Dawg Flight 1970 and 1971
Unaccompanied military at Linkou were required to reside in the barracks on the Hill. Further, due to the sensitive and classified nature of our work, the Air Force did not allow unaccompanied military to live in Taipei. To not comply with that Air Force regulation, risked losing our security clearances.
So...what you are about to see in the photos below really didn't happen... Nobody on Dawg Flight paid NT$4000 ($100 U.S.) a month to rent an apartment in Taipei. Nor did any Dawg Flighter share the rent on two or three bedroom luxury apartments with others. These things simply did not happen...
1.) Dawgs enjoying a pejyou on the roof of Steve Swallom's first apartment building in Taipei not far from the Oasis Hotel. (From left) Ray Adams, Dennis "Oly" Olson (OR), Rick "Big Kahuna" Muller (RI) and Joel "Robbie" Robinson (CA). The President Hotel is in the background looking north (Feb. 1970 photo).
2.) February 1970 shot of Al Luczyk (OH) and Ray Adams (right) in Al's apartment. Sharing the apartment with Al were Steve Swallom (KY), Dennis Olson (OR) and Joel Robinson (CA).
3.) A neighbor in the apartment's living room. 4.) The Brazilian Embassy was located next door to their apartment building (Feb. 1970 photo).
1.) Located along Min Chuan East Road were apartment buildings similar to this one being built close to the club district. Most of the three and four story Taipei apartment buildings were poorly constructed of concrete blocks, bricks, and stucco...they would not have passed code in the states.
2.) 1970 shot of a couple two-bedroom apartment buildings located a few blocks off Min Chuan West Road and just beyond the "Big Benjo" (photo on right). During 1970/71 several Dawg Flighters rented a few of the apartments in the building on the right above. The balconies in the photo were located off the front bedroom.
3.) 1970 photo of the living room of an apartment in an apartment building shown in the previous photo.
4.) Shot of the rear of a typical Taipei apartment building like the one shown in the previous photo (Photo 2.). The door shown in the photo led to the bathroom, which could also be accessed through the rear bedroom. The kitchen was just off to the left with a door to the rear balcony. (1958 photo)
(Photo on Right-Click to Enlarge) "The "Big Benjo"...Taipei's open sewage system. This 1970 shot of the "Big Benjo" with the Jianguo Road bridge in the distance was taken from the pedestrian bridge that several Dawgs used daily to walk to their apartments located in the buildings shown above and below. The pedestrian bridge was also the site of "Benjo Benny's" legendary "diving act"...
1.) 1971 shot of Ray "Riccione" Riccitello's (NJ) Taipei apartment building (center background) located a few blocks beyond the "Big Benjo".
2.) A 1971 shot of a loud "street hawker" with Riccione's Taipei apartment building in the background. The peddler constantly kept Riccione awake while working mids.
3.) 1971 shot of Carl Gnath (MI) outside his Taipei apartment building located beyond the "Big Benjo".
4.) Carl Gnath in 1971 with apartment buildings in the background that were located beyond the "Big Benjo".
5.) 1971 shot of Sam Daniel and his fiance, Lucy, on the rooftop terrace of his Taipei apartment building.
(Click on Images to Enlarge) Credits: (Left) provided by Lentz (Right) provided by J. Crum courtesy of "TaipeiSignalArmy. blogspot.com"
(Left Image) The worldwide "Weather" section from the Wednesday, July 16, 1969 Pacific "Stars and Stripes" newspaper.
The 95 degree high for Taipei on Monday, July 14th was one of the highest temperatures recorded throughout Asia.
Taipei apartments lacked heating and air conditioning and were cold and damp in the winter and sweltering in the summer.
Seasonal temperatures varied from about 45 degrees during the winter rainy season (December to March) to 95 degrees
in summer (May to November). Because of the high humidity throughout the year the winter months seemed much colder
than the 45 degree weather.
(Right Image) "Houses for Rent" from the classified advertisement section of The China Post, a Taiwan newspaper, September 1, 1969 edition. Listed are houses and apartments for rent in Taipei, Shih Lin, Tien Mou, Peitou, and Yangmingshan.
In another apartment building across town...this is not Tim "Timmy Two-Shoes" Kerekes (MI) and he did not share this apartment with two other Dawgs. This apartment near the Taipei International Airport was a nice place to spend time while in Taipei. It had a kitchen, dining room, living room, two baths, and three bedrooms.
The kitchen had a small refrigerator (rented) and a hot plate for cooking Ramien noodles which were stocked by the case along with beer. This third floor apartment had three balconies with great views and access to the roof that we often used to catch some rays.
Furniture for an apartment could be purchased very inexpensively from local shops, often through the fine art of haggling, and was often delivered by motorcycle. (Refrigerators were rented and often paid for with a couple cartons of Malboros from the Navy Exchange or a case or two of Budweiser from the West Compound's "Double Ten" store.) Most accessories could be purchased from the East Compound's Navy Exchange or the First Company Department Store in Shimending,
When a person was due to leave Taiwan or wanted to move out he would simply find another Dawg Flighter to move into the bachelor pad and "buy him out" for his share of the furniture. In many cases that was only a bed, AF issue sheets and blankets, and, of course, a fridge for beer.
Tim Kerekes's new 9 inch Sony TV from the Navy Exchange (a Christmas present) picked up the local Taiwan TV (TTV) channel...and "Mission Impossible"...with good reception. Next to the TV is a Michelob bottle used as a flower vase and a "Use N.T. Only" sign (photo below) that was "acquired" from the Prince Club's bar.
A pair of TEAC reel-to-reel tape decks for dubbing and a portable cassette player are on the table (far right). The Dawgs listened to the Armed Forces Network Taiwan (AFNT), broadcast from Taipei (1560 AM and 100.1 FM), for the Top 40 tunes from the "World". The Jim Beam on the shelf on the left was fresh from the West Compound's Embassy Shop.
NOTE: The Armed Forces Network Taiwan (AFNT) was an affiliate of the worldwide Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).
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