Taipei Air Station 1970-1971

Bob Grinstead worked inside the Cotton Building at Taipei Air Station during 1970-1971.

Bob checked-in last week and sent over a number of beautiful photographs he’d taken in and around the Air Station.

Main Street inside Taipei Air Station.

At the far end of the street, the NCO Club. 

Someone is standing outside the door holding a case in his hand, probably exiting after lunch, or perhaps just checking-in and getting a Club Membership Card.... 

Hey, why not throw a couple of bucks worth of nickles into the slot machine, beginner's luck often happens.....

Notice the signage outside the door area on the wall.

Coming Floor Show announcements?

The man inside the pickup above,  looks like an Airman.  Maybe he's just driving inside the Air Station.  I thought vehicles leaving the facility were always driven by Taiwan drivers? 

Now that I look at the bed of the pick-up, it came to mind that these men are probably working their way thru the base distribution run...  Notice the height of the pickup bed, high enough for someone to sit inside and sort those old distribution envelopes with all the holes in them.

 The Shuttle Bus marking it's way back to the Motor Pool.

The building to the right, the dispensary, note the sign.

To the left, the Post Office, always a favorite place to visit every day or so.

Top left, in the far distance, the outline of the NCO Club roof.

Here's a better view of the dispensary.

And, the Post Office, with the barracks seen in the rear.

The Barracks. 

Who chose the paint?

What color is that?  Kung Pau Chicken Beige?

Is that the MARS antenna on top of the building? 

Is that a red colored Dodge with it's hood sticking out down the street? Bob says the cover on the ground is for someones new 280Z.

I resided in the barracks for a couple of weeks in 1965, experienced my first Taiwan earth quake shortly after moving in.

Awoke from a deep sleep with my bed moving back and forth and men running down the hallway hollering, "EARTH QUAKE"

Confused and shaken, I jumped up, opened my door and ran down the outside stairway on the other end of this building, in my t-ship and skivvy shorts, just ran, to get out of a possibly collapsing building.

All of us were now standing on the street and grass area close to the outside wall of the air station,  shivering and cold, waiting for someone to tell us it was all over and safe to return to our rooms.

I smoked then, someone in our group passed around cigarettes.

A few days later, I was told to get a hostel room off the base, they needed the barracks rooms for new men arriving on station.

These types of incidents are why so many of us loved Taiwan.  

The barracks hallway on one of three floors.  

You had fresh clean water on Taipei Air Station.  The water fountain see on the right would not be there had we not have potable water.

Ted Quarles, a friend, was a part of the water plant on Taipei Air Station at one time.

Many will remember pulling over in the rear area of the NCO Club, close to the Air Station water plant, to fill-up your water containers used for potable water in your homes.

Close to the barracks center door, was the laundry.

I don't recall using the Air Station laundry myself.  If you were in the barracks, the House Boys did everything.

Maybe this laundry was for dry cleaning and/or folks who didn't reside in the barracks?

 What's going on outside the fence?

You can just see the Laundry steps and sidewalk on the right side of this photo.

Most of this area today, Parking Lot.

Wash day outside the fence.

Along the fence line, close to the barracks, the Base Bus Stop.

Catch the shuttle bus to the Navy Exchange or other stops in town.

Just down from the bus stop, the dining hall.

They won the Heisman Trophy one year.

I never ate here. I forget, there was some "rule" about people who drew Separate Rations not being authorized to eat here. 

I think that was revised later, but I always ate in the NCO Club.

A look toward antenna hill.

What's inside those two buildings just to our right of the tall antenna on the left side of this photo?

There's a building with a large pull-up brown door and next to it, a tall green building.  Maybe the tall building has something to do with the water plant?

Can anyone ID those two buildings?

We all know Antenna Hill.

Here's a "Close-Up" Bob took of some of what WAS UP up there.

That two-story unpainted wooden shack, what's your guess?

I guess, a Taiwan Military Guard Post.

There's a power building, the small building under the power pole.

And, some type of Antenna which appears to be connected to the electronics van just under it.

There was a story I received a few years ago, a man talks of his younger years and his exploration of Army Hill.  I'm not sure which hill he's talking about, but you might enjoy reading his interesting story.

HERE

  A close-up look toward the hills, I believe north east of Taipei Air Station.

If this it NE, the building you see just across the field, may be where the "New" Taipei Air Station buildings were constructed after most of the "Old" Taipei Air Station was demolished.

Please leave your ideas and Comment at the end of this story...

Construction of the roof over the basketball court at Taipei Air Station.

Bob said the roof was up only a short time before a typhoon took it off.

You'll remember this street.

There's the First Company, Taipei's First Department Store just down the street, long red sign.

Next door, the "well hidden" in plain site, US building, which housed, among other offices, AFNT Radio.

The front door area of First Company.

Interesting note..  First Company had the first escalators where local citizens could ride up and down, previously having to walk up and down the stairways or ride the elevators.

It was always crowded, drawing youngsters after school and on weekends to ride up and down, from floor to floor.  Excitement for the young folks, back in the day....

This looks like the new Hsin Sheng Theater.

This one was on the same street that the First Company was located.

I believe the original Hsin Sheng Theater was located farther north west of this location.

I saw quite a few films at the old location in 1965-1968.

This photo is annotated as Base Housing.

But, Bob said he thought this home was one of many that were rented to Taipei Air Station folks in the area along the old Keelung Road.

Perhaps someone recognizes this house.

Two men that worked in my office at Taipei AS, lived in houses along Keelung Road, I visited bother on occasion, but don't recall exactly where they were located.

We've arrived at the end of the road for today..

A BIG "thank you" to Bob Grinstead for sharing his photos.

So much to remember of our wonderfully exciting days in Taiwan...

Please leave your reflections, thoughts or stories in a Comment below..