CWO4 Dave Mann wrote:
Grumpy AuContraire wrote:
CWO4 Dave Mann wrote:
Mitchell Holman wrote:
(J.F.) wrote in news:EvcSi.8861$sm6.7965
@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com:
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Ah! Good old French Frigate Shoals. Back in the old days of chasing
Soviet missile launch telemetry boats around the Pacific, FFS was
"The" place to be. Can you say crowded with three (count 'em) Three
C130's packed with "stuff" sitting there at one time just like an
aircraft carrier early morning launch of the dawn patrol.
Cheers,
Dave
PS: Fishing was great....
You musta bin thar' during the "monkey" dayz.
By the mid 1980's, most buildings were prestressed concrete, paved
roads and even a sizable operational terminal building.
JT
(Two contracts: 1989-90 and 1992-93)
How does 1969 and early 1970 sound? Flying in from Okinawa with the
"security folks". Like they needed security there. When we dropped in
on Johnson Island prior to Operation RED HAT, the atoll still had
Japanese aircraft wreckage, a couple of B24's (or pieces of them at the
end of the long runway), and quonset huts which looked inside as if the
folks had simply stood up from their desks in 1945 and walked away. It
was a historical treasure trove and all got bulldozed into the water,
including the Vargas Calendars, USAAF control tower and an old WW2 radar
system in a box.
When waste is considered... The navy wins hands down.
During the time that I was there, a half billion dollars of pure waste
was pointed out and the navy hardly winced.
The others aren't far behind though. From what I understand, Johnston
Island has now been scraped clean of everything. I don't think that the
runway is usable anymore.
At least the Brits did mount a program to preserve the eastern side of
Diego where the main copra plantation existed. Much of the work was done
by navy "volunteers."
JT