West Side Story; Taipei, Taiwan, Late 1960s

Using the west side of Chung Shan North Road, going south, you would eventually come upon a narrow alley which led back to the rear entrance of the Sea Dragon Club.  

Unless you were headed to the group of buildings known as Sugar Daddy Row, there would be little reason to use the west side of Chung Shan to walk to the south.  

However, Fu Shun Street was also on the west side which proved to be quite a great attraction for men on R and R as well as those stationed in and around Taipei.

Photo by Jack Hornbeck; courtesy of taipeiairstation,blogspot.com

This is a clever angle Jack took advantage of while standing on a traffic island and shooting south, toward the King's Hotel, seen in the distance.

There were many access roads which allowed cabs to drop people off and not be concerned about being hit by the heavy traffic.  

Looking at the picture above, Jack was standing almost parallel to the Sea Dragon Club located just about to his right.   

Note the gas station sign and the Ice Cream ad on the building.

Photo by S. Callas, linkounavy.com; courtesy of dawgflight.com

Taken from the east side of Chung Shan, this photo shows just the minor part of the gas station across the street.

Not only is the area of the old gas station shown in this picture, but new buildings constructed by the Tatung Corporation show the company's expanded presence.

This is the present day view of the gas station site on the west side of Chung Shan.  It is actually good sized area.  

Assuming that the first picture in this post was taken next to the front of the Sea Dragon Club, we see the back of the place as it appeared in 1969.  

This alley was back of the Sea Dragon Club and proceeded south and emptied onto Fu Shun Street.  

To follow Kent Mathieu's adventure to discover the old Sea Dragon site. click HERE.

Continuing Kent's stroll, which includes a new Burger King, click HERE.

Finally, ending up at the corner, click HERE.

Following the alley in the present day, the Tatung Corporation's new buildings dominate the area back of the old alley.  

This path stops at the intersection of Fu Shun Street and Chung Shan North Road. 

Whether this building has been around as long as its sign says is doubtful. However, its bright orange facade serves as  a point of reference.

From the east side of the road looking north, the orange building on the corner can  be  seen. 

From there on south is an uninterrupted string of commercial buildings.

Compare this last Google  Earth picture with the first picture in this post. Can you pick out the old King's Hotel location?

FINALLY

Photo courtesy of Marvin Faulkner

Does anyone else remember a free-standing ice cream parlor on the west side of Chung Shan North Road?  It was sort of set back from the other commercial establishments.  

It had an American name such as Baskin and Robbins or some other chain.  It seemed strange that it would be in the middle of Taipei.  

I am not sure exactly where it was located, but my guess is that it was not too far south of the West Compound.  

I am almost certain that it was not Foremost. Maybe the business was further south. 

A Bakery, A Bakery, A Bar, A Bar, Taipei Taiwan Late 1960s

There were 2 main paths to the "Golden Intersection" of Miin Chuan East/West Roads and Chung Shan North Road. 

For men on R and R during the Vietnam War, this row of buildings led south to the northeast corner of the above named intersection.  

This was the most heavily followed route since the east side was the more  commercial and interesting side.

The other route was right across Chung Shan on the west side.  It was a very different side when the sun went down.

The Sea Dragon Club was also on the west side, but most of the walkway was rather dark as Tatung Company of Taiwan owned much of the real estate. 

Photo by Jack Hornbeck; courtesy of  taipeiairstation.blogspot.com

For Kent Mathieu, the main attraction in this picture is the American Bakery right on the corner.  Most of us don't remember this bakery, but do recall the Florida Bakery right beside it. Today, the American Bakery is  a 7-Eleven.

The Florida Bakery still exists and has expanded southward.  Looking to the south of the bakeries, we can easily see the OK and Suzie Wong Bars which were landmarks themselves. 

Photo courtesy of Scott Ellinger

A later picture of this corner shows The Florida Bakery and the OK and Suzie Wong Bars south of  the bakery.

It seems innocent enough, but the photo was taken during the day. The Diamond Hotel  was located on Nong An Street.

Photo by Mike Hime; courtesy of Webmaster@dawgflight.com

Here is the same intersection at night when the atmosphere  of downtown Taipei changed.

Places you may not have noticed during daytime were brought into focus because of the neon lights.

The bus from Shu Linkou Air Station pulled onto Nong Ann Street and unloaded Airmen by the bakery.

These young men scattered and served as unofficial ambassadors of America. I am told they did a terrific job.

 

Map from Bill Martin; courtesy of dawgflight.com

Most men on R and R in  Taipei were given maps similar to this one to acquaint them with the legitimate bars and their locations.

Other landmarks were indicated in case someone  became disoriented.

This map was used in this posting as it shows the Sea Dragon Club---the R and R center from 1967-1972. 

List from Doug Price; courtesy of taipeiairstation blog and  dawgflight.com

Here is why we need you men to keep sending pictures and memorabilia from your days in Taiwan

This list was sent to Kent Mathieu in 2014. I believe it was never published before. 

Don''t worry--either TAS blog, dawgflight.com or TSA blog will post your contribution and we are here to borrow each others' stuff for publishing.

 

From Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1969

              

 Most of the bars and clubs had business cards. One of the most amusing is HERE   Thanks to T. Yearnshaw for the card, courtesy of dawgflight.com

Hotel list from 1973 Taiwan Report; courtesy of Don Wiggins, ustdc.blogspot.com

Every  now and then, the government would publish a brochure explaining the lifestyle military members and their families might expect in Taiwan.  

Don Wiggins kept a copy of each one of these in his blog.  My understanding is that the 1973 report was the last one published.  

Since the Vietnam War was winding down, the number of servicemen assigned to Taiwan decreased significantly by this date.  

The main hotels recommended for tourists and military families who were waiting for permanent housing are shown above.  

This photo is not current, but nonetheless, the American Bakery is now a 7-Eleven and the Florida Bakery has expanded, which would mean that the OK and Suzie Wong Bars are now just south of the Florida Bakery.

___________________________________________________

News dispatch courtesy of John Quinn   

__________________________________________________

So now, we have an exact date as to when flights from Vietnam stopped coming to Taipei. Very seldom do we get exact dates for things of this nature which makes this important.   

Follow Kent Mathieu's walking tour from Starbucks (Northwest Orient building) north to the Florida Bakery.  Notice the old Kings Hotel in the background.  View YouTube HERE

A Camp Within A Fort: Camp Crocket, Georgia

For those of you who have followed this blog, you know that Ft. Gordon was both my basic training fort and AIT signal school.  I follow news about Gordon closely and will be adding more on it at a later date.  

Not too many men stationed at Fort Gordon during the peak of the Vietnam War years of 1967 through1969 ever heard of, much less saw, an AIT infantry outfit isolated in the woods of western Fort Gordon, GA.  

It was supposed to be a natural progression in infantry training with its graduates heading on to jump school at Ft. Benning, GA and then onto Vietnam.  Anyway, that is how it was planned as it was open for business in 1967.

The best laid plans of government officials sometimes don't pan out as projected.  Camp Crocket is one of those.  Hence, it had a rather short life span.  Before the end of 1969 it was closed.

However, the place left a deep impression on most of the young men who spent 8-10 weeks there.  It was not a success according to forums I have read from older men now who express the imprint Camp Crocket had on them.  

To read one man's remembrance of Crocket, click HERE Thanks to George Hoffman for his 1994 recount of his memories.

Permission has been received from both Rodney Eng  and WRDW, CBS, Augusta, GA  to print these photos.

This overhead shot of Ft. Gordon today shows that it is a rather compact area. The fort was a very active place with many different purposes. 

Shown in this picture are the coordinates of Camp Crocket as it looks today.   Apparently, all the trees and shrubs which had overgrown it for over 40 years have been removed. 

Count all of the concrete pads that remain intact and you should get 25. According to Sonny Hoffman, there once were 122 Quonset huts at Camp Crocket.

This is an expanded view of Crocket and its location beside Bishop Road and near Range  Road.  Across from Bishop Road is Leitner Pond where many morning and evening routines were conducted. 

Lake Leitner, the largest water lake, is a recreational area with boating, swimming and fishing. The irony is its closeness  to Camp Crocket where not  so much fun was had.

To view Lake Leitner from a kayak, click HERE.

 

Looking closely at this photo, you can see Ft. Gordon proper at the right and Camp Crocket at the lower left.  

It doesn't seem as though Crocket was that far into the boondocks, but you did not arrive there unless you intended to find it.

Photo by Lou Krieger; courtesy of  WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

Pictures of the remaining concrete slabs were taken by Lou in October, 2010.

Photo by Lou Krieger; courtesy of WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

Taken by Lou Krieger again in 2010, this area, once covered by trees and foliage, has now been cleared to show the northwest corner of Camp Crocket.

Photo by Lou Krieger; courtesy WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

Drop back 47 years, and here in 1967 is a younger Lou Krieger standing in a sand road between columns of Quonset huts.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

Imagine the labor and varied skills needed to construct one of these Quonset huts.  This, apparently, is one of the first huts to be built in late 1967.  

If there were over 120 of these in Camp Crocket, they must have been put together in a very short period of time.  

Maybe someone in our comment section can clarify the process of building this camp.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

Shown here are guys performing the morning routines of shaving and cleaning up.  This was done, I believe, at a pond not too far on the other side of Bishop Road. 

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

This may be one of the few pictures ever taken of the mock POW camp built to somewhat emulate the experience of being captured. 

When our AIT signal corps group was given the opportunity, we intercepted a group of Signal Corps Officer Candidate trainees as they made their way through a forest.  

We were hiding out in a cemetery not far from a mock POW camp.  I wonder if this is the camp where we took the bound trainees in April of 1968. 

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

After a food riot, preparing chow became a difficult chore.  You can see here that conditions in this outdoor kitchen were less than super sanitary. Check out the cigarette.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

These four young trainees at Camp Crocket made a pact that they would all return from Vietnam.  This was a promise they made to one another in 1967.

Although they were broken up into different outfits once they got there, Rodney Eng (third from left) assures us that they all made it home.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

In December of 1967, this group of soon-to-be graduates of Camp Crocket paused for a picture in front of one of the many Quonset huts they helped build.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

Again, in December of 1967, the platoon of which Rodney Eng was a member gathered in their dress uniforms.  A completed Quonset hut is shown behind them.  

Looking to the far left, we can get an idea of what life was really like with the outdoor latrines.

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

Nearing the end of his 8 week infantry AIT training, Rodney has now become an E-5, hard stripe SGT.  

Interesting also is the Lyster bag hanging to the left.  

 

Photo from usmilitariaforum.com/forums

Any of us who have lived outdoors during bivouac are familiar with the concept of drinking water that was supposed to be potable.

Actually invented before WWI, the man's name who is given credit had the last name of Lyster.  

As the years passed, the spelling of the name became Lister, thinking of the man, Joseph Lister who was responsible for antiseptic surgery.  Can't you just taste original Listerine?

Photo courtesy of Rodney Eng@campcrockett.blogspot.com

With gear all assembled in the road between columns of huts, Rodney and his classmates were ready to leave the confines of Camp Crocket.

Thanks to Kent Matheiu for photo-shopping this picture which is an important part of the story. 

And, finally, to hear Rodney himself, click HERE.

Photo courtesy of WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

Camp Crocket had long been forgotten when word began to spread that Agent Orange (Monsanto and Dow Chemical) had been sprayed in areas of Ft. Gordon as well as over 20 other forts.  

The purpose of Agent Orange was to kill all vegetation in its path in order to expose the North Vietnamese along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Photo courtesy of WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

Television station WRDW in Augusta began a series of reports which showed the areas where Agent Orange was sprayed and the consequent destruction of the area circled here in orange.  

It was called a dead zone.  

 Photo courtesy of WRDW-News 12, CBS, Augusta, GA

After so many decades of not knowing, Lou Krieger lead the effort to get Ft. Gordon to acknowledge its use of Agent Orange during 1967. 

It just so happens that the area sprayed was near Camp Crocket and many of the soldiers exposed are experiencing many health issues. 

Here is Ft. Gordon's official statement regarding Agent Orange and its long-term effect on the areas sprayed.

Back To Shantzuhou, BOT Housing, Grass Mountain, Taipei, Taiwan

Buried in my inbox was a significant email. Peter Chang had written and attached pictures of the house he is renting from the Bank of Taiwan (BOT).

He is part of a growing group of Taiwanese whose wish is to preserve the 3 remaining areas of BOT housing in the Shantzuhou area of Grass Mountain. 

First, we will link the 3 areas as they were published on this blog. They will be followed by Peter's photos of his house.

To view the BOT "H"housing area, click HERE.

For a look at Shantzuhou's "C" housing, click HERE.

Now, for our final post, to take a look at Section "F" click HERE.

Photo courtesy of Scott Ellinger

A 1969 satellite photo was worked on by Scott, who singled out the existing BOT housing areas as well as several others.  

Our best wishes to Peter and his wife, Mickey in their efforts to keep Section F and all other Shantzehou housing from being demolished.  

All photos from here until the end of the post were taken by Peter Chang and were given to this blog by him. 

From a Google image, the area of F Housing where Peter's house is located is indicated by the red circle. 

Peter's house is the only one we have ever encountered where the Bank of Taiwan actually rents a home to a private citizen. 

All the bank requires is that the house and grounds be well maintained.  As you can see from this picture, Peter has removed grass and weeds to prepare the surface for sod.

This is the same house as the one above with one outstanding difference.  Rolls or pieces of sod have been brought in and put into place.  A nice lawn does a lot for the looks of a home.

Another area has been cleared and is ready for beautification.  Houses in this section are the most neglected because of the tiled roofs and the location next to the Chinese Culture University.

Again, using the mailbox as a marker, you can see that this section has also been filled in with sod.  

Because of the heat and sun, sometimes regular grass seed does not hold up and special sod must be brought in to survive. 

Not to dwell on the grass surrounding the house, but this must be of great importance in order to rent this BOT "F" housing.  

Notice the above ground sprinkling system.  Water in this area was rationed when we lived near here in 1968-69. 

The back yard is flourishing thanks to the sprinkling heads that are on poles to the right of the house. 

As with most homes that were built by the BOT in the 1950s, this one also has a carport which protects the finish of a car from brutal rays of the sun.