| Chow in Korea Email Chat IV, on Saturday, March 17, 2007 Saint Patty's Day |
| GRENEDA POSTAGE STAMP ON KOREA |
Sent: Saturday March 17, 2007 04:48:22
Thanks for the laugh, David…good to go to bed with a smile!--David L
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the mess personnel in Korea who often
slaved in those hot mess halls cooking food that was at least nourishing. It may
not have been the best cuisine, but there were many times in my 30 year military
career when I would look at the slop in front of me and wish I were back in the
Camp Beard mess hall. Especially those great ham sandwiches they would pack
us for our nights on the Imjim while on SCO SI duty. This photo is from the
2/72Armor 1968 yearbook in honor of our dedicated cooks and mess men.--Rich
(Doc) Hernandez, Medical Platoon, 2/72 Armor, 2ID, '67-'68
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
You're right, Doc, the food in Korea was much better than state side. I attribute it to
the attitude to duty in Korea. Everyone, including the cooks took their job
seriously. The discipline, devotion to duty as well as fellow comrades and high
morale were not duplicated when I was at Ft. Bragg. In fact it was a military
wasteland and I longed to be back on the Z rather than wasting away until
discharged.--Dave LaForest 2/9th, 2nd Div. '67-'68
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
I forgot to mention that while at Camp Young, HHC 1/23rd Inf., we had a SP5
name of Tamm that essentially did all the work in the mess. He had a SGT over him
but Tamm ran the show. When I was in the Motor Plt. our hooch was just below
the cook’s hooch. Tamm would occasionally stop by our hooch with left over
cookies or whatever and we would enjoy PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) with cookies or
whatever Tamm brought. The cooks put on a BBQ on at least one occasion and
cooked venison and pheasant that somehow or other had been killed and brought
back to camp. I am sure there were a lot of NK deer killed north of the River!!!!--Bob
Haynes, HHC 1/23rd. Inf. 2nd. Inf. Division, Korea DMZ 1966-67, Imjin Scout, Keep
up the fire!!!
Sat, March 17, 2007 10:16 PM
Okay, now it is time for the OLD trooper amongst you to weigh in about the chow
I've been reading the posts with great interest. Boy, what a difference a decade
made. And thank Heaven. Eggs to order indeed!
In '57 and '58 the Army had some kind of "standardized menu" for mess halls.
At least standardized by theater. In the Eighth Army, Tuesday morning was SOS
day. EVERY Tuesday morning. For fourteen months. (Tour was 16 months in
those days but I made the "Christmas Drop") Spent Thanksgiving of '58 aboard
the MSTS Gen. W. A. Mann (in, or just a day or so after a Typhoon) but finally,
headed the RIGHT WAY. I embarked on her four times. Seattle to San Francisco
(Oakland Army Terminal), and to Inchon via Yokohama during the '57 World
Series. Then returned Yokohama-Inchon from both of my R&R on her. If
"bumped" off the passenger list for the daily flight from Tachikawa to K-14, we
were given a 24 hour pass. I'd go back into Tokyo or to visit at the on-base homes
of the Owada Signal Site buddies who kept "arranging" for my "bumps". Finally
all such "personnel awaiting transport to the ROK" in the transient barracks at
Camp Drake when she docked at Yokohama, were bussed to Yokohama and
embarked for Inchon. Nice thee day cruise down through the Kuriles and up into
the Yellow Sea to Inchon, with NO ship-board duties such as were assigned to
Trans-Pacific troops.
My final voyage was Inchon, Yokohama, Seattle. Assigned to the Ship's
Newspaper during both trans-Pacific trips. Navy chow aboard those MST vessels,
and with the USAF when I was TDY to K-14, K-16 (on an island in the Han River
near Seoul) Kadena AFB (Okinawa), or to an A.I.S.S. outfit up MSR 2, was an order
of magnitude better than Army chow.
In those days we got ONLY powdered milk and ONLY powdered eggs. This old
farm boy and a now-deceased buddy from Nebraska bought a dozen hens eggs in
Bup Yeongone evening, cooked them up on the POL burner in the MARS station
and ate a half dozen apiece at one sitting.
North of MunsanNi it was far worse. C-Rations dated 1944 for the most
part.
And like one trooper wrote, often heated on a warm engine. K-Rations were from
'52 and '53.
The Army issued a type of sterno can for heating C-rations. That blue Flame
worked fine when you were where you could use it. Sometimes mobile kitchens or
their base camps sent those bunker-rats and GP troops "hot boxes", but not with
any reliability. Especially in winter.
Those green bulls-eye Lucky Strikes did smoke okay if you were desperate.
Even if they did date from your own 5th birthday. But you'd never mistake them
for fresh PX butts. They were much easier to "field strip" though.
I too, developed a lasting fondness for country music from AFKN. Hank
Williams, Hank Snow, Jim Ed Brown, Gogi Grant et. al. Except for WWVA (Wheeling
W. Va.) we never heard "country music" up in N’Hamsha back in the '50s. Also my
taste for Heinekens (25 cents a bottle at the day room or any E.M. club back then).
Not commercially available back in N'Hamsha for another 20+ Years.
Bob Hope brought Jayne Mansfield with his Troupe for Christmas of '57.
But the best show for me was when Red Skelton and his wife were in Japan
mourning the death of their young son. He decided on the spur of the moment
he'd come to the ROK and do a series of shows. What a trouper he was. Special
Services reacted on short notice and he came. I still have a blue MPC dollar bill he
autographed for me with his traditional red pen at the end of a show where I
"worked sound" filling in for a buddy who landed briefly in the 121 Evac. Hospital.
Wish I still had the old reel to reel tape I made that day.
Thanks for the memories guys. Half a century gone bye now. 50 Years
This October 31st for my buddy Tommy. Gone, but not forgotten.--Skoshi Joe
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 20:26:31-0600
Thanks Julio, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you too. I think your “chow hall meals in
Korea” was a smash. It sure solicited a lot of replies and great stories.—Jay Fidel
Thanks for the laugh, David…good to go to bed with a smile!--David L
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the mess personnel in Korea who often
slaved in those hot mess halls cooking food that was at least nourishing. It may
not have been the best cuisine, but there were many times in my 30 year military
career when I would look at the slop in front of me and wish I were back in the
Camp Beard mess hall. Especially those great ham sandwiches they would pack
us for our nights on the Imjim while on SCO SI duty. This photo is from the
2/72Armor 1968 yearbook in honor of our dedicated cooks and mess men.--Rich
(Doc) Hernandez, Medical Platoon, 2/72 Armor, 2ID, '67-'68
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
You're right, Doc, the food in Korea was much better than state side. I attribute it to
the attitude to duty in Korea. Everyone, including the cooks took their job
seriously. The discipline, devotion to duty as well as fellow comrades and high
morale were not duplicated when I was at Ft. Bragg. In fact it was a military
wasteland and I longed to be back on the Z rather than wasting away until
discharged.--Dave LaForest 2/9th, 2nd Div. '67-'68
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:05 AM
I forgot to mention that while at Camp Young, HHC 1/23rd Inf., we had a SP5
name of Tamm that essentially did all the work in the mess. He had a SGT over him
but Tamm ran the show. When I was in the Motor Plt. our hooch was just below
the cook’s hooch. Tamm would occasionally stop by our hooch with left over
cookies or whatever and we would enjoy PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) with cookies or
whatever Tamm brought. The cooks put on a BBQ on at least one occasion and
cooked venison and pheasant that somehow or other had been killed and brought
back to camp. I am sure there were a lot of NK deer killed north of the River!!!!--Bob
Haynes, HHC 1/23rd. Inf. 2nd. Inf. Division, Korea DMZ 1966-67, Imjin Scout, Keep
up the fire!!!
Sat, March 17, 2007 10:16 PM
Okay, now it is time for the OLD trooper amongst you to weigh in about the chow
I've been reading the posts with great interest. Boy, what a difference a decade
made. And thank Heaven. Eggs to order indeed!
In '57 and '58 the Army had some kind of "standardized menu" for mess halls.
At least standardized by theater. In the Eighth Army, Tuesday morning was SOS
day. EVERY Tuesday morning. For fourteen months. (Tour was 16 months in
those days but I made the "Christmas Drop") Spent Thanksgiving of '58 aboard
the MSTS Gen. W. A. Mann (in, or just a day or so after a Typhoon) but finally,
headed the RIGHT WAY. I embarked on her four times. Seattle to San Francisco
(Oakland Army Terminal), and to Inchon via Yokohama during the '57 World
Series. Then returned Yokohama-Inchon from both of my R&R on her. If
"bumped" off the passenger list for the daily flight from Tachikawa to K-14, we
were given a 24 hour pass. I'd go back into Tokyo or to visit at the on-base homes
of the Owada Signal Site buddies who kept "arranging" for my "bumps". Finally
all such "personnel awaiting transport to the ROK" in the transient barracks at
Camp Drake when she docked at Yokohama, were bussed to Yokohama and
embarked for Inchon. Nice thee day cruise down through the Kuriles and up into
the Yellow Sea to Inchon, with NO ship-board duties such as were assigned to
Trans-Pacific troops.
My final voyage was Inchon, Yokohama, Seattle. Assigned to the Ship's
Newspaper during both trans-Pacific trips. Navy chow aboard those MST vessels,
and with the USAF when I was TDY to K-14, K-16 (on an island in the Han River
near Seoul) Kadena AFB (Okinawa), or to an A.I.S.S. outfit up MSR 2, was an order
of magnitude better than Army chow.
In those days we got ONLY powdered milk and ONLY powdered eggs. This old
farm boy and a now-deceased buddy from Nebraska bought a dozen hens eggs in
Bup Yeongone evening, cooked them up on the POL burner in the MARS station
and ate a half dozen apiece at one sitting.
North of MunsanNi it was far worse. C-Rations dated 1944 for the most
part.
And like one trooper wrote, often heated on a warm engine. K-Rations were from
'52 and '53.
The Army issued a type of sterno can for heating C-rations. That blue Flame
worked fine when you were where you could use it. Sometimes mobile kitchens or
their base camps sent those bunker-rats and GP troops "hot boxes", but not with
any reliability. Especially in winter.
Those green bulls-eye Lucky Strikes did smoke okay if you were desperate.
Even if they did date from your own 5th birthday. But you'd never mistake them
for fresh PX butts. They were much easier to "field strip" though.
I too, developed a lasting fondness for country music from AFKN. Hank
Williams, Hank Snow, Jim Ed Brown, Gogi Grant et. al. Except for WWVA (Wheeling
W. Va.) we never heard "country music" up in N’Hamsha back in the '50s. Also my
taste for Heinekens (25 cents a bottle at the day room or any E.M. club back then).
Not commercially available back in N'Hamsha for another 20+ Years.
Bob Hope brought Jayne Mansfield with his Troupe for Christmas of '57.
But the best show for me was when Red Skelton and his wife were in Japan
mourning the death of their young son. He decided on the spur of the moment
he'd come to the ROK and do a series of shows. What a trouper he was. Special
Services reacted on short notice and he came. I still have a blue MPC dollar bill he
autographed for me with his traditional red pen at the end of a show where I
"worked sound" filling in for a buddy who landed briefly in the 121 Evac. Hospital.
Wish I still had the old reel to reel tape I made that day.
Thanks for the memories guys. Half a century gone bye now. 50 Years
This October 31st for my buddy Tommy. Gone, but not forgotten.--Skoshi Joe
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 20:26:31-0600
Thanks Julio, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you too. I think your “chow hall meals in
Korea” was a smash. It sure solicited a lot of replies and great stories.—Jay Fidel
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