USASTRATCOM Near Shu Linkou Air Station, 1967-68



The longer this blog continues, the more I'm convinced that there were more Army Signal Corps soldiers stationed throughout Taiwan than I ever imagined. 

We who trained at Fort Gordon, GA were the telephone operators, pole climbers, tape and card pushers, among some of the specialities. 

Do your job and ask no questions unless the need to know arises. That seemed to be the sentiment.

The guys who knew the "big picture" of how communications actually worked in Taiwan were those who trained at Fort Monmouth, NJ. 

They trained as tech controllers and microwave specialists, among the skills. 

Somehow, signals got on and off the island and the Signal Corps was there to do it.  Microwave sites were all over the place. 

Grass Mountain and Seven Star were important links, but nobody yet has written to explain just how all communications were coordinated.

Anyone knowing the complex threads of transmission in Taiwan, please fill us in.

With this post, we have pictures from Mike Aschoff who was a microwave maintenance and repair specialist at a place very near Shu Linkou Air Station. 

He lived initially at the hostel outside the East Compound and was transported to and from work by military drivers. What a commute!.

Mike indicated that the shifts at the center consisted of 3 or 4 workers, but it had to be manned  around the clock.


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This is the USASTRATCOM communications center and  tower located very near Shu Linkou. 

Not many soldiers worked there, but it certainly was crucial that it functioned well or we lost our connection. 

Would this place look familiar to the Air Force men who worked at Linkou?



Inside this complex were the machines necessary for microwave signals to be sent and received. 

We did not even think about taking pictures of our teletype equipment even though we may have been given permission. 

As far as I know, nobody took interior shots at Grass Mountain. 

Gary Roske has previously shown interior pictures at Gold Mountain.

From pictures sent from other STRATCOM microwave and tech control specialists, this seems like standard equipment. 

Above, we are looking at Mike's STRATCOM ID badge which was very snazzy  compared to what we bought at the PX.  I believe most Stratcom folks bought them.

The unique part of this picture is the blue badge beneath Mike's.  It belonged to Mike's wife who, after graduating from college, worked for the Chinese Navy. 

Many of us enjoy looking at photos of cars from the 1960s.  This is from the Christmas season of 1967, probably taken from the commissary steps. 

Looking across Chung Shan North Road outside the East Compound is a banner.

It says "HEDSUPPACT TAIPEI." Most of us know it better as the West Compound.

This was Navy terminology. Later it came under the control of USTDC around 1959 according to Kent Mathieu's post on the history of the Air Force in Taiwan.

Check it out by clicking  here and look for HEDSUPPACT on December 7, 1962.

Does anyone know where this is in Taipei?

This photo has to be in Shimending, isn't it?