look carefully and you'll see a guard shack in the distance as well as a banner in Mandarin. The entrance must be directly to the left by the guard house.
The canopy of trees and the graded road certainly show the hostel's isolation.
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I don't know if this was the entrance to the hostel itself, or the entrance to the sulphur bath nearby.
It was Hostel #1 when we were around in the late 1960s, but is Hostel #12 here.
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The words on the banner in the second image are (護)林保林利己利(人)(Protecting forest is protecting everybody).
ReplyDeleteWhich, of course,led to "Only YOU can prevent forest fires."
ReplyDeleteStayed at Grass Mountain Hostel in 1959, houseboy Charlie loaned NTs to broke GI's. Drinks at Club 63 were .10 cents. Worked at APO mail clerk. Best duty in the far east, rah rah, Det. 6, 11th Air Postal Sqdn.
ReplyDeleteElwapopro@Juno.com.
Thanks for your comment. As the years whiz by, it's always a pleasure to publish thoughts of guys who served in Taiwan.
ReplyDeleteTaipei Signal Army I lived at the Hostel most of 1964-66 while I worked at Seven Star Tropo. Loved that big sulfur bath and I do remember the 10 cent drinks at the Club 63. Unfortunately, I no longer have any pictures,but I do have a lot of fond memories. Wilford Smith SP5 then
ReplyDeleteThank you for the note. Just happy you shared your time in Taiwan. Think I can still smell the sulfur.
ReplyDelete