I began my journey to South Korea in Dec. '68 when I graduated from school at Fort Monmouth New Jersey as a Tactical Microwave Radio Systems Repairman (26L20). My class of 13 was going to Vietnam but our orders were changed to S. Korea at the last minute. All but one of us was ordered to "The Land of Morning Calm" via Ft Lewis Washington and we departed for overseas Jan.'69 from McCord AFB.

The plane went to Anchorage Alaska, Tokyo Japan and on to Seoul Korea. We arrived at Kimpo Airport in the middle of the night with sub-freezing temperatures. After a short welcoming to the Far East we were instructed to drop our drawers and received a GG shot with what I believe must have been a nail for a needle. Ouch, that hurt but then it was on to a bus with wire and screens over the windows for protection which gave us a bumpy ride to ASCOM Compound. This is where new comers processed "in country" and received their assignments.

My entire class had already been assigned to Strategic Communications Command (STRATCOM) Long-Lines Battalion so we only had to stay Seoul 2 nights. Those two nights were a harsh welcoming to the Korean winters which I later would experience twice before returning to California. My radio school friends and I put on our itchy wool long johns issued by the Army and layers of other clothing and pulled our beds up close to the stoves used in Korea for heating. Every G.I. who has spent a winter in Korea knows the smell of the diesel powered barrel stoves and learned to appreciate the generated heat from them despite the odor, mess and constant tending to re-fuel the 5 gal jerry cans.

Bruce Boynton (tall) from Campbell Hall, N.Y. was assigned to Yongsan Microwave Site in Seoul for 2 tours and Val Buchanan (left) from Arvin, CA. went to Salem Site (Night Cap?) north of Taegu also for 2 tours. I would do my 2 tours of duty at 3 microwave sites, "Bucket" at Osan Air base, "Richmond" above Taejon and "Tacoma" near Kunsan A.B.