Quemoy And Matsu, 1968-1969

When we first got our orders to report to Taiwan, many of my classmates at USASESS, Ft. Gordon, GA, had never heard of the name "Taiwan."  Some thought we were going to Thailand and others really didn't care since it was not VietNam.  

By the time the sixteen of us arrived in June of 1968, we all knew where we were going.  However, not everyone was familiar with the Nationalist Islands near the Chinese mainland.  One of us volunteered for a 12 month tour in Quemoy (Kinmen).  

Since he was married, he thought he could get back to the United States and home faster than the rest of us.  His daily duties included sending and receiving one message.  The rest of the day was not tightly scheduled.  Fortunately, he enjoyed golf and played on the nine hold course that the island provided. 

There were stories of the massive fortification of the island and a large movie theater blasted out of solid rock.  These were stories we heard, but could not verify.  

Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1969

Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1969

                                                     

Previous postings on this blog followed the duty in 1957-58 of Tom Jones, who was with the Army Signal Corps.  Part of his duty was to connect the island of Matsu within and with other Nationalist possessions. 

To read and view Tom's adventures in Matsu, just click HERE.  Kent Mathieu has done a wonderful job of showing how rugged Tom and his friends had it back then.  

Perhaps our blog historian will be able to pinpoint the exact date of this incident.  The important thing to remember is that even though things seemed peaceful on the surface, there were plenty of encounters occurring  that were kept from everyone.