SHULINKOU AIR STATION TAIWAN

6987TH SECURITY GROUP - 1955 to 1977

(Click on Photo to Enlarge) 1970 photo by Lentz


ESTABLISHED AND MANAGED BY DAWG FLIGHT (1970 - 1971)

Website Activated 29 January 1999

UPDATED: May 21, 2013

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ATTENTION:


    This highly acclaimed website, enjoyed by thousands of international visitors, has been active for over 14 years. It is a proven resource
    for all U.S. veterans who served on Taiwan, helping them reconnect with old friends, and is utilized as a Taiwan historical photo archive.

    Your financial contributions will help cover the site's monthly web hosting fees and other operating expenses, and will keep it running.

    Your generous donation of $5.00 or more can be made by:
          Credit Card or PayPal - Please click on the "DONATE" button below.
          Check - For our mailing address please e-mail us at (click here) Webmaster@dawgflight.com .

    Thank you for your consideration. Your financial support is greatly appreciated. - Shulinkou website team.


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MUSIC PLAYER ON/OFF: (▶)

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(Click on Photos to Enlarge)    (1.) 1970 Shlinkou Air Station aerial photo by D. Bechtel. (2.) Taiwan Map, source: Central Intelligence Agency.
(3.) Shulinkou Operations Center 1970, and (4.) Dawg Flight working a day watch 1969 (photos with permission and courtesy of the USAF ISR Agency).

Shulinkou (Shu Lin Kou) Air Station, 6987th Security Group, Taiwan (Republic of China), under the command of the U.S. Air Force Security Service (click here) (USAFSS), was a small U.S. Air Force intelligence installation with approximately 1,200 U.S. military personnel stationed there in the 1970s including Army (ASA), and Naval (NSG) units. Shulinkou was active 22 years from its establishment on February 16, 1955 until its closing on April 01, 1977.

Considered a remote tour, Shulinkou was one of the best kept secrets and one of the most desired assignments throughout Asia.

Shu Lin Kou ( 树林口 ), which translates as "mouth of the forest", took its name from the nearby village of Linkou. The air station was situated on a mountain plateau at 834 feet altitude, surrounded by tea plantations, approximately 15 miles northwest of Taipei in northern Taiwan. It was a few miles south of the Tamsui River and about five miles from the Taiwan Strait and China Sea. Shulinkou was built on the former site of a WWII Japanese Army fighter airbase used against the Allies through the war's end.
(Click on Photo to Enlarge) Shulinkou Air Station 1958, photo provided by E. J. Ledet

The 6987th's highly classified mission involved the intercept and and analysis of foreign signals (SIGINT) and electronic (ELINT) intelligence. Sensitive military intelligence gathered during the three shift, 24/7 operations at Shulinkou was reported directly to the National Security Agency (NSA), Fort Meade, Maryland. Shulinkou intel personnel had top-secret crypto clearances.

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(Click on Photo to Enlarge) The Martyrs' Shrine 1970, photo by Lentz

Taipei was a bustling cosmopolitan city in the 1970s with intriguing Asian culture, exotic women, great food, and renowned night life. During their 15-month tours the "Dawgs" of Dawg Flight took full advantage of every opportunity Taipei presented. Off duty hours meant catching the first "Smok-ah" (bus) down the Hill to Taipei and its beckoning nightlife.

The majority of the "GAF" Dawgs at Linkou in 1970-71 during the Vietnam War were 18 to 22-year old "first termers" simply serving out their four-year Air Force enlistments and then getting out. The Dawgs remain a tightly bonded group whose friendships have endured back in the "World" long after their Linkou tours ended. More than 40-years later, 120 Dawgs have been located and reunited through this website.

This website's goal is to reflect only on Dawg Flight's "spirit" and friendships during their Taiwan tours, and is not intended to glorify the U.S. Air Force, a military career, or Dawg Flight's military service.

Please enjoy a nostalgic trip back to "Dawg days gone bye".

(Click on Photo to Enlarge) Dawg Flight 1970, photo by Swallom



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    SITE UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

    NOTICE:   Use of any of the images, documents, or written content contained within this website is strictly prohibited without explicit permission granted by the website owners, who can be contacted via the email link above. You may not, without express written consent, use, distribute, copy, or commercially exploit any images or content contained within this website, which may be subject to © copyright. All rights reserved.

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    ~ Remembering ~
    Memorial Day 2013

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    RECENT SITE UPDATES:

    ~ NEW WEBPAGE ~ Memories of Our Fathers - Veterans of World War II   New Webpage Added 21 May 13
      USMC 1942-1945   Dawgs and other "Linkouites" share moving stories about their fathers' and relatives' WWII experiences. More photos and info...
    (CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)   photo provided by L. Higgins (Dawg Flight 1969-70)

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    Shimending: 1960s, 1970s, and Today   Apple Daily Image Added 1.11.11
    "Apple Daily Taiwan"     January 01, 2011 front page from Taiwan's leading newspaper featuring a 1970 photo from our website. Read more...
    (CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)   Image with permission and courtesy of "Apple Daily Taiwan" newspaper.

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    TAIPEI PHOTOS

    Click on Images to Enlarge

    DAWGS ON THE TOWN
    Dawgs on the Town - Part I Updated 24 Feb 13
    Lots of great 1970 photos of the Dawgs and friends enjoying themselves in Taipei. Photo walking tour from the Linkou Club to the King's Hotel and Pillbox.
    Dawgs on the Town - Part II Updated 19 Feb 12
    1971 shots of the hit Taiwan TV show "The Dating Game".
    Dawgs on the Town - Part III Updated 02 Jan 12
    Dawgs in action in 1971 at house parties and helping a Taipei orphanage.
    Photo by N. Carpenter


    TAIPEI NIGHT LIFE
    Taipei Nightlife - Part I Updated 04 Apr 13
    Taipei Nightlife - Part II Updated 08 Dec 12
    Can you name your favorite haunt? Photos, videos, and maps of Dawg Flight's favorite nightspots. Also "Then and Now" photos.
    Photo by R. Riccitello




    TAIPEI APARTMENTS
    Dawg Flight's Taipei Apartments Updated 10 Nov 12
    Great shots of Dawgs and their "pads" in Taipei with detailed street maps.
    Air Force regs strictly prohibited single enlisted personnel living off-base...
    Photo by C. Gnath






    TAIPEI AND SURROUNDING AREA
    Taipei and Surrounding Area - Part I Updated 12 Apr 13
    1970-71 shots of the Dawgs in and around Taipei, Tien Mou, Peitou, Grass Mountain, and Wulai. Also "Then and Now" photos.
    Taipei and Surrounding Area - Part II Updated 06 Apr 10
    1970-71 photos by "Gus" Harris of Tien Mou, Taipei, and surrounding areas.
    Taipei and Surrounding Area- Part III Updated 28 Jan 12
    Photos of Wulai, Yangminshan, Chihnan Temple, Peitou, Keelung, National Palace Museum, and Martyrs' Shrine.
    Photo by S. Swallom



    CITY OF TAIPEI
    City of Taipei - Part I Updated 04 Apr 13
    1970-71 photos taken along Chungshan North Road and Min Chuan East/West Road in Taipei.
    City of Taipei - Part II Updated 28 Jan 12
    Lots of great 1970 and 1971 shots taken around town by several Dawgs.
    Photo by N. Carpenter


    SHIMENDING and TAIPEI GOVERNMENT CENTER
    Shimending: 1960s, 1970s, and Today Updated 27 Oct 12
    Great photos and maps of Taipei's glitzy shopping area including Haggler's Row, First Company Dept. Store, and Chien Sing theater.
    Presidential Office Building and Taipei Government Center Updated 10 Mar 13
    Photos of President Chiang Kai-shek, the Presidential Office Building, Double Ten Day parades, and government buildings.
    Photo by M. Hine


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    THE EARLY YEARS - 1955 to 1960

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    REMEMBRANCES OF LINKOU (Det. 1, 6925th RSM) - SHULINKOU 1955 to 1956 Updated 22 Dec 01
    Jack Tress's account with photos of life at Shulinkou in 1955 when the base was first established. "I was a brand new 2nd lieutenant, fresh out of OCS, when I was there. Several of the Chinese linguists that were there were in the same class with me at Yale...Re that picture of me standing in the entrance to the tent, that was the BOQ prior to the other metal one that was built in the fall of 1955. You can see the brick floor in the tent. As far as I know, that was the only tent with a brick floor and all of the officers (including myself) layed the bricks." [July 29, 2008] Jack Tress, Lt. Col. USAF (ret.)
    Photo by Jack Tress




    "GETTING ESTABLISHED" - SHULINKOU 1955 and 1956 Updated 23 Mar 02
    Numerous photos and narrative by Al High (1955-56) a 203 linguist. "The first thing we did at Linkou was go to KuLinLin (Linkou village) to get rubber boots which would be the preferred footware for most of our tour. Work was something else, as none of us had any tech training so it was strictly OJT. We were led into OPS and were shown an SP600 and a PT-6 and went from there. Our OPS Officer was Captain George W. Card, "97 pounds of blue twisted steel" - was the way he referred to himself. Our shifts were two days on and two days off. Great for Taipei doings..."
    Photo by Al High





    ACROSS THE BIG POND - SHULINKOU 1955 to 1956 Added 15 Jan 05   Photo by Jack Tress
    Del Sylvester (1955-56): "During the 'early years' of Shulinkou's existence some of the young enlisted men assigned to Formosa thought of their time in Nationalist China as an exotic adventure in the Orient rather than a hardship tour in a place where the Chinese Communists threatened to invade daily. As we left the red mud and horrid living conditions on the "Hill" after 15-months for the USA, we tended to see the country through the eyes of a naive visitor; and, in an idealistic sense, that of a protector.



    BOOT CAMP TO THE HILL AND BACK - SHULINKOU 1956 to 1958 Added 16 Nov 07
    Recollection of Frank Fredo's memories of Linkou while there from 1956 until his departure and discharge from the Army in 1958. Lots of photos.
    On the left is a photo of Frank manning the .50 cal. machine gun emplacement at what was later to be named the Hou Keng installation. The site overlooked the Taiwan Strait and the beaches below where the Chicoms were expected to invade the island.
    Photo by Frank Fredo




    THE EARLY YEARS - SHULINKOU 1957 to 1959 Updated 08 Mar 03
    Photos, history and tales of Linkou's founding years in the mid-1950s. Gary Scorby (1957-58) describes the atmosphere of Shulinkou back then: "Taiwan was a real hot spot in 1958. We were not sure how far the Chicoms would go. By info gathered, they were filling up airfields along the coast of China and making practice bomb runs at Taipei. Also, the Chicom Air Force was conducting air battles almost everyday over the Straits of Taiwan. Broadcasts from Radio Peking were telling us to get off the island because Taiwan was going to be liberated. We were at the point of taking them serious."
    Photo by Don Milano




    THE EARLIEST OF THE EARLY YEARS - SHULINKOU 1957 Added 29 Mar 01   Photo by Robert Stark
    Col. Stark's recount with photos. In April 1957 during the Taiwan Strait conflict Major Robert F. Stark assumed command of Det, 1, 6925th RGM at Shulinkou. His initial appraisal of the site: "Although some so called Chinese quonsets had been built for the airmen who were double-decked...the place looked like a bad dream."


    "IHTFP", THE UNTOLD STORY - SHULINKOU 1957 Added 01 Apr 01
    "Old-Timers" will recognize the initials, "IHTFP"...and they didn't stand for "In Honest Toil For Peace"...! Read this humorous account with photos by Col. Robert Stark (ret.) of the origins of the "IHTP" key chain carried by many airmen and officers at Linkou in the "Early Days".
    Image by Robert Stark



    IMAGES OF LINKOU - SHULINKOU 1957 to 1958   Updated 13 Mar 13 / Added 11 Dec 10
    Photos by Roger Swift (1957-58). "Because of my time in the P.I. at Clark AB, I spent just 11 months on Taiwan. I left there in Feb. of '58, so that puts me getting there in March of '57, along with Dan Pentacost. Dan and I were classmates in Biloxi and were on the same flight to the P.I. The reason we were picked to go to Taiwan was because on the swing shift that they asked us to volunteer...we told them we would let them know the next day. The next day, the orders to go were posted on the B.B. (bulletin board) with our names on them.
      My hometown up until around 1959 was Buckfield, Maine, a rather large farming town of around 1,000 people. Buckfield is about 35 or 40 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, N.W. of Portland, Maine."
    Photo by Roger Swift




    MAGIC BRICKS AND CHICOM THREAT - SHULINKOU 1957 to 1959   Updated 11 Dec 10 / Added 02 Apr 10
    Story and photos by Harry Davis (1957-58). "Over 51 years have passed since I left Taiwan where I was stationed from October 1957 to January 1959 as a Crpyto Operator on Trick 3. Detailed memories have faded with time but I will never forget the time I spent there"
    "...1958 was a time of anxiety and unrest for all of us who were stationed on Taiwan. The Chicoms were shelling the offshore islandsand threatening to "liberate" the Nationalist Chinese on Taiwan. We feared an attack was imminent and we really had no chance to survive it. They came up with a list of personnel who were to stay on the "Hill" if we were forced to evacuate and my name was on that list. I thought my life would probably be over before my 21st birthday."
    Photo by Harry Davis




    "FOUR STAR JOURNAL" CARTOONS - SHULINKOU 1958 to 1960 Added 13 Feb 09
    Submitted by EJ Ledet as he describes: "During my tenure (1958-60), we had a "trick paper" which was prepared on 6-ply paper (ah, yes, 6-ply). It was called the FOUR STAR JOURNAL (a-la Trick FOUR, a pun?) and prepared on the mid shifts with dissemination within the trick. The first or cover page was always a cartoon, some on the shady side, which had something to do with a person or event from Trick. I had the foresight to save the original cartoons back in 1960."
    Image by EJ Ledet




    RANDOM MEMORIES OF LINKOU AND TAIWAN 1958 to 1959 Updated 22 Feb 02
    Great story of Roy W. Boylan's account of his Air Force tour at Shu Linkou during the years 1958 and 1959...from finishing language school at Yale, to assignment at Linkou, and through his return to the United States.




    A SAILOR'S TOUR OF SHULINKOU - 1959 Added 12 Feb 05
    By Ron Crowley USN Shulinkou 1959. "After home leave, Howie and I departed Boston by plane for California, then island-hopped to Honolulu, Wake, Kwajalein, Okinawa and finally Taipei, Taiwan. Our first stop after night arrival was at a hostel next to the Linkou Club on Chung Shan N. Rd. The wooden floor would have been a softer surface to sleep on as the bunk mattresses were like granite!"
    Photo by Don Milano



    "ALL THE TEA IN CHINA" - SHULINKOU 1961 to 1963 Added 07 Nov 03
    A story written by Jeff Kuhn a morse operator on "Bee" Trick at Shu Linkou from 1961 to 1963. Excellent reading for everyone stationed at Shu Linkou regardless of the year...a must read!

    "GOODBYE TAIPEI" - 1977 Added 28 Mar 02
    A short-story written by Fred Reed and published in "The Times Magazine", April 4, 1977, Army Times Publishing Co. With thanks to Ed Bohannon for submitting it for addition to the Shu Linkou site. Good reading and colorful. "...However, many of Dawg Flight circa 1970 will dispute this writer's idea that you couldn't have a "really" good time in Taipei!"

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    TAIWAN WEBSITE LINKS

    6987th Alumni Association - 1960s
    Our active "sister" site...established in Dec 2010 by Gary "Yogi" Knighton who was a 292X1 on Charlie Flight at Linkou from 1961 to 1963. An excellent website with lots of 1960s historical photos, rosters, locator info, and more. You'll enjoy your visit...

    Linkou Naval Security Group (NSG) - Delta Section 1970 to 1973
    The "Delta" Linkou "Squids" manage their own excellent website and Linkou Navy rosters. Many historical 1970s photos of Shulinkou, Taipei, clubs, bars, and saujays. Be sure to visit...

    Taipei Signal Army (TSA) Blog
    Active historical blog established in 2010 by John Crum who was stationed at the Grass Mountain (Taipei) communications facility with the U.S. Army STRATCOM Long Lines Battalion in Taiwan from 1968 to 1969. This excellent blog covers the 1950s through today with lots of great photos and interesting info about Taipei and Taiwan...as well as some fun stuff.

    Taipei Air Station (TAS) Blog and Website
    Active historical blog established by Kent Mathieu who was stationed at Taipei Air Station from 1965 to 1968. Lots of great photos, videos, interesting stories, remembrances, and thoughts about Taipei and many other areas of Taiwan from the 1950s through today. There is also an active roster that covers all U.S. military bases on Taiwan. Kent also manages the Taipei Air Station WEBSITE with lots of great photos and info.

    U.S. Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC) Blog
    Don Wiggins was assigned to the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command located in the HSA East Compound in Taipei during 1973 and 1974. His informative blog is a recollection of his tour as well as detailed historical info and photos from others about Taipei and Taiwan from the 1950s through today.

    Taipics.com
    An excellent historical website with an outstanding collection of more than 3200 photos and postcard images of Taipei and Taiwan from the 1800s through today. Also, many links to other great Taiwan historical websites.
      "...It has been fun collecting and organizing these images because, in my experience, historical photos of Taiwan have been nearly impossible to find. I think what is here now is a nice collection for students, scholars and history lovers alike to reference and enjoy. I hope these images will help Taiwanese develop a better understanding of their country's history." Peace ~ Marc 12/11

    US Army 176th Army Security Agency (ASA), Shulinkou AS, Taiwan - 1967 to 1969
    Shulinkou website managed by Vern Greunke who served with the 176th ASA at Linkou from 1967 to 1969.

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