Old Memories

I am helping my son-in-law add storage shelves to the shop. These things are 12 feet high, made of steel, designed for heavy weight and weigh a lot. It takes at least two to put them up.

Going through everything we are sorting it out, cleaning up and getting rid of "crap" that has been collected over the years.

In so doing I ran across some memories. I joined the Army in 1966 and after Basic in Ft. Bliss, Texas and Aircraft Maintenance School in Ft. Rucker, Alabama I was sent to Korea. There I was part of the 55th Aviation Company stationed on Yoido Island in the middle of the Han River about 8 miles South of Seoul, right across from Yongdongpo.

I was a Crew Chief, first on a twin engine Beechcraft "Seminole" (Beechcraft called it the "Twin Bonanza") and then later on a Beechcraft Queen Air that was the aircraft of General Bonesteel, the Commander of the 8th U.S. Army in Korea.

It was during the time I was there .. October 1966 to November 1967 that there was quite a bit of shooting going on at times that some call "The Korean DMZ Conflict" and others call it the "Second Korean War." This was a series of low-level armed clashes between North Korean forces and the forces of South Korea and the United States that resulted in at least 75 U.S. soldiers and a number of Korean soldiers and some civilians being killed.

The main gate into our compound.

Beechcraft "Seminole" that I crewed.

Company Formation

Qualification

DeHavilland Beavers

Cessna O1-Bird Dog

Grumman OV-1 Mohawk (surveillance)

When my tour in Korea was up I transferred to Japan and stayed there until March of 1969. I was Crew Chief there on a Beechcraft King Air. Our job was support of U.S. Army Headquarters and the U.S. Embassy. When my enlistment was up I flew back to the U.S. and was discharged.