608th AC&W Website

Comments: The 608th AC&W website is at http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-608ACW We have photos and words from those who served on the mountain near K18 Det #4, on Cho-do and on Py-do. Carl Johnson Korea August 1952 - August 1953 608th AC&W Det #4

Keywords: 608th AC&W, K18, Kangnung, Cho-do, Py-do

See # 66299 dated jUN 30, 08

Comments: I had written in my 30 June 2008 (See # 66299) that we closed clubs at K-52, and 53 and moved to K-54. That should have been closed K-52, 53, and 54 and moved club to K-18. This was the the 27 July 1953 withdraw for 608th AC&W Squadron

Keywords: NCO Mess Club

Hq, 608th AC&W Sq Nov 52 -Nov 53

Comments: Arrived at K-16 compound in Nov 52 and rotated to McDill AFB in Nov 53/ I provided all items to the detachment clubs at K-52, 53 and 54 from K-16. Closed K52 and 53 in July 1953, transfered all assests to K-54. Worked in DOM at Hq until I rotated back to ZI. All my services prior and after Korea was in BX/PX, AF Commissaryand Bases Services. Retired in Aug 1970 as CMSGT. Worked in AF Commissary (AFCOMS) Maxwell AFB, Al 1970 -1988, GM 13 as Deputy Director Gulf Area Complex and DO for 21 AF Commissary in Southeast.

Keywords: Managed NCO mess Club-Hq Supply

Info on AIC Jimmie Rowland Hobday of Cortez, CO listed as MIA/KIA w/608th AC&W SQ in 1952

Comments: Any assistance or referrals would be appreciated.

Keywords: I am writing a book and have been trying to verify info for accuracy. Secondary is trying to find out about A1C Jimmie Rowland Hobday of Cortez,CO. He was a friend of the family when we lived in Cortez but we may also be related. I know my mother received an official letter from the AF when he was listed as a MIA 13 Sep 1952 so she had to be listed in some manner in official records for point of contact.

608th Air Control & Warning / K-14

Comments: I was stationed with the 608th A.C.& W. Sqdn, from March of 1956 to March of 1957. The post was a small compound a couple of miles outside of Kimpo AFB.. I served as Sgt. of the Guard and we maintained security on the compound and the mountain. I recall several friends. Names were Jim Hunter from California, Sgt. Pete Olesko, Stan Bem from Pa.,& house boy 'Hunesan'. Coldest winter in 31 years according to the 'Stars & Stripes' newspaper. I recall the hairy ride up the mountain in my 3/4 ton weapons carrier. The rain unearthed a corpse of a Chinese soldier while standing watch one night..'Burp gun' and all. Would like to hear from anyone that served during that time period. I was from Maine at the time. Thanks

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It Has Been A Long Time

Comments: Went to Korea on the USS Gen J C Breckenridge in November of 1954 and was stationed with the 608th as a personnel specialist. We were in Seoul at that time. Then in January 1955, headquarters moved to Kimpo Air Base (K-14) on the back side of the base. Later that year we moved again to our own compound just outside of Kimpo. I remember flying out to the Island (K-53) once a month to pay the indigenous personnel and twice a year to do a records review for those stationed there. Rotated back to the US in November 1955. I remember Betty in the chow hall. Would love hearing from anyone stationed there during my time.

Keywords: Headquarters, Personnel, Sgt Whitman, Sgt Basurto, Lt Hollopeter

606th AC&W Sq.....1955

Comments: I was stationed at K-18, KangNung, S Korea durung the calendar year 1955. I was there when the f-86 Sabre crashed after leaving his belly tanks on the runway while buzzing the site. Also a ROK F-51 landed without dropping his landing gear while I was there. I would enjoy hearing from anyone in Radar Ops who was stationed there during this period. Fred Weeks Walnut Ridge, AR

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502nd reunion New Orleans

Comments: in Korea 9/50 to3/52 hope to see some one i know at reunion Cliff

Keywords: Cliff 502nd tcg

greetings from Minnesota!

Comments: Just a note to give all my Korean vets friends greetings and salutations, and hope that you all are all in good shape. I still push a lawn mower and snow shovel around even at 8o years young. It don't seem like 56 years since the conflict.you all have a real happy time this summer.yor friend Bob Foote.

Keywords: Ch'0-Do scope Dope

608 A C & W Squadron K18/ Kangnung

Comments:

Keywords: Truck went over the mountainside summer 1952. I was driving. 2 Korean cooks aboard were injured. What ever happened to them? Looking for the guys that served Feb.1952 to Dec.1952 M.Sgt. Sullivan, Joe Gagnon Peabody Mass., Bob Ayres Ithica NY., Bob Hilton ? Calif., TDY to the mountain top, motor pool. Drove the radar operators to Kangnung to get some?(36 hour break)

608 AC&W Sqdn K53 PyDo Dec54-Oct55

Comments: I was station at K53 December 1954 to October 1955 as a scope dope, remember the island very well. Left Korea and stationed at 701st AC&W Ft. Fisher, NC for the remainder of my enlistment. Discharged Nov 1957. Would like to hear from any one from either sites. Until later Jim

Keywords:

PY-DO 1966-1967

Comments: Would like to hear from anyone who was there from mid 60's til present.

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RHAF 13th Flight

Comments: Do you have any recollections from RHAF 13th Flight ? It was assigned to 21st TCS, '' Gyushu Gypsies ''.

One of its planes , C-47 49-2622 ''NEPTUNE'' is still operational with Hellenic Air Force !

Searching for stories of photos about the hellenic contribution in the Korean War UN effort.

Thank you,

Themis Vranas ThemisVranas@yahoo.gr

Keywords: Royal Hellenic Air Force 13th Flight

korea from 1950 to 1952

Comments: went over with 607 went to6132..they changed numbers to 608th.in korea from 1950 to 1952.any one in unit at that time,would like to hear from you.

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K-53 Paengnyong-do Change

Comments: The "new" name for Paengnyong-do (Det 3) is now Baengnyeong-do. Kangnung (Det 4) has also had a name change. It is now Gangneung. Cho-do (Det 2) and Yanggu (Det 1) have not changed. Of course Cho-do now belongs to NK. Ed O'Neill is right about the Natl Geo map, it's quite good. It seems that K-16 Seoul is no longer a major airport. K-14 Kimpo (now Gimpo) is the major airport for that area. Does anyone out there know the GEOREF coordinates or Latitude and Longitude coordinates for Det 4? I know where the airbase is, but need the coordinates for the radar hill. There's a lot of mountains around there and I'm trying to find the radar site.

Keywords: K-18 Kangnung (Det 4) K-52 Yanggu (Det 1) K-53 Paengnyong-do (Det 3) K-54 Cho-do (Det 2)

C'ho-do & PY-do

Comments: I arrived at C'ho-do (K54) about Feb 1, 1953, evacuated to PY-Do after the July 27 1953 signing of the truce and worked there until going home in January 1954. Was assigned to Otis AFB on Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the rest of my enlistment. For anyone looking for PY-Do on a map, its name has been changed to a word that starts with "B", but I don't have the name handy. The June issue of National Geographic had an insert that was a map of all Korea that will knock you socks off. You can get it from the magazine for $15.00.

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608TH AC &W 52 -53

Comments: Jerry B Seip

I was in the K-18 from Aug. 52 to Sept 53. Anyone that was there during that time please drop me a note. Jerry

Keywords: 608th AC&W Mt. Wilkins K-18 4 aces and a joker

K53 py-do march57-march58

Comments: I lived with the radio guys half a year or so untill there was room in the radar quonset. Drove the hill truck some,worked with the aps some. Ate lots of eggs and blueberrys. Watched the chow hall burn down and played the two or three slot machines in the airmans club. I fell from a pipe we had acrose the back of the quonset? and hurt my back. Now it has me bedridden with aracnoiditis. So long for now.

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K-52 Airfield

Comments: What happened to the Airfield we built in 52-53

Keywords: Turnipole/Road graders

K-52 Airfield

Comments: What happened to the Airfield we built

Keywords: Turnipole/Road graders

608th AC&W Korean War WebSite

Comments: Please visit our 608th AC&W website at http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-608ACW Just paste or key the above URL into the address line on your browser to visit the site. We would like you to join us and share memories. Send me an email and I will send you an invite to simplify the joining process. Thanks, Carl Johnson

Keywords: Mountain top near K18 Kangnung 608th AC&W Det 4 1952-53 Cold Winter

608 A C & W Kangnung

Comments: I was stationed on that 6400 ft mountain with a Ground Radar Group directing Aircraft to North Korea. Sixty degrees below in the winter 1951--Supplies (beer and cigs) some food were sent to hilltop once weekly. We had Korean houseboys--looking for S/Sgt Dutton, Airman Cliff Poole or Richard Durbin. That old Radar Antenna would really moan turning into the wind until we build a wooden shield--e-mail from anyone would be appreciated. REMEMBER THE R AND R'S to Japan????

Keywords: Radar Mountain approx 30 miles North Kangnung Air Base Aug 1951 to Aug 1952.

608th AC&W Korean War WebSite

Comments: You are welcome to join our 608th AC&W Korean War website which was opened recently. http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-608ACW This address is descriptive (and can be remembered?) and is translated to bring up the site. Carl Johnson

Keywords: 608th AC&W Sq. Det 4 from 8/52 - 8/53 502nd Tactical Control Group

My Harrowing story

Comments: May 1 also known as "May Day" each year brings back old memories to me. Exactly 52 years ago today in the evening I thought my end was near. I was assigned to work with a small group of US Army & Republic of Korea (ROK) Engineers in repairing a mountain road several miles south of the 38th Parallel on the East coast of Korea. We had a communications site on the top of the mountain. I was an 18 year old S/Sgt. driving a large dump truck. We lived in tents a few miles from the mountain top and normally got paid the 1st of each month if we were at our base compound; however, since we were living & working on the mountain we would not get paid until a day or so later when the Payroll Officer made his trip up the mountain. Since I was eager to get paid I claimed that I needed to take my truck back to our downhill facilities for maintenance after work that day. The trip would take about 2-3 hours and it was approaching darkness by the time I departed. Since it was "May Day" we had been warned to be alert for potential communist guerilla activity.

Shortly after I started my trip I began thinking what I would do if I came upon a roadblock. Most of the road was only wide enough for one vehicle and was in very poor condition with many blind curves and steep drop-offs. All along the road were numerous armed ROK soldiers that were hitch hiking. Shortly after starting my trip I picked up an armed ROK soldier which made me feel better since I felt that he could help me if we were ambushed. Unfortunately, he only wanted a relatively short ride and I was again alone and the daylight was getting low. In my mind I had a mental image of being ambushed by going around a blind curve and finding a pile of boulders blocking the way. A few miles after dropping off the ROK soldier I rounded a blind curve and there in the middle of the road was exactly what I was afraid of, a huge boulder that was blocking the path. I threw on the brakes and barely stopped before crashing. I removed my rifle from its rack, placed it next to me and slowly inched my way around the rock all the time expecting to be fired on. Apparently, the boulder just tumbled onto the roadway as I was not shot. After getting around the boulder I began driving as fast as I could (actually much too fast considering the road conditions) until I arrived at our compound near Kangnung, Korea.

After arriving at our base compound I got paid. That night while I was asleep with my loaded rifle and fatigues laying next to me someone took my wallet out of my fatigues, stole $136.00 and replaced the wallet. The above is why May 1st is a day that I will always remember.

I would like to hear from others that were in the 608th, especially in the first 6 months of 1952.

Keywords: 608 AC&W, Kangnung, Korea 1952