|
608th AC&W Squadron
Educational |
|
502nd Tactical Control Group Reunion starts Sat April 30, 2011 to Weds morning May 4th; organized by 502nd Tactical Control Group Assoc.- KOREA - Bill Aylward.
Ground Radar In Korea 1950 - 1956; 605th, 606th, 607th, 608th
AC&W Sqdn. Reunion to be held in Biloxi, MS at the Isle Casino Hotel. Rooms are $110.88 per night inc. fees and taxes also breakfast buffet vouchers.For those who want to arrive early or stay late, the rates apply for 3 days before and after. Make reservations at 1-866-ISLE VIP (866 475 3847) and tell the operator that you are with the 502nd Tactical Control Group or cite booking code 502 TACT. Visit to Keesler, banquet on Tues night at the hotel and the possibility of one other event. The hotel is a casino of course. Bill Aylward For further information and details contact; Dale King dking606th@aol.com Reference search; 502nd Korea, in Facebook. Our 608th AC&W website has many photos (click on Photo Albums at left) and write-ups contributed by those veterans who served in the squadron. Carl Johnson cfj6@cornell.edu The 608th AC&W Squadron during the Korean War was part of the 502nd Tactical Control Group which also included the 605th, 606th and 607th Squadrons. The 6132nd (not the 6123rd) AC&W Squadron was renamed the 608th about the same time that the move was made to the mountaintop near K18/Kangnung. (Frank Marsh) The 608th Det 2 was at K54 on Cho-do Island, Det 3 at K53 on Paengyong-do Island, Det 4 near Gangneung (Kangnung) K18 on mountaintop Hyangbyong-san 5000 ft. approx. 15 miles wnw of K18. 502nd Reunions For info on the next 502nd Reunion please contact coordinator Bill Aylward at waylward1@verizon.net or wwaylward@netscape.net Noah Poe photos posted Aug 9, 2009. Click on PHOTO ALBUMS at left to view 3 photos. I served on the same mountain top in
Korea as Carl. My service was from July of 53 until July of 54. I was
a radar repairman on the TPS-1D and associated equipment. In the spring
of 54 we moved the site off the mountain to the seacoast near Kangnung.
It had been a very snowy winter on the mountaintop. It snowed from
Christmas day until new Year's day--and we had to be supplied by
airdrop. Another member of our group, Bert, served with me in radar
maintenance until November of 54 when he rotated home.-- Frank
Frank Marsh - Sleigh ride & Christmas tree 1953 A Korean snow story On top of our radar mountain---it started to snow at Christmas and did not stop for the rest of the year. It stopped at New Year’s day. Of course we were snowbound. After a week, just as our food and oil were pretty low, an airdrop was attempted. It was very windy, and the stuff was pushed out of a C47 and got blown miles away. A second attempt by a C119 where the stuff just was released to parachute from the rear of the aircraft as it pulled up from a dive at the targeted area. Unfortunately some Korean workers were too close to the drop zone, and got somewhat hurt when chutes had a short open time before dropping on them. About a week later some trucks got thru to us. Sometime in March, we moved our site off the mountain to near K18 at the coast. In the meantime, just before the big snowfall, I had decided to do some tobogganing on a self made toboggan. I took some old sheet metal that was formerly part of a Quonset hut, bent up one end, added a rope and thought that I had a snow riding toboggan. It did not really go fast at all on the few hills on the top of our mountain. I then did an impulsive and foolish act. Well, I was a 19 year old. I went over to the side of the mountain behind the latrine and power shack, pointed the toboggan/sled down the side of the mountain, and jumped on for – what a ride! I had not figured on the fact that recent windy snows and a bit of freezing rain had turned the mountain-side to ice-encrusted snow. I had not remembered that the mountain top was ringed by a barb wire and flare area, and it was coming up very fast. Just before I got there, however, I came to a line of small bushes. The sled took off thru the air, and almost cleared the area, but came down on top of the last fence-supporting pole. It was only a thin bit of metal and some winter clothing between that post and my rump. I went flying off the sled and thru the air. I lost all feeling - I tried to pull the sled back up the mountain, but could not even get a footing on the icy slope. I kept sliding back down. Finally I gave up the idea of retrieving the sled, and walked the long way by the road back up to the top. Then I had to see a medic about my rump. Weeks later , a part of another airdrop included a couple of sleds for moving supplies around on the mountain top site. I had had enough of sleds however. Frank
|
