Before The Naval Hospital, Taipei Taiwan

So you are stationed in Taipei during the 1950s and early 1960s. Where did you go if you were sick or injured?

Photo courtesy of William Dawson

For those of us who were around the Taipei area during the Vietnam War, the thought of not having the Naval Hospital around never occurred.  

Built in the Tien Mou area in the mid-1960s, the facility was first rate and really took good care of not only men and women in the service, but also their dependents. 

An e-mail from William Dawson, who was the son of David and Jean Dawson, brought up an interesting take on primary health care for Americans in Taiwan after WW II and during the Korean War.  

William and his family lived near Grass Mountain, but not in BOT housing.  He became ill in 1960 and spent a couple of nights in the Grass Mountain Clinic shown above.  

His memory puts the clinic on the east side of the main drag near the movie theater and bowling alley.  If anyone out there remembers this clinic, please let us know.  

In case of a serious injury, illness and maternity needs, the folks around Taipei had MacKay Memorial Hospital to depend upon.  Still functioning, the location still remains in Section 2, Chung Shan North Road, Taipei.

We Laughed, We Cried, We Drank, We Didn't Re-Enlist: Taipei, Taiwan, 1969

Near the end of our 15 month standard tour of duty in Taiwan, we had to talk with the recruiter in case we  wanted to re-enlist for another go around, this time as Regular Army.

Honestly , my thoughts turned to staying in the Army and going to OCS school. I had talked with some officers who were thinking of making a career with the Army.

So, we filtered into the Signal Compound, east of the Commissary Compound. To his credit, the recruiting sergeant (E8) MSG respectfully went through the process of explaining re-enlisting. 

He knew the drill and may have been looking forward to his 20th year. So, to the Grass Mountain Hostel, with its graffitti filled walls we eventually gathered.

This again is the list of the sixteen of us who served their fifteen months in Taiwan.  Thinking back, a couple of them extended, but most of us left on a military contract flight with Northwest Orient on September 1, 1969.

There were advantages to us who worked the Taipei Terminal station.  One of them was proximity to the bulletin board where messages such as this became my property after a short length of time.  

I actually talked this guy who signed the form.  He lived in our apartment complex with his wife.  He had been a teacher, but indicated to me that remaining in the Army was financially more beneficial than teaching.  

Considering the subject matter, it is easy to see how short notes like this always reminded us how picky the military could be.  Check out his title.

This was the new military pay scale as it was revised in July of 1969. Including overseas pay, it was more than adequate for the single guys.

That is  Andy with his back to us. He was simply the best in every sense of the word. We all probably miss being around him, our leader and catalyst.

Photo by L. Andrew Savin

The guy holding the Schlitz bottle wasn't too jovial as word had not yet come down about the legal status of the incident where  he struck a woman with his car. THUMP!

Photo by L. Andrew Savin

As the crowd got smaller, things got a little raucous.  Who cared? We were "short!"

Photo by L. Andrew Savin

This would be about one week before we left Taiwan.  Most of the original sixteen who arrived in June of 1968 are pictured here.