The Grass Mountain Teen Club, Taipei, Taiwan

First, thanks to Rory O'Neil for his interest in many of this blog's posts. If it weren't for his initiative and determined effort, you good folks would not be reading this posting.

In addition, our appreciation goes to Tracy Kelley and Richard Longacre for information and pictures used in this post.

There is a Facebook page where many former military dependents and other residents of the area on Grass Mountain known as Shantzehou  get together online to discuss their memories of their lives in Taiwan. 

Starting in the early 1950s, The Bank of Taiwan began building on its land, many different types of Western style-housing  to accommodate the growing number of American  military families.

The historical significance of the Korean War on Taiwan can't be understated. From what I understand, the U. S.was about ready to cut loose ties with Chiang Kai-Shek after WWII proved his inability to lead all of China.

The Korean War proved that Taiwan  was of strategical importance in the Far East which led to the building up of the ports and air bases. Here came the Americans!

Photo  courtesy of Don Wiggins, USTDC blog

 Don has a Taiwanese contact who checks frequently for declassified pictures. This is a 1969 satellite photo showing our housing areas as well as much of Yangmingshan. Don also has a Facebook page where he moderates a Taiwan discussion group.

Then, Army Lieutenant Colonel, Scott Ellinger used his super-sophisticated software to point out the  Shantzehou housing areas as well as other landmarks, including my work station.

Photo courtesy of Scott Ellinger

This 1974 satellite photo shows the village in a much tighter picture.  The area where my wife and I lived is at the top of the photo with the light blue line indicating the main road through the village.  

The dark blue line is the main road to the Grass/Gold Mountain work sites on Jingshan Road.  For months I had thought it was the back road, but after following it from McDonald's on up, it made sense when Scott Ellinger pointed out the site.

The green line would be the street you men and women took to get to the Grass Mountain theater and snack bar/bowling alley.  There have been discussions of how many lanes there were and it ranges from one to three.  

We have no pictures of either building, but a contributor said his apartment was just a few steps from the theater.  Were there actually movies shown there on Saturday mornings? If any of you have pictures of these two buildings, we'd love to have a jpeg copy.

The red line is the back road to the complex and runs directly through "H" housing.  

Original PowerPoint courtesy of Scott Ellinger

So, here is the "H" housing area, the only one of the five areas most of us in the Signal Corps ever drove through. Some couples lived in apartment complexes near there.

in 1968, the white houses were very attractive, but the landscape looked like Mars. LTC Ellinger indicates the "then and now" pictures, showing these lovely homes in a mature neighborhood.

Circled is our third floor apartment on Daheng Road, not far from, "F" housing.  Rent was $70.00 per month. At that time, development was just beginning for individual homes.

LTC Elllinger talked his way past the gate guard and took the photo on the left. As you'll notice, he then placed his picture beside the one we took in 1968. Not much of a change, eh?

This picture was taken one morning in 1969 showing the front gate entrance to the Grass Mountain complex.

Photo courtesy of Gary and Amy Roske

During a trip back home in 2010, Amy Roske got as close as she could and took a picture of the front gate of the still-functioning work and barracks center. My good friend Gary sent us his wife's photo.

Photo courtesy of Larry Barton

It's still hard to believe, but the publication of this picture set off a chain reaction of research which still is adding links.

Larry had just crossed the road from his apartment in order to take a picture of the snow covered mountain in the distance.  

This was the winter of 1967.  It was by accident that he also included the partial photo of the Grass Mountain Teen Center sign.  

Scott Ellinger then began calculating where he thought Larry's picture had been taken.  

Scott's PowerPoint circled the building as it appears today.  We now knew for certain the location of the old Teen Club.  

                                                                     

Outlined in yellow is the original Grass Mountain Teen Club.  Someone had purchased it after 1979 and converted it into a spacious villa.  

                                                                     

Photo by Richard Longacre; submitted by Rory O'Neil

So, this is the Grass Mountain Teen Club as it appeared in 1970.  Gems like this are hard to come by and we appreciate Richard's generosity.  John, the nightwatchman, is shown here performing his duties.

Telephone book courtesy of Scott Ellinger

This phone book was purchased on eBay in order to show the increased military presence during the initial build up of troops oversees during the Vietnam War.  The various sections of Taipei are shown which should show an increasing population.  

The BOT housing areas along with their addresses and phone numbers are shown.  

Also included at the beginning of the Shantzohou section are the phone numbers for the movie theater, snack bar, as well as the phone number which was listed as the Teenage Club.

This is just a continuation of the names and addresses of the folks who lived in one of the four BOT housing areas. 

The purpose of this page is to show the non-existence of any military facilities in the Yamingshan area such as Grass Mountain, Gold Mountain, and other military related structures.  

By 1967, all of these sites mentioned above would have been included in the phone book under Yamingshan.

These pictures below are of the Grass Mountain Teen Club as submitted by Rory O'Neil.  Any other submitter will be indicated.  

The Sargent-At-Arms with the white handled cap gun restrains the eager teenagers. 

Beneath this sign passed many fine young men and women.

Notice the Jimi Hendrix poster on the right.

Any clues on this one?

Families attended the annual Halloween party.

The snack bar area was well equipped.

In the background are several pinball machines.  My folks would have found me here every day.

Your order please?

Add your own caption.

This is the old alley you folks would have taken to reach the movie theater and snack bar across the street.

Map courtesy of Kent Mathieu@taipeiairstation.blogspot.com

If the Taiwan government and Bank of Taiwan completed the renovations, all buildings shown in red would now be housing students from Mainland China.  

The H housing area is being conveted by the Taipei European School for expansion of its athletic facilities and classrooms. 

This is what remains or has taken the place of the old E Housing area on the east side of the main road.  It is the training center for the Bank of Taiwan.  

This is how the entrance to the center looks from the road.  

And While You're At It, Clark, Get Yourself Somethin' REALLY Nice

If you have never seen "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" then this article below might  lead you to think that I'm a terrible cynic. This couldn't be further from the truth. I'm just a sometimes cynic.

So, please watch this clip where Cousin Eddie, Clark Griswold's penniless brother-in-law, responds when Clark volunteers to buy presents for Eddie's family. Just click HERE.

Regardless, we are a very compassionate society. Most of us realize there are people out there leading lives they never dreamed could end up so hopeless and desperate, if only for a short period of time. They need help and we are there to help them. Americans are a giving people.

At this time of year folks give food to many worthy organizations in hopes that families in need can have an excellently prepared dinner. TV stations show the preparers and recipients at a church, auditorium or some other facility. Everyone seems content and proud.especially the TV anchors.

Children especially don't know what hit them as their families are emotionally and financially clobbered by a disease, injury or other catastrophe resulting in an understandable state of confusion.. For them we provide gifts and other comforts.

Yes, we end up feeling good about ourselves and our wonderful spirit of giving. So, to show Eddie again, maybe we can provide for others throughout the year.That's the main point of this post. Again, just click THIS. 

So, here is the newspaper story as it appeared one day recently. Each day there is a new story published on the front page for a couple of weeks until the 25th of December.

Mansfield News Journal  December 14, 2013

Does anyone else find this unusual that these requests seem a little too specific?  Your comments are welcome.

Is This The End Of The King's Hotel, King's Club And 77 Club Buildings In Taipei?

When I took the first two pictures shown on this post, it was near the end of August, 1969.  It was simply some shots of places we had stayed and clubs where servicemen hung out.

Kent Mathieu, fellow blogger and good friend, has again supplied me with pictures of the first two buildings as they look today.

I was surprised three years ago when this part of the Golden Intersection was still standing. You will see that the buildings continue to deteriorate and may soon become a victim of the wrecking ball.

Thanks to Kent who will certainly keep us updated as to the future of this area. 

If ever there was a landmark that everyone knew, it was the King's Hotel at the southwest corner of Chung Shan North Road and Min Chuan Roads.  

In the distance, stands the newly completed Central Hotel with the rotating restaurant at the top, shaped like a flying saucer.

There were four other hotels that would open up in about one year or less.  Goodbye to the King's Hotel and hello to a bridal palace.   

Directly west of the King's Hotel is a large building which contained the King's Club, 77 Club and an iron worker's shop.

Close to this area was the Pink Bar and Monte Carlo Club.  Foot traffic in this area was heavy.  

Taken in 2013 by Kent Mathieu, the King's Hotel is now The Best Store where all facets of bridal decor can be purchased.

This building, plus others in the area, are all wedding related.  Surprisingly, the old OK Bar and the Suzie Wong Bar sites are included in the bridal complex.  Kind of ironic, isn't it?  

Looking back and forth from this picture to the old King's Club picture and the other picture, this business with the black Chinese characters on the white background was the King's Club in 1968-1971 at least.  

Guys from the Linkou Navy would know for sure.

This is a shot Kent took from the sidewalk looking directly

to the top of the 77 Club building.

The yellow building at the far right of this picture housed the Pink Bar.

Kent took this from the alley at the end of the building containing all the clubs and iron works.  

This is looking directly east from the corner of the alley toward the intersection and the Shanghai Savings Bank on the southeast corner which was once the Majestic Hotel. 

Finally, from the same area as the above picture, Kent took this shot diagonally across the intersection to the Starbucks on the northeast corner of the intersection.  

This building was the Northwest Orient Airlines office in 1969.  

A Long Overdue Post For A USASTRATCOM Alum

Months ago, Charles Gove sent  us some pictures of his days in Taiwan. Charles saw much more of the island than many of us since he was stationed at Taichung from 1963-64 and then was under the USASTRATCOM command in Taipei where he worked at Seven Star microwave relay from 1964-65.  

Recently, Chuck sent updates to the picture captions, but that is secondary to the fact that he took the time to scan and send these pictures to us.  For that, we thank you, Chuck!  All photos shown belong to Charles Gove who gave us permission to publish them.  


This is the enlisted men's club in Taichung.  What the Club 36 stands for was not explained. It might be a simple reversal of the Club 63 numbers in Taipei. 

Clubs for officers and enlisted men seemed to have appeared shortly after servicemen arrived in an area.  There was even one on Matsui when Tom Jones was there in 1958.  

This is a neat banner from MAAG recognizing Charles for his service in Taichung.    

Many servicemen bought motorcycles while in Taiwan and many of them shipped them back home.  Above, Chuck is shown on his 1954 Triumph Spitfire with a screaming 650cc engine.  

He bought from an ASA member who used the money to buy a new BSA.  

Just like many other enlisted personnel, Chuck "volunteered" at an officers' club baseball game. 

 I am sure they fully appreciated his time and effort.  

The two guys on the right were leaving Taiwan.  The guy in the middle is Ron who worked at the USACC site just south of the Grass Mountain Hostel.  



This is the inside of the microwave site at Ming Chin.  Microwaves were sent to a site just north of Taichung and south to Chiayi. 

Ranks Of WWII Vets Continues To Decline

As the decades have passed, the number of survivors from WWII continues to dwindle. Reunions are fewer and fewer as most of these men and women are in their 90s.  

Tampa Bay Times August 27, 2013

 This obituary was submitted some months ago and is best viewed by magnifying the image.  If you take the time, you may find it as moving as I did.  

Tampa Bay Times  August 23, 20013

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. 

Up In The Morning And Off To School

Most of us looked forward to summers as a break from what we thought was a long school year.  You will see from the newspaper story below that this young kid was not only back in school, but was the only American in the classroom.  

Imagine yourself at his age in a classroom of 54 Chinese and a Chinese teacher who spoke no English.  His assignment for his time there should have been to name his classmates!  Seriously, think how this expanded his world of experiences.

 



Pacific Stars and Stripes, 1969



One Less Comet In Orbit

Based on the fact that everybody has to be somewhere, a man named Marshall Lytle died recently in the county directly south of us. That, in itself, means nothing to almost everyone living in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

However, during our lifetimes, some of us are part of an event that plugs us into a niche in world history, no matter how small of a part we played. Marshall was part of a group that made history, and lived to know it.

Marshall is shown in this stock photo at the far left, wearing glasses.

He was a stand-up bass player who was a member of a group that recorded "THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF ROCK AND ROLL"------yes, that song is Rock Around The Clock.

Sitting in front is Bill Haley and the band was known as Bill Haley and His Comets.

Although recorded in 1954, the song became a number 1 hit in 1955 as it appeared in the movie The Blackboard Jungle.

It seems as though Bill was not very generous when it came to sharing the wealth with the band. The members stayed together for awhile, but the association with Bill was coming to an end.

Because of the little loop or spit curl of hair on the front of his head, many music insiders referred to him as "Bill Haley And His Comma."

The group's first big hit, recorded in 1954, was Shake, Rattle and Roll.

Marshall grew a mustache in an attempt to make himself look more distinguished.

Before Marshall and a few members left "The Comets" they recorded one huge hit in 1956 which is still part of our lexicon today. The song was See Ya Later Alligator. 

Somewhere along the line, Marshal was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. It's an Internet creation whose members were those who crossed over into rock music from their country music roots.

This was a decently popular record in the USA, but this Guy Mitchell song acknowledges the existence of that form of music...Rock A Billy

For us few fans of Guy Mitchell, how about this?

A few of the men who were former "Comets" reunited in the late 1980s and began touring for approximately 20 years.

Marshall Lytle is sitting second from the left in this 2005 photo.

Mr. Lytle must certainly have had assistance writing this book, but it was self-published.in August of 2009.

Most reviews are positive including one by Hedley Lamarr!

It can be bought on Amazon for as little as $8.50 for a used paperback.

Three marriages, and 3 divorces--A well-balanced life.

Tampa Bay Times May 29, 2013