Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 12:26:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: DAYS OF OUR LIVES #155
MAIL-call - PRESERVING FORGOTTEN ASA MEMORIES
This newsletter is intended only for the use of the ASA TURKEY
Veteran's. Comments or submissions to the DAYS OF OUR LIVES are
most welcome. I will respond to all e-mails and will assist
whenever needed, but reserve the right to edit for content and
clarity and welcome any errors that may appear
herein.
The Editor: GREEN, Elder RC (gH), YOB: 1936, RA13513638,
E7, 982/98C, Det 27, 1-15MY61, Det 120, MY-JL65, Det
27, JN66-OC67 & Det 4-4, OC67-NO68, (Patty), 3094
Warren Rd., Indiana, PA 15701, 724-349-7395, asagreenhornet@yahoo.com Ret 1SG, E8
SOLDIER BOY, at play in the ASA
see bazzett1 attachment
Tim Bazzett's 340 page book should be a required read for any
ASA veteran. It is rated R. The book is full of
photos from those times too. See www.rathole.com/soldierboy and click
on icons at the top This book will help you pull out
priceless memories you'd long forgotten. His
memoirs are touching and an honest memoir that will make you
veterans smile as in a lot of instances you could easily replace
his name with yourrs as he captures the quips and twists of what
it was like on a day-to-day basis in basic training at Fort
Leonard Wood, then at Fort's Devens and Meade, then in
Turkey and Germany. Its all there in a whimsey style with
chicken crap and Mickey Mouse events scattered throughout the
book. The years have fuzzied up our memories, but reading
this book will make most say, "! Holy cow! I'd totally
forgotten that and now it triggers my memory bank of old
buddies." I guarantee that each will have a different
version of similar events in one's memory. What it will do
is kick-in silly things and help your memories show you what was
important way back when you were in your late teens or early
20's. For those who served on the HILL - the desire for
female companship had to be suppressed one way or the
other. Some vented their desires at the Kara-hani's while
others did it the cheaper way. But how, you ask! Tim
spells the answer by asking: "How do you spell,
mas-tur-ba-tion". No one should be upset by that
entry. In fact he asks the rhetoric question: "What
will you miss most about Sinop"? The consensul
answer was: "No-thing!" But one of his friends
replied that he'd miss the last stall in the latrine where he'd
beat off so many times that now every time he goes there to take
a cra! p he gets a hard on.
Holy cow - How the time does fly! It is hard to believe that its
time for the ASA Turkey 2005 reunion already and even harder to
believe that this marks the 5th anniversary of The ASA Turkey
reunions.
FORT DEVENS
See ftdevens1963 attachment.
The training of personnel, that later became ASA, had its
beginnings in 1941 as a new branch of the Signal Corps School at
Fort Monmouth, NJ. In 1942 the training was moved to Vint
Hill Farms Station, Warrenton, VA. In 1945 the ASA was
organized and took control of the Vint Hill Farms branch of the
Signal School and in 1946 was officially designated the U.S. Army
Security Agency School. In August 1947 part
of the training school was moved to Arlington Hall Station
in Arlington, VA. In 1949 the entire ASA Training School
was moved to Carlisle Barracks, PA. The Korean War made it
apparent that the Carlisle facilities could not train the 1707's
(058's) and 1719's (982's) to name only a few and a decision was
made to find a home for the overall training of ASA enlisted
personnel and in November 1950 Fort Devens was selected to be the
Training Center for ASA and the task was comple! ted in April
1951 and Revere Hall became the Commandants Hqs. In 1957, the
school was officially redesignated the U.S. Army Security Agency
Training Center and School. The ASA officers
were also trained at Fort Devens. .
See ft devens-3 attachment
See Ft Devens attachment
See ft devens-1,
ft devens-2 and
ft devens-4 attachments for the Jackson and Ayer entrances and
the Map of Fort Devens as it was in 1963.
In 1955 I was at Fort Devens being
trained as a 1719 (982/98C) and later sent to 8612 DU in Chitose.
See ft devens-5 attachment
The end of
ASA
The massive drawdown of the Army after the Vietnam war led
to a wholesale reorganization of Army Intelligence in
1975. As a result, ASA was effectively dismembered and on 1
January 1977, ASA was redesignated as INSCOM. INSCOM moved
its hqs from Arlington Hall Station to Fort Belvoir, VA in 1989.
Its move paved the way for the eventual closure of
the training at Fort Devens and the consolidation of almost
all MI training at Fort Huachuca. Closure of Fort Devens as
an active duty installation came about as part of the Base
Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) process in 1991, and was
completed on March 31, 1996 after 79 years of
service. The land and infrastructure of Fort Devens
was turned over to a semi-private development authority and was
given the task of turning Devens into a residential and business
community.
KEN BALDWIN UPDATE
Elder Green, - I found your site
while trying to track down Ken Baldwin. I worked with Ken in
Saudi Arabia from 1993 until late 1996. When I first met him, he
had led a team of TCNs erecting microwave and radio site antennas
for the Peace Shield Program since the late 80's. He then
transitioned to leading communications and radar site
installation teams. His last job was leading a roving team
main-taining radar tower radomes. He was a real wheeler
dealer and we all enjoyed his stories of his Turkish adventures
including his fond memories of his incarceration in the prison
and his banishment afterward. He proudly gave me a copy of
the July 30, 1965, Time article as part of his CV. He was
also building a large sailboat, in an Italian yard, for his
planned retirement to Turkey. I believe he actually completed the
boat and was chartering it out while he was still in KSA. His
home was actually in South Florida and he was married to a! Cuban
lady with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. Ken is one
of the brightest and funniest people I've met and a true joy to
work with. If you track him down, please let me know.
Cheers, Gary Cash, garywcash@aol.com
THE 2005 ASA TURKEY REUNION WILL BE HELD 29 September - 2 October
at the Menger Hotel in downtown San Antonio. IF YOU ARE
COMING, PLEASE CALL YOUR RESERVATIONS TO THE MENGER HOTEL
(1-800-345-9285) AND THEN CALL THE REUNION HOST, JON KJOLLER, AT
1-830-625-1064 FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, ETC. General Rod
Isler will be the guest speaker and he will up-date the
INTELLIGENCE techniques, etc
RESERVATIONS
2005 ASA TURKEY REUNION Old memories will be flowing .
Please bring your Turkey albums and mementos with you. Sadly,
we're disappointed that a lot of Texans and ex-ASAers who served
in Turkey have decided not to to attend the San Antonio
reunion.
1. ARMSTRONG,
Ataturk & Dot, Det 27, 60-62, New Bern, NC 252-637-2525, armstrondsl@earthlink.net
2. ASPINWALL, Paul
C., Det 4, 65, Madison, WI 608-831-0670, asp@us.ibm.com
3. BALDERSON,
Eric & Ramona, Det 27, 62-63, Mendham, NJ 07945,
973-543-2093, ericramona@aol.com
4. BARNDT,
Ernest & Fran, Det 4, 56-57 & E5-WO1, Det 27,
59-61, Eagle River, AK, 907-694-3645, barndt@alaska.net
5. BENDER,
Bill & Dawn, Det 4-4 , 70-71, Ocala, FL, 352-854-9122, wddcbender@netzero.net
6. BERGMANN, Chuck & Helen, Det 27, 66-67, Bay
Village, OH, 440-871-5346, cbergmann@inspectionengineering.com
7. BINNEY,
Bill & Carole, Det 27, 66-67, Severn, MD, 410-551-9175, lstupid1@starpower.net
8. CALLAHAN, Joe
& Peg, Det 27, 63-64, Universal City, TX 78148, josephc@sanantonio.gov
9. CARRICK,
Ernie & Betty, Det 4, 57-58, Huntsville, AL 256-852- 6180, ecbccar@surfbest.net
10. COWIE, Bill
& Loretta, Det 27, 60-61, Valley Park, MO 63088,
636-861-2512, cowiew424@yahoo.com
11. DUNNAM, Gary, Det 27 & 4-4, Victoria, TX., 361-575-2160, dunsteen@cox-internet.com
12. ELDRIDGE, Frank & Arlie, Det
4, 61-62, Humble, TX 281-540-3478, arlieins2@earthlink.net
13. ERICKSON, Ron & Kathy, Det 27,
61-62, Independence, MO 816-373-3349, rke3349@sbcglobal.com
14. FULTON, Don, Det 4, 67, San Antonio, TX
210-481-9565, oneshamash@sbcglobal.net
15. GLUBKA, Roger, Det 27, 64-65, El Paso, TX.
915-562-9560, rglubka@elp.rr.com
16. GOODMAN, Jay & Kathy, Det 4, 72-73,
Finleyville, PA, 724-348-0358, jaykathy@adelphia.net
17. GREEN, Elder & Patty, Det 27, 61,
66-67 & 4-4, 67-68, Indiana, PA. 724-349-7395, asagreenhornet@yahoo.com
18. HAGAMON, John, Det 27, 62-63, San Antonio,
TX., 210-829-8872, johnhagamon@aol.com
19. HATHAWAY, Milt, Det 27, 60-62, Clinton tp MI
, 586-285-1894, mhathaway3415@wowway.com
20. HUNT, Carlos & Frankie, Det 4, 58-59,
Henderson, TX 903-889-2391, cehunt79@aol.com
21. ISLER, Rod & Kyuhee, Det 4-4, 68-70,
Annapolis, MD 410-849-3482, goaisler@aol.com
22. KINDERMANN, Charlie & Sue, N. Potomac, MD
301-977-2434, kindermann.charles@comcast.net
23. KJOLLER, Jon & Darlene, Det 4, 58-59, New
Braunfels, TX 830-625-1064, kjoller@the-cia.net
24. JONES, Ed & Flo, Det 27, 62-65, Bismarck,
IL 217-759-7773, hejones@escocorp.com
25. LADY, Ken & Donna, Det 27, 61-62, Santa
Monica, CA 310-828-3139, kelady@adelphia.net
26. LEONARD, Thom, Det 27, 64-65 & Det 4,
66-67, Mascotte, FL 352-429-4511, wellconn@consultant.com
27. LEVY, Dan, Det 27, 61-62, Many, LA
318-586-7584, no email
28. MATIAS, Matt & Gloria, Det 4, 70-73, San
Antonio, TX 210-680-5450
29. McCREARY, Mac & Evelyn , Det 4, 58-59, Horicon, WI
920-485-4366
30. MONTEITH, Bob & Carole, Det 27, 65-67, Silver Lake, OH
330-688-5822, bobbo47@aol.com
31. MURPHY, Bob & Peg, Det 27, 60-62, Glen
Burnie, MD 410-255-0320, murphyra@cablespeed.com
32. MURRAY, Nelson & Sandy, Det 27,
60-62, Cypress,TX 281-855-4255, nmurraymx@hotmail.com
33. NEARPASS, Bob & Lorraine, Det 27, 64-66,
Belvidere, NJ 908-475-3461, nearpass@accessgate.net
34. NEILL, Hank & Judy, Det 27, 62-64,
Springfield, VA 703-569-5163, hneill@erols.com
35. NORMAN, Roy & Mary, Det 27, 61-63,
Caldwell, TX, 979-567-9406 mlnorman@classicnet.net
36. OBRIEN, Jack & Kay, Det 4, 64-65, Beaver
Creek, OH, 937-426-4433, no email
37. PETERSEN, Jim Det 4, 67-68, San Marcos, TX, 512-353-3879, jp01@txstate.edu
38. PRYOR, Vic & Pat, Det 27, 60-62, Mesa, AZ 85206,
480-924-2487, vic.pryor@cox.net
39. SALCIDO, Don & daughter Mary Jo, Det 27,
66-67, San Diego, CA, 619-207-6054, dsalcido2@cox.net
40. SCHOPPE, Dan & Marjorie, Det 27, 65-67,
Leander, TX., mschoppe@onr.com
41. SIMONS, Bill, Det 4, 59-60, Southampton, NJ.,
609-859-9483, bsimons@pics.com
42. SINOR, Walt, Det 27, 62-63, Valley Head,
AL 877-453-5097, waltersinor@yahoo.com
43. STEFFEN, Arnold & Janet, Det 4, 58-59,
Jackson, TN 731-664-5058, asteffen4@aol.com
44. STOLP, Gary & Phyllis, Det 27, 64-67, San
Antonio, TX. 210-496-9365,fobsanantonio@sbcglobal.com
45. TAVERNETTI, Dave & Sue, Det 27, 62-63,
King City, CA., 831-385-4458, tavernetti@redshift.com
46. TESCHKER, Chuck & Penny, Det 27, 60-62,
Hartland, MI, 248-887-1620, penelope@mwci.net
47. TIER, Dale, Det 4, 58-59, Mt Vernon, OH 43050,
740-392-6581, no email
48. WADLEY, Jeff & Marcia, Det 27, 62-64, Oro Valley,
AZ, 520-498-5078, jeffwadley@msn.com
49. WALTER, Ron & Jan, Det 4, 59-60,
Boerne, TX 78, 830-249-2446, ronjanwalter@aol.com
50. WINKLER, Hal & Bobbie, Det 4, 60-61, Cincinnati, OH,
513-489-5308, winklerh@msn.com
THE FINAL INSPECTION
The soldier stood and faced God, Which must always come to
pass. He hoped his shoes were shining, Just as brightly as his
brass. "Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I
deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek? To My Church have you
been true?" The soldier squared his shoulders and
said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't. Because those of us
who carry guns, Can't always be a saint. I've had to work
most Sundays, And at times my talk was tough. And sometimes
I've been violent, Because the world is awfully
rough. But, I never took a penny that wasn't mine to
keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime, When the bills got just
too steep. And I never passed a cry for help, Though
at times I shook with fear and sometimes, God, forgive me, I've
wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place among the people here. They
never wanted me around, except to calm their fears. If
you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand cause I
never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll
understand." There was a silence all around the
throne, Where the saints had often trod. As the
soldier waited quietly for the judgment ! of his God.
"Step forward now, you soldier, You've borne your
burdens well. Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell." ~Author Unknown~
rlgeasland@aol.com writes: "I see it as
part of the United States Military Academy's Cadet Prayer.
"And when your work is done, your course on earth is run;
May it be said Well Done. Be thou at peace". No gallant
warrior standing at Hell's Gate for his country ever asks for
more."
It's the Military, not the
reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It's the
Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.
It's the Military, not the politician that ensures our right to
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who
salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin
is draped by the flag.
MAIL CALL INDEX
BARNDT, Ernest, Det 4, 56-57 & Det 27, 59-61
BAZZETT, Tim, Det 4, 63-64
HOTTON, Phil, Det 4, 55-56
ISLER, Rod, Det 4-4, 68-70
RICHTER, Ralph,
Det 27, 66-67
SCHMIDT, Bill, Det 4, 63-64
WADLEY, Jeff, Det 27, 62-64
BARNDT, Ernest E., YOB:1935, RA13474888, Rank E3, Det 4,
AP56-MY57 and Det 27, MR59-JL61, Rank E5-W1, (Fran), 18107 Meadow
Creek Dr, Eagle River, AK 99577; (907) 694-3645; barndt@alaska.net
See barndts & houghtons attachment.
The Barndt's are attending the 2005 ASA Turkey reunion from
Alaska. .
BIO of Ernest Barndt Born in Quecreek, PA.
I enlisted in the Army January 1954 at Pittsburgh, PA.
Completed Basic Training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD,
with further assignment to Fort Devens. I was then assigned
to ASA, Arlington Hall Station in late 1954. Additional
assignments include: Sinop, Turkey; Ankara, Turkey where I
received appointment as Warrant Officer in the Automotive
Maintenance field in 1961; Fort Riley, KS; Berlin Germany; Fort
Richardson, AK (4 tours); Fort Lewis, WA; Hanau,
Germany; Vietnam and Korea. My awards and decorations
include: National Defense Service Medal (1st Oak Leaf
Cluster); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Berlin); Army of
Occupation Medal (Germany); Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal;
Vietnam Service Medal; Bronze Star Medal; Army Commendation Medal
(2nd Oak Leaf Cluster); Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea);
Meritorious Service Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster); Good Conduct
Medal (2nd Award); Vietnam Counteroffensive; Vietnam
Counteroffensive Phase II; Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak
Leaf Cluster); Korean Defense Medal; Civilian Service Medal.
I retired at Fort Richardson, Alaska after 28 years of
military service as CW4 and continued working for the Department
of Army, Civilian Service as an Environmental Specialist for 15
years, retired again in 1996, and currently reside with my family
in Eagle River, Alaska. My wife Frances and I have 7
children and 13 grandchildren with one more on the way. We
are enjoying retirement with fishing, hunting and traveling
BAZZETT, Tim YOB
1944 E3 058 Det 4, AU63-AU64, (Terri), 330 W. Todd Ave., Reed
City, MI 49677, 231-832-2692, reedcityboy@net-port.com - See bazzett2
attachment [edited]
Dear Elder, My name is Tim Bazzett. I've been in
touch with Ron Sowinski recently who maintains the Sinop
lists. I have just published a book of memoirs called
"Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA." It is my
second book and details my first hitch in the ASA from
1962-65. Took basic at Ft Leonard Wood, learned
dits and dahs at Fort Devens, then did tours in Sinop and
Rothwesten, Germany. All those places are reflected in my
book as I try to remember all the military misadventures I had in
those years. I was at Det 4 from Aug
63 to Aug 64. I know it was a cesshole, but we
managed to have some fun. My roommates were Joe Capozzi, Al
Trott and Norm Yurong, from NY, OH and HI. Joe was a great
guitar picker and Al played sax and they played at the club,
along w/SSG Bud Clark (another great picker i! n the Chet Atkins
mode) and a couple other guys. Lots of stories in the
book. Hope you can pass this along for anyone who might be
interested. Purchase details can be found at: www.rathole.com/soldierboy or by contacting Tim at reedcityboy@net-port.com Thanks, ASA all the way, Tim Bazzett
I called Tim on 15 September 2005 and had an interesting chat
with him regarding his year tour at Det 4. Tim holds degrees from Ferris State,
Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan Universities. He taught
English for five years at Monroe County Community College and
served eight years in the U.S. Army. He is retired from NSA
and lives with his wife and two dogs in Michigan, where he
continues to work on his memoirs and other stories
ISLER, Rod, YOB: 1945, US/RA, E4-E5, 05H Det 4-4,15OC68-70,
(Kyuhee), 1703 Mansion Ridge Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401,
410-849-3482, goaisler@aol.com Ret Maj Gen
See isler9 attachment
Thats
Rod in the background as a youngster
During the first week in August we spent three days in the
Salisbury/Ocean City, Maryland area and a day at the Naval
Academy guest house in Annapolis, MD. While in Annapolis we
visited the Isler's immaculate home for two hours and enjoyed the
warm welcome and hospitality directed our way. We found the visit
quite intoxicating. Patty enjoyed chatting with Kyuhee and
playing with their two dogs, Beauty and Tory. See isler2
attachment.
Thats Kyuhee holding Tory and Rod holding Beauty..
See isler1 attachment for a photo of a wonderful
couple.
I have the utmost respect for General Isler and didn't know
exactly how I would ask questions, keeping in mind that I'm a old
retired First Sergeant. I was aware of the promotion
odds that General Isler had to hurdle in his quest for higher
rank in that less than 2 percent of Colonels get promoted to
Brigadier General and fewer than half of those BG's get promoted
to MG. Rod informed me
that there were so many who contributed to his Army career and
that it would be impossible to list them all and besides he did
not want to overlook anyone. He did state that in
retrospect that starting as a PVT was a plus and he used that
experience as a jumping-off to his 33 year army career.
Ever since he was a youngster he cherished and long idealized the
American dream of success. To Rod the American dream meant
working hard to develop his natural talents and to persevere when
the going got tough by working his butt off. During the
visit I asked the retired General if there were some occasions
that stood out above others and surprisingly he informed that his
enlisted time wearing headsets and tuning the R-390's in search
of a priority signal and completing his Business Degree at the
University of Maryland at Karamursel stands out in his
memory. Of course
there were many other significant leadership events that
stand out in his memory bank. In OCS at Fort Benning he quickly
learned that leadership is the highest form of
responsibility and the ultimate test of one's mettle. Also
as we 'lifers' know - there was and probably still is a
prevailing mind set that only those who couldn't make it in
civilian life would stay in the military. Rod decided to stay and
its a decision he never regretted. A proud family legacy helped
Rod very early in life to formulate a strong desire to get a good
education and serve his country. One of his proudest moments was
seeing the smile on his father's face as he was promoted to BG
and MG. During his climb to wearing 2-stars he always set
high standards and genuine care and concern to subordinates, no
matter their rank, race or gender to perform honorably, with
integrity, courage, loyalty, duty and respect.
Rod was born in 1945 in Oklahoma City, OK. and was a
Army BRAT. His father, Colonel Jack J. Isler, was a highly
decorated Combat Infantry Officer and Special Forces veteran who
served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Jack Isler was a
graduate of Oklahoma City University with a BS degree in
Education and was a standout baseball player there and in 1992
was inducted into the Oklahoma City University Hall of Fame as a
baseball player. Later he received a MS in Counseling and
Guidance from New York University-Siena College. Jack Isler
was very pleased with Rod's EM tour career path and was pleased
to see his only son follow him to OCS at Fort Benning and later
be promoted to BG and MG before he passed away in 2000 of Lung
Cancer. In a nutshell, Jack Isler was a soldiers soldi! er
who served in all EM ranks before going to OCS at Fort
Benning. Jack Isler retired in 1971 as a Colonel with 29
years active duty and was highly decorated
See isler12 attachment for photo of Rod Isler being promoted to
Major General. That's Jack Isler standing on Rod's right.
Rod graduated from High School in Colorado and attended Western
State College in Gunnison, CO for 3 years. After completing 3
years of college he received his DRAFT notice in March 1968 and
after exploring his options decided to fulfill a sense of duty,
obligation and family honor. All along he wanted to belong to the
military that had shaped his father's values. Looking back
1968 was a time when there was widespread
anti-military fervor and the War in Vietnam was not a
catalyst for military duty. This fervency was unsettling
for Rod and he was convinced that serving his country was
absolutely the right thing to do. His parents helped him
sort through his options and was aware that he would not be sent
to Vietnam as his father was there and the policy was not to send
a sole surviving son to a combat zone.
Enlist for MORSE CODE training in the Army Security Agency.
It was Col Jack Isler who suggested that his son not be drafted
and be cannon fodder, but enlist for duty in the Army Security
Agency. Rod Isler enlisted at Denver. Took basic training
at Fort Leonard Wood and then was sent to Fort Devens for MORSE
CODE training. Rod was already a skilled typist (but had to
learn the mechanics of the mill) and proficient in the dits and
dahs as he was a HAM OPERATOR beginning at age 12 in the Boy
Scouts.. At Devens he TRIED to explain that he could take
the final code test and pass it, but the instructors would not
listen - so he attended the classes - took and maxed each WPM
exam. It wasn't long before the instructors realized that Rod
Isler was, indeed, a fully qualified ditty bopper. And, yes Rod
also pulled KP, CQ and guard duty. From then until graduation Rod
graded the code papers and was declared #1 in his class.
PVT E-2 to SP4 in two days All #1 05H students were promoted to
SP4, but Rod was still a PVT E2. So they promoted him to PFC
and the next day to SP4. Half of his class went to Vietnam
and the other half to Turkey. Since his father was in Vietnam and
Rod was the surviving son - he was sent to Turkey. When the group
arrived in Istanbul in October 1968 - they were
processed and put on a boat headed for Sinop. All of a
sudden the boat reversed course and returned to
Istanbul where they boarded a waiting bus and were
taken around the horn to Karamursel. Needless to say
everyone was pleased with the turn of events. After 4-4
in-processing he was assigned to a swing shift for the familiar
058 side-saddle training. Within 30 minutes he had mastered the
058 OJT requirements of how to insert and properly fill out the
6-ply color coded onion skin paper in a MILL. He requested
that he be given a position. The Trick Chief immediately
recognized his morse skills, but shrugged him off and said
that #1 05H grads don't do very good in the field and that he was
considered a yeni newk. In a day or two the Soviet's had a
callsign and frequency change and the T/A men could not break the
code from the trainer's copy until one of the T/A men looked at
Rod's copy and BINGO the callsign keys were known and reported to
higher authorities.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF TWO COLD WAR
VETERANS MEETING?
THE ANSWER FROM IVAN WAS YES
Rod informs that during his 4-4 tour he copied the 104th Guards
Airborne Division net and that he got to know the fist of each
sender. Many years later while serving in the 210th Aviation Bn
in Panama Rod was communicating on a Ham set in CW and
established contact with an unknown, but immediately recognized
the FIST on the other end as a Soviet Morse operator for the
headquarters station for the 104th Gds Abn Div. After chatting in
English the other end informed that he was transmi! tting from
the Soviet Union and this confirmed Rod's initial
identification. Without hesitation Rod asked, in morse
code, the other end if he had been a morse code operator in the
Soviet Army in Tblisi. The answer was YES and he ID'd
himself as IVAN and they exchanged many tidbits about that time
in their military service.
While at Det 4-4 Rod was Soldier of the Month and Soldier of the
Quarter.
The isler11 attachment is Rod receiving the Soldier of the
Quarter award from Maj Edward Cima in 1969.
Rod also was a member of the 4-4
Softball team in 1969/70.
See isler10 attachment.
ID of the team, L-R Front row: Greg Trembley, Chuck Carpenter,
Rod Isler, unk and unk.
Back Row: 1SG Stan Owens, Jim Glick, Al Bullock, unk, unk
and Robert Stewart.
Rod also played a lot of golf at Karamürsel. Roomed with
Chuck Carpenter and was friends with Chriss Andress, Mike
Findley, Jerry Carter, Jim Glick, Greg Kearney and Phil
Taggart and others that time has erased from his memory.
Remembers, of course, the CO, Maj Edward Cima and 1SG Wilbur
Rodkey, both of whom he held in high esteem.
Rod took advantage of the Det 94 education program at Karamürsel
and obtained a Business Degree from the University of
Maryland. He credits and holds in high esteem Dr. Berlin
with providing the guidance and arranging the necessary courses
for him to complete his degree. Still later Rod received a
MS degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University
in Pennsylvania. Rods military education includes the MI Officers
Advanced Course; the prestigious Air Command and Staff College
and the War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA.
While at Det 4-4 Rod put in a 1049 for OCS and was sent to Vint
Hill Farms pending acceptance of his OCS request. His
OCS application was granted and he was sent to Fort Benning where
he was commissioned in 1971 as a MI 2LT. One might say that
his initial commissioned assignment was not by casual
chance but by design. You guessed it - he was assigned to
USASATC&S at Fort Devens as the Chief, Advanced Morse
Division.
Rod Isler's awards and decorations include the Defense
Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM); the Defense Superior
Service Medal (DSSM) with 3 Oak Leaf clusters; the ARCOM with Oak
Leaf cluster; the Army Senior Aviation Badge and Parachutist
Badge. The DDSM was awarded by the Secretary of Defense to
officers whose exceptional performance of duty and contributions
to national security or defense have been at the highest levels.
The DSSM was also awarded by the Secretary of Defense to those
who rendered superior meritorious service in a position of
significant responsibility
HOTTON, Phil YOB 1933 RA13503989 E3-E4 204 Det 4, AP55-MR56,
(Aubrey), 4745 Cardinal Dr., Salisbury, MD 21804, 410-742-1639, philhotton@netzero.com
See hotton1 attachment which shows Phil Hotton holding his WORRY
BEADS which most Turk men use as a hand instrument in the
Muslim religion and prayer.
Most have 33 beads attached, each with a different meaning.
The Greeks prayer beads or fidget toy is called a komboloi.
Wherever you first notice them, they are bound to be strangely
compelling. Once you touch them, and feel the smooth beads
sliding through your fingers, you may find yourself hooked. We
brought the worry beads and the evil eye back with us from our
tour in Turkey. How many of you veteran's also have the
worry beads as a memento from Turkey?
Phil Hotton was among the first troops to serve at
Sinop. He was there from April 1955-March 1956
when Sinop was a small Signal Corps satellite operation HQ'd from
Samsun. The unit consisted of one officer and
15 enlisted personnel. Others there were Al Cantrell, Buck
Goss, Jim Julius, Wallace Lonsway, John Musick, Phil
Pavlik, Jim Peron, Pete Stephany, and the OIC was 1LT Llewellyn
P. Rose who Go on-line to http://dool-1.tripod.com and click on DOOL's #70 and #93 to read
Phil Hotton's memories of his TOUR OF DUTY on the hill when there
were no bennies and that later became known as Det 4.
RICHTER,
Ralph, YOB: 1944, RA15734622, E5, 059, Det 27, NO66-NO67,
(Linda), 9152 Burgett Rd., Orient, OH 43146, 614-877-4890, rrichter@usccs.com - Elder, I just returned from
Baton Rouge, driving trucks to and from shelters and churches to
distribute supplies. Worked out of a church next door to
Woman’s Hospital. Ladies released from the hospital are
taken care of at St Luke’s Episcopal Church.Transported a
mother, eight months pregnant, with her four young children, to a
relative’s house in Memphis. They had just been rescued in
New Orleans the day before by boat, helicopter and ambulance. She
was having contractions, so was taken to the hospital in Baton
Rouge. They were a beautiful family. Their husband stayed behind
to guard their house. We are all God’s children. What
we do for the least of us we are doing for Christ. It’s just
that simple. And, we all can’t do everything, but we all
must do something, and do it in the name of Christ. Otherwise we
are hypocrites. Yours truly, Ralph
SCHMIDT, Bill, YOB: 1943, RA13776600, E4, 058, Det 4, 63-64,
(Gretchen), 11199 Snapdragon St., Ventura, CA 93004,
805-647-8219, bng438@sbcglobal.net - Thx Elder! Your story, and 3 day
experience packing and shipping reminds me of when our girls
were in the Girl Scouts, and the cookie drive was in full
swing. They asked if they could sell to me clients, to
which I agreed. WELL - when the cookies came in, they took over
the garage! nevertheless - thx for all you done - I'm not even
going to try and say thanks in Turkish! Bill Schmidt, Ventura,
Calif.
WADLEY, Jeff, DOB: 1940, RA16713260, E3-E5, 058, Trk#4, Det 27,
SE62-FE64,(Marcia), Oro Valley, AZ 85755, 520-498-5078, jeffwadley@msn.com - Dear Elder, I want to thank you for
contacting me about my time at Manzarali Station. I can't believe
it's been over 40 years. I have really enjoyed your informative
e-mails. My wife Marcia and I are looking forward to meeting you
at the reunion in San Antonio. From the list of attendees I see
many people who where at Det 27 when I was there. I really
enjoyed my 17 months and 10 days in Turkey. I was very fortunate
to have had such a positive experience. I made many good
friends and was able to travel all over the region. I enlisted in
the Army in Chicago and wanted to travel and was told that the
ASA placed most of their people overseas. I took basic at Fort
Leonard Wood - went to Devens for 058 schooling. I
had a friend from Chicago who joined the Army Reserve because he
didn't want to spend 3 years in the Army. It! was sort of ironic
that after his basic he was assigned to ASA and sent with his
unit to Fort Devens. While at Deven's his unit was called up and
extended for six months or a year. With his initial six months
plus the year extension and monthly meetings for the next few
years he spent almost as much time in the Army as I did but with
much less enjoyment. There are lots of things that I
remember about Ayer and Fort Deven's. Used to go into town and
visit a place called the Little Club. Went into Boston several
times and for some reason I remember the big Consolidated Mess
Hall on post. After graduation took a bus to New York and flew on
Pan Am from New York to Paris, Rome, Istanbul and finally Ankara.
We got into Ankara late in the afternoon.. We were driven to a
place in downtown Ankara to wait for our ride to Site 23. I
remember taking in all the sights and smells while riding through
town. Remember the oily smell that was in the air. We finally
hooked up with our ride and! remember riding in a deuce and half
out to Manzarali. It was now dark and it seemed like a long ride
before we got to base. When we finally got to base I recall
getting out of the truck and seeing some of my classmates from
Deven's. A couple of days later was assigned to Tk#4. During my
OJT, I remember Lt Dave Tavernetti coming into the 058 intercept
bay and announcing that the Cuban Embargo took effect at 2400
hours and to be especially vigilant as to what we were doing and
if we heard anything unusual we were to let the trick chief know
right away. Didn't put much stock into it at the time but
realized later how serious things could have been.
I was also in Turkey the day President Kennedy was assassinated.
We all went to work early that evening trying to get information
on what was going on. I remember the Russians were trying to
figure it all out also. I really enjoyed my time at
Det 27. Roomed with Paul (Rod) Tully and Bill Shortridge.
Kept in touch wit! h Paul and Bill for a while but have lost
track of them. I used to see Paul when I would go into New York
on business. We both worked at advertising agencies at that time.
I eventually ended up in sales (graphic arts, Printing and Film
Separations). Paul was an account executive at the time for Foote
Cone and Belding. Billy Shortridge visited my wife and I in
Chicago but have lost contact with them. Bill owned a Red Wing
shoe store in Indiana. Paul and I used to do a lot of traveling
when we were in Turkey. We took a ten day trip to the Holy Land
where we got to go to Egypt, Syria , Lebanon Jerusalem and
Jordan. Their were two sisters who worked for our government on
that trip. Paul got along pretty well with one of the sisters and
they took off together when we stopped for a few hours to visit
Damascus, Syria. Our tour plane was ready to take off and no Paul
or this girl. Her sister was in tears and things were getting
tense when up in a cab came Paul and this girl. They ha! d found
this wonderful shop where they picked up these wool sheepskins.
Things were great until about 4 days later. We had this horrible
smell coming out of Paul's locker. Seems the sheepskin he had
purchased had not been cured. Uggh! Don't know what happen
to Paul's friend or her sheepskin. Bill Shortridge and I used to
take out some student nurses from Iran who where going to school
in Ankara. We used to get a lot of flak from the locals when they
would see us on the street or in a restaurant with these girls.
Bill was always falling in love. Shortly before he went to
Germany he bought a ring for the Iranian girl. Her family
panicked and rushed some high ranking officer from the Iranian
army up to see the girl and to make sure she didn't have anything
more to do with this guy. Later Bill met a girl from Germany and
married her. They came to Chicago to visit us once, but we have
lost contact. In addition to the Holy Land trip Paul and I took,
we also took a 26 day trip throu! gh Europe. An MP from Det 27
went with us on this trip but I can't recall his name. We took a
USAF hop out of Ankara to Nancy, France and then took the
USAF base bus into Luxemburg. What a trip that was. We were in a
bar having a
beer and something to eat when a gentleman who was with another
man and two ladies came over to our table and starting asking
questions about where we were from and where we were going. He
was a tour guide and was taking these two women around Europe.
His friend who was with him was a salesman from Amsterdam who was
going back home the next day. When the man found out we were
traveling to Amsterdam he immediately called his friend over,
introduced us and said his friend would drive us to Amsterdam.
Sure enough the next morning the man picked us up at our
hotel in a new white Mercedes and away we went. The man was
almost apologetic saying he had to stop and make some sales call
on the way. No Problem for us. We had mentioned we had not ha! d
any whole milk as the milk at the post in Turkey was
reconstituted from powder. All of a sudden the driver pulls over
and runs into a grocery store. Out he comes with three bottles of
milk. When we got closer to Amsterdam we asked if we could take
him and his wife who was six months pregnant out to dinner as a
way to show our appreciation for the ride and all the niceties.
He said that would be great. When we pulled into Amsterdam he
drove us to a rooming house and got us set up for an amazing
price of $3.50 a night with breakfast included. We took them to
dinner at an Asia restaurant and had a great time. They drove us
around Amsterdam that night, showing us some of the sights. When
we got back to Turkey we sent the man and woman some gifts in
appreciation of their kindness. We were very fortunate in the
fact that we were able to visit many countries including England,
France, Holland, Spain, Italy, Greece Luxemburg, Austria and
later on Germany. Det 27, had a great sports pro! gram. There was
something for everyone. Softball, Flag Football, Basketball. I
played on the base Flag Football team, and softball and
basketball on the the Tk #4 teams. We used to play lots of
practical jokes on each other. Paul Tully and I used to drive Bob
"Moon" Mullins crazy with all the jokes we played on
him. He was a good sport and took them well. He also had a few
jokes up his sleeve. Another time coming off duty
during the winter when there was some snow. We got off
about 2330 hours and went to have midnight chow. We
then decided it would be fun to attack another trick who was
sleeping and had to get up for the early morning shift. We made
snow balls and proceeded to wake them up with some cold snow.
Don't think they took it too kindly as they started using the
fire extinguishers on us. Some of the names of people I remember
are Larry Meade, Bill Parton, Dennis Baron,Dick Biondi, Richard
Wagner, Bob Deines, Joe Vinovich, Walt Las and John Hagamon. ! I
hope to see and or hear about all of these people when my wife
and I attend the reunion in San Antonio September 29th, 2005. I
spent 17 months and 10 days at Det 27 in Turkey and 6 months at
Bad Aibling, Germany. All of it good. I enjoyed it and look at it
as a very positive experience. I don't know of anything that I
would trade for this experience. Hope to see many of you in
San Antonio.
Yahoo! for Good
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