오산기지1955-59 이시우 2006/05/09 1304

http://kalaniosullivan.com/OsanAB/OsanSongtan1a.html

1955:
Compulsory Elementary School Education in the Songtan area During the war, when the flux of battle had settled down to fighting over worthless real estate along the DMZ, the Korean elementary schools were reopened for elementary school. However, the problem for many was that simple survival overrode any desire for education. In addition, those who were orphans found themselves locked out of the “system” as they had no family register to be entered into the education system. In addition, the long distances of homes of some children from the nearest school or the inability of the parents to pay for textbooks, stationery and suitable clothing — apart from other payments — kept children of poorer parents out of school.

Jinwi Elementary School In Jinwi-myeon there were two “hagwons” (academies). There was the Kumrung Hagwon and Jinchong hawong. The Kumrung Hagwon later became the Jinwi Elementary school. (Source: Jinwi Elementary School Historical Report (1945)) (Source: Pyeongtaek History, Pyeongtaek Si Sa)

Seotan Elementary School In Seotan-myeon, there was the Hwaeahwan Training School that later became the Seotan Elementary School. (NOTE: The Seotan Elementary refutes this statement) The Seotan Elementary School was founded on 22 August 1930. (Source: Pyeongtaek History, Pyeongtaek Si Sa) On 1 November 1953, a branch school of the Seotan Elementary was started near Osan AB, the Kumgak Elementary School. (Source: Conversation between Kalani O’Sullivan and Principal of Seotan Elementary School interpreted by Ms. Kim Mi-kyoung, teacher, June 2005.)

Seojong-ni Elementary School (later the Songtan Elementary School) In 1945, the school was called the Jisan-ni Training School “branch” and moved to its 3-classroom school house in 1 Sep 1947. It became the Seojong-ni Elementary School in 1948. On 30 Jun 1949, compulsory universal education for elementary school became law. On 1 Jul 1949, there were 6 grades in the school. (Source: Pyeongtaek Si Sa) On 30 Sep 1949, it received a female principal. Common-sense would dictate that after the North invaded classes ceased until the war stabilized on the DMZ. Most likely it reopened in 1952 though not stated as such. (NOTE: The Songtan Elementary School in Kajae-dong was established on 1 March 1996 and traces its lineage to the Seojong-ni Elementary School. (Source: Songtan Elementary School History.)

Throughout Korea there were many pictures during the war years of children happily going to school — from tent schools provided by GIs in Pusan to children walking to school in Kunsan wearing ill-fitting hand-me-down school uniforms, but smiling proudly.

In 1952, Robert Evilsizor with the 839th EAB, took some 8mm movies of a long procession of kids walking to school outside the base. There was only the Seojong Elementary School in the area at the time in fall of 1952, we assume these kids must have been on the way to the Seojong Elementary School. (NOTE: The Kumgak Elementary School — built with 18th FBW donations and materials — was not completed until November 1953.) The children were in fall attire — some girls with white & black hanbok-style; some boys in black uniforms; but the majority in mixed attire. Given the severe poverty conditions in the area, it was obvious that these children were not from the poorest families. Though the government had passed a law making education compulsory, it did not fund it adequately. The central Government bore only some 15 percent of the total expenses and the local bodies 10 percent. The balance was raised by the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) through “voluntary contributions.” (The Republic of Korea, W.E. Reeve, 1963, p90) The bottomline was that those children whose families could not afford to “contribute,” did not attend school. Because of the severe poverty, many times families could not even afford the cost of paper and pencils. What was evident in the faces of the children as they marched along was the happiness and pride in being able to attend school.

Songbuk Elementary School Songbuk Elementary School in Songtan was established on 1 Apr 1955. (Songbuk Elementary School, 633 Jisan-dong, Pyongtaek City; Kyonggi-do) It is located in Jisan-dong 1 near Rte 1 to Pyeongtaek. The school is still located on the same grounds where it was first sited in 1955. At that time, the area between the intersection of Route 1 (MSR-1) (present-day Express Bus Terminal) to the hills (present day Rte 1) was all rice paddies and swamp-land. The Songbuk Elementary School was built on the higher ground beyond.

(L) Songbuk Elementary School (1955) (R) 50th Anniversary Ceremony (1 April 2005) (Songbuk Elementary School)

Songbuk Elementary School (2005) (NOTE: This school was built on the original location of Songbuk Primary School in 1955) (Kalani O’Sullivan)

(SPECULATION) We believe the choice of location for the Songbuk Elementary School was an indicator of the growth of Jae Yok-dong (later Shinjang dong) near Osan AB. The population center had shifted from Seojong-ni to the Jae Yok-dong (Shinjang-dong) area. At that time the economy of the area was primarily dependent on the base — not only as a bar row — but as the primary employer of skilled laborers (i.e., carpenters, plumbers), administrative clerks, supply warehousemen), as well as unskilled labor force (i.e., houseboys, messhall workers, women road construction crews).

New construction was spreading out into the Songbuk-dong area along the MSR-1 area and into the surroundng hills near the road. Houses were being constructed up the hill across from the railroad tracks in what was to become the Songbuk-dong area of Songtan. Photos of the period show businesses sprouting up along the highway (MSR-1) as well as the road from the main gate to the MSR-1 area. Though houses, near the gate were of flimsy construction, the businesses opening along MSR-1 and along the road to MSR-1 appear to have been of better construction — possibly as businesses relocated and recycled their building materials — or used materials obtained illegally from the base construction.
Kumgak-ri Elementary School (Closed in 2000) Bob Spiwak sent a photo of the Seotan Elementary School kids in Mar 2005. His photo is of significance as there were few photos of these types of structures and infrastructure at the time. What is marvelous about the photo is that though the kids had patches on their clothes — all the clothes appeared washed and pressed. This reflects the attitudes and respect towards the educational process on the part of parents and children — a tradition continued till today. However, the story didn’t end there.

Seotan Elementary School (1953) (Bob Spiwak)

We at first thought it was the Seojong-ni Elementary School — as Songbuk Elementary was founded in 1955 and the picture was from 1953. However, when we had the Chinese characters translated, it read “Seotan Elementary School.” The problem though was that Seotan elementary was out in the boondocks, more than 15km from Osan-ni AB — much too far for someone on foot to be traveling in the Korean War. Logic stated that it was NOT Seotan Elementary, but the “school placard” stated it was.

Confused, we visited the Seotan Elementary School in June 2005. The Principal stated that it was NOT Seotan Elementary which had been founded in 1930. But then he pointed out that on 1 November 1953, a “branch” school of the Seotan Elementary was started near Osan AB, the Kumgak Elementary School. (Source: Conversation between Kalani O’Sullivan and Principal of Seotan Elementary School interpreted by Ms. Kim Mi-kyoung, teacher, June 2005.) Because of declining enrollment, Kumgak Elementary School was closed in 2000 and its students sent to Pokchang Elementary School about four blocks from the Osan Main Gate.

The pieces fit. Bob Spiwak had taken the picture in 1953 near the base…and the Kumgak Elementary school was opened in Nov 1953. Unlike the present day Osan AB, there was no perimeter fence around Osan AB so access to Kumgak-ni was possible if Bob just walked straight down the taxiway. Kumgak-ni is outside the base off the south end of the runway. Though we have not proven this conclusively, thus far it is the only solution to the riddle of the missing school. Unfortunately, the Kumgak Elementary School was closed in 2000 because of the dropping enrollment. Its students were combined with Pokchong Elementary school in Shinjang-2 dong about three blocks from the Osan AB Main Gate.

In July 2005, we drove out to Kumgak-ni Village to locate the Kumgak-ni Elementary School. We drove around the base of Hill 180 starting at the Main Gate and veered right (east) at the “Y” intersection. Following the perimeter and one comes to the Hill 180 Gate which is now closed — and then the new AFOC Gate about 500 yards down. Immediately past the AFOC gate, one comes to a “T” intersection leading to Rte 1 if you turn left. Turn right (heading southeast) and continue down until the base perimeter ends. Then it’s small dairy farms (I barn with cattle inside) and sparse buildings. You pass the Tourism Senior High School and continue down through an intersection and go straight (now heading north east). You pass a sign on the right (in hangul) saying “Kumgak-1 ni.” The road narrows even more and there’s a senior citizen building on the left. Behind the senior citizens’ building, there is the entrance to the now closed Kumgak Elementary School. Total distance from the Hill 180/AFOC base gate maybe two miles.

(L) Deserted Kumgak-ri Elementary School in the Rain (R) Kumgak-ri Senior Citizen at Kumgak-ri Elementary Gate (Jul 2005) (Kalani O’Sullivan)

Now closed Kumgakri Elementary School (Feb 2006) (Kalani O’Sullivan)

Of course, the old building is gone and a standard 1970s school is in its place. The school is closed. The senior citizens building gives you a clue as to why it closed. In 1990, Asia Business Week had an article on the changing face of Korea and quoted someone as saying, “The countryside is filled with graves and old people waiting to fill them.” All the people got old and their children moved away to find jobs in the urban areas. There are few kids left in the area. This is why it was combined with the Pokchang Elementary school up in Shinjang-2 dong.
Later in 2006, Marshall Parker who was stationed at Osan in 1963 mentioned an orphanage on the Hill 180 side of the base. (See 1963) We attempted to find some trace of the orphanage built of mudwattle with stucco facing but there was no trace of it — but 50 years can erase a lot of things. The entire area has changed dramatically. There is a possibility that the picture is of an orphanage using an abandoned Japanese built structure. As of Feb 2006, we are still in research on this item.

Church Schools There were also “church” schools in the area. The most visible was the Salvation Army was active in the Chicol Village area. Its main work was with the orphans through the Gusegun (Salvation Army) church set up in the area, but probably rudimentary English classes for adults would have been set up with American volunteers. (NOTE: The during this time period there were 20 orphanages in Suwon and three in Pyeongtaek to handle the overflow crowds of children. The Pyeongtaek orphanages handled the orphans that showed up at K-55. Currently there is the Ae Hyang Orphanage in Seojong-dong run by Mr. Lee Min Ho.)

Smaller church schools also operated in the area. The Kwangmyeong Gongmin Hakkyo (church school) was established in 1953. (NOTE: We haven’t established the location, but Taegwang Middle School authorities state it was in the same area as the Taegwang Middle School today — probably near the high ground near the Songwang Church (Onnori Church) in Shinjang 2-dong as the remainder was still rice fields. On 11 Nov 1955, the Songtan Godung Gomin Hakkyo (church school) started six classes.

Park Chong-su, owner of Park’s Toy and Doll Shop in Shinjang 2-dong, stated that his father worked as an advisor to the base commander of the 6314th ABG after the war. He convinced the base to donate tents to found the first school in Songtan called the Songwang Hagwon with grades 1-3. It was run by his father’s friend, Pak Byong-kwon, who lived next to the school. This tent school was located just below the Songshin Elementary School next to what was then rice fields. The official date states that this was established on 6 Jan 1962. This then merged with the Songwang Middle School on 17 Mar 1962. This later became the Songwang Kungmin Hakyo which was the predecessor of the present Taekwang Middle School. (Source: Verbal Conversation with Mr. Pak Chong-su, on 19 Nov 2005.) At the time, this was set up in military tents alongside the Songshin Elementary School which was established on 1 Jan 1963. On 12 Mar 1968, the Taegwang hagwon changed to the Taegwang Middle School and supplanted the Songwang Middle School with permanent structures next to the Songshin Elementary School.

Hyomyung Middle School The Hyomyung Middle School was founded in 1953 from donations of the Catholic airmen and officers of the 18th FBW. (See 18th FBW Builds Country School through Donations for details.)

BACKGROUND ON EDUCATION: During the Japanese colonial period, schools were open only to those who supported the tax base — meaning property owners. Unfortunately, most of the Koreans were disenfranchised as they were tenant farmers or subsistence fisherman. These people remained uneducated.

The independent development of Korean modern education was interrupted by the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. During the following 35 years under colonial rule, public schools were erected but the aim of education was to convert Koreans into loyal citizens of Japan. This intent was manifested in the Educational Decree promulgated shortly after the annexation. In the 1930s and 1940s, Koreans were forbidden to use the Korean language. Instead, they were forced to use the Japanese language under the Japanese plan to obliterate the cultural identity of Koreans. Korean history was excluded from the curriculum. Koreans were forced to learn only Japanese history.

Moreover, Koreans were obliged to change their names into Japanese names. In order to maintain their colonial rule, Japanese colonialists demanded loyalty and submission from the Korean people. They limited the opportunities for education because they thought it very dangerous to spread education among the Koreans. Thus, the standard of education was low on the whole. (Source: Ministry of Education: 1880-1945.)
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The 1900s saw a mushrooming of private secondary schools founded by Koreans, most of whom were wealthy aristocrats who had come to realize the importance of education during the critical period that preceded Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910. The most notable of these were the boy’s schools Posong, Yangjong and Whimoon located respectively in Seoul, Osan and P’yongyang, and the girl’s schools Sookmyung, Chinmyong and Dongduck, all located in Seoul.

American Christian missionaries also established the Choson Christian College (which later developed into Yonsei University) in Seoul in 1905, and Soongsil College in P’yongyang in 1906.

The development of modern education was disrupted during the Japanese colonial occupation of Korea (1910-1945). Although the number of public schools increased substantially during the colonial period, the education provided by these schools fell far short of the rising aspirations of Koreans. Educational opportunities were limited to a small number of Koreans. Elementary schools, for example, accommodated only 30 percent of all school-age children; only one out of 20 or so enrolled in secondary schools, and very few Koreans were able to attend college.(Source: Asian Info: Korea: Education.)
The First Republic started a program of Universal Education — education for all. Although relevant legislation was enacted in 1948, elementary education for children was not made compulsory until 1953 because of the post-Korean War rehabilitation effort. The Constitution stipulates in Article 31 that it is the responsibility of all parents and guardians to ensure an elementary school education for their children aged 6 to 11 and that this education is free.

Efforts were made to develop Korean education through teaching and spreading the Korean language. In order to lay the foundation of democratic education after liberation, education policies were directed toward 1) the compilation and distribution of primary school textbooks, 2) supplementary in-service training for teachers, 3) reform of the school ladder system from a multiple to a single track system following a 6-3-3-4 pattern, 4) adult education for literacy, 5) the decentralization of educational administration, 6) the implementation of compulsory education, 7) the incremental expansion of educational opportunities for secondary and higher education, and 8) the creation of teachers colleges. (Source: Ministry of Education: 1945-1950.)

Soon after achieving independence the new Republic passed various educational laws, especially Nos. 86 and 178, designed to institute a system of universal and free primary schooling of six grades, followed by three years at a middle school and three years at a high school. Article 16 of the Constitution laid donw that “the attainment of at least elementary education shall be both compulsory and free.” But the implementation of this provision was first delayed by the war and then by the inability of the central Government to finance such a system. (The Republic of Korea, W.E. Reeve, 1963, pp86-88)

Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945 marked a turning point in the history of education. As the country underwent a transition from totalitarian rule to democracy, a primary concern was to provide everybody with equal educational opportunities. The period from 1945 to 1970 witnessed a dramatic expansion of education. In spite of the widespread destruction and economic suffering brought about by the Korean War (1950-1953), Korea succeeded in virtually eliminating illiteracy. Such a rapid expansion was naturally accompanied by problems, the most serious being a deterioration in the quality of education. As the 1960s drew to a close, Korea’s educators turned their attention to these problems and several projects were launched to improve the curricula and the methods of instruction.

Elementary school enrollment showed a sharp increase from 1952, reaching a peak of more than 5 million in 1971. The increase in student enrollment during those years pushed some individual school enrollments as high as 10,000 or more, with more than 90 pupils crammed in one classroom in some schools. Many schools found it necessary to operate classes in two or even three daily shifts. As of 1997, there were 6,623 elementary schools including 902 branch schools throughout the country, with 3,783,986 pupils accommodated in 107,860 classes and staffed by 138,670 teachers. The majority of elementary school teachers are graduates of four-year colleges of education.

Article 93 of the Education Act states that the goal of elementary school education is to teach the fundamentals necessary for a productive civic life. In order to fulfill this objective, the basic curricula for elementary school education are divided into nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, arithmetic, natural science, physical education, music, fine arts and the practical arts. However, subject matters in grade 1 and 2 are integrated in “disciplined life,” “intelligent life” and “pleasant life.” (Source: Asian Info: Korea: Education.)
The main focus in the primary schools was the teaching of the Korean language to promote literacy. In 1937, the Japanese made learning the Japanese language compulsory and the Korean language was banned from the schools. Thus it was important that the children once again re-learn their language. The establishment of compulsory elementary school education for all children made the establishment of schools a priority. At this time, due to the lack of trained teachers, the elementary schools were simply people able to read and write hangul. Later a two-year college requirement was made for elementary school teachers.

The increase in student enrollment during those years pushed some individual school enrollments as high as 10,000 or more, with more than 90 pupils crammed in one classroom in some schools. Many schools found it necessary to operate classes in two or even three daily shifts. However, for small rural communities, like the area around K-55, the schools were few-and-far-between. Of course, the rapid growth of the class sizes also meant that the quality of education suffered.

However, striking proof of the widespread thirst for education in Korea was demonstrated during the war and early post-war years when every effort was made to continue classes, often out of doors or in temporary barracks built by parents and supporters. Unfortunately, the limitation was the availability of classrooms and books. In the Korean War, 23 percent of classrooms were destroyed and 25 percent damaged, while over 95 percent of the existing laboratory equipment was lost. The shortage of teachers, many of whom were conscripted or killed, and the damage done to libraries were also serious.

The school houses by-and-large were those buildings recycled from the Japanese colonial period or makeshift barracks. Sometimes the classes were held in tents donated by the US military or even held outdoors. The teaching conditions were primitive and classrooms unheated for the most part — but the children were grateful for the education. The Confucian education ethic was embedded in the Korean populace — and parents sacrificed just for the sake of getting their children educated. However, primary schools were in part financed by the national treasury and in part by means of an education tax levied by the educational district or committee, as the case might be. In actual practice, however, the central Government bore only some 15 percent of the total expenses and the local bodies 10 percent. the balance was raised by the Parent-Teachear Associations (PTA) originally organized as an emergency measure to guarantee teachers a minimum living allowance during the Korean War. These PTAs were financed by “voluntary contributions,” but a child whose parents could not afford them did not in fact attend school. The burden borne by the PTAs in public and private school operations reached its peak in 1955, when it amounted ot 57 percent of the total. (The Republic of Korea, W.E. Reeve, 1963, p90)

In 1955, the war was over and some stability was returned to local communities. The schools reopened and children were educated in basic reading skills in hangul. Remember that the Japanese had attempted to eradicate the Korean language by having Japanese taught in the schools in 1937 — while hangul was only learned in private schools. What had started as a dual education system — one for the Japanese and one for the Koreans — turned into a Japanese school system after 1937. Thus it was essential for the Korean people to relearn their native language.

The first step was to reestablish the elementary schools (6 years) — and then the middle schools (3 years) — and finally the high schools (3 years) — and ultimately college (4 years). In 1955 the ROK was still at step one. At this time, six years of elementary school was compulsory — and unfortunately, few went on to Middle School because of the limited amount of schools and in a rural villages, it one would not find a Middle School. Because of a lack of teachers, two year degrees for teaching were all that was required for elementary teachers.

During the 1950s, it was an accomplishment to graduate from middle school. During this period, the male students wore the traditional student uniform of a black coat and pants with a black cap with a pin showing one’s school and grade. Girls wore a black skirt and a white blouse with sailor collar. However, higher education was still in the hands of the elite. The old Japanese Universities were simply renamed — such as Seoul National University — to attempt to forget the Japanese colonial past.

(NOTE: Seoul National University: History states, “The founding of SNU in 1946 marked the opening of the first national university in modern Korean history. Originally, the university was composed of one graduate school and nine colleges, with 491 faculty members and 4,500 students.” Quick Facts: Seoul National University states, “Seoul National University is not South Korea’s oldest university. Its predecessor was founded in 1924 as the sixth Imperial Universityof Japan. Its original name was “Keijo Imperial University” (Keijo Teikoku Daigaku, Gyeongseong Jeguk Daehak, abbreviated to Jodai). After World War II, it was temporarily renamed to Gyeongseong University. Seoul National University was founded on October 15, 1946 by reorganizing Gyeongseong University and some technical schools. The university ignores its forerunners, although some colleges trace back their histories to Keijo Imperial University.”)
The basic problem was simply starting up the educational system again. Educational materials were lacking and basic school supplies unavailable. Under the corrupt Syngman Rhee government, much of the money earmarked for social programs were siphoned off into the pockets of corrupt officials. Though teachers held high status in the eyes of the public, their salaries were miniscule. Most teachers in the rural communities were not college graduates, but simply individuals sent out with a book and told to teach.

However, it should be noted that the education was not always equitable. If you had no family register or an orphan, you were not allowed to receive an education. For many orphans, they would receive their elementary school education after the war was over. During the war, the children of North Korean refugees were denied educational opportunities simply because there was not enough space to educate all. After the war, the government did build more schools to accomodate the refugees. In the Pyongtaek area, there was not much problem with North Korean refugees as they all fled further South.

Most of the children of this period could only hope for a middle school education at best as high school openings were limited. The problem was not buildings, but rather the lack of educational materials and lack of monies for salaries and supplies. Though Koreans placed a high value on education, there were simply not enough schools available — and for many, not enough money to afford an education.
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839th EAB Packs Up The 839th EAB started to pack things up at K-55 as the unit was scheduled for deactivation. The 417th Engineering Aviation Brigade at Taegu (K-2) was shutting down as well. The last elements of the 841st had departed Osan (K-55) for Kunsan (K-8) in early 1954 to replace the 808th EAB which was moving to Okinawa. The 839th EAB remained a strange mix of USAF and Army personnel involved in heavy construction. After the infrastructure at K-55 was in place, the 839th became “maintainers” of the base with the personnel “honchoing” gangs of around 12 Korean nationals on various assigned projects. Unlike other bases where an Airfield Installation Squadron (AIS) assigned to the Wing was formed, Osan retained the EAB to fulfill this function. The EAB equipment was supposedly turned over to the ROK prior to departing the country.

Norman Medland, MSgt, USAF (Ret) wrote on the Korean War Project on 20 Feb 2001, “I transferred into the 839th up on the hill by the main gate of K-55 in Late December, 1954 from the 1903rd, K-6 at Pyong Taek. 1903rd was being deactivated (see my entry for 1903rd) and I didn’t have required time in country to leave. First assigned to “A” company doing details around the company. Detailed to the base Air Police for 30 days, we were the equivalent of the vice squad, raiding whore houses & sending the troops we caught back to the base. No, we didn’t arrest anyone. Since I was a quartermaster-trained killer, I was detailed again to AF base supply honchoing a group of Korean Laborers putting crashed airplanes in big crates for shipment to Japan. Seemed to be a lot of work for us. …” He was with the 839th from Dec 1954-Jul 1955.

Ronald H. LaPlante wrote on the Korean War Project on 9 Mar 2001, “I was with the 839th EAB “B” Co. in 1955. I have some fond memories of the mess hall on the side of No Sweat Hill and Spam Creek. I was the last members of the 839th in Korea before we handed all of the equipment over to the Korean nationals….”
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314th AD
Note the 314 AD patch read “314th Air Division” at the base with a black and white braid rope at the top.
314th AD Arrives The 5th Air Force advanced unit arrived in Feb 1954 and stayed until Sep 1955 when the 314th Air Division (AD) arrived.

The 314th history dates back to WWII as a Bombardment Wing under 5AF. It was redesignated as 314th AD under the 5th AF on 21 Nov 1950 and inactivated on 1 Mar 1952. It was activated on 15 Mar 1955 and remained under 5th AF until it was inactivated on 8 Sep 1986.

Prior to the Korean War, the 3rd BW was a component from 18 Aug 1948-1 Mar 1950. Also the 35th Fighter Wing was attached from from 18 Aug 1948-1 Mar 1950. The 49th Fighter Wing was assigned from (later, 49 Fighter-Bomber): 18 Aug 1948-1 Mar 1950. At the onset of the Korean War in June 1950, all FEAF assets were consolidated under the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing.

During the Korean War, the 314th AD was at Nagoya AB, Japan from 1 Dec 1950-1 Mar 1952. The 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was attached from 22 Dec 1950-7 May 1951. The 41st Fighter-Interceptor Wing was attached 1 Dec 1950-25 May 1951. The 452d Bombardment Wing was assigned from 1 Dec 1950-25 May 1951. The 35 Fighter-Interceptor Wing was assigned from 25 May 1951-1 Mar 1952. The 116th Fighter-Bomber Wing was assigned from 24 Jul 1951-1 Mar 1952. The 374th Troop Carrier Wing and 437th Troop Carrier Wing were both assigned from 1 Dec 1950-25 Jan 1951 but detached during the entire period. The 6013th Operations (Northern Area); 6014th Operations (Central Area), and 6015th Operations (Southern Area) were assigned from 2 Nov 1951-1 Mar 1952. The 56th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was attached 18 May 1951-1 Mar 1952. The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron ws attached 18 May 1951-1 Mar 1952. The 68th Fighter Squadron (later, 68 Fighter-Interceptor) was assigned from 1 Dec 1950-1 Mar 1952 but detached for the entire period. The 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was attached from 7 May-27 Jun 1951. The 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was attached from 20 Sep-4 Nov 1951. The 336th Fighter-Interceptor: Squadron attached from 27 Jun-20 Sep 1951. The 339th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was assigned 1 Dec 1950-1 Mar 1952 but detached for the entire period.

314th AD
(Robert Van der Krogt’s Patch Collection)

After the Korean War, the 314th AD was assigned to Osan Ni (later, Osan) AB, Korea from 15 Mar 1955 until 7 November 1978 when it moved to Yongsan Garrison in Seoul. It remained at Yongsan till 1 April 1979 when it returned to Osan AB. It remained at Osan until 8 Sep 1986 when it was inactivated.

Under the Air Division, the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Osan was assigned from 1 Mar 1955-31 Jan 1957. The 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing replaced the 18th FBW at Osan and was attached 15 Mar 1955-31 Dec 1956 and it was assigned from 1 Jan 1957-1 Jul 1958 when it was inactivated. The 58th was redesignated as the 58th Tactical Missile Group with Matador missiles at Osan and assigned from 24 Apr 1959-25 Mar 1962 when it was inactivated. The 310 Fighter-Bomber Squadron was attached from 1-15 Jul 1958 though not operational because it was to be converted into the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron under the 58th Tactical Missile Group at Osan.

The 6146th Air Force Advisory (Republic of Korea Air Force) (later, 6146 Flying Training; 6146 Air Force Advisory) was assigned from 15 Mar-24 Sep 1955 and then from 18 Sep 1956-1 Apr 1971. The 6156th Flying Training Squadron (Transfer to ROKAF) was assigned from 15 Mar-14 Sep 1955.

Later the 51st Air Base (later, 51 Composite; 51 Tactical Fighter) at Osan was assigned from 1 Nov 1971-8 Sep 1986 when the 314th was inactivated.

3rd TFW at Kunsan AB flying F-4Ds was assigned from 15 Mar 1971-16 Sep 1974. The 3rd TFW was replaced by the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing flying F-4Ds from 16 Sep 1974-8 Sep 1986 when the 314th was inactivated.

The 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Suwon flying OV-10A Broncos was assigned from 15 Jan 1972-30 Sep 1974.

(Source: AFHRA: 314AD.)

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58th FBW
(Now 58th SOW)

58th FBW Moves From Taegu The 58th FBW moved from Taegu to Osan AB in May 1955. At the time the 1st US Marine Division was departing Korea and the Eighth Army I Corps was tasked to defend the critical western corridors into the ROK. Tensions increased on 6 Sep 1955 when a South Korean intelligence report said the Russians had moved three divisions into North Korea and given North Korea at least five battleships, 30 cruisers, and about 300 MiG fighters. The presence of over one and one-half million Chinese troops were reported in North Korea. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p108, Command Historian’s Office, USFK/EUSA) Though the veracity of these reports could not be verified, the state of alert was increased.

Replaced the 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing (a unit comprised of federalized Air National Guard squadrons) on 10 Jul 1952. When the 58th FBW activated, it absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 136th FBW. Initially headquartered in Itazuke, Japan, the 58th had some assets in Japan and some in South Korea until August, when the entire wing moved to Korea. The Wing moved to Taegu AB, South Korea in August 1952 where it flew primarily interdiction and close air support missions, but also attacked special strategic targets such as military schools, dams, and port facilities. From 15 Mar 1953 to 8 Nov 1954, it service-tested a “reinforced” wing organization by absorbing support and administrative functions of the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing (replaced in a name-only move on 1 Apr 1953 by the 474th Fighter-Bomber Wing from Kunsan) while exercising direct control of the tactical components of the attached wing. Retained control of the 474th Fighter-Bomber Group to 24 Nov 1954. (See Howitwas: 474th FBW for details of this confusing move.) It flew the F-84 aircraft from 1952-1954. In three-months, the reinforced wing flew 10,422 combat sorties and delivered more firepower than two separate wings with a full complement of personnel.

After the armistice, the 58th FBW provided air defense of South Korea. It moved to Osan-Ni (later, Osan) AB, South Korea on 15 Mar 1955 and transitioned to the F-86. After the armistice, the 58th FBW provided air defense of South Korea. Its fighter squadrons were the 69th FBS from 8 Nov 1957- 1 Jul 1958; 310th FBS from 1 Mar 1957-1 Jul 1958; and 311th FBS from 1 Mar 1957-1 Jul 1958. Larry Luntz wrote on the Korea War Project in 2004, “George (Wakefield) was a parachute rigger. I would help rig parachutes when he became overwhelmed. He never told me about signing a little book that went with the chute, I recieved a couple of 5ths from the pilots when their parachutes opened. I will never forget how cold it was, those oil stoves in the huts would blow up ever so often. Man what a mess. standing guard on the flight line at night was miserable, until I went to Japan on R&R and got some pocket warners. Lots of cold, smelly memories.”

69th FBS

The history of the 69th FBS, Werewolves, starts as the 69th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) was constituted on 20 Nov 1940 under the 58th Pursuit Group and activated on 15 Jan 1941. It was redesignated the 69th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 and 69th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 Aug 1943. It fought its way up the Pacific from New Guinea through the Philippines to Okinawa and Japan — and after the Armistice, it was sent to Manila, PI until it was inactivated on 27 Jan 1946. It was redesignated the 69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 Jun 1952 and activated on 10 Jul 1952 under the 58th Fighter-Bomber Group. It flew the F-84 during the Korean War and transitioned to the F-86 in 1954. Assigned to the 58th FBW, it was attached to various Air Task Forces to Formosa from 1955-1957. It operated on one-month rotations along with the 310th and 311th FBS at Tainan AB, ROC during the Sino-Burma War time period because of growing fears that the Communist Chinese would invade Formosa (Taiwan). It was inactived on 1 Jul 1958 when the 58th FBW was also inactivated.

It was redesignated the 69th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 22 Aug 1969 and reactivated on 15 Oct 1969 under the 58th Tactical Training Wing flying the F-104. It was inactivated on 16 Mar 1983.

It was redesignated 69th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 14 Apr 1983 and activated on 1 Jul 1983 under the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing and transitioned to the F-4. It transitioned to the F-16 in 1988. Under the 347th Operations Group, it was deployed to the UAE abd Saudi Arabia between Jan-Jun 1991 attached to the 4404th Composite Wing (Provisional). It was redesignated the 69th Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991.

310th FBS

The history of the 310th FBS, Top hat Squadron, dates from WWII in 1942 as part of the 58th Pursuit Group. It fought its way up the Pacific from New Guinea through the Philippines to Okinawa and Japan. It was inactivated on 20 Feb 1946. It was redesignated the 310th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 Jun 1952 and activated on 10 Jul 1952 during the Korean War at Taegu, South Korea. In Mar 1955 it moved with the 58th FBW to Osan. After the 58th FBW left Osan and was inactivated, it remained with its F-86s and transferred assignment to the 314th Air Division at Osan on 1 Jul 1958.

310th FS Sabrejets at Osan (1955)

When the 58th FBG was “reborn” as the 58th Tactical Missile Group (TMG) in 1958, it transitioned from the F-86s to Matadors. It was assigned under the 58th TMG and redesignated the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron on 15 Jul 1958 with the Matador Missiles. The Matador missiles were discontinued and dismantled at Osan in 1962. The unit was inactivated, on 25 Mar 1962.

It was redesignated the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron under the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (later 58th Tactical Training Wing) at Luke AFB, AZ on 11 Dec 1969 and activated on 15 Dec 1969 flying A-7s, F-4s and F-16s. It was involved in combat crew training. It was redesignated 310th Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991 under the 58th Operations Group. Later, it was assigned to the 56th Operations Group at Luke AFB, AZ from 1 Apr 1994 on.

311th FBS

The history of the 311th FBS dates from WWII in 1942 as part of the 58th Pursuit Group. It fought its way up the Pacific from New Guinea through the Philippines to Okinawa and Japan. It was inactivated on 20 Feb 1946. It was redesignated the 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 Jun 1952 and activated on 10 Jul 1952 during the Korean War at Taegu, South Korea. In Apr 1955 it moved with the 58th FBW to Osan. When the 58th FBW left Osan, the 311th FBS was inactivated on 1 Jul 1958.

It was redesignated the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron under the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (later 58th Tactical Training Wing)on 11 Dec 1969 and activated on 15 Dec 1969 flying F-4s and F-16s. It trained US and foreign aircrews, between Jan 1970? Nov 1991. It was redesignated 310th Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991 and remained under the 58th Operations Group at Luke AFB, AZ from 1 Oct 1991-1 Apr 1994. On 1 Jan 1995 it was assigned to the 56th Operations Group at Luke AFB, AZ.

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Officers Club (1955)

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ROKAF Transition to F-86s The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) received its first Sabres when five F-86Fs were turned over to ROK pilots on June 20, 1955. Korea received 85 ex-USAF F-86F-25 and -30 fighters between June 1955 and June 1956. These replaced the F-51D Mustang fighters used previously. In 1958, 27 more F-86Fs (from the departing 58th FBW) and ten RF-86F reconnaissance aircraft were delivered. Many of the ROKAF ex-USAF Sabres were retrofitted with the “F-40″ wing with extended tips and slats. Many were modified to carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile. These ROKAF Sabres were replaced by Northrop F-5s beginning in 1965. (Source: Baugher site: F-86)

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1956:

Comet Radio Station at Osan AB (1956)

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Osan-ni AB officially changed ot Osan AB K-55 was designated Osan AB in September 1956. Actually the phrase “Osan-ni Air Base” died during the Korean War — but official correspondence takes time to filter it out. The location of Osan-ni (the village 7km away) on flying charts and Osan-ni AB down the road next to Seojong-ni created confusion and was best differentiated for the sake of clarity.

Ford Gavin, Maj, USAF (Ret), remembers that during the early days of the war flying cargo aircraft it was known as Osan-ni AB, but when he returned in late 1952 to the 90th BS (LNI), 3rd BW flying B-26s it was referred to as simply “Osan AB” or “K-55″. He asked why, but no one had an answer.
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The following is from Bill Gray’s HE GAVE ALL!. In 1956-57, he was stationed at Osan AFB (K55), Korea, in the 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 5th Air Force. During that time, I was an enlisted man working in the Radar/Fire Control Section. The webpage is dedicated to 1st Lt Bob Ford, a promising young 311th pilot, whose life was cut short by a technician’s mistake in the installation of a wrong wing tank attachment kit. The tragic accident that took Lt. Ford’s life happened while doing a high-speed pass at Kunsan AB when the wing tank separated from the aircraft causing the plane to flip into the ground. Only portions dealing with Osan AB have been included.

LIFE IN THE 311th FIGHTER-BOMBER SQUADRON
OSAN AFB (K55), KOREA — 1956-57
PART 1
…My first night at Osan AFB, I stayed in a transient barracks near the ROK (Republic of Korea) Army barracks. Unfortunately, no one warned me about the midnight visitors. About midnight, I woke to see a shadowy figure grabbing my travel bag (ditty bag), several other bags, and running out of the barracks. The Air Police came with their K9 unit, a big ferocious German Shepherd which kept straining so hard to follow the thief I thought his chain would break. We all were able to follow the footsteps right to the fence separating us from the ROK barracks, leaving no doubt where the thief lived.

The next day, I was assigned to the Radar/Fire Control ection of the 311th Fighter Bomber Squadron. We had 24 F-86F aircraft in our squadron, divided into three flights of eight aircraft. Aircraft would typically go up in a flight of four for target practice or simulated bomb runs. When they returned, several of us would jump on our Radar/Fire Control jeep and go meet each pilot as they taxied into the revetment, to see if there were any problems with the radar/fire control sighting system.

One thing I learned quickly ?the Air Force practices segregation. All the radar and communications guys lived in the same quonset huts. And all the A&E (airframe and engine) mechanics lived in other quonset huts. The squadron had about three times as many A&E mechanics compared to the radar and communications technicians. And, those who ran the squadron, i.e., the First Sergeant and all who worked in the Squadron Orderly Room, were mostly A&E types. To them the radar and communications types were “those whiz kids” ?my first experience in being the despised minority.

310th Crew Chief Refueling Sabre (Bill Gray) (1956)

…Another thing I learned upon arriving in Korea ?I was not going to be living in a nice, comfortable, American style barracks as I had up until now. In Korea, we lived in 20-man quonset huts. Our bathroom and showers were in another quonset hut across the street.

Barracks Area (Bill Gray) (1956)

Bill Gray Sitting Outside Barracks (Bill Gray) (1956)

Let me explain more about what the Air Force considered a toilet at Osan AFB. Forget fancy stalls with doors for privacy. Picture a wooden box, about thirty feet long, with a hole cut out about every three foot, and a stream of water running underneath the length of box ?that was our toilet. There was always the joke about a guy taking a wad of toilet paper, setting it afire, and letting it float down the stream. About ten guys could sit down, chat, close enough to hold hands if so desired, and do their business. Of course, if that wad of burning paper were set loose, you would have seen guys popping up and down like fans at a football game doing the “wave.”

The only building on the base that had a normal toilet ?you know, nice white ceramic bowls, stalls with doors that closed, etc. ?was the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing Headquarters building. Being a pragmatic, and whenever possible, a private person; I found it practical to train myself to make my toilet visits after I left work in the afternoon, when I could walk to the HQ building and relax. I cannot say for certain, but I would imagine the pilots, gentlemen or not by act of Congress, were pretty much in the same boat as we enlisted men. As far as I know, only the General and Staff Officers had such white ceramic luxuries.

Hill 180 Barracks (Bill Gray) (1956)

Houseboy (Bill Gray) (1956)

The photo above left shows you the beautiful landscaping at the front entrance way to our villas in Osan, Korea; with rolling brown hills behind. Truly living in the lap of luxury. To complete this picture of luxury, the photo above right is Mike, the Korean houseboy for my quonset hut. Each quonset hut had their own houseboy. I believe that each of us paid Mike about $1.50 to $2.00 a month. For that he kept our hut clean and kept our boots and shoes shining. Not a bad deal, even in 1956.

Mike was a very nice guy, easy to get along with, very pleasant ?except for his kimchi breath. I am not kidding; when Mike walked into the quonset hut, from the other end, you could smell the kimchi on his breath ?from forty to fifty feet away.

For those of you not familiar with this Korean delicacy, kimchi; it is a dish made from cabbage, flavored with garlic, red pepper, ginger, salt, and other spices. Then, traditionally, kimchi is put into ceramic crocks and buried in the earth until it ferments. I have never eaten kimchi; but, if you are within fifty foot of someone who has, you will know it.

The 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was one of three squadrons in the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 5th Air Force, which called Osan AFB (K55) home. The other two squadrons were the 310th and the 69th. The 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing was stationed at K2, Taegu, during the Korean War. In 1955, the wing was moved to K55 at Osan. Notice in the photo below that Red China (Manchuria) is at the top left of the map, across the Yalu River. The Communist Chinese had only to cross the Yalu River to join their comrades, the North Koreans, to supply them with weapons and to eventually join them in the fighting. Support for North Korea was just across the river; support for South Korea and the American and Allied troops came from our bases in Japan.

Entrance Sign (Bill Gray) (1956)

The 311th Fighter-Bomber Squadron sign below sat at the entrance to our work and flight line area. The sign was about 5 foot wide and 3 foot high. Quite honestly, I always felt a surge of pride as I walked past this sign going to work in the Radar/Fire Control Systems shop. In our shop, a corrugated tin room about 12 foot square, we had three to four technicians who worked on the test benches repairing the radar sets and sighting system analog computers. About a dozen of us worked on the aircraft sitting on the flight line, testing and replacing radar and computer modules. The only names I can remember of those working in the shop are a quite A/1C named Ken; a muscle builder named Johnson, who spent all his free time sparring with a punching bag; and a very nice African-American A/1C (back then we just said Black) named Shuler.

LIFE ON OSAN AFB, KOREA

Our social life at Osan AFB would not have made much news in the social registers. Many of the young guys enjoyed going off base to the hootches, which others of us did not find appealing. The area was dirty, as you would expect to see in a country just coming out of a fierce war. The little bars and whatever the small village offered just were not that appealing. So, our social life was work, the Enlisted Men’s Club, and the rare USO shows that came over.

Because our exalted leaders chose to have the U.S. enlisted men share our club with the ROK Korean soldiers, we could never get on the pool tables or any other recreation. There were always 20 to 30 Korean soldiers lined up ahead of us to shoot pool or to do anything else. You might say the Enlisted Men’s Club should have been renamed the ROK Enlisted Men’s Club for the good it did us.

The USO took a group of us to Seoul on a tour. We visited the home of South Korean President Sigman Rhee. We were not allowed into the home; but did get to visit the surrounding area. From above we could view his home with his 16 car garage, most likely paid for by U.S. Foreign Aid money. Below is a photo of me taken at Sigman Rhee’s House of Meditation.

USO Tour: Syngman Rhee House of Meditation (Bill Gray) (1956)

Bill Gray also mentions the TDY to Taiwan (Formosa). He mentions the invasion of “Burma” meaning the Sino-Burmese War in 1956 where Chinese forces invaded Burma, clashing with Burmese troops and taking disputed territory in northern Burma. The next day there were US B-17s sitting on the runway. At that time, the US had backed Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists and as such were committed to prevent any invasion of Taiwan by the Chinese Communists. This was a shooting war — the Republic of China (ROC) planes were returning with holes in them — but everyone pretended it was simply practice missions. There was good reason to fear the Communists because in 1949 they had invaded Tibet with 100,000 troops — and have not left to this day.

The squadrons of the 58th FBW rotated on a bi-montly basis and compared to Korea, it was like paradise. The rotation being on a monthly basis, each squadron went TDY every four months which was a welcome break from the bleakness of Korea.

RETURN TO KOREA
The first of August 1956, we packed up and rotated back to Osan AFB, Korea ?just in time for a hot Korean summer. We would stay in Korea for four months while the 310th FBS and the 69th FBS did their two month stints in Formosa.

During those four months back in Korea, a number of memorable events occurred. Until now, I had never ventured off the air base into the local town, if you could call it that. The nearest village was typical of camp following villages. Establish a military base, and overnight, there was a Korean village.

One Sunday, my friend, Smitty, and I decided to take a walk. Leaving the base, you are immediately told that you cannot get off the main road. Anything off the road was considered off-limits and a GI could get into trouble for venturing into forbidden territory. Not that this stopped many of the guys who would go out seeking fun and night life. Smitty and I agreed that we were strictly staying on the road.

Several things quickly caught our attention. The little houses, or shacks, were made entirely of U.S. military material, with electric lines stretching through the remote, back fences of our base to bootleg into our generators. Much of the clothing worn by the people, particularly the older Koreans, was made of GI blankets; the scratchy, woolen blankets.

Walking down the road, we constantly had people trying to sell us something. The saddest was a little boy, about ten years old, who was trying to sell us his “cherry” (virgin) sister. Jokingly, we said, “No, where is your mother?” The boy replied, “You want my mother? She “cherry” too!” It was funny; but it was also heartbreaking, to think that a young boy would be on the road trying to make a living by selling his sister, his mother, or whoever ?to earn money, to survive.

Being stuck on the base at Osan, with no acceptable activities off base; the USO shows were always welcomed escapes for us. We had several come during our year. One was a show featuring beautiful Tahitian and Hawaiian dancers, which even then, I was sure was not a great idea. You take a large air base, with thousands of young, lonely GIs who have not seen a “round-eyed” girl in almost a year ?and put them in a theatre with beautiful Tahitian dancers on the stage; a lot of young guys had wonderful dreams that night.

Another time, we had a Women’s Roller Derby show come to Osan. Once again, attractive “round-eyed” girls from the good old U.S.A. ?and all we enlisted men could do was dream. Only the top level officers got to have drinks with them.

The USO show that touched me the most was an older couple ?just a white haired man and his wife. They played the piano and sang for us; songs that reminded us of home, mom, and apple pie. Although my grandparents never played the piano and sang; I felt like I was near my grandparents just watching this older couple and listening to their music. This, for me, was by far the absolute best USO show I attended in Korea.

I have to give the Air Force credit though. During this period, they did supply the enlisted men with a bit of entertainment. One day, without warning, a Red Alert was sounded. When the Red Alert is not a practice, and we had never had a practice Red Alert before — this indicates that a possible enemy attack is imminent. We all rushed to our squadron area and were issued carbines and a gas mask; but no ammo clips ?not one single ammo round among us. But, that is okay, we had our gas mask, which none of us had ever seen before; and we had our trusty carbine. If those nasty Communist North Koreans attacked our base, we would put on the gas masks so they would not recognize us as military men ?and then club them with our empty carbines. Yes sir, the Air Force really knows how to entertain the troops. Who needed Bob Hope or Tahitian dancers?

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1957:

Main Gate Aerial View (1957)

Chicol-ni Growth According to Jim Price, the shanty town just outside the base was called “Sugogi” by Americans before it was called “Chicoville, but he didn’t know the reason. (Source: Verbal conversation with Jim Price, Jun 2005.) “Sugogi” means “cow meat” but was the bastardization of “Sutgoge.” “Sut” stands for a medicinal plant (related to the dandelion family) used in rice cakes (green) and meat sauces, and “goge” means a geological rise. According to Oh Sun-soo, the name was first applied to the rise where Route 1 from Osan City now goes straight ahead over a rise — but later was applied to an area along the ridge line near the base in Jwa-dong. Later it would be applied to the area in Jwa-dong across the railroad tracks from K-55 where black bars and brothels sprang up. (Source: Verbal conversation Kalani O’Sullivan with Oh Sun-soo in 21 July 2005.) It would seem reasonable that the term “Sutgoge” would be first applied to the shanty town area as one passed through the “Sutgoge” area to reach the base. However, by 1953 the area was called “Chicol-ni” (Village) or “Chicoville” by the Americans.

In 1957, there were three roads from the Main Gate. The first road that ran directly from the Main Gate across the rail spur and then the Kyongbu railroad tracks to the MSR-1. (This would later become the Shinjang-mall and Mokchon pedestrian crossing area.) The second road to MSR-1 turned right at a 45 degree angle and then turned left to go over the railroad tracks to MSR-1. (This would later become the route to the Shinjang overpass.) The third road led to Milwal-dong up the hill to the Fire Station and Seojong Movie Theater at the top of the hill and veered right to the Hill 180 Gate. (This would later become the Milwal Road.) Chicol-ni was the area directly to the left of the Main Gate as one exited K-55. In 1957, the first large building on the left was the Hansong Korean Dance Hall. Behind this were farm houses and fields. It extended down until the Namsan Village area with the mudwattle houses up to the perimeter of the base along the hillsides. The lower areas in the basin before the rise to MSR-1 were rice fields.

The area to the right of the Main Gate as one exited K-55 was the area referred to as Chong-mun eup (Front Gate Town) by the Korean people. However, after 1955, the common name of the shanty town was “Chicoville” (Chicol Village or Chicol-ni). There was also reference to Chicol-ni as “C-rationville.” Some people jokingly referred to it as “Mudville” because the roads were all dirt and when it rained, it became a sea of mud.

The buildings of “Chicoville” were a clap-trap variety thrown together with any scrap of timber or refuse that could be found. Photos show the roads as all dirt and the roofs of the houses appear to be tar paper tacked down with strips of wood. The shanty-town spread from the main gate back to the rail line and around the base of the small hill with MSR-1 on the other side. There was little construction up the hill as yet. The shanty town residents did include a large number of prostitutes, but the majority of the poeple were simply ordinary people trying to find work to survive. Those were still desparately poor times.
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58th FBW
(Now 58th SOW)

58th Air Base Group takes over as 58th FBW Prepares for Deactivation The 58th Air Base Group became independent of the wing in March 1957 and assumed host unit responsibilities. (NOTE: This was in preparation the introduction of the Matador Missiles in 1958 and the deactivation of the 58th FBW in Jul 1958. The 58th Fighter-Bomber Group was inactivated on 8 Nov 1957 and redesignated the 58th Tactical Missile Group on 17 Jun 1958 and activated on 15 Jul 1958. The responsibility for Osan was turned over to the 6134th ABW in 1958. The 58th Tactical Missile Group (TMG) remained at Osan until the Matador missiles were discontinued and the Group inactivated on 25 Mar 1962. (Source: AFHRA: 58th Operations Group)

The 58th Fighter Bomber Wing continued its operations when its fighter squadrons, the 310th FBS and 311th FBS, were assigned on 1 Mar 1957. The 69th FBS was assigned on 8 Nov 1957. The operations at Osan continued until the 58th FBW was inactivated on 1 Jul 1958. (NOTE: The 311th FBS and 69th FBS were deactivated. However, the 310th remained at Osan but non-operational and assigned to the 314th AD. The 310th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was attached from 1-15 Jul 1958 though not operational because it was to be converted into the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron under the 58th Tactical Missile Group at Osan.) (Source: AFHRA: 58th SOW)

Charles Griffin wrote about the 311th FBS on the Korea War Project in 2004: “…Commanded by Lt. Col. William C. Davis from Sep 57 – Jun 58. I was on the flight line, flight Chief of “A” flight (F86′s. While there we went TDY to Chie (spelled wrong) Formosa and to Bangkok, Thailand on a SETO exercise. …”

Don Ringling wrote about the 311th FBS on the Korea War Project in 2004: “I remember the hot stoves and cold days. And the high point was Bob Hope making his stop at K-55 around Christmas of 57. …”
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Concrete Surfaces Restored Following the war, Osan AB was transitioned to standby status and hosted only temporary duty or transient units involved in PACAF tactical operations. During that time most facilities fell into disrepair. Concrete surfaces were restored in 1957 and total renovation projects were completed in 1958 when the base became a permanent peacetime installation. (Source: GlobalSecurity.org)

The 802d EAB from Japan sent in TDY to build a drainage system around the base. It took 10 weeks to complete the task. (Source: H.M. Spear: 1953.) According to a SCARWAF article, “Upgrades to strengthen the runways and taxiways, concrete resurfacing and reconstruction to the flight operations areas have been accomplished from time to time over the years, but the flightline layout, taxiways and aircraft dispersal areas remain essentially the same as they were when the base was built in 1952. This is a tremendous tribute to the work of the aviation engineers, whose original task was to design and quickly build a wartime airfield that could be used for five years.”

The thing that should be born in mind is that President Eisenhower had made the decision to forward deploy nuclear weapons in 1957. At the same time, the 58th FBW was being deactivated to later form the 58th Tactical Missile Group to be stationed at Osan AB along with the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron (formerly the 310th FBS). Thus Osan was identified in planning as a base that would have these facilities. The concrete restoration was in the Diamond A area where the Matadors were to be positioned with its two hangars along with the adjacent transient aircraft ramp. Upgrades to the rest of the base did not take place and life in the Korean War vintage barracks and facilities continued.

On 21 Jun 1957, the UN Command informed Joint Military Armistice Commission at Panmunjom that the UNC could no longer be bound by provisions limiting the importation of new arms into Korea, because of repeated Communist violtations and building of “vastly superior” NK forces. UN forces introduce new jet aircraft (F-100 Supersable jet) capable of carrying nuclear weapons. North Korea responded with demand to stop UN Buildup, withdraw all foreign forces, and hold anew international conference in Korea. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p108, Command Historian’s Office, USFK/EUSA)

UNC Headquarters moves from Tokyo to Seoul in conjunction with an overall reorganization of US military forces and command structure in the Pacific. Comcurrent with this move is the formation of the US Forces Korea (USFK), a palnning headquarters which coordinates joint service activities in the ROK. Hq, Eighth Army, is served by a general staff while UNC/USFK’s staff is organized in a joint conformation. The senior US Army officer in Korea commands all three headquarters, serving as CINCUNC, COMUSKOREA and CDREUSA. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p108, Command Historian’s Office, USFK/EUSA)

On Oct 1957, the 24th US Infantry Division leaves Korea, being replaced in its secotor by the 1st US Cav Div. (Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, p108, Command Historian’s Office, USFK/EUSA) (NOTE: This was the prelude to nuclear weapons forward positioned in Korea.)

Though the 58th FBW was inactivated in Jul 1958 and the 58th TMG had not been activated yet, there is a possibility that Matador equipment was arriving in 1958 to set up this unit. The 58th Operations Group history states: “Armed with tactical missiles in Oct 1958 to provide air defense of South Korea until 1962.” (Source: AFHRA: 58 Operation Group.) The TM-61A Matador was an equipment intensive system that needed 28 vehicles to operate, while its replacement the TM-61B Mace needed only 2 vehicles. As the Matador units were already phasing down in USAFE in 1959 in favor of the Mace, the Matador equipment was probably arriving from these units.
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6922d RGM, Det 1 The unit was initially assigned to Osan as the 15th Radio Squadron Mobile (RSM) in 1953. The unit was originally formed as a detachment of the 1st Radio Squadron Mobile at Johnson Air Base, Japan, on Nov. 20, 1950. The unit was readied for immediate deployment to Korea in response to the invasion of the South Korea by North Korean forces. Following several redesignations during the Korean War, the unit was finally designated as a detachment of the 15th RSM and moved to Osan in April 1953. In Nov. 1954, however, it again became Det. 1 of the RSM. (Source: Osan AB: 303d IS.)

Detachment 1, of the 15th RSM, located at Ewha University in Seoul worked on a combined basis with highly competent associates. Captain (now Major General retired) Yungil Cho and his staff. The inputs passed through their detachments’ operating location and on to Radar Hill to engaged fighter aircraft. (Source: 15th RSM.)

“Initially activated as the 15th Radio Squadron Mobile at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas on 9 February 1951, the squadron moved to Ashiya Air Base, Japan during July 1951. It was redesignated the 6922nd Radio Group Mobile on 8 May 1955. During 1958 and 1959 US Air Force Security Service effected a major reorganization of its units in the Far East because of the requirement to withdraw US forces from the Japanese mainland. Included in the program were plans for withdrawal of the 6922nd RGM from Ashiya and 6902nd Special Communications Group from Shiroi Air Base. Both units moved to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. Operations at Ashiya ceased on 3 November 1958 and the personnel and equipment of the 6922nd RGM were transferred to the 6902nd SCG; however, the 6922nd never closed. Instead the 6922nd RGM was officially relocated from Ashiya AB to Kadena AB with one officer and one airman assigned on 15 January 1959. While plans called for both the 6902nd and 6922nd to operate from Kadena, the 6920th Security Wing (parent unit for the elements on Okinawa) convinced USAFSS headquarters that only one was needed and that was the 6922nd. The 6902nd SCG closed on 1 December 1959 and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 6922nd RGM on Okinawa and to the 6989th Radio Squadron Mobile at Misawa Air Base, Japan. … On 26 November 1991 Clark Air Base was returned to the Philippine government and the remaining US military personnel at the base returned to the United States. The 6922nd ceased all operations coincident with the turnover ceremony and the final two members of the squadron left with the rest of the base personnel on buses to Cubi Point Naval Air Station where they boarded a charter flight for Los Angeles. Thus the unit history ended at 40 years and 9 months.(Source: 6922nd Electronic Security Squadron History.) (NOTE: Osan AB’s 303rd Intelligence Squadron, popularly known as “Skivvy Nine,” is the lineal descendant of the mission of the 6922d RGM mission. (Source: Osan AB: 303d IS.)

USAFSS Patch (Bob Spiwak)

In May 1955, when the 15th was redesignated the 6922nd, the detachment at Osan became Det. 1 of the 2922nd. During 1957, the 6922d Radio Group Mobile (RGM), Detachment 1 was at Osan AB operating under the USAF Security Service. Their job was the monitoring of the Chinese communications for intelligence (SIGINT/COMINT). The following photos were sent by Lloyd Lawrence, Sr. in Jan 2006. He stated, “I went to Radio School at Scott AFB and got Shanghi(ed) as a TI … until I bitched enough to the IG about my enlistment guarantee of Electronics School. Then I got orders for USAFSS due to my Top Secret with Crypto and “Q-access” clearances. I was the Airman-In-Charge of K-55′s 6922 RGM Det. 1 USAFSS Radio Maintenance 1957-8.”

In some of the photos, the antenna can be seen in the background as well as the mobile trailer used by the RGM. Other photos are illustrations of how the enlisted folks survived in the corrugated iron surfaced hootches — with sand bags on top to keep the roofs from blowing away. The base was barren of grass and the “benjo ditches” were not something to fall into. The Post Office photo gives an idea of the condition of the base — look at the deteriorated condition of the sign. Sand bags to stop erosion have been overgrown.

(R) Barracks with Benjo Ditch (R) Barracks with Duck Walks in front (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) Relaxing (R) 6922d RGM Det 1 Sign (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) New Quonset on the hill near the compound (R) Personal shot (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) Signboard (R) Antenna farm with AN/GR26 Van (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) Base Concession Si Yang Flower Shop (R) Buddies at work with Antenna in rear (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) Barracks area looking towards Antenna Hill (?) (R) Signboard (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

(L) Osan AB Post Office APO 714 (R) Friend on Guard Duty (1957) (Lloyd Lawrence Sr)

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Peacetime but Still Aircraft Fatalities Bill Gray noted that in 1957, there were five fatalities — among these the fatality of lst Lt. Robert Ford of the 311th FBS. He had been extended due to his acceptance into a Master’s Program, but on a high-speed pass of Kunsan AB the installation of the wrong fuel tank kit caused the 200# wing tank to separate because it was attached with a 120# tank kit. The tank separated causing the plane to flip. He ejected, but was too close to the ground to survive and was killed in the crash. The following is from Bill Gray’s HE GAVE ALL!.

On March 11, 1957,1/Lt. Bob Ford was the fifth to die during my year ?and the only one to personally affect me strongly, the only one whom I remember vividly.

Lt. Bob Ford and Major Simon “Andy” Anderson had flown two F-86F aircraft, like the one below, to the Mitsubishi plant at Nagoya, Japan. They were supposed to pick up two other F-86F aircraft which had been refurbished at the Mitsubishi plant and fly them back to Osan. Major Anderson’s plane was not ready, so Lt. Bob Ford decided to fly back alone on that fateful March 11th day.

Bob Ford’s F-86F “Libby”

Lt. Ford left Komaki AFB, Japan, flew over Otau, over Itami, over Takamatsu, through the airspace of Itazuke AFB, Japan. Then he flew over Fukuoka, over Ikishima, and was handed off to Taegu (K2) Air Traffic Control. He was cleared to proceed to K8, Kunsan, Korea. At Kunsan AFB (K8), Lt. Ford contacted the Kunsan Control Tower, requesting permission to make a low level, high speed pass over Kunsan AFB. This was a normal exercise for the F-86 pilots. As he made his pass over the Kunsan base, approaching from the South, his fuel drop tank, seen below the wings in the photo above, broke off. This happening at high speed and at only 500 foot altitude caused the plane to flip and crash with no possibility of Lt. Ford regaining control.

The investigation which followed proved that the American maintenance technician at the Mitsubishi plant installed the wrong mounting hardware for the fuel drop tanks. There were two sizes of drop tanks; a 120 gallon tank and a 200 gallon tank. The maintenance technician installed mounting hardware for 120 gallon tanks; but then installed 200 gallon tanks on the wings. Neither the maintenance technician nor his maintenance supervisor noticed the mistake. When Lt. Ford made his high speed, low altitude pass over the air base at Kunsan, the gravity force pulled the over-sized fuel drop tank off the wing, causing the plane to flip over at 500 foot altitude, with no chance for Lt. Ford, a good pilot, to recover before crashing.

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President Syngman Rhee (Yi Syng-man) President Syngman Rhee, who had established a provisional Korean government in exile in 1919, was elected South Korea’s first president in 1948. When the US and Soviet Union could not agree on how to unify the peninsula, the US turned to the UN to supervise free elections in the South. Syngman Rhee had been “hand-picked” by the Americans to succeed to power — overlooking many foibles in the man’s character. On August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea (ROK) was established, with Syngman Rhee as its head. Ten days later elections were held in the North, and on August 25, 1948, Kim Il-Sung proclaimed the creation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Traditionally the agricultural region of the Korean peninsula, South Korea faced severe economic problems after partition. Attempts to establish an adequate industrial base were hampered by limited resources, particularly an acute lack of energy resources; most industry, prior to 1948, had been located in the North. War damage and the flood of refugees from North Korea further intensified the economic problem. The country depended upon foreign aid, chiefly from the United States, and the economy was characterized by runaway inflation, highly unfavorable trade balances, and mass unemployment. (Source: Infoplease.com.)

Syngman Rhee moved quickly to consolidate his power in 1948. During this time, with assistance from the United States, Korea began to rebuild its infrastructure. In spite of the economic gains, Rhee’s reign was marked by the suppression of all voices of dissent, invoking the fear of Communist takeover to justify his actions. Syngman Rhee, a corrupt despot, was being supported almost wholely by U.S. monies. As there was no Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed until 1965, the military basically was responsible for their own justice. Local authorities normally deferred to the U.S. military when the cases dealt with GIs. For all intensive purposes, Korea “belonged” to the U.S. back then. The U.S. military was king. There have been many accusations over the years that some GIs “got away with murder” in the literal sense prior to the SOFA. There seems to be supporting evidence that in some cases offending GIs were shipped out of country to face justice in military courts rather than be turned over to local authorities in some highly controversial cases. These circumstances placed those responsible for administering military justice in Korea in a strange position.

Syngman Rhee

As was mentioned before, Syngman Rhee (Yi Syng-Man) proved to be an unpredictable despot, but there were not many alternatives at the time. Rhee engaged in drawing the “Peace Line” which demanded Tsushima from the Japanese as reparations. Finally in the end, Ullungdo was given to Korea and Tsushima was given to the Japanese uner the 1952 San Francisco Peace Treaty — but the fate of Tokdo/Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks has remained a burning point till today because of his actions.

Remember that because of Rhee, the South never signed the Armistice and he had to be “bribed” to keep him from making waves during the signing. Despite this just before the signing, he secretly ordered the release of all the North Korean POWS who claimed to be sympathetic to the South. Despite the Armistice, he continued to vow to attack the North — causing a great deal of concern on the part of the U.S.

These problems exist until today. In 1954 the Koreans seized Tokdo and a Japanese boat was sunk with mortars when they tried to land. Because Rhee refused to sign the armistice, Korea remains technically at war with North Korea and boundary disputes remain unsettled with China, North Korea and Japan. (See Tokdo (Takeshima) Issue for details on the dispute until today.)

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1958:
First Fire Station in Songtan The first fire station for the Songtan area was opened in November 1958.

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Chicol-ni Kids playing (1958) (John McCain)
Chicol-ni Winnowing and Drying Rice (1958) (John McCain)

Main Gate (1958) (John McCain)
Chicol-ni Road to MSR (1958) (John McCain)

Chicol-ni Road to MSR up near Rail spur (1958) (John McCain)
Yaut Rice Candy Shop (1958) (John McCain)

Playing Yut Nori — game with bamboo sticks (1958) (John McCain)
Baby girl running around without clothes (1958) (John McCain)

Bldg T-1054 – Group with John second from right (1958) (John McCain)
Base Theater (1958) (John McCain)

Life at Osan John McCain wrote in Oct 2005, “I loved the people, the country, the food, and the village. The Korean people at the time, were very hospitable, and very close to each other. Now-a-days, it’s a dog eat dog society, or so it appears to be, kinda like the way it is in the good old USA, I’m sorry to say.”

“As I said before, it would take a book to tell of my experiences during the four years I spent in Korea. One thing that stands out in memory was the day I rode the bus to the airmans club, and some guy was giving his dog commands, and pretending the dog was on a leash. There was no dog, and no leash. The song “Dear John” was very popular back then, but it was taken off the Armed Forces Radio Network because of what GI’s were doing to themselves after having received a “dear John”, from their girl friends.

“Sinhgman Rhee (sic) was ousted while I was there. Lots of things happened!” (SITE NOTE: Syngman Rhee’s exile occurred in 1960.)

“My first meal off base was a bowl of “kimchi”, ‘course I was sorta messed up having drunk a lot of nickel beer before leaving the base. Cigarettes were ten cents a pack for none filters, and eleven cents for filtered. Normally beer was a dime a can, but on certain nights after a given time it went down to a nickel. Good scotch was three dollars a bottle. I think Seagrams VO was probably a buck fifty. Could be wrong there.”

“I lived off base, and my rent was eight dollars a month, for the room, and that included electric. One night a young girl came by very drunk, and the next morning, on my way to the base from Chwa Dong, the girl was lying out in the rice paddy, nothing on but a t-shirt, and underwear, and the temperature was about twelve degrees, so you know the rest of the story.” (SITE NOTE: Jwa Dong is one of the original villages along MSR-1 at the top of the rise near the present Shinjang overpass. It was known for its brothels — and later for its black only bars. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, much of the area was rice paddies which would later be reclaimed.)

“Eventually I moved into a new duplex that cost fifteen dollars a month.”

“A taxi cost fifty cents from anywhere on base to the MSR. There are a couple of pictures of Chicol village, a little girl taking her clothes off, myself and some of the guys, (second from the right), cleaning up after winding the rice, some guys gambling, (like throwing dice), main gate, kids playing a game in the paddy, base theatre, candy store, and that’s some of them.” (SITE NOTE: The Candy Store is selling “yaut” rice candy — a hard candy in long sticks. The “gambling” is Yut Nori, a game of throwing four bamboo pieces and moving your piece around a diamond. Presently, the game is normally only played during holiday seasons.) (Source: Email from John McCain to Kalani O’Sullivan on 25 Oct 2005.)

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ROK Developments UN confirms arrival in South Korea of American 280mm atomic cannon and Honest John nuclear rocket launchers on 28 Jan 1958.

On 6 Mar 1958 a US F-86 Sabrejet was shot down after crossing into North Korean airspace. The USAF admitted crossing over the DMZ. The pilot was returned by North Korea on 17 March.

(Source: The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982, pp 108, Command Historian’s Office, USFK/EUSA)
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58th FBW
(Now 58th SOW)

58th FBW Departs, but the 310th FBS remains under 314th AD The 58th Fighter Bomber Wing departed Osan in 1 Jul 1958 and was inactivated. The transfer was in name only as its F-86Fs were transferred to the ROKAF.

The 311th FBS and 69th FBS were deactivated. However, the 310th remained at Osan but non-operational and assigned to the 314th AD. The 310th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was attached from 1-15 Jul 1958 though NOT operational because it was to be converted into the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron under the 58th Tactical Missile Group at Osan in 1960.

Little was heard of the 310th FBS during the following years until the 58th Tactical Missile Group (TMG) was formed for the Matador missiles assigned to Osan in 1960. At that point, the 310th FBS was inactivated and the unit was redesignated as the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron under the 58th TMG.

It is assumed that this transfer of the 310th FBS under the 314th AD was administrative to allow for personnel to be placed into the “pipeline” for training and assignment of personnel for the Matador missile. There would be some lag time before this unit became operational in 1960. Though the 58th FBW was inactivated, administratively, the 58th Tactical Missile Group was already in the works. The 58th Operations Group history states: “Armed with tactical missiles in Oct 1958 to provide air defense of South Korea until 1962.” There is a possibility that Matador equipment was arriving in 1958 to set up this unit. (Source: AFHRA: 58 Operation Group.)

The selection of Osan as the new home of the 58th TMG was probably more political than defense oriented. The US Army had the airburst nuclear-capable Nike Hercules (air defense), M31 Basic Honest John (tactical missile) and 280mm “atomic cannons” deployed in Korea (tactical ground). According to Cumings’ book “Korea’s Place Under Sun,” NSC 5702/2 (8/57) approved stationing of nukes in South Korea. In Jan 1958, the US positioned 280-mm nuclear cannons and Honest John nuclear-tipped missiles in South Korea. On February 3, 1958, the USFK exhibited two 280-mm-calibre atomic guns and two Honest John missiles in the airfield of the US First Amy Corps in the vicinity of Uijongbu to show them to the media. (Orient Press, Reuters and Hapdong News Agency).

The USAF had existing nuclear strike capabilities with the 3rd BW of Misawa (up to 1958); 8th TFW of Yokota (operating from Korea); and 18th TFW of Kadena. The Matador missile had already proved to be less than satisfactory in missile firings in Florida and Libya where it dramatically demonstrated low reliability and poor accuracy. The TM-61A Matador was a “line-of-sight” weapon with a 250-mile range. It was virtually worthless in the mountainous terrain environment of Korea.

All of these facts were well-known and was the reason why the TM-61B Mace replaced the TM-61A Matador rather than the upgraded TM-61C Matador which was never fielded. The decision to replace the Matadors in USAFE starting in 1959 had already been made. Thus the decision to move the Matador to Osan was probably generated more from a DoD “political” struggle for the USAF to have its own nuclear MISSILE force in Korea rather than any real concept that the Matador would do much good in an actual conflict. It simply played a nuclear deterent role by sitting static at Osan. In 1959, the Air Force also brought in the Matador nuclear-tipped cruise missiles into South Korea though the 58th TMG would not officially be in operation until 1960.
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6134th ABW takes over from 58th ABG At this time, the 58th Air Base Group handed over the responsibilty for the base to the 6134th ABW as it was being redesignated as the 58th Tactical Missile Group (TMG) and transition to Matador missiles. Though the 6134th ABW was NOT directly under the 314th Air Division at Osan AB, in truth, the 314th AD appeared to act as the “host.”

There was no base newspaper at the time — only the 314th newsletter (314th Air Division “Defender”) which was a compilation of Osan and Kunsan news — but primarily contained Osan news events perhaps because it was printed in Osan. All matters of supply and provisioning was routed through the 314th Air Division. “The division maintained assigned and attached forces at a high degree of combat readiness, Mar 1955-Sep 1986.” As such, it controlled the purse strings and the procurement channels for any supplies. The 6134th ABW simply handled the mundane day-to-day operations of the base and acted as the administrative headquarters for subordinate units such as the 6175th ABG of Kunsan AB.

The complaints from John Moench, Maj Gen, USAF (Ret) (then base commander of Kunsan AB in 1959) of the 6134th ABW hierarchy indicates that there was a lot of friction as the 6134th ABW attempted to survive in an era of cutbacks, RIFs (Reduction in Force) and monetary belt tightening. The Eisenhower years in military folklore is famous for tales of the rationing of everything — including toilet paper. The complaint of that time in Korea was that Osan HAD toilet paper to ration while the subordinate units used newspaper or any other materials that were available. An item most requested for CARE packages from home was toilet paper. (SEE Kunsan: How It Was (1958) for details of the life at Kunsan during this period.)
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C-47 “Bluesky” Intelligence Aircraft A C-47 “Bluesky” Aircraft. Manned by USAFSS crews the platform began experimental collection operations over Korea in early 1953. Through coordination with Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) in early 1958, USAFSS increased its airborne capability in Korea by adding three more C-47s to the Blue Sky effort, for a total of four platforms. Each C-47 staged from Osan AB, Korea. They flew an average of 60 hours each month. During 1960, the project name was changed from Blue Sky to Rose Bowl. This “primitive,” but effective, Airborne Reconnaissance Program operation continued into 1962 when the C-130s staging from Yokota AB, Japan, were able to provide the necessary support of Korea and the C-47s were phased out. (Source: AF Intelligence Agency and AFSS History.)

Osan AB Main Gate sign (1958) (Dan Klopten)

Osan AB (1958) (NOTE: Osan Air Base in 1958, looking from Hill 180 across to Hill 170. About the only recognizable manmade features remaining today are the swimming pool on the right side and the Pacific House Dining Facility, which is the sprawling building just left of center (below the left end of the Quonset huts).)

Osan AB (1958) (NOTE: This is a view of the headquarters complex, in the foreground, in 1958. This complex burned to the ground in 1971 and was replaced by Buildings 936, 937 and 938. Notice the two prominent Nissan arch-roofed hangars at the left, and the supply building in front of them.)

Air Police Quonset Hut Barracks (1958) (Dan Klopten)

(SOURCE: Retirees Activities Office)

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Chico-ville village (Chicol Village) Outside Main Gate (1958) (Dan Klopten)

Village Outside Main Gate (1958) (Dan Klopten) (NOTE: Area is currently the Yongchon hotel and annex area in Songtan.)

Village Well (1954) (Robert Furrer) (NOTE 1: Villagers get their water from the well, but notice the proximity of the rice fields fertilized with human waste. Notice also the “one-holer” outhouses that just behind the houses that line the Access Road (Shinjang Mall Road) that is the line that is to the upper right. The quality of the water is highly suspect.) (NOTE 2: Robert states that this photo was taken from the 2nd Radio Relay Ground Power Site just over the perimeter fenceline shown in the photo. However, local Koreans state this is the location of the present Young Chon Hotel which is quite a ways in from the base perimeter. PROBLEM: The current perimeter abuts the Namsan Village Road that leads to the Main Gate. In order for these two photo’s perspective to be correct, the perimeter must be atleast 100 yards further out than present. The slope bottoms at Aragon Alley while the Young Chon Alley is about 50 yards up the street. This picture is possible if the perimeter extended out into the area about 100 yards further than present. (NEEDS RESEARCH).)

Village Well (1956) (Jeong Tae Ho) (NOTE 1: Notice how quickly in the intervening years the houses have encroached on the rice fields. Notice also the proximity of the pig stys to the well. The quality of the water is highly suspect.) (NOTE 2: This photo was obtained from Jeong Tae-ho, the President of the Young Chon Hotel. This photo is used in the advertising for the hotel showing its roots from a bath house in 1953. The Jeong family owns are large section of the area around the hotel. It is most certainly the same well as the one above, but there comes the disparity of the physical location. The only way would be for the perimeter to be extended out into the area about a 100 yards further than present. (NEEDS RESEARCH.))
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Seoul Glass Shop Outside Main Gate (1958) (Dan Klopten) (NOTE: Notice that the shop is BELOW the street level. The shops were built along the road and there was about a 15 foot drop to the first level and then a ten foot drop to the rice-paddy level. The Seoul Glass Shop remained in the Jungang Market area until the mid-1970s when it disappeared. This would be on the side towards the Jungang Market because in 1958 the side towards Namsan-teo was filled with houses up to the rice paddies starting from the Main Gate area.)

Hide-away Club Outside Main Gate (1958) (Dan Klopten)

Movie Theater in Chicol Village (1958) (Dan Klopten) (NOTE: Go to “1961″ for another view of this theater. This is the Jaeil Theater behind what is now the Woori Bank.)

Songtan Orphanage with teachers holding rabbits (1958) (Dan Klopten) (NOTE: We are uncertain of the location of this orphanage. From information received, there were over 20 orphanages in Suwon, one in Jinwi and one in Pyeongtaek during the Korean War. There is still an orphanage in Jinwi and Seojong, but none in Songtan that we know of. As of Oct 2005, this is still in research.)

Girls of Orphanage (1958) (Dan Klopten)

(SOURCE: The photos of Dan Klopten, former A1C, 6314th Air Police Squadron (1958-59) and the Retired Activities Office: Osan, Jack Tiewell and Osan AB History Web Page. NOTE: Dan Klopten passed away in 2005.)

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8th Tactical Fighter Wing

“BLACK PANTHERS”
35th TFS

“FLYING FIENDS”
36th TFS

“HEADHUNTERS”
80th TFS

Nuclear Alerts Start at Osan Though Osan AB was much more “civilized” than Kunsan, it had no real alert facilities until August 1958. Operation “Big Nickel” [would] redeploy 20 F-100 aircraft and 90 personnel from K-8 to K-55. (Source: Baugher site: B-57:) (SITE NOTE: This was the move of the 8th TFW from Kunsan (K-8) to Osan (K-55) in 1958. USAF Memories: Dick Seeley stated, “Later in the year we moved our detachment operations to Osan AB, Korea and we took on a more serious mission.” Later the 8th TFW would move their alert operations to Kadena, but in 1960 would move the alert back to Osan AB after the alert facilities were built.)” The “more serious mission” was standing nuclear alerts with their F-100s. (See Nuclear Tasking for details on the nuclear issues and deployments to Korea of nuclear weapons.)

The 8th FBW wing received its first F-100 “Supersabre” in 1956. It officially started its conversion in October 1957 and would fly them until 1963.

Kiyo Noriye’s aircraft F-100D 564 36th TFS (1958) (Courtesy Kiyo Noriye)
Throughout the Korean War, a nuclear alert was in Japan but after the war was over strong anti-nuclear Hiroshima protests caused the military to look elsewhere. Kunsan was an ideal site that was out of the public view and not controversial. To this day, the U.S. retains a “do not deny nor concur policy” on nuclear weapons (“special weapons”) in Korea. The 3rd BW B-57s would assume the nuclear alert from 1958-1964 with TDY backup aid from the 18th FBW from Okinawa with their F-100s starting in 1958. All TDY aircraft and personnel worked out of the Contingency pad (C-pad) on the south side of base. Since nuclear weapons could not be stationed in Japan, in August of 1958, the 3rd BG set up a rotation of crews to stand nuclear alert at Kunsan (K-8) air base in Korea. This rotation continued until April of 1964, when the 3rd BG returned to Yokota to begin the process of inactivation.

The nuclear alert facility down for the 8th FBW was NOT attached to the 6134th ABW, but rather manned by TDY elements from Japan. It is surmised that the nuclear alerts were purposely NOT made into “attached” detachments to avert them falling under the UNC command’s control. There would be massive complications over having nuclear weapons under the auspices of the UNC — as the U.S. signed the Armistice as the Commander of the UNC forces. Article 12 of the Armistice stated that no new weapon systems would be introduced on the peninsula. The US chose to disregard this article and after President Eisenhower authorized the forward deployment of nuclear weapons, they were deployed to Korea first by the 3rd BW at Kunsan, followed by the 14th TFW from Kadena and finally in 1958 at Osan, the 8th FBW (later TFW).

Nuclear weapons were initially deployed with the aircraft, but this posed risks in transporting the weapons internationally. Later when the igloos were complete, Osan AB would take over the handling and storage of the nuclear weapons — which in turn made the special weapons technically under the UNC control. Again the “neither confirm nor deny” policy comes into effect. There is more to the nuclear weapon issue than meets the eye. (NOTE: Napsnet.org (Nautilus Organization) shows nuclear weapons being stored at Osan up to 1992 — after President Bush declared in Sept 1991 that US nuclear weapons were no longer deployed in Korea.)

NOTE: A History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in South Korea

The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea for 43 years. The first weapons arrived in January 1958, well after the ending of the Korean War, and four years after forward deployment of nuclear weapons began in Europe. Over the years the numbers and types of nuclear weapons in South Korea changed frequently. At one point in the late 1960s, as many as eight different types were deployed at the same time (see chart).

Even before the weapons began arriving in January 1958, the U.S. Far East Command Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) from November 1956 identified two locations in Korea (Uijongbu and Anyang-Ni) with a capability to receive and handle nuclear weapons if necessary. Actual deployments began in January 1958, four and a half years after the end of the Korean War, with the introduction of five nuclear weapon systems: the Honest John surface-to-surface missile, the Matador cruise missile, the Atomic-Demolition Munition (ADM) nuclear landmine, and the 280-mm gun and 8-inch (203mm) howitzer.

Nuclear bombs for fighter bombers arrived in March 1958, followed by three surface-to-surface missile systems (Lacrosse, Davy Crockett, and Sergeant) between July 1960 and September 1963. The dual-mission Nike Hercules anti-air and surface-to-surface missile arrived in January 1961, and finally the 155-mm Howitzer arrived in October 1964. At the peak of this build-up, nearly 950 warheads were deployed in South Korea.

Four of the weapon types only remained deployed for a few years, while the others stayed for decades. The 8-inch Howitzer stayed until late 1991, the only of the weapon to be deployed throughout the entire 43-year period of U.S. nuclear weapons deployment to South Korea. The other weapons that stayed till the end were the air delivered bombs (several different bomb types were deployed over the years, ending with the B61) and the 155-mm Howitzer nuclear artillery.

The nuclear bombs served both a strategic (SIOP) and non-strategic (theater) role. In 1974, according to Pacific Command, four F-4D Phantom jets of the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Kunsan Air Base were parked at the end of the runway with nuclear bombs under their wings as U.S. Pacific Air Forces’ SIOP Quick Reaction Alert commitment. Their targets were probably in China, only 390 km to the west. The 8th TFW also had a non-SIOP, presumably against targets in North Korea.

The China SIOP Axis — Three U.S. tactical fighter wings in South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines formed a SIOP strike axis against China in 1974.
Kunsan AB 8 TFW
Kadena AB 18 TFW
Clark AB 3 TFW
Kunsan’s SIOP strike role in 1974 formed part of a three-base axis off China together with the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa and the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Although only Kunsan had a Quick Reaction Alert role at the time, all three bases had a “major SIOP non-alert role,” according to Pacific Command. The 18th TFW SIOP non-alert role is noteworthy because it shows that the United States continued nuclear strike operations from Okinawa after the island was returned to Japanese control and nuclear weapons removed in June 1972. The continued SIOP role at Kadena means that a diplomatic arrangement (agreement) likely existed between the U.S. and Japan for the reintroduction of nuclear bombs to Kadena Air Base in a crisis.

The Lance surface-to-surface missile was also deployed to South Korea but apparently only with conventional warheads. The nuclear warheads were stored in Guam, where the last of 54 W70 warheads arrived at the Naval Magazine on September 30, 1976.

The internal discussions about Lance provide an interesting example of the trade-off between different weapon capabilities. The army recommended deploying Lance to South Korea because of “Korea as the most likely area requiring use of ground nuclear weapons,” and because building extra storage on Guam would be expensive. CINCPAC agreed but recommended that the aging Honest John and Nike Hercules systems be withdrawn upon introduction of Lance. The Commander of U.S. Force Korea concurred but stated that it would be unacceptable to withdraw the Nike Hercules because of its unique anti-air capability. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were concerned that deployment to the Pacific would be delayed by the presidential decision process on whether to also deploy Lance in South Korea, so the Lance warheads were rushed to Guam. By the end of December 1976, according to the U.S. Pacific Command history, all authorized warheads were in place on Guam.

. The Lance deployment coincided with a major review of the security of nuclear weapons storage sites in the Pacific. The review, which also examined diplomatic arrangements for storage in allied countries and the requirements for nuclear weapons in the region, found that security was unsatisfactory, that diplomatic arrangements were inadequate, and that the number of weapons deployed exceed the requirements of the war plans.

As a result, the FY 1977 nuclear weapons deployment plan trimmed the posture, which included removing 140 nuclear weapons from the Philippines, and initiated the withdrawal of the Honest John, Nike Hercules, and Sergeant missile systems from South Korea. In mid-1977, according to CINCPAC, nuclear weapons in South Korea were stored at Camp Ames, Kunsan Air Base, and Osan Air Base. The nuclear weapons storage site at Osan Air base was deactivated in late 1977. This reduction continued over the following years and resulted in the number of nuclear weapons in South Korea dropping from some 540 in 1976 to approximately 150 artillery shells and bombs in 1985. By the time of the Presidential Nuclear Initiative in 1991, roughly 100 warheads remained, all of which had been withdrawn by December 1991. (Source: .)

36th Squadron sign in front of flightline at Itazuke AB Japan.

Flightline at Itazuki.

Flightline at Itazuki.

Kiyo Noriye wrote that aircraft 814 was in both flightline photos. However, the photos were taken on different days. He pointed out that the aircraft is carrying 120 gal. tanks in one photo and 200 gal. tanks in the other. Additionally, the left photo was taken looking inland, while the right photo was towards Fukuoka and Hakata Bay. (Photos courtesy Kiyo Noriye) Click on photos to enlarge

The 8th FBW of Itazuke did NOT stand nuclear alerts at Kunsan, but did do LABS training from there. They staged out of Kunsan with their F-100s to use Kooni Range because of runway and facility problems at Osan. When the facilities at Osan were ready, the 8th did perform nuclear alerts out of Osan.

The 8th FBW — consisting of the 35th, 36th and 80th FBS — out of Yokota AB, Japan with nuclear-capable F-100s used Kunsan to practice LABS at the Kooni range, but never pulled nuclear alerts at Kunsan. The 8th FBW continued to regularly deploy to Kunsan to practice their war skills. When the alert facilities were finished at Osan, the 8th moved its training to Osan and started standing nuclear alerts there. (See 8thFW: Itazuke for details.)

While at Itazuke, its primary mission was the air defense of Japan and it performed “alert” duty at Osan AB, Korea on a rotational basis. In truth, the wing was pulling “nuclear alerts” in Korea as their could be no nuclear weapons stationed in Japan. During the Korean War starting in April 1953, the F-84Gs from the 9th TFS (formerly of the 49th FBG at Taegu AB, Korea) pulled nuclear alerts in Misawa, Japan. The 3rd Bomb Wing in Misawa, Japan also added the nuclear tasking to their mission after it converted to B-57s. However, after the Korean War, it soon became a political issue due to the horrors of the Hiroshima being memorialized in Japan. World wide was focused on Japan with the plight of the “Hiroshima maidens” — women disfigured by the nuclear blast who were flown to America for reconstructive surgery. No nuclear weapons were stationed in Japan starting in 1958 and they were “forward positioned” in Korea at FOLs (Forward Operating Locations) in Korea.

The two locations for the FOLs supporting the nuclear missions was Osan AB and Kunsan AB. As one pundit put it, they stood “Victor Alerts with a 15-minute scramble to the start of World War III.” At that time, there was no permanent facility for any of the alert aircraft. The aircraft simply stood the alerts out in the open in their own designated areas with the “silver bullet” stored in the ammo dump. From 1958-1964, the nuclear commitment at Kunsan was handled by the 3rd Bomb Wing’s B-57s and TDY’s with F-100Ds from the 14th TFW at Kadena AB. The units were “self-contained” in the C-pad area and provided their own security for the nuclear weapons as well as all maintenance support from home station. These deployments were on a monthly rotational basis.

From 1958, the nuclear alerts by the 8th FBG was at Osan AB. Kiyo Norime wrote, “When we started going into Kunsan, it was on training and bombing; ie, Tactical sorties. Our sister outfit at Itazuki with F-84Gs which at that time was part of the 49th Fighter Group, however had the capability to carry it When we got the F-100D/Fs the only thing we did at Kunsan was training exercise ie : LABs/ Tactical bombing. We set up alert duties in Osan in 1958 I can’t remember the exact date but it was on D diamond and that is the only place that I know of that we had special weapons.” (See Nuclear Tasking for details on the nuclear issues and deployments to Korea of nuclear weapons.)

The following was extracted from Kalaniosullivan.com: Kunsan AB: Howitwas: 8th TFW

1957-1961:
An excellent website with photos on 80th FBS, 8th TFW for part of this period has been done by Richard (Dick) Seely at USAF Memories. Dick Seeley, then a Lt. with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, remembered his experiences with the wing.

2Lt. Dick Seeley – 1957
(Dick Seeley)
Life at Itazuke: He went on, “Base housing for bachelors was the pits. Eventually over the next few years, several groups of officers got together to rent off base housing so they could live in more home like surroundings. Besides, O’club food got very monotonous. When I left Itazuke in 1961, there were three large off base bachelor houses. They were, the Suenaga House, the Zash House and the Kaiajima House (spelling not guaranteed).”

Suenaga House party
(Dick Seeley)

Itazuke BOQ
(Dick Seeley)

80th Squadron Ops
(Dick Seeley)

Airbase from 4800
(Dick Seeley)
Conversion to the F-100D and Consolidated Maintenance: Kiyo Noriye, SMSgt USAF (ret), wrote of his arrival in 1955, “My first squadron (at Itazuke), the 36th was — and I still believe is — known as the Flying Fiends. Later on, I was assigned to Queen Flight which had as a patch a “Q” with a queen of heart giving a finger. The 35th was the black panthers. The 80th which became activated after we received the F-100s was and still is the Headhunters.” (NOTE: The 80th FBS was assigned to 8th FBG throughout, but attached to 20th AF from 29th October 1954.)

By October 1957, the 8th TFW had just converted to the F-100D, but allotted flying hours were low. However, soon the cold war heated up, Sputnik had been launched and flying hours increased. He stated, “By October of 1957 the 8th Wing had completed conversion to the F-100D. The Wing was composed of three squadrons, the 35th FBS, 36th FBS and the 80th FBS (formerly the 7th FBS.) I believe each squadron had 24 aircraft assigned. Aircraft maintenance had also experienced a conversion, of sorts, to consolidated maintenance. This took maintenance away from the squadron and centralized the control under wing staff supervision. As a result of all this turbulence, a pilot that flew 10 hours in a month was considered fortunate.” (NOTE: The system that Dick is referring to changed the Wing structure by eliminating the Group. A Tri-deputate system was installed in its place in which three deputy commanders reported directly to the Wing Commander on their separate functions impacting the flying mission. Thus the Deputy Commander for Operations (DO), Deputy Commander for Maintenance (DCM) and Deputy Commander for Logistics — better known as “Chief of Supply” — was formed.)

F-100D formation
(Click on to enlarge)
(Dick Seeley)
However, the F-100 had some mechanical problems. He stated, “Like all new aircraft the F-100 had its problems. The biggest one I recall was the CSD (constant speed drive) which provided the electrical power for the aircraft. The CSD would fail, causing the loss of all engine oil resulting in engine seizure. A bad way to end a flight. The F-100 was a poor glider.” During his four years of peacetime service they lost 30 aircraft and 15 pilots.

35th (top) and 80th (bottom) F-100D Landings
(Dick Seeley)
He remembered one that happened at Kunsan. He stated, “It occurred around November of 1957 at Kunsan, AB Korea. Captain Jim Sharp was testing an aircraft, following maintenance, and crashed on the Air Base runway. The second or third accident involved a dear friend, Leslie (Ed) McDonald. We both attended advanced flight training at Luke AFB, Arizona from March to July 1957 and went on to Nellis AFB, Nevada to upgrade in the F-100. Ed loved flying, but he didn’t like flying over water, vowing never to eject until he reached dry land. His engine seized during a practice bombing run on a water range. He tried to stretch the glide to land, ejecting too low. Ed hit the shore still strapped in his ejection seat.”

LABS: Dick stated, “To maintain our bombing skills we had to practice dropping bombs on a regular basis. We used a system called LABS (Low Altitude Bombing System) and it required a substantial amount of real estate for a bombing range. Real estate in Japan was then and still is at a premium. Consequently we relied almost entirely on water ranges. Scoring was done by each pilot from the air. The scoring wasn’t very accurate, but we did receive valuable training in the process.”

Low Level Training
(Dick Seeley)
“The LABS maneuver was accomplished from low altitude, around 100 feet above the ground (water) at 500 knots indicated airspeed. As you passed over the target you initiated a 4g pull up and lit the burner. The 4g’s had to be maintained until the system released the bomb. We had an instrument on the panel to help keep the wings level and indicate whether you were pulling more or less than 4g’s. At the top of the maneuver you would be upside down and a roll to the upright position was completed. Pilots know this is as an Immelmann maneuver. We spent hours practicing it. It was difficult to perform this maneuver well and get a good release. Many factors affected the results. For instance, the way you entered the maneuver could have a large effect on where the bomb would hit. You could pull too slow, or too fast, or overshoot 4g’s or undershoot 4g’s and on and on. It wasn’t until I did an auto LABS that I got a good picture of how to do it.”

According to the Baugher site: F-100D, “The F-100D had a provision for centerline-mounted fuselage attachment points. These points could carry “special stores”-a euphemistic term for nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons could be carried on the left wing intermediate attachment point or on the fuselage centerline attachment points. The nuclear weapons that could be carried included the Mk 7, Mk 28 EX, Mk 28 RE, Mk 43, TX-43, and TX-43 X1, with yields ranging from a kiloton to nearly ten megatons. For delivery of these nuclear weapons, the F-100D carried the AN/AJB-1B low-altitude bombing system (LABS). This system was used in conjunction with information provided by the A-4 gyro sight to calculate aiming and release information for the toss-bombing of nuclear weapons. In a typical mission, the F-100D would approach the target down on the deck at about 500 mph and pull up at a steady 4Gs acceleration. Partway into what would be a half loop, the bomb would be automatically released by the computer. The plane would then complete the half-loop and undergo a half-roll and head away from the target. The F-100D would then go to full afterburner in order to get as far away as possible from the bomb when it exploded.”

H.K. White – Be Happy
(Dick Seeley)
Deployment to Kunsan: On another page, he stated, “The 8th Wing maintained a detachment of aircraft at Kunsan AB, Korea. Our mission at Kunsan was primarily to maintain a presence and to ‘show the flag.’ Each squadron rotated crews to Kunsan on a scheduled basis and my first TDY to Korea was in February 1958. Conditions were somewhat austere. We were assigned quarters in a house that looked like it belonged on a Ma & Pa Kettle movie set. There were about 4 crews to a house with one bath. As I recall our bathroom had a hole in the floor with a clear view of the ground below.”

Kunsan flightline (Feb 58)
(Dick Seeley)
He went on, “The Officers Club at Kunsan would have made a great set for a ‘MASH’ episode. There was a nightly poker game in the bar area which would be interrupted by the occasional sighting of a rat. Everyone joined in the chase and the unfortunate animal would almost always meet an untimely end.” (NOTE: The O-club was called the “Bottom of the Mark” and was a leftover from the Korean War. The original structure has been modified many times over and now is the West Wind Golf Course Club.)

4 Huns on Kunsan Runway
(Dick Seeley)
He continued, “Flight operations consisted primarily of flying training missions, occasionally we would fly an operational mission along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). DMZ missions were for the benefit of the North Koreans. We would climb to altitude, to make sure they could see us on radar, and fly supersonic dashes parallel to the DMZ. I don’t know who was impressed the most, us or them.” He added, “On one of my missions, during this first TDY, both nose gear tires blew during a formation takeoff. My first declared emergency in the F100 ended without incident.” (NOTE: Though the unit mission at Kunsan was to only “show the flag”, they kept proficient in LABS bombing practice for nuclear weapons.)

F-100D with 80th TFS tail flash
(Dick Seeley)
Kiyo Noriye deployed to Kunsan in 1958 and sent the following photos and narratives. Kiyo added a note, “All the F-100D-30s that we initially had in the 35/ 36 TFS had serial numbers 501and up.The 80th had numbers @280.” For a description of the 18th TFW’s deployment of F-100Fs (nuclear capable) to Kunsan go to 18th TFW Deployment to Kunsan (1959).

Alc Hensen, A2c Jefferson, and A2c McCray at storage area on C-pad (Oct 1957) (Courtesy Kiyo Noriye)

Kiyo Noriye’s aircraft F-100D 564
taxing down the way for takeoff.
Notice the “black hangar” (ROKAF)
in the background.

F-100D 549 taxing by C-pad.

F-100D 575 taxing out from C-pad.
The aircraft in the revetments
are those of the 18th TFW out of Kadena.
Possibly 44th TFS.

Photos taken in 1958. (Photos courtesy Kiyo Noriye)
Click on photos to enlarge
Alert at Osan: Later he stated, “Sometime in 1958 the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing designation was changed to 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. Fighter pilots were not happy with the word bomber in the unit designation and this was cause for celebration.” He went on, “I believe Colonel Montgomery was replaced by Colonel Chesley G. Peterson sometime in 1958. Colonel Peterson had a distinguished career as a fighter pilot during World War II and we were fortunate to have him assigned as the commander of the 8th Wing. Later in the year we moved our detachment operations to Osan AB, Korea and we took on a more serious mission.” Though Osan AB was much more “civilized” than Kunsan, it had no real alert facilities. Later the 8th TFW would move their alert operations to Kadena, but in 1960 would move the alert back to Osan AB after the alert facilities were built.

On his new site he stated, “The 8th Wing began detachment operations at Osan A.B., Korea during the summer of 1958. Our mission was maintaining a dawn to dusk armed alert status. I do not have any photographs of the facilities — cameras were not allowed. In 1958 being stationed at Osan, A.B. was like living on the frontier. The streets were not paved and most of the buildings were temporary quonset hut construction. The air crews lived in an open bay quonset hut with two oil burning stoves at either end. Air conditioning? Open the windows. The latrine facility was in a separate building, accessible only by walking a muddy path. Electricity was provided by the Korean government who turned it off in the evening for an hour or two to save money. Detachment operations were located in a Korean War fighter squadron building down on the flight line where we also inherited Rocky, a large yellow dog of unknown pedigree. As the story goes, someone took Rocky up in an F-86 and he became the world’s first supersonic dog. The building lacked plumbing so we had a good old fashioned ‘outhouse’ set up outside. In August of 1958 the Chinese Communists began shelling the off shore islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Tensions ran high for a while and our alert status was increased. By the fall of 1958 the situation quieted down and we returned to normal status. We continued the alert operations through 1958 and the first part of 1959. During the spring of 1959 new facilities at Osan were under construction and we moved the detachment to Kadena, A.B. at Okinawa.”

Kiyo Noriye stated, “The 8th set up alert in Osan I think it was late 1958 on D diamond I think it was the old 510th of the 4th Fighter Group’s Operations buildings before they moved to Chitose A.B. in Japan, anyway I remember the buildings (shacks) were painted red.”

Alert at Kadena: Dick Seeley stated, “In the spring of 1959 we were maintaining our alert facility at Kadena, AB on Okinawa. Although the alert facilities were not much better than those at Osan, the BOQ’s were a great improvement. Each room had individual baths. No more walking in the mud to take a shower. Off base activities were better and there were several golf courses to occupy the off duty leisure hours.” Aircraft were rotated home on a regular basis.

The aircraft would return in 1960 after the new alert facilities were built.

It should be noted that while the 8th TFW of Itazuke AB was fulfilling the nuclear alerts at Osan AB with their F-100s, the 3rd Bomb Wing of Misawa AB was standing nuclear alerts at Kunsan AB with their B-57s. In 1963 when the 3rd BW departed and the 39th Air Division at Misawa picked up the Kunsan AB tasking until 1968 when it was turned over to Det 1 475th TFW of Misawa.

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Truce Inspectors Depart and North Korean Hijacking In Jun 1953, Gen. Mark Clark, the U.N. Commander, asked Washington to expedite the arrival in Korea of the neutral nation supervisory representatives. He is worried that the communists will reinforce their lines and repair their airfields without inspectors on the ground to verify the agreed upon armistice. On 13 Jun 1950 India formally accepts a role in the two commissions to review nonrepatriated POWs. Gen. Clark warned the Indian ambassador to Japan that India might find resistance from South Korea, which considers India a communist country. Poland and Czechoslovakia agree two days later. Sweden and Switzerland have already agreed to be members.

After the Armistice, Syngman Rhee launched a campaign to force the truce inspectors — which he considered communists — to leave the country. Frequent death threats against the inspectors and Korean protests at the bases where they were posted. Osan had truce inspectors as the 58th was stationed there.

By 1958, the U.N. Truce Inspectors had left. After this time, the nuclear alerts were started in Osan by the 8th TFW — as there were no inspectors to report the apparent violation of Article 12 of the Armistice agreement on the introduction of new weapons systems to the peninsula.

In February 1958, North Korean agents hijacked a South Korean airliner to Pyongyang that had been en route from Pusan to Seoul; 1 American pilot, 1 American passenger, 2 West German passengers, and 24 other passengers were released in early March, but 8 other passengers remained in the North. (Source: “North Korea: Chronology of Provocations, 1950 – 2003″)

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1959:
Life at Osan AB Cal Collier of Lincoln, CA wrote in Dec 2005 some interesting remarks of how the typical A2c (E3) survived at Osan.

“I was stationed at Osan in 58-59 with the 58th communications and guidance squadron (“we guide with pride”). I was on the Matador Missle guidance crew who lived on “honcho hill” with the base master sergents. They didn’t like us there much. We lived in old quanson huts that in the winter we couldn’t keep warm. The desiel oil in the 5 gallon jerry cans that were attached to the stoves would run dry about 3am and someone would have to freeze their axx of to go get some more if there was any left. Some times the “slickie boys” would manage to get the lock off the 55 gallon cans and it would be all gone. Our work/radar guidance site was about 2 miles from the 58th headquarters and 1.5 miles from the chow hall, and being lowly E3s we had to walk every where most of the time. Transportation was unreliable most of the time to say the least. We were issued “sissy pants” fur lined nylon pants that we put on over our fatigues and fur lined parkas the were really warm. The only shower facilities we had were a converted kitchen from an abandon chow hall left over from who knows when. (Korean war??) there was no heat and the showers were open to the outside at one end ..talk about colds showers. They had plenty of hot water though, but when you showered the ice on the ceilings would melt and drip cold water on you.

The bars and dance halls were our main source of intertainment and being 19 at the time I (and most or all of my friends) took advantage of the services the local “business girls” offered. It was $2 for a short time and $5 for all night or for $30 a month anytime day or night for all month. Since I worked shifts I had a deal worked out with a local mamason where I could stay all day for $3. You could leave your watch or some other valuable if you were broke and redeem it payday. Most of us caught the clap at least once. But not me (wink, wink). There was a korean VD clinic on every block back then and they had sighs out front advertising their business. I don’t think the GI used them though.

Except for military vehicles some buses, and ancient american cars held together by scavaged parts snd used as taxies there were no motorized vehicles in Osan. There were very few in Seoul.

There were still many reminders of the Korean war around buildings with bullet holes, disabled people, bomb craters..etc. I talked to a couple of the business girls I was aquainted with and they had very sobering tales to tell about the north Koreans and even some of the Japanese.

It sounds like I spent most of my time with the girls, but I didn’t really its just what I remember best. I made some Korean friends worked a little with orphans visited some ancient sites and spent a lot of time on duty. (NOTE: The orphanage was called the “Garden of Children” and located out the back gate of Osan AB.)

I was there when Sigmond Rhree (Syngman Rhee) was overthrown. It was a mess for awhile. It was the only time while I was there that I was issued a rifle WITH ammunition. Nothing happened on the base..lots of activity in town though..needless to say town was off limits for a few days. (NOTE: See President Syngman Rhee (Yi Syng Man).)
Comparison to Life at Kunsan AB Jim Bailey of Healdsburg, CA wrote in Oct 2005, “Was stationed at Osan 1958-59 in the Comm Sq. Operated the switchboard. Great bunch of Korean operators working with old, outdated equipment.” This was the standard of the time for Korea which was at the end of the food chain as far as the military went. However, as far as Korea was concerned, it was like a whale turd, but the other bases were even lower. At least they had toilet paper. Jim retired as a TSgt from AF in 1974.

For a perspective of how good people had it in Osan, refer to the experiences of those a Kunsan AB down the peninsula. The 6175th ABG was subordinate to the parent unit at Osan, the 6314th ABW. John Moench, Maj. Gen., USAF (Ret) (then a full Colonel) was the base commander at K-8 for a few months before he moved up to Osan to take over as Director of Planning. He recounted life at Kunsan at Howitwas: 6175th ABG: 1959 The barracks appear to be the same. There were two varieties: (1) Korean War-vintage prefab plywood Jamesway buildings with corrogated iron roofs weighted down with sandbags to keep them from blowing away; and (2) metal half-moon quonset huts which were WWII surplus. These were the same for both Officer and Enlisted Billets at Osan and Kunsan. The difference was that in Kunsan, they didn’t have screen to patch the holes against mosquitoes and not enough mosquito nets to go around — while in Osan they at least had some basic supplies.

In John’s “faction” (part fiction-part fact) account of Kunsan AB in 1959, Taking Command, he bitterly complained of the supply problems encountered by being at the end of the supply chain. The supply chain ran from Japan through Yokohama to Osan to Kunsan at the end of the chain. Those at the end of the chain got nothing. At Kunsan, there was no mower so the grass was overgrown in most areas and the base simply let it grow to 6 foot tall and then let the farmers come in and cut it for free — they used the grass for feed and thatch.

Kunsan and Osan had C-47s to do trash hauling and there was a problem in procuring parts for these aircraft. At Osan, the 6314th FMS handled the flightline maintenance on the “goonie birds.” There was also some L-20 Beavers that were used to provide flying hours for the multitude of rated-pilots that became desk-bound after the Korean War.

At Kunsan in 1958, the nuclear alerts started with the 3rd Bomb Wing B-57s from Japan. Thus there developed a three-mile exclusionary zone around Kunsan. There was no “village” that developed right outside the base. Instead a few sleazy bars in Kunsan City catered to the “needs” of the GIs. At Osan, there was no such exclusionary zone. Though the 8th TFW started standing nuclear alerts in 1958 in Osan, it moved its alert facilities to Kadena, Okinawa in 1960. It was not until much later that the 8th TFW’s F-100s, F-105s and F-4s from Yokota AB, Japan stood the nuclear alerts at Osan and a three-mile exclusionary zone was enforced around the base — but by then Songtan was well-established and couldn’t be moved. The exclusionary zone prevented new construction within the three-mile zone.
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Songtan Murder by American According to the Pyeongtaek History, an American killed a lady named Kim Kuk-ja with a knife. These were pre-SOFA days and jurisdiction rested with the US Military. Outcome of the trial is unknown. (Source: Pyeongtaek City History CD, “Pyeongtaek Si Sa.”)
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Base Exchange (1959) (Ed Stirling) (SOURCE: The photos of Ed Stirling, former A2c, 6314th Field Maintenance Squadron in Retired Activities Office: Osan: Jack Terwiel and Osan AB History Web Page)

Ed Stirling’s Story of Life at Osan AB: According to Retired Activities Office, “Edwin (Ed) Stirling was a young Airman Second Class (E-3) who came to Osan Air Base in April 1959 to become a member of the 6314th Field Maintenance Squadron. He left Korea in May 1960. … Ed’s remembrances give a good feeling for how a young airman felt in Korea a little more than six years after the base opened.”

When I came to Korea, I was struck by the lack of trees. Only young trees covered the hills around Osan. I was told that the Japanese, during their 35-year occupation until the end of WWII, had pretty much denuded the country of trees and other natural resources. It was rare to find a tree of more than a few inches in girth.

Our barracks were built to withstand artillery or bomb hits by spreading the living quarters out on 6 wings with the showers and latrines and power plants in the center. Capacity was 24 men to a wing, but ours was usually 18 and no more than 20. The NCO wings only had about 10 or 15 guys. The NCOs had desks and extra chairs and larger wall lockers. One had a permanent craps table. They took the top off of a table they scrounged from some place, turned it upside down and stapled a GI blanket to it to make a good surface for dice. On the rare barracks inspection, they just turned the table top over and it looked like a normal table. That game went on almost non-stop the whole time I was there.

Poker was the game of choice in our barracks and I came home with nearly $5,000 in winnings. We played hearts when everybody went broke between paydays. We were paid by the Army, so the Eagle only flew once a month. Those pictures of us enjoying the vices of Chicol Village were, no doubt, taken on a payday. An Airman Second Class was paid about $96 a month.

I liked the Koreans that I met. They are a wonderful people who have been victimized through most of their history. I am delighted to see that their lives are a lot better now than when I was there.

Each wing of the barracks had a houseboy that cleaned up, did our laundry and shined our shoes. We each pitched in a few bucks every payday. Ours was a nice kid named Kim, Pyong Hui. He and I were pretty good friends and he invited my buddy Ralph Bankes and me to his home in Pyeongtaek one Sunday for dinner and to meet his family. He was their primary support. His dad had a small rice paddy to help feed them. He had a younger brother of about 10 and an older brother in the ROK Marines and a sister who was a student at a university in Seoul. That day we dined on Kimchi and rice, and a meat that they called Ki which I think means dog. Ralph insisted it was pork. And we drank a local liquor called Mok-ju, a thin milky wine kind of thing that someone told me was homemade from rice. It was drunk from a saucer type dish and tasted like fire water.

The base was closed a couple times and we were restricted to base. Once was late in the year, I think maybe October or November, 1959. I never did find out why, but rumors were rampant that the North Koreans were preparing an invasion. That time I think we were closed in for about a week.

In April, 1960 Syngman Rhee [then Korean president] was kicked out. He fled with his American wife, several top government officials and a couple of million dollars in gold. They all went to Hawaii, where I believe he lived out the rest of his life. (SITE NOTE: Rhee’s wife was Austrian.) The election had been held in March and he was re-elected dictator, but a lot of the Koreans didn뭪 buy it and rioting broke out all over the country including at Chicol Village. Mobs of people gathered outside the gate and shouted anti-American slogans, “Yankee go home” and that sort of thing, and the ROK Army and police would wade into the crowd and beat hell out of them. We went down to the main gate to watch a couple of times. It was weird to see some of the people we knew in the crowd.

Being restricted to base meant that the EM [enlisted men's] club did great business. It was crowded all the time and as more beer was consumed a lot of fights broke out. One big fight was especially bad when most of the front wall of the club was broken out and several guys were hurt. The EM club was ordered closed by the base commander and our beer supply was cut off. I don뭪 know if that helped or made things worse, but as the restriction went on everybody seemed to be ready to punch out anyone who irritated them.

Several of us who were considered non-essential personnel were assigned to perimeter guard duty. So there I was with my M-1, sitting in a sand-bagged ditch with about 10 inches of gooey, sticky mud in the bottom, in the pouring rain, wishing we had a company of Marines or Army infantry with us. If we would have been attacked, I don뭪 know how this group of clerks and mechanics would have performed.

It was a bad time. My memory fades about how long this went on, but I am sure it was more than a week.

In those days, the Air Force had a rule that anyone returning from overseas duty with six months or less left on their enlistment had to take a discharge or re-enlist. I would have seven months left on my enlistment so I was preparing to extend my tour by one month to take the discharge. Just before I had to do that, however, the Air Force changed the rule to make it a year instead of six months. I immediately went FIGMO (you know what that means, I assume) and was soon off to the land of milk and honey.

The tradition when we got our rotation orders was to buy a fifth of Seagrams VO, take the yellow and black ribbon from around the neck, roll up a copy of the orders and tie the ribbon around it and stick it into the little pencil pocket on the sleeve of our fatigue shirt. Seeing that ribbon, most NCOs and officers would just smile and leave us alone. We were FIGMO and didn뭪 have time left to do anything. I remember my CO, Captain Cardwell, yelling in frustration one day, 밎od dammit! Everybody in this f—ing outfit is either a green bean or FIGMO. How the hell do we get anything done??A greenbean was a new guy, also referred to as FNG. (F—in?New Guy).

My service experience in Korea is something I am glad that I did, but I would never do it again. I found it more annoying than anything else. We were certainly never in any danger and most of the time it was an interesting adventure. But, I was near the end of my enlistment and I absolutely hated being in the Air Force and could not wait to get out. I always felt like we were only playing at soldiering, yet I never felt like a soldier. One of the major regrets that I have always held was that I passed up an opportunity to enlist in the Marine Corps. (My father was a career navy man, 22 years, who had service ribbons from WWII, Korea and Vietnam.)

In the other services, enlisted men seemed to get more respect because they were actually combatants. In the AF, of course, it was the officers who carried the fighting responsibilities and enlistees were support; clerks and mechanics for the most part. In my time, enlisted men in the AF were treated like servants by the officer corps. I have often said that the only practical skills that I learned in the Air Force were how to mop floors and operate a floor buffer. I felt it was a waste of four years of my life.
Below are the collection of photos from Edwin Stirling in 1959.

Ed Stirling in Dayroom (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Ed Stirling

Dining Hall at Osan AB (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Chapel on Hill 180 (1959) (Ed Stirling)

View from Hill 180 (1959) (Ed Stirling)

L-20 Fly-over of Barracks (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: The L-20s, along with base C-47s, were used to allow the rated pilots flying desks at Osan to get their flying time. Also note the construction of the barracks with modern facilities.)

Base Library (NOTE: Location across the street from current library.)

Main Gate with Chicoville (Chicol-ni) outside the gate. (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: Observe the church on the hill in the background that has remained in the same location till the present day.)

Hauling Furniture with A-frame. Others hauling furniture ahead. (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Hauling Furniture with A-frame. Girl with dog on leash to right — unusual in Korea to have a dog as a pet at the time. Drug shop (“yak”) to right.

Downtown heading down (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: Girl with pet dog on leash is very unusual for the time as dogs were more than likely to end as somebody’s soup (Poshingtang – dog soup). The girl is standing under the sign that says “Beauty Shop” (“mijang-hwan”) and behind it a “Stamp/Seal” shop (“do-chang”) and drug shop (yak) next to it. On right, mothers carry babies on their backs in traditional manner and there is another drug shop (yak). Man hauling furniture are in the distance. This is the road that leads up to the railroad tracks then over the hill to the MSR1. Hill in the distance is on the other side of the railroad tracks. Notice there is a road that runs along the side of the hill. This is the road that now runs near the top of the hill. The present road from the overpass intersects this road and then goes over the slight rise and down to the express bus terminal on the other side … which is MSR-1.)

Railroad tracks. (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: Notice the train that is appears to be departing on the left track headed for Osan-ni. Notice the smoke trail of the engine because at that time all locomotives were steam-driven. The Kyongbu line would remain a two-track line into the mid-1980s.The rail barrier indicates that this is a major crossing for trucks and probably where the overpass in Shinjang-dong is now before it heads up the hill. (Note there is an unguarded crossing just little ways down.) The road would continue over a hill to the bus stop at the intersection of MSR-1. There was no overpass as there is now and the road was flat until the hill over which one had to travel to get to MSR1. Note that in the distance to the right the vague white line running parallel to the tracks in MSR-1 which goes to the other side of the hill. Observe the absence of houses and only rice fields in the area. Note the thatched roofed mud wattle houses on left and tile roofed farm house on right.)

Pedestrians on road. Slight rise before it dips down to intersect with MSR1. (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: MSR1 intersects at what is now the Express Bus Terminal.)

Main Supply Route 1 (MSR1) from Seoul to Pusan. (1959) (Ed Stirling)

On Korean road maps this is still listed as Route 1 or “National Road 1.” MSR1 ran from the Kaesong across Imgin-gak through Paju through Seoul; over the Han River to Yongdongpo; down through Anyang to Suwon and Osan-ni; past Osan AB (K-55) (Sojong-ni) to Pyongtaek and Cheonan and down to Taejon — and then on to Pusan. Basically it followed the main trunk of the railroad as the railhead were the supply points for units.

Notice the “Ice/Beer” stand specifically for American military driving this route. A man patiently waits for customers and his legs can be seen sticking out.

Notice the construction of some of the buildings indicate a Japanese influence. Though the buildings here are run-down, they do not have that slap-together shanty look of Chicol Village (Songtan) indicating they probably existed from the Japanese colonial period. Note roof of house to left with a hole in it. Construction typical of Korean construction in the colonial period where clay was packed over boards in the ceiling for insulation and then covered with tiles. The building two doors down shows a typical Japanese roof line. Two story buildings (as seen in bottom photo to left) were constructed of bricks and then stuccoed on the exterior following the art-deco style of the 1930s.

There is a sign for “Bok Dok Pang” — similar to a house rental agency. This type of shop is normally seen in the center of the residential area indicating that Chicol Village was NOT the center of community life at the time. Notice the “benjo” ditch along the side of the road.

Notice the American car on the road. American staff cars in Korea were at a premium in the late 1950s and reserved for higher ranking personnel — Colonels and above in high staff positions — while most of the lower officer ranks drove jeeps. Notice bus pulled off to side with spare tire on rear — typical of country buses.

Also note that trees are relatively young. Because Korea had been denuded by the Korean War, there was a law that made the cutting down of trees illegal. It would not be until the 1970s when the ROK started a reforestation project that provided free saplings for farmers to plant on their hills. The mountain areas were done under contract to the Chonju Paper Company in 1975.)

Ralph Bankes at Houseboy’s house (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: Typical mud wattle house where mud bricks are filled with mud and then plastered. These structures were surprisingly cool in summer and warm in winter. Rice thatched roofs were replaced every 4-5 years. )

Choga-chip farmer’s house (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Choga-chip farmer’s house

Brickyard (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Typical Farm Village (1959) (Ed Stirling)

Farm Road

Boy in Rice Paddy (1959) (Ed Stirling)

People in boat on lake or flooded area (1959) (Ed Stirling) (NOTE: The Chinwi-chon River meandered through this area creating a floodplain. Major flooding is common in this area with a catastrophic flood every ten years.)

(SOURCE: The photos of Ed Stirling, former A2c, 6314th Field Maintenance Squadron in Retired Activities Office: Osan: Jack Terwiel and Osan AB History Web Page)

Another person who as at Osan during this period was Cal Collier of Lincoln, CA. He wrote in 2005,

“I was stationed at Osan in 58-59 with the 58th communications and guidance squadron (“we guide with pride”). I was on the Matador Missle guidance crew who lived on “honcho hill” with the base master sergents. They didn’t like us there much. We lived in old quanson huts that in the winter we couldn’t keep warm. The desiel oil in the 5 gallon jerry cans that were attached to the stoves would run dry about 3am and someone would have to freeze their axx of to go get some more if there was any left. Some times the “slickie boys” would manage to get the lock off the 55 gallon cans and it would be all gone. Our work/radar guidance site was about 2 miles from the 58th headquarters and 1.5 miles from the chow hall, and being lowly E3s we had to walk every where most of the time. Transportation was unreliable most of the time to say the least. We were issued “sissy pants” fur lined nylon pants that we put on over our fatigues and fur lined parkas the were really warm. The only shower facilities we had were a converted kitchen from an abandon chow hall left over from who knows when. (Korean war??) there was no heat and the showers were open to the outside at one end ..talk about colds showers. They had plenty of hot water though, but when you showered the ice on the ceilings would melt and drip cold water on you.

The bars and dance halls were our main source of intertainment and being 19 at the time I (and most or all of my friends) took advantage of the services the local “business girls” offered. It was $2 for a short time and $5 for all night or for $30 a month anytime day or night for all month. Since I worked shifts I had a deal worked out with a local mamason where I could stay all day for $3. You could leave your watch or some other valuable if you were broke and redeem it payday. Most of us caught the clap at least once. But not me (wink, wink). There was a korean VD clinic on every block back then and they had sighs out front advertising their business. I don’t think the GI used them though.

Except for military vehicles some buses, and ancient american cars held together by scavaged parts snd used as taxies there were no motorized vehicles in Osan. There were very few in Seoul.

There were still many reminders of the Korean war around buildings with bullet holes disabled people, bomb craters..etc. I talked to a couple of the business girls I was aquainted with and they had very sobering tales to tell about the north Koreans and even some of the Japanese.

It sounds like I spent most of my time with the girls, but I didn’t really its just what I remember best. I made some Korean friends worked a little with orphans visited some ancient sites and spent a lot of time on duty.

I was there when Sigmond Rhree (Syngman Rhee) was overthrown. It was a mess for awhile. It was the only time while I was there that I was issued a rifle WITH ammunition. Nothing happened on the base..lots of activity in town though..needless to say town was off limits for a few days